About International Studies

ITS major Elyse Legeay (right) with 3 fellow students at an oasis in Chebika, Tunisia (Spring 2020)

The International Studies (ITS) major at Miami is one of the nation's oldest of its kind. ITS is a program in the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies and offers a interdisciplinary major drawing from concepts and courses in:

  • anthropology
  • geography
  • history
  • economics and international business
  • political science
  • language studies
  • area studies

The distinctive nature of our program is based on:

  • the rigorous language requirement (3-4 years)
  • integrative nature of the coursework


ITS is at its heart an interdisciplinary approach to studying the world. We believe that most global problems and issues are too complex to be understood through a single disciplinary perspective. Students therefore take a series of courses from many academic departments. They learn about the world through a multiplicity of lenses. All of our students study abroad as a necessary means of learning how to operate effectively in a different cultural context.

Our Goal

"We strive to give students a solid liberal arts background in conjunction with an international emphasis and foreign language skills."

Major in International Studies

Elyse Legeay (second from right) with friends and family members at the house where she stayed while studying abroad in Tunisia (Spring 2020)

This multidisciplinary program is for students desiring a broad foundation for understanding and analyzing important issues within an international and multicultural context.

Its flexible curriculum provides a basis for graduate work or careers in government service, international business, academia, tourism, public service, cultural relations, and law.

Overseas study is required as a part of this major.

 

 

 

Concentration Requirements

Africa

Africa is a regional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Africa Concentration
Course Title Hours
ART 309 The Arts of African Peoples 3
ART 335 Arts of West Africa 3
ATH 302 Africa: Anthropological Perspectives 3
ATH 329 Religions of Africa 3
ATH/BWS 366 African Oral Traditions 3
BWS 156 Introduction to Africa 4
BWS 209 Civilization of Africa 3
BWS 243 History of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1400s to 1800s 3
BWS 324/HST 325 Images of Africa 3
BWS 339/POL 338 Contemporary African Politics 4
BWS 342 Africa Since 1945 3
BWS 385 Race, Science, and Disease in the Americas 3
BWS/ENG/FST/POR/WGS 383 By or About (Afro-) Brazilian Women 3
BWS/ENG/POR/FST 381 Culture and Arts in the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora 3
BWS/FST 267 National Cinemas: African Film 3
BWS/GEO 301 Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa 4
BWS/HST 224 Africa to 1884 3
BWS/HST 225 The Making of Modern Africa 3
BWS/HST 352 Medicine and Society in 20th Century Africa 3
BWS/HST 495 Modern African Environmental History
3
ITS 302 Problems of Non-Western Societies * 3
POL 438 Africa in the Global Economy 3

* May not double count towards ITS core credit hours

Conflict, Peace, & Diplomacy

Conflict, Peace, and Diplomacy is a functional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take mandatory course:

POL 271 - World Politics (3 hours, cannot double with core requirements)

Take remaining 2 courses from Groups A and B in the tables below, with no more than 1 course from Group B. You may take all 9 hours from group A. Distribute coursework among at least 2 different disciplines.


Group A Courses for Conflict, Peace, and Diplomacy Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 432 Secrecy, Sovereignty, & Power 3
ECO 441 International Trade and Commercial Policy 3
GIC 301

Approaches to Global and Intercultural Studies:
Globalization and Belonging

3
HST 222

U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1898 *

3
POL 221 Modern World Governments 3
POL 346 Global Gender Politics 3
POL 373 American Foreign Policy *
3
POL 374 Foreign Policy Analysis 3
POL 376 U.S. National Security Policy 3
POL 381 Global Governance 3
POL 382 International Law 3
POL 387 Comparative Security Issues 3
POL 471 The International System 3
POL 489 Conflict Management in a Divided World 3

* HST 222 and POL 373 may not both count.

