International Relations, Diplomacy, and Law Major

Explore the foreign policies of each U.S. presidential administration from Truman to the present day. Draw extensively upon theories of foreign policy and detailed study of historical events. Learn about continuity and change in the crafting of foreign policy strategy and the implementation of policy over time.

You will be introduced to the United Nations and international organizations in general with a focus on international negotiations. Learn about the structure and the work of the United Nations, and other international organizations as relevant to the competitions. Travel to and participate in one Model United Nations competition with student teams from around the world.

Study through a comprehensive overview of the role and function of international law in the world system, emphasizing its history, structure, and ability to mitigate conflict. Examine the major components of international law, with particular emphasis on human rights and the law of armed conflict. Gain an understanding about the use of force, arms control, detention and torture, terrorism, war crimes, and self-determination. You will read, research, discuss and simulate, as you apply legal concepts to current international situations.

Study war and violent conflict from a socio-cultural perspective. Explore how war and violent conflict reshape social structures, create new cultural processes in reaction to altered reality, and reconstitute identities. You will read and discuss ethnographic accounts that show how war and violent conflict are experienced at the personal, cultural, and social levels. Gain an enhanced understanding of what conflict is and what it means for people and social groups who are forced to endure it.