Watson Institute at Brown University
International Relations

Requirements

Total Credits: 14 (15 with Honors) + Language

  • AP and IB courses are not eligible for IR concentration credit.
  • Courses taken online (at Brown or elsewhere) are not eligible for IR concentration credit.

See current course offerings

CORE Courses (5) Students MUST take all 5 core courses

ANTH 0110 or Anthropology and Global Social Problems
    INTL 0700 or Global Health, Humanitarianism, and Inequality
    ANTH 0100 Intro to Cultural Anthropology
ECON 0110 Principles of Economics
HIST 1900/1554 American Empire Since 1890 or
pre-approved HIST course from course list.
POLS 0400 or Intro to International Politics
POLS 0200 Comparative Politics
SOC 1620 or Globalization and Social Conflict (WRIT)
SOC 0150 or Economic Development and Social Change
SOC 1490 Power, Knowledge and Justice in Global Social Change

TRACK Courses (5) Choose one track


Security and Society

Governance and Diplomacy (2 or 3 courses)
Examples of courses in this sub-theme:
INTL 1443 History of American Intervention
INTL 1700 Intro to International Law
INTL 1802C Cybersecurity and Intl Relations
POLS 1500 International Law and Human Rights
POLS 1560 US Foreign Policy
POLS 1822L Nuclear Weapons
Society (2 or 3 courses)
Examples of courses in this sub-theme:
ANTH 1232 War and Society
ANTH 1233 Ethnographies of Global Connection
ANTH 1411 Nations within States
HIST 1350 Modern Genocide/Other Crimes
INTL 1400 Religion and Global Politics
POLS 1380 Ethnic Politics and Conflict


Political Economy and Society

Economics (2 or 3 courses)
Students must take Micro and Macro
ECON 1110 Micro-Economics
ECON 1210 Macro-Economics
Plus one international ECON course - for example:
ECON 1500 Current Global Macro-Eco Challenges
ECON 1540 International Trade
ECON 1550 International Finance
Political Economy (2 or 3 courses)
Examples of courses in this sub-theme:
ANTH 0450 Two Billion Cars: Humans, Markets, Cultures, and the Automobile
ANTH 1324 Money, Work, Power: Culture and Economics
INTL 1802O Global Corporate Accountability
INTL 1802S Politics of International Finance
POLS 1020 Politics of the Illicit Global Economy
POLS 1420 Money & Power in the International Political Economy

METHODS Course (1)

Must be taken prior to 7th semester. Quantitative or qualitative course from approved list.

REGIONAL Courses (2)

Both courses must be on the same area. Students are required to link these to language study.

LANGUAGE

Three years university study or equivalent. Must correspond to region.

CAPSTONE Course(s) (1 or 2)       

 

Taken Sr year (excluding summer and winter sessions). 

Must be taken for a grade.

WRIT requirement must be fulfilled by 7th semester.

a. Senior Seminar Paper (WRIT) see approved list of seminars, OR
b. Independent Study Research Project (WRIT), OR
c. Honors Thesis – *2 courses (INTL 1910, INTL 1920) (WRIT)

STUDY ABROAD

Strongly recommended.