Group B Courses for Conflict, Peace, and Diplomacy Concentration
Course Title Hours
ECO 341 Economic History of Modern Europe 3
HST 275 20th Century European Diplomacy 3
HST 301 Age of Revolutions, Europe 1750-1850 3
HST 318 British Empire 3
HST 332 Age of Dictators: Europe 1914-1945 3
HST 333 Reconstruction of Europe Since 1945 3
POL 339 Nationalism, Islam and Democracy in Arab Politics 3
POL 375 International Relations of East Asia 3
POL 378 Latin America: The Region and the World 3
POL 438 Africa in the Global Economy 3
REL 376 Global Militant Islamisms 3

Note: Some courses may have prerequisites or may be offered infrequently.

East & South Asia

East and South Asia is a regional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for East and South Asia Concentration
Course Title Hours
ART 286 China, Korea, and Japan 3
ART 311 Chinese Painting History 3
ART/JPN 279 Buddhism and Culture: China and Japan 4
ART 326 Modern & Contemporary East Asian Art 3
ATH 308 South Asia: Anthropological Perspectives 3
CHI 251 Traditional Chinese Literature in English Translation 3
CHI 252 Modern Chinese Literature in English Translation 3
CHI 253 Three Kingdoms 3
CHI 254 Modern Chinese Autobiography 3
CHI 257 Chinese Satire 3
CHI/FST 264 Chinese Cinema and Culture 3
CHI/JPN 255 Drama in China and Japan in Translation 3
GEO 308 Geography of East Asia 3
GEO 408 Geography of the Silk Road (The Heart of Asia) 3
GEO 410 Advanced Regional Geography of Southeast Asia 3
GEO/ITS/SOC 208 The Rise of Industrialism in East Asia 3
HST 353 History of Chinese Civilization
3
HST 354 Modern Chinese History 3
HST 356 Modern Japanese History 3
HST 383 Women in Chinese History 3
HST 434 China along the Silk Road before 1600 3
JPN 231 Japanese Tales of the Supernatural in English Translation 3
JPN/FST 266 Survey of Japanese Cinema 3
PHL 106 Thought and Culture of India 4
PHL 307 Gandhian Philosophy 3
POL 335 Politics of East Asia 3
POL 375 International Relations of East Asia 3
REL 223 Introduction to Buddhism 3

Global Cultural Relations

Global Cultural Relations is a functional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take a total of 9 semester hours from Groups A and B in the tables below, with no more than 1 course from Group B. You may take all 9 hours from group A. Distribute coursework among at least 2 different disciplines.

Note: A cross-listed course can represent any one of the disciplines for which it is cross-listed. For example, POL/WGS 346 can be used for the Political Science discipline, as well as Women's, Gender, and Sexuality discipline.


Group A Courses for Global Cultural Relations Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 175 Peoples of the World 3
ATH 231 Foundations of Cultural Anthropology 3
ATH 265 Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology 3
ATH 345 Global Media, Ethnography, and Film 3
ATH 358 Travelers, Migrants, and Refugees 3
ATH 403/503 Anthropology of Religion 3
ATH 405/505 Food, Taste, Desire 3
ATH/ITS 301 Intercultural Relations * 3
ENG 369 Colonial and Postcolonial Literature 3
GIC 301 Approaches to Global and Intercultural Studies:
Globalization and Belonging
3
GTY 260 Global Aging 3
MGT 304 Cross Cultural Management 3
POL/WGS 346 Global Gender Politics 3
PSY 210 Psychology Across Cultures 3

