SCHOOL of INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

American University · Washington, D.C.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Overview

We live in a world of porous borders, in which relations among people, groups, firms, non-governmental organizations, and states create an intricate web of connections. The field of International Politics tackles difficult questions about power and rules in this complex environment. The program equips students with theoretical and substantive knowledge about the causes, processes, and consequences of conflict and cooperation as played out on the global stage. The course of study stresses the role of the state and other agents both in traditional diplomatic interactions and in increasingly salient transnational problems and processes.

To acquire the necessary analytical tools, students are trained in international relations theory and economics, as well as in research methods. An important component of the program is the active role taken by students, in consultation with faculty, in directing the focus of their studies by developing a specialization linked to their intellectual interests and professional goals.

Students in the field of International Politics specialize in a substantive area of the field, gaining expertise that can be translated directly into professional opportunities. Students can choose courses, seek internships, and conduct research in areas such as:

International Security

• The nature of war in the 21st century; gender and security; the relationship between identity and conflict.
• Arms, arms trade, and weapons of mass destruction; proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.
• Multilateralism and collective security; the role of international organizations; security regimes.
• Security and globalization.

International Organization

• The organization of the international system and the role of international organizations within it.
• The roles of governmental and non-governmental institutions in global governance; social movements, and transnational organizations.
• International law, regimes, and international cooperation.

International Political Economy

• Fundamental institutions and mechanisms of the global economy; the role of international institutions and states in managing the global economy.
• The politics of trade, monetary policy, and globalization.
• The global political economy of the Information Age; computer networks and state sovereignty with a global economy.

Transnational Crime and Corruption

• Transnational crime and corruption as pervasive trans-border problems.
• Effects of crime and corruption on democratization efforts, financial markets, human rights, rule of law, and sustainable development.
• Means of combating transnational crime and corruption.

Human Rights

• Human rights and global conflict; war and humanitarian crises; human rights and security.
• Human rights, international organizations, and international law; human rights regimes and the implementation of human rights protections; gender and international relations.
• Human rights and the global economy; processes of globalization and the protection or endangering of human rights.

Themes in International Politics

The overarching themes of the International Politics field ask the central questions of International Relations:

• What is the nature of power, and how is it changing?
  
• How do structures and agents interact in the world system?
  
• How do we explain organized violence (war) between and within states?
  
• How do we explain the persistence of order in the international system?
  
• What role does diplomacy play In international relations, and when is it most effective?
  
• What role does the use of military force play in the international politics of the new century?
  
• What is the role of international law and how do global norms develop and spread?
  
• How so transborder problems challenge traditional expectations of other roles of states, international organizations, groups, and individuals in an increasingly interconnected global era?
  
• What is globalization, and what are its effects?

Individually Designed Specializations

Students, in consultation with their faculty advisor, have the option of designing their own specialization to meet their intellectual and career goals. Faculty advisors approve individually designed specializations which are relevant to the International Politics field, coherent and academically sound, and which serve the students' goals.

Internship/Career Opportunities

Located in Washington,DC, one of the world’s leading centers of international interaction, the School if International Service provides students access to an array of unique internships and mentoring opportunities in the field of International Politics.

IP students are strongly encouraged to integrate experiential learning into their studies through internships in government, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, or the business sector. The professional staff of the University Career Center is available to discuss internship opportunities, both in Washington and abroad. Faculty mentors advise students on the academic component of the internship.

Students have completed internships at organizations including: The Atlantic Council of the US, Amnesty International, the Center for International Policy, the Center for Strategic and International Affairs, the Council of Foreign Relations, the Institute for World Politics, the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, the National Defense Council, the US Department of State, the US Department of Commerce, the Heritage Foundation.

AU Career Center

Alumni Career Network

Alumni play a key role in helping students reach their career and academic goals. Alumni are active in presenting careers to the university community and recruiting School of International Service students for internships and jobs. In recent years, alumni have hosted receptions and discussions in such diverse locations ad the World Bank, the State Department, and the Academy for Educational Development.

Finally, the school’s 13,000-strong alumni community serves as an incomparable resource for current students and an example of the leading role played in international affairs by School of International Service graduates.

SIS Alumni Web page

Faculty

• Tamar Gutner, Division Director, International Politics and Foreign Policy
• Paul Williams
• Patrick Jackson
• Christopher Rudolph
• David L. Bosco
• Stephen Kroll
• Boaz Atzili
• Stephen Kroll
• Dan Schneider
• Amitav Acharya
• Celeste Wallander

Affiliated Faculty

• James Mittelman
• Paul Wapner
• C. Randall Henning
• Julie Mertus