Major in International Studies - Colorado State

The International Studies major with a Middle East and North African Studies concentration provides a comprehensive understanding of the region's history, politics, culture, and international relations. Students explore the intersection of social sciences, humanities, and languages to develop critical thinking and analytical skills necessary for careers in international affairs and global studies. The program emphasizes language proficiency, requiring three years of a single foreign language or two through the second year, and encourages study abroad experiences in relevant countries.

Program Outline

Outline:

The International Studies major with a Middle East and North African Studies concentration requires a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 42 being upper-division (300- to 400-level). The program is structured across four years, with a specific course schedule outlined for each semester.

Freshman Year:

Semester 1:
College Composition (GT-CO2) - 3 credits
First-Year Arabic I - 5 credits
One course from the following:
Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3) - 3 credits
Cultures and the Global System (GT-SS3) - 1 credit
Introduction to Geography (GT-SS2) - 3 credits
Electives - 3 credits
Semester 2:
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Globalization - 3 credits
First-Year Arabic II - 5 credits
One course from the following:
The Islamic World: Late Antiquity to 1500 - 3 credits
The Islamic World Since 1500 - 3 credits
World History, Ancient-1500 (GT-HI1) - 3 credits
World History, 1500-Present (GT-HI1) - 3 credits
One course from the following:
International Relations (GT-SS1) - 1 credit
Comparative Government and Politics (GT-SS1) - 1 credit
Quantitative Reasoning - 3 credits

Sophomore Year:

Semester 3:
Second-Year Arabic I (GT-AH4) - 3 credits
One course from the following:
Agricultural and Resource Economics (GT-SS1) - 3 credits
Principles of Microeconomics (GT-SS1) - 3 credits
Principles of Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) - 3 credits
Gender in the Economy (GT-SS1) - 1 credit
Issues in Environmental Economics (GT-SS1) - 3 credits
Arts and Humanities - 3 credits
Biological and Physical Sciences - 3 credits
Elective - 3 credits
Semester 4:
Second-Year Arabic II (GT-AH4) - 3 credits
Advanced Writing - 2 credits
Biological and Physical Sciences - 3 credits
Elective - 3 credits

Junior Year:

Semester 5:
International Studies Research Methods - 4 credits
One course from the following:
Third Year Arabic - 3-5 credits
First-Year Language I - 3-5 credits
International Studies Major Course Selection (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) - 6 credits
Elective - 1-3 credits
Semester 6:
One course from the following:
Oral Communication - Arabic - 3-5 credits
First-Year Language II - 3-5 credits
International Studies Major Course Selection (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) - 6 credits
Electives - 4-6 credits

Senior Year:

Semester 7:
Seminar - 4 credits
International Studies Major Course Selection (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) - 6 credits
One course from the following:
Electives - 3-4 credits
Second-Year Language I - 3-4 credits
Electives - 2-3 credits
Semester 8:
International Studies Major Course Selection (See Department List on Concentration Requirements tab) - 6 credits
One course from the following:
Electives - 3-4 credits
Second-Year Language II - 3-4 credits
Electives - 4-5 credits

International Studies Major Course Selection:

Students must select a minimum of 24 credits, 18 of which must be upper-division (300- to 400-level), from at least three subject codes, from the following groups of courses:

History and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa:
Select a minimum of 6 credits from the following:
HIST 303 Hellenistic World: Alexander to Cleopatra
HIST 420 Africa: Precolonial States and Empires
HIST 421 Africa: Colonialism to Independence
HIST 422 Modern Africa
HIST 423 South African History
HIST 424 East African History
HIST 431 Ancient Israel
HIST 432 Sacred History in the Bible and the Qur'an
HIST 433 Muhammad and the Origins of Islam
HIST 435 Jihad in Islamic History
HIST 438 The Modern Middle East
HIST 439 Environmental History of the Middle East
HIST 467 Modern Jewish History
HIST 469 The Crusades
HIST 532 Reading Seminar: Middle East
POLS 443 Comparative Social Movements
POLS 444 Comparative African Politics
POLS 449 Middle East Politics
Thought and Culture of the Middle East and North Africa:
Select a minimum of 6 credits from the following:
ANTH 310 Peoples and Cultures of Africa
ANTH 351 Archaeology of Europe and Africa
ETST 130 West Africa in Global and Local Perspective
ETST 412 Africa and African Diaspora
LARA 250 Introduction to Arabic Cultures (GT-AH2)
LGEN 465D Studies in Foreign Film: Africa
PHIL 171 Religions of the West (GT-AH3)
PHIL 173 Philosophy of Traditional Judaism
PHIL 335 Islam: Cosmology and Practice
PHIL 379 Mysticism East and West
PHIL 455 Islamic Philosophy
International Studies:
Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
AGRI 270/IE 270 World Interdependence-Population and Food (GT-SS3)
AM 430 International Retailing
AM 460 Historic Textiles
ANTH 100 Introductory Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3)
ANTH 140 Introduction to Archaeology (GT-HI1)
ANTH 225 Anthropology of the Arts
ANTH 313 Modernization and Development
ANTH 322 The Anthropology of Religion
ANTH 329 Cultural Change
ANTH 330 Human Ecology
ANTH 335 Language and Culture
ANTH 336 Art and Culture
ANTH 338 Gender and Anthropology
ANTH 340 Medical Anthropology
ANTH 413 Indigenous Peoples Today
ANTH 415 Indigenous Ecologies and the Modern World
ANTH 416 Gender, Culture, and Health
ANTH 422/SOC 422 Comparative Legal Systems
ANTH 438 Approaches to Community-Based Development
ANTH 441 Method in Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 447 Gender Equity in Development
ANTH 448 Development and Empowerment
ANTH 479/IE 479 International Development Theory and Practice
AREC 240/ECON 240 Issues in Environmental Economics (GT-SS1)
AREC 415 International Agricultural Trade
AREC 460 Ag- and Resource-Based Economic Development
BUS 350 Travel Abroad-International Comparative Management
BUS 405B Contemporary Business Topics: International Business
CON 450/INTD 450 Travel Abroad-Sustainable Building
E 142 Reading Without Borders (GT-AH2)
E 245 World Drama (GT-AH2)
E 330 Gender in World Literature
E 339 Literature of the Earth
E 428 Postcolonial Literature
E 465 Topics in Literature and Language
ECON 101 Economics of Social Issues (GT-SS1)
ECON 202 Principles of Microeconomics (GT-SS1)
ECON 204 Principles of Macroeconomics (GT-SS1)
ECON 211 Gender in the Economy (GT-SS1)
ECON 332/POLS 332 International Political Economy
ECON 370 Comparative Economic Systems
ECON 440 Economics of International Trade and Policy
ECON 442 Economics of International Finance and Policy
ECON 460 Economic Development
ETST 256 Border Crossings--People/Politics/Culture (GT-SS3)
ETST 352/SOWK 352 Indigenous Women, Children, and Tribes
ETST 365 Global Environmental Justice Movements
FIN 475 International Business Finance
GES 101 Foundations of Environmental Sustainability
GES 192 Global Environmental Sustainability Seminar
GR 213 Climate Migrants (GT-SS2)
GR 320 Cultural Geography
GR 330 Urban Geography
GR 415 The Geography of Commodities
HIST 463 Science and Technology in Modern History
HIST 467 Modern Jewish History
HIST 470 World Environmental History, 1500-Present
IE 200 Global Studies
IE 272 World Interdependence - Current Global Issues
IE 379 Integrating Global Learning Post Study Abroad
IE 450/SOWK 450 International Social Welfare and Development
IE 470 Women and Development
IE 471 Children and Youth in Global Context
IE 472 Education for Global Peace
IE 478 Managing International Development Programs
INST 487 Internship
INST 495 Independent Study
JTC 412 International Mass Communication
LB 173 Encountering the Global (GT-AH2)
MGT 475 International Business Management
MKT 365 International Marketing
MU 131 Introduction to Music History and Literature (GT-AH1)
MU 132 Exploring World Music
NRRT 320 International Issues-Recreation and Tourism
PHIL 170 World Philosophies (GT-AH3)
PHIL 174 World Religions (GT-AH3)
PHIL 320 Ethics of Sustainability
PHIL 479 Topics in Comparative Religions
POLS 131 Current World Problems (GT-SS1)
POLS 232 International Relations (GT-SS1)
POLS 241 Comparative Government and Politics (GT-SS1)
POLS 347 Comparative Authoritarianism
POLS 362 Global Environmental Politics
POLS 431 International Law
POLS 433 International Organization
POLS 435 United States Foreign Policy
POLS 436 Comparative Foreign Policy
POLS 437 International Security
POLS 440/GR 440 Political Geography
POLS 442 Environmental Politics in Developing World
POLS 443 Comparative Social Movements
POLS 448 Comparative Racial/Ethnic Politics
POLS 462 Globalization, Sustainability, and Justice
SOC 105 Social Problems (GT-SS3)
SOC 220 Environment, Food, and Social Justice (GT-SS3)
SOC 320 Population-Natural Resources and Environment
SOC 322 Environmental Justice
SOC 323 Soc.
SOC 364 Food, Agriculture and Global Society
SOC 461 Water and Social Justice
SOC 482A Travel Abroad: Comparative Criminal Justice
SOC 482B Travel Abroad: Crime and Deviance
SPCM 434 Intercultural Communication

Other:

Students must complete 3 years of a single foreign language or 2 languages through the second year.
Language courses cannot double count.
Students must select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits.
Travel abroad must be to a country or area covered by this concentration to count toward the International Studies Major Course Selection.

Major in International Studies, Middle East and North African Studies Concentration

Program Overview