* May not double count towards ITS core credit hours

Group B Courses for Global Cultural Relations Concentration
Course Title Hours
AMS 302 Immigrant America 3
AMS/FST/ITL 222 Italian American Culture 3
ATH 206/LAS 208 Introduction to Latin America 3
ATH 305 Latin America: Anthropological Perspectives 3
ATH 307 The Middle East: Anthropological Perspectives 3
ATH 358 Travelers, Migrants and Refugees: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities 3
ATH/BWS 366 African Oral Traditions 3
ATH/GEO/RUS 306 Russia and Eurasia: Anthropological Perspectives 3
BWS 209 Civilization of Africa 3
BWS 324/HST 325 Images of Africa 3
BWS/FST 267 National Cinemas: African Film 3
BWS/FST/LAS 415 Cuba in Revolution: Its History, Politics, and Culture 4
BWS/HST 224 Africa to 1884 3
BWS/HST 225 The Making of Modern Africa 3
CHI/FST 264 Chinese Cinema and Culture 3
FRE/FST/GER 265 European Jewish Cinema 3
FST/ITL 262 Italian Cinema 3
FST/JPN 266 Survey of Japanese Cinema 3
FST/RUS 263 Soviet and Post-Soviet Russian Cinema 3
FST/RUS 272 Cultures and Identities of Eastern Europe 3
GEO 308 Geography of East Asia 3
GEO 311 Geography of Western Europe 3
GEO/ITS/SOC 208 Rise of Industrialism in East Asia 3
GER 321 Cultural Topics in German-Speaking Europe Since 1870 3
GER 322 Comparative Study of Everyday Culture: German-Speaking Europe and the U.S.A. 3
HST 318 British Empire 3
HST 346 Medieval Jewish History 3
HST 353 History of Chinese Civilization 3
HST 354 Modern Chinese History 3
HST 356 Modern Japanese History 3
LAS 315 Latin American Diaspora: Communities, Conditions and Issues 3
LAS/HST 260 Latin America in the United States 3
POL 339 Nationalism, Islam and Democracy in Arab Politics 3
REL 314 Social and Religious History of the Jewish People 3

Global Environment

The Global Environment is a functional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Global Environment Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 471 Ecological Anthropology 3
BUS/IES 494 Sustainability Perspectives in Resources and Business 3
BWS/HST 495 Modern African Environmental History 3
CPB 244 Introduction to Environmental Engineering 3
ECO 406 Environmental Economics 3
GEO 271 Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Conservation 3
GEO 333 Global Perspectives on Natural Disasters 3
GEO/WGS 436 Women, Gender and the Environment 3
HST/LAS 437 Latin America Environmental History 3
IES 211 Energy and Policy 3
IES 440 Contemporary Topics in Environmental Sciences 1-3
IES 450 Environmental Law 3
PHL 376 Environmental Philosophy 4

Global Human Rights & Justice

Global Human Rights & Justice is a functional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take these 2 mandatory courses:

  • SJS/SOC 165 - Introduction to Social Justice Studies (3 hours)
  • SJS/SOC 323 - Social Justice and Change (3 hours, prerequisite SJS/SOC 165)

Take remaining 6 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Global Human Rights and Justice Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 358 Travelers, Migrants, and Refugees: Transnational Migration and Diasporic Communities 3
ATH 428 Anthropology of Women’s Health 3
ATH 448 Developing Solutions in Global Health 3
BWS/HST/LAS 243 History of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1400s to 1800s 3
GEO/WGS 436 Women, Gender, and the Environment 3
GEO 475 Global Periphery's Urbanization 3
GEO 476 Global Poverty 3
GTY 260 Global Aging 3
HST/LAS 319 Revolution in Latin America 3
POL 381 Global Governance 3
POL 382 International Law 3
POL/WGS 346 Global Gender Politics 3
SJS 470 Social/Political Activism 3
SJS 487 Globalization, Social Justice, and Human Rights 3
SOC 305 Introduction to the Sociology of Globalization 3
SOC 490 Current Issues in Sociology
(if topic is relevant)
1-3
SOC/WGS 203 Sociology of Gender 3

International Development

International Development is a functional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take a total of 9 semester hours from Groups A and B in the tables below, with no more than 1 course from Group B. You may take all 9 hours from group A. Distribute coursework among at least 2 different disciplines.


Group A Courses for International Development Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 348 Introduction to Medical Anthropology 3
ATH 428/528 Anthropology of Women's Health 3
ATH 448 Developing Solutions in Global Health 3
BUS 371 International Business 3
ECO 342 Comparative Economic Systems 3
ECO 344 International Economic Relations *
3
ECO 347 Economic Development 3
ECO 441 International Trade and Commercial Policy 3
ECO 442 International Monetary Relations 3
ESP 461 Small/Emerging Enterprise Consulting 3
ESP 464 Social Entrepreneurship 3
ESP 467 Entrepreneurship: New Ventures 3
GEO 205 Population and Migration 3
GEO 276 Geography of the Global Economy 3
GEO 457 Global Cities, World Economy 3
GEO 475 Global Periphery's Urbanization 3
GEO 476 Global Poverty 3
ITS 302 Problems of Non-Western Societies * 3
MGT 304 Cross Cultural Management 3
SOC 257 Population 3
SOC 305 Introduction to the Sociology of Globalization 3

* May not double count towards ITS core credit hours

Group B Courses for International Development Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 384 Anthropology of Capitalism: Russia 3
BWS/GEO 301 Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa 4
BWS/HST 225 The Making of Modern Africa 3
ECO 341 Economic History of Modern Europe 3
GEO 308 Geography of East Asia 3
HST 331 Industry and Empire: Europe from 1850 to 1914 3

Latin America

Latin America is a regional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Latin America Concentration
Course Title Hours
ART 317 The Arts of Colonial Latin America 3
ATH 206/LAS 208 Introduction to Latin America 3
ATH 305 Latin America: Anthropological Perspectives 3
ATH 313 Introduction to South American Archaeology 4
ATH 415 Caribbean Archaeology Field & Lab Methods 6
ATH/BWS/LAS/WGS 325 Identity, Race, Gender, Class 3
BWS/POR 383 By or About (Afro-) Brazilian Women 3
ENG 254 Latino/a Literature and the Americas 3
ENG/POR/FST/BWS 381 Culture and Arts in the Afro-Brazilian Diaspora 3
GEO 304 Latin American Development 4
HST 307 Latin American Civilization: The Colonial Period 3
HST/LAS 260 Latin America in the United States 3
HST/LAS/BWS 243 History of the Atlantic Slave Trade, 1400s to 1800s 3
LAS 207 Latin America before 1910 3
LAS 315 Latin American Diaspora: Communities, Conditions and Issues 3
LAS 410 Current Latin American Issues 3
LAS 424 Seminar on Modern Architecture in Latin America 3
LAS/BWS/FST 415 Cuba in Revolution 4
LAS/BWS/FST/ POR/MUS 204 Brazilian Culture Through Popular Music 3
LAS/GLG/IES 412 Tropical Ecosystems of Costa Rica 5
LAS/HST 319 Revolution in Latin America 3
LAS/HST 437 Latin American Environmental History 3
LAS/HST/BWS 385 Race, Science, and Disease in the Americas 3
LAS/IES 416 Connections:
Understanding Tropical Ecology and Natural History via Belize, Central America
5
LAS/SPN 332 Latin American Popular Culture 3
POL 337 Politics of Latin America 3
POL 378 Latin America: The Region and the World 3
SPN 315 Introduction to Hispanic Literatures 3
SPN 361 Spanish American Cultural History I 3
SPN 362 Spanish American Cultural History II 3
SPN 430 Selected Topics in Literature and Culture: Spanish America 3
SPN 461 Studies in Spanish American Narrative: Novel or Short Story 3
SPN 462 Studies in Modern Spanish American Drama 3
SPN 463 Studies in Spanish American Poetry 3
SPN 464 The Spanish American Essay 3

Middle East

Middle East is a regional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Middle East Concentration
Course Title Hours
ARB 230 Topics in Arabic Literature in Translation 3
ATH 307 The Middle East: Anthropological Perspectives 3
HST 241 Introduction to Islamic History 3
HST 242 The History of the Modern Middle East 3
HST 400 Senior Capstone in Middle East and Islamic History 3
POL 336 Politics of the Middle East 3
POL 339 Nationalism, Islam, and Democracy in Arab Politics 3
REL 226 Introduction to Islam 3
REL 286 Global Jewish Civilization 3
REL 312 Religions of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible 3
REL 314 Social and Religious History of the Jewish People 3
REL 376 Global Militant Islamisms 3

Russia, Eastern Europe, & Central Asia

Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia is a regional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 384 Anthropology of Capitalism: Russia 3
ATH/GEO/RUS 306 Peoples & Cultures of Russia 3
ATH/HST/POL/REL/RUS 254 Introduction to Russian and Eurasian Studies 3
ENG/RUS 255 Russian Literature from Pushkin to Dostoevsky in English Translation 3
FST/RUS 263 Soviet & Post-Soviet Russian Cinema 3
FST/RUS 272 Cultures & Identities of Eastern Europe:
An Introduction through Literature and Film
3
GEO 307 Geography of Central and Eastern Europe, and Russia 3
GEO 408 Geography of the Silk Road (The Heart of Asia) 3
HST 324 Eurasian Nomads and History 3
HST 374 History of the Russian Empire 3
HST 375 The Soviet Union and Beyond 3
HST 378 20th Century Eastern European History 3
HST 428 Russia's War and Peace 3
HST 470/570 Topics in Russian History 3
POL 230 Topics in Russian Culture and Civilization 3
POL 328 Politics of Central Asia 3
POL 331 Communism and Soviet Politics, 1917-1991 3
POL 332 Post-Soviet Russian Politics 3
POL 334 Politics of Eastern Europe 3
POL 430B Seminar on Political Systems of Russia and Eastern Europe 4-6
POL 488/588 Russia and the Republics in International Relations 3
POL/REL/RUS 133 Imagining Russia 3
RUS/ATH/HST/CLS 436/536
POL 440/540
REL 470A
Havighurst Colloquium 3
RUS 137 Russian Folklore 3
RUS 482/RUS 582 Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Summer Workshop 3-6

Western Europe

Western Europe is a regional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Western Europe Concentration
Course Title Hours
ART 314 Italian Renaissance 3
ART 315 High Renaissance and Mannerist Art 3
ART 316 Baroque Art in Europe 3
ART 386 Art of the Weimar Republic 3
ART 486 Art of the Late 19th Century 3
ART 487 Art of the Early 20th Century 3
ART 488 Art in the Age of Revolution: 1789-1848 3
ATH 335L Multiculturalism in Europe: Anthropological Perspectives 3
ATH/IES/GEO 409 Sustainability in Europe 3
ECO 341 Economic History of Modern Europe 3
ENG 251,252 Life and Thought in European Literature 3
ENG 339 Writers of the Early Romantic Period 3
ENG 342 Writers of the Later Romantic Period 3
ENG 343 English Literature of the Early Victorian Period, 1830-1860 3
ENG 344 English Literature of the Later Victorian Period, 1860-1901 3
FRE 350 Topics in French Literature in Translation 3
FRE 411 French Civilization 3
FRE 431 Studies in Contemporary French Thought in Translation 3
FRE/FST 366 French Cinema in Translation 3
FRE/GER/FST 265 European Jewish Cinema 3
FST/GER 261 German Cinema 3
FST/ITL 262 Italian Cinema in English Translation 3
GEO 311 Geography of Western Europe 4
GER 321 Cultural Topics in German-Speaking Europe Since 1870 3
GER 322 The Comparative Study of Everyday Culture:
German-Speaking Europe and the USA
3
HST 245 The Making of Modern Europe, 1450-1750 3
HST 270 Topics in European History 1-4
HST 275 20th Century European Diplomacy 3
HST 301 Age of Revolutions, Europe 1750-1850 3
HST 313 History of England to 1688 3
HST 332 Age of Dictators: Europe 1914-1945 3
HST 333 Reconstruction of Europe Since 1945 3
HST 339 Jews in Modern France:
Between Image and Experience
3
HST 346 Medieval Jewish History 3
HST 378 20th Century Eastern European History 3
HST 472 Germany 1918-1945 3
ITL 221 Italy, Matrix of Civilization 3
ITL/ENG 401 Dante's Divine Comedy 3
POL 333 Politics of Western Europe 3
POL 423 European Union: Politics and Policies 3
SPN 315 Introduction to Hispanic Literatures 3
SPN 351 Cultural History of Spain I 3
SPN 352 Cultural History of Spain II 3
SPN 381 Language and Culture I 3
SPN 452 Studies in Spanish Poetry 3
SPN 454 Don Quixote 3

Women in the World

Women in the World is a functional concentration that meