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Degree
Programs
Purpose
Students interested in International Affairs are thinking
of entering and/or improving their positions in such key fields
of work as government, civil service, politics, private business,
international organizations, international communication,
international information, journalism, research, education,
and academics. International Affairs students need to have
character, intelligence, ethics, motivation and to be achievers
and leaders.
To succeed in contemporary, fast-changing, transitional society,
students must be familiar with the way common and specialized
problems such as equality, justice, economic growth, financial
impact, democracy, freedom, responsibility, human rights,
immigration, social welfare, environmental regulation, conflict,
poverty, social injustices and population are dealt with around
the globe. Students need to understand the historical, cultural,
social, religious, and political foundations for dealing with
these areas differently, and they need to assess their own
societies within a more international, human and social context.
Recipients of an International Affairs degree should
· Be able to trace the roots of foreign policy actions
to the geographic, geologic, inherited, linguistic, philosophic,
dogmatic, psychological, sociological, institutional, technological,
and esthetic influences on the actor's personality and national
character;
· Know the history of political formulation and implementation
of foreign policy by the principal nation-states in at least
two geopolitical/cultural areas.
· Be familiar with major theories of international
relations and the specialized terminology of I.R. disciplines,
analytic and prediction instruments of macro-and micro-economics,
the development and current rules of international law, the
practices of diplomacy, the capabilities and limitations of
international organizations, international communication,
international information, sustained and appropriate development,
and the salient I.R. issues of our time.
· Have produced competent scholarly papers with minimal
supervision.
Graduates have had the opportunity to study strategy and tactics,
law, culture, theory of international business, finance and
banking, geopolitics, cultural development, warfare, conflict,
arms control/disarmament, ethnicity, racism, nationalism,
international communication, and international information.
Recipients of the MA degree:
· Research, analyze, write and orally defend a graduate
thesis.
Recipients of the Ph.D. degree:
· Take a comprehensive pre-dissertation oral examination;
prepare a dissertation research proposal.
· Research, analyze, write, and orally defend a substantial,
original, publishable dissertation
Degree Requirements
A Program
Candidates for the International Affairs degree of Master
of Arts in International Relations & Diplomacy must have
successfully completed 12 International Affairs courses: 7
required courses, 3 elective courses and 2 area courses, and
have written and successfully defended an MA thesis. MA students
normally begin their thesis in their second semester. The
MA thesis is 100 pages minimum in length. An advisor will
guide the student in the research, writing and oral defense
of the thesis.
Transfer credits
MA candidates who have already taken an International Affairs
course at a satisfactory level at another school may apply
for a transfer credit. The limit is two transfer credits.
Only graduate course work may be applied to a graduate degree.
Transfer credits are not used in the International Affairs
overall grade point required for good standing and graduation.
The decision to award transfer credits is based on the quality
of the work, the time interval since their completion and
their relationship to the International Affairs program.
Students must complete all the requirements for the master's
degree within three years of the date of their initial registration
in International Affairs. Students may petition for an extension
of time in order to complete the master's degree requirements.
If granted, the student's deadline is automatically extended
for one year.
Ph.D. Program
Graduates of International Affairs' MA program and other leading
MA programs may seek the Ph.D. degree at International Affairs.
Ph.D. candidates must complete the following steps:
· Successfully complete seven required courses, three
elective courses, and two area courses.
· Be enrolled for at least two semesters at International
Affairs.
· Pass a pre-dissertation comprehensive oral examination.
· Prepare and present, a written research plan of their
proposed dissertation. This research plan has to be approved
by the Ph.D. dissertation advisor before he will advise the
candidate in the research, analysis, writing, and oral defense
of his/her dissertation.
All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be met within five
years of admission to candidacy, with a minimum of two years
for the research and writing of the dissertation. The student
may petition for an extension of the five-year deadline. If
approved the deadline is automatically extended for two years.
Ph.D. candidates are required to present a dissertation of
at least 300 pages of research, analysis and corroborating
data. The student must submit 5 typed, bound copies and one
high- density disk of the dissertation to International Affairs
for its library and/or commercial use.
Combined MA - Ph.D. Program
The C.I.A. at I.A.U. also offers a combined MA-Ph.D. degree
program per the American model. The combined M.A./Ph.D. program
allows the student to take the seven required courses for
both degrees simultaneously.
Passage from the MA to the Ph.D. is not automatic. On completion
of the MA degree, the C.I.A. Academic Committee will review
the student's academic file and decide whether the student
can continue into the Ph.D. program. Students who are accepted
as Ph.D. candidates will then go on to satisfy the Ph.D. requirements
as given above.
Academic Programs
MASTER OF ARTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE AND INTERNATIONAL
AFFAIRS
International Affairs is an interdisciplinary major This major
helps students prepare for living and working in our increasingly
global society--the interdependent world in which they will
be competing and cooperating.
Students who major in international affairs focus on topics
that are historical and in the news today and gain perspective
on the forces that shape the events around us. Students will
complete nine required courses and eight elective courses
to be selected from among those in the International Affairs
program’s dual categories of Regional Analysis (four
courses) and Global Dynamics and Development (four courses).
In addition to required and elective course work, foreign
language proficiency (through intermediate level II) is required,
as well as an international experience. Students may fulfill
the international experience requirement by taking advantage
of I.A.U.’s Study Abroad Program, or programs sponsored
by other universities. In addition, the requirement might
be satisfied by participating in an internship abroad, which
may be developed by the student, an academic department, the
Study Abroad Office, or international co-op, which would be
arranged through the Division of Cooperative Education.
Students are encouraged to apply to the program by their sophomore
year to begin planning early for their International Experience.
Acceptance into the major will be based on students meeting
the program’s criteria for admission and availability
of space in the programs. A 3.0 minimum grade point average
is required for transferring into the major.
Academic Mission and Program
The College of International Affairs offers students a variety
of courses dealing with the political environment of the 21st
Century. The College's primary focus is to provide analytical,
reasoning and problem solving skills through the study of
international, comparative, and domestic governmental institutions
and processes. The Master of Political Science and International
Affairs aims to provide students with the knowledge and perspectives
needed to function effectively in public service, the private
sector and as responsible citizens. The breadth and flexibility
of the curriculum enables students to better understand the
interplay between international and regional politics as well
as the socioeconomic issues that influence the transformations
taking place in Armenia and its government. The School's approach
is multi-disciplinary with strong emphasis placed upon providing
students with a comprehensive understanding of democratic
governance at the local, national, regional and international
levels.
Admission requirements
In addition to the General University admission requirements
explained in the Admission Section of this catalog, students
wishing to enroll in the Master of Political Science program
must have a four/five-year undergraduate degree with competitive
grades, a competitive score on the GRE examination, and strong
letters of recommendation. The School reserves the right to
conduct interviews with applicants.
Graduation requirements
To graduate with a Master of Political Science, students must
complete 80 credit hours of coursework, including either a
Master's Essay or a Policy Internship Project in the final
quarter of study. Both the Essay and Internship Project carry
8 units of academic credit. All course units in the School,
unless otherwise indicated, represent either four or two hours
of class attendance per week by the student.
Full-time students must carry at least 12 credit units per
quarter. While the majority of students complete all school
requirements in two years, the maximum period for completion
is three academic years. Degree candidacy will automatically
lapse after this period. A course load of more than 16 credit
units or less than 10 credit units requires prior approval
from the Dean of the School. All required courses, except
the Master's Essay and Policy Internship Project, must be
taken on a letter grade basis. A cumulative grade-point average
of 3.0 or higher is required for the granting of the degree.
MASTER OF ARTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE
The Program
The Master of Arts in Political Science was established in
1996. The faculty of the department is drawn from outstanding
universities from all regions of the United States and abroad
and it offers expertise in all major fields of political science.
In recent years, M.A. students in political science have enrolled
from a wide variety of American colleges and universities.
Students have also entered our M.A. program from a number
of other nations, lending an international flavor to the educational
environment.
The Department of Political Science offers a program of graduate
study designed to provide students with a broadly based firm
grounding in the full scope of the discipline and a strong
foundation in research methods. It covers all sub-fields of
the discipline, and prepares students for careers in academic
life and government service. It is especially well suited
for students who want to acquire sophisticated theoretical
and analytical skills before either pursuing a doctoral degree
in political science or entering a career in a public or private
research organization.
Past Placement
Recent graduates of our program have entered doctoral studies
in Ph.D. programs at a number of schools Other graduates have
taken positions in government agencies, political organizations,
and research institutes. To find out more about what our graduates
are currently doing, you can view a recent survey.
Computer Facilities
The
Political Science Research Lab is open to graduate students
24 hours a day. It contains several microcomputers linked
to the Internet, state-wide, and campus networks. A variety
of research and word processing software is available for
these machines. Knowledge of these resources combined with
our emphasis on quantitative methods is a valuable asset to
students who anticipate working in a public or private agency
or at an educational institution. The Computing Center at
the University is one of the finest in the United States,
and it is one of the few to operate its own supercomputer.
InterAmerican University was recently ranked first in the
nation in student access to computers, and all entering undergraduate
students are required to have PCs.
Applications
Applicants must submit:
· official transcripts of prior academic work
· three letters of recommendation (forms provided by
the graduate school)
· the application form
· scores on the verbal and quantitative portions of
the Graduate Records Exam
· Residents of non-English-speaking countries also
must submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language.
Applicants are encouraged to complete all application procedures
early in order to be considered for admission in the following
semester.
COMPARATIVE
AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
The Comparative and International Affairs Concentration of
the MPA program in the College of International Affairs opens
two distinctive perspectives for the master’s student.
First, the comparative dimension of the concentration will
allow you to put your own system and experiences into a greater
context. Through the process of comparing, we are better able
to see the underlying principles and historical process, and
thus, may have a clearer idea of what we can learn from others
and how to go about usefully sharing our experiences with
them.
The international dimension of the concentration emphasizes
the fact that we do not operate in a vacuum, and the public
sector is increasingly subject to forces that do not originate
in the United States. Certainly, decisions you will make as
a professional in the public sector related to trade or emissions,
for example, will have an impact far beyond our country’s
borders.
The world into which you are going will likely be almost unrecognizable
by the time you are at the height of your career. The Comparative
and International Affairs Concentration in the Master of Public
Affairs program can help assure that you are ready to meet
that world.
Curriculum
Required Courses:
CIA 561. FACTORS AND THEORIES OF ANALYSIS IN INTERNATIONAL
RELATIONS AND DIPLOMACY (3)
Cultural Pre-dispositions, Geopolitics, Political-Economic-Juridical-Social-Educational
Institutions, International Relations Theories, Prediction
and Risk.
CIA. 543. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN (3)
This Course Focuses on Qualitative and Quantitative Research
Approaches, Including Procedures and Issues Related to Research
Design, Data Collection, Hypothesis Testing, Interpretation
of Results, Professionalism, and Ethical Conduct. Guidelines
are Presented for Conducting a Thorough Review of Literature
and for Preparing Top Quality Written and Oral Research Reports,
Papers and Work.
CIA 544. FOREIGN POLICY FORMULATION AND DIPLOMACY (3)
Governmental and Private Sector Interests and Influences,
Historical Perspectives. Ethics, Professionalism, Material
and Human Resources, Protocol, Analyzing, Reporting, Predicting,
Negotiations.
CIA 562. INTERNATIONAL LAW: DEVELOPMENT AND ENFORCEMENT
(3)
Origins, Principles, Acceptance, Treaties, Global Jurisprudence,
Tribunals, Enforcement.
CIA 564.
CURRENT
ECONOMIC POLICIES (3)
Micro-liberalism and Macro-engineering Techniques. Engineering
through Tariff-Mechanism. Engineering through Quota-Mechanism.
Non-tariff Barriers and Protectionism in the Light of Strategic
Trade Theories. Mechanics of Block-Buildings with View to
Optimization. Resource-Movement and Sustained Development.
International Liquidity and Balance of Payments. Engineering
under Flexible and Fixed Exchange Rates. International Macro-Coordination.
Statistics and Sectors, Growth, Competition, Inflation, Employment,
Social Welfare, Structural Adjustment, Commodities, International
Trade and Finance, Monetary Issues.
CIA 578. INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS (3)
Governmental and Non-Governmental Organizations. The UN System;
EU; OECD; NATO; OSCE; APEC; OPEC; ASEAN; WTO; NAFTA; Multinational
Corporations; Regional Organizations; Others. Their Historical
and Contemporary Development, Organization, Operations, Opportunities,
Responsibilities, Contemporary Roles, Influence and Proximate
Futures.
CIA 579. CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
AND DIPLOMACY REALITIES (3)
The Various Realities and Issues that Complicate Peoples',
States', Regions' and the World’s search for Peace,
Security, Stability, Prosperity, Hope and Justice in Today’s
Rapidly Changing/Interdependent/Global World.
Elective Courses:
CIA 450. HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY GEOPOLITICS (3)
Early Theories, Schools of Thought, Concepts, Contemporary
Use and Application.
CIA 502. STRATEGY AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION (3)
Objectives, Strategy and Tactics, Conflict and Cooperation,
Planning, Military History and Types of Warfare, Alliances,
Peace Strategies, Arms Control and Disarmament, Strategies
for Economics, International Law and Social Agendas, Simulations.
CIA 512. CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT AND AWARENESS (3)
Race, Religion, Ethnicity, Nationalism, Language, Citizenship,
Minorities, History, Geography, Insights from the Human, Social
and Physical Sciences.
CIA 513. INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION (3)
International Communication, Sender / Message / Flow / Means-Technology,
Print / Gate Keepers / Receivers and Their Influences. It
examines Local, National and Global Print Media, Broadcasting,
Film, News Agencies, and It Compares Different National and
Regional Communication Systems.
CIA 514. INTERNATIONAL TRADE, BANKING AND FINANCE (3)
Economic Theory and International Trade; Smithian, Ricardian
and HIO Models; Models Built on Economies of Scale, Technological
Gap, Productive Cycle, Strategic Trade Theories, International
Monetary System, Institutions and Mechanisms, Modern Capital
Markets and Banded Flexible Rates, Mechanisms of Monetary
Adjustment.
CIA 515. ORIGINS OF GLOBAL CONFLICT (3)
This Course Examines the Root Cause of War in General and
Then Focuses on Specific Wars - Classic and Modern, for Example
the Pelopponesian Wars, the Punic Wars, Followed by Selected
Wars: the Seven Years War, French Revolutionary and Napoleonic
Wars, World War I, World War II, and the Cold War, Ethnic
and Nationalistic Civil Wars.
CIA 516. INTERNATIONAL INFORMATION (3)
Computers, Telephones, Modems, Internet, Information Highway,
World Wide Web, Satellites; the Technical / Economic / Political
Environments; the Actors; the Legal Framework; Freedom of
Information.
CIA 517. BEGINNINGS OF THE CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL ORDER
(3)
The Course is Designed to Provide Necessary Understanding
of Modern Political Institutions, Such as Democracy, Human
Rights, Free Market Economies, Rule of Law and Order, Universal
Suffrage, Within the Framework of the West, From the French
Revolution to Bosnia, Afghanistan, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo
and Zaire.
CIA 518. ANTHROPOLOGY AND POLITICS (3)
This Course Will Analyze the Influence of Culture and Religion
Upon Western Political Institutions. The Course Will Center
on Various Concepts of State, Justice and Political Violence,
Within the Framework of Political Organizations, Polytheism-Monotheism-Atheism.
The Course Will Include Rome, Medieval Europe, the United
States, Revolutionary France, Nazi Germany, Communist Russia
and China, etc.
CIA 519. POST MODERNISM AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND
DIPLOMACY (3)
The Course Will Center on Various Sociopolitical and Economic
Developments in the World Since the End of World War II. Particular
Attention Will be Paid to Concepts of Modernism and Postmodernism
and Their Relations to Politics, Culture, Ideology, Religion,
Communication, Knowledge, Justice, Political Action. Discussion
Topics Will Include the French Revolution and the Project
of Modernity; Political and Ideological Implications of Modernity;
the End of History and Post Modernity; the Rise of Communication
and Information, Visual Culture; Decentralization / Withering
away of Nation-States, and the Rise of MNCs; the Importance
of the Individual; Demographic Explosion; and the Rise of
Global Organized Crime.
Geopolitical & Cultural Area Courses:
I: CIA - Central and South America
II: CIA - Eastern and Western Europe
III: CIA - The Middle East and North Africa
IV: CIA - Sub-Saharan Africa
V: CIA: - South and Central Asia
VI: CIA - East and Southeast Asia
NOTES
Note 1 - Two Area courses required of all MA candidates.
Note 2 - Two Area courses required of all Ph.D. candidates.
Note 3 - Students will be acquainted in the area courses with
a sampling of the most esteemed works of literature, music,
theater and of the other arts produced in the area studied,
along with the main doctrinal elements of dominant religions,
the characteristics of principal languages, and the traditional
ethnic cultures.
XXXI MA Thesis - six credits
XXX Internship - carries three elective credits per internship,
two internships permitted per degree, one internship permitted
per semester
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