International Relations

Return to: USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences  

The School of International Relations (SIR) offers a BA in international relations; a BA in international relations (global business); a BA in international relations and the global economy and a PhD in political science and international relations offered with the Political Science Department. The SIR also offers minors in international relations and international policy and management.

The SIR encourages undergraduate double majors, especially with economics, environmental studies, geography, history, journalism, political science and sociology. Programs are flexible, allowing students to gain a broad background in international studies and, at the same time, to specialize in a particular area.

Von KleinSmid Center 330
(213) 740-6278; 740-2136
FAX: (213) 821-4424
Email: sir@dornsife.usc.edu
dornsife.usc.edu/sir
 

Director: Wayne Sandholtz, PhD.

Faculty

University Professor and Wallis Annenberg Chair of Communication Technology and Society and Professor of Communication, Sociology, Planning and International Relations: Manuel Castells, PhD (Communication)

Robert R. and Katheryn A. Dockson Chair in Economics and International Relations and Professor of International Relations and Economics: Joshua Aizenman, PhD

John A. McCone Chair in International Relations and Professor of International Relations and Law: Wayne Sandholtz, PhD

Robert Grandford Wright Professor and Professor of International Relations and Middle East Studies: Laurie A. Brand*, PhD

Dean’s Professor of International Relations: Patrick James*, PhD

Professors: Jonathan D. Aronson*, PhD (Communication); David Kang, PhD; Steven L. Lamy*, PhD; Najmedin Meshkati, PhD (Civil and Environmental Engineering); Gerardo Munck, PhD; Michael Parks (Journalism); Brian Rathbun, PhD; Philip Seib, JD (Journalism)

Associate Professors: Robert English, PhD; Jacques Hymans, PhD; Saori N. Katada, PhD; Daniel Lynch, PhD; Carol Wise, PhD

Assistant Professors: Pablo Barbera, PhD; Erin Baggott Carter, PhD; Brett Carter, PhD; Benjamin Graham, PhD; Jonathan Markowitz, PhD; Stephanie Schwartz

Professor of the Practice of International Relations and Economics: Lord John Eatwell, PhD

Professor of the Practice: Gregory Treverton, PhD

Associate Professor of the Practice: Jeffrey R. Fields, PhD

Associate Professor (Teaching): Nina Rathbun, PhD; Pamela K. Starr, PhD

Assistant Professor (Teaching): Douglas Becker, PhD; Iva Bozovic, PhD; Shannon Gibson, PhD

Visiting Assistant Professor: Mehmet Sinan Birdal, PhD

Lecturers: Megan Becker, PhD; Fayez Hammad, PhD

Emeritus Professors: Peter A. Berton*, PhD; Michael G. Fry, PhD; Abraham F. Lowenthal, PhD; John S. Odell, PhD; Ron Steel, MA; Rodger Swearingen, PhD; J. Ann Tickner, PhD

Emeritus Professor of the Practice: Gary W. Glass, PhD

*Recipient of university-wide or college award for teaching or research.

Advisement

Advisement is required for all majors and minors. Students are encouraged to meet with School of International Relations advisers at least once a semester to review the direction of their individual programs. Students are also encouraged to seek the advisement of faculty members whose specializations are appropriate to their programs of study, and with the School of International Relations’ career adviser.

Academic Specialization

Students majoring in international relations who wish to develop their own specialization or emphasize a particular regional area may establish with a faculty adviser, or with School of International Relations advisers, an academic program that will accomplish the students’ objectives.

Graduate Degrees

The School of International Relations has a PhD in political science and international relations offered with the Political Science Department. 

Admission Requirements

The School of International Relations welcomes talented candidates from a variety of academic backgrounds. Admission decisions are based on consideration of applicants’ prior academic performance, as reflected in course grades and letters of recommendation. Applicants also are strongly encouraged to submit a sample of their written work in English, preferably a research-oriented paper. The committee also considers the potential for success in a graduate program based on Graduate Record Examinations scores. Business, government and other practical experiences related to international relations also are taken into account.

It is strongly recommended that master’s and doctoral degree candidates should have completed at least one undergraduate course in statistics or quantitative methods and at least one course in economics before enrolling for graduate study. A course in social or political theory or international history also is highly desirable. The faculty may admit promising students who lack one or more of these courses. Students with this preparation tend to be more successful in the program and more likely to prosper in an academic or research setting afterwards.

Degree Requirements

These degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to the Requirements for Graduation  section and The Graduate School  section of this catalogue for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

All graduate students are required to maintain regular contact with the graduate coordinator to assure compliance with departmental regulations.

Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science and International Relations

See Political Science and International Relations  for degree requirements.

Programs

• International Relations (BA)
• International Relations (Global Business) (BA)
• International Relations and the Global Economy (BA)

• Global Communication Minor
• International Policy and Management Minor
• International Relations Minor

• International Relations (MA)

• Master of Arts, International Relations/Juris Doctor (MA/JD)

Courses

• IR 100gx The United States and World Affairs
• IR 101gxw International Relations
• IR 210gw International Relations: Introductory Analysis
• IR 211g International Relations: Approaches to Research
• IR 212 Historical Approaches to International Relations
• IR 213 The Global Economy
• IR 302 International Relations of the Great Powers in the Late 19th and 20th Centuries
• IR 303 Leadership and Diplomacy
• IR 304 National Intelligence and the Shaping of Policy
• IR 305w Managing New Global Problems
• IR 306 International Organizations
• IR 307 Contemporary International Politics
• IR 308w Economic Globalization
• IR 309 Global Governance
• IR 310 Peace and Conflict Studies
• IR 311 Research Design and Methods
• IR 312 Introduction to Data Analysis
• IR 313 Religions and Political Violence
• IR 315 Ethnicity and Nationalism in World Politics
• IR 316 Gender and Global Issues
• IR 317 The Political Economy of Africa
• IR 318 Violent Conflict
• IR 319 Human Security and Humanitarian Intervention
• IR 320 Technology and International Relations
• IR 323 Politics of Global Environment
• IR 324 Multinational Enterprises and World Politics
• IR 325 North-South Relations in the Global Economy
• IR 326 U.S. Foreign Economic Policy
• IR 327 International Negotiation
• IR 328 The Evolving Global Economic Architecture-Capital Mobility
• IR 329 The Global Finance and Monetary Regime
• IR 330 Politics of the World Economy
• IR 331 The Global Economy 2030
• IR 333 China in International Affairs
• IR 337 The Impact of Remittances on Development in Mexico
• IR 339 Public Health and International Relations
• IR 340 The Political Economy of China
• IR 341 Foreign Policy Analysis
• IR 342 The Politics and Strategy of Weapons of Mass Destruction
• IR 343 U.S. Foreign Policy since World War II
• IR 344 Developing Countries in World Politics
• IR 345 Russian and Post-Soviet Foreign Policy
• IR 346 Communism and Post-Communism: Eastern Europe and the Balkans
• IR 349 International Law and Politics
• IR 350 Power and Authority in the Middle East
• IR 351 Insurgency and Counterinsurgency
• IR 358 The Asia Pacific in World Affairs
• IR 359 The United States and the Middle East
• IR 360 International Relations of the Pacific Rim
• IR 361 South and Southeast Asia in International Affairs
• IR 362 The International Relations of the Contemporary Middle East
• IR 363 Middle East Political Economy
• IR 364 The Political Economy of Latin American Development
• IR 365 Politics and Democracy in Latin America
• IR 366 Mexico and its Relations with the United States
• IR 367 Africa in International Affairs
• IR 368 French Foreign Policy: 1945 to the Present
• IR 369 Post-War European Relations
• IR 370 Global Governance and Health: From Global to Local
• IR 371 Global Civil Society: Non-State Actors in World Politics
• IR 376 U.S.-Japan Encounters: War, Trade, and Culture
• IR 381 Introduction to International Security
• IR 382w Order and Disorder in Global Affairs
• IR 383 Conflict Mediation & Negotiation
• IR 384 Asian Security Issues
• IR 385 European Foreign Policy and Security Issues
• IR 386 Terrorism and Counterterrorism
• IR 387 Strategic Studies
• IR 389 Islam in France
• IR 390 Special Problems
• IR 391 Directed International Relations Field Study
• IR 392 Supervised Undergraduate Research Experience
• IR 401 The United Nations and World Order
• IR 402 Theories of War
• IR 403 Transnational Diplomacy and Global Security
• IR 404 International Relations Policy Task Force
• IR 405 Cultural Heritage, Religion, and Politics in the Middle East
• IR 406 Ethics and World Politics
• IR 407 Chinese Foreign Policy
• IR 408 Global Democratization
• IR 410 The History of Modern International Relations
• IR 412 Applied Data Science for International Relations 1
• IR 413 Applied Data Science for International Relations 2
• IR 422 Ecological Security and Global Politics
• IR 424w Citizenship and Migration in International Politics
• IR 425 The New Triangle: China, the U.S. and Latin America
• IR 426 Trade Politics in the Western Hemisphere
• IR 427 Seminar on Economics and Security
• IR 428 China’s Political Economy
• IR 430 The Politics of International Trade
• IR 431 Commercial and Financial Globalization-Trends, Challenges
• IR 437 Comparative Genocide
• IR 438 Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict after Communism
• IR 439 Political Economy of Russia and Eurasia
• IR 440 America’s Pacific Century: Dialogues between the U.S. and Asia
• IR 441 Comparative Analysis of Foreign Policy
• IR 442 Japanese Foreign Policy
• IR 443 Formulation of U.S. Foreign Policy
• IR 444w Theories of Global Society
• IR 445 U.S. Defense and Foreign Policy: Nonproliferation and Weapons of Mass Destruction
• IR 446 The Role of Norms and International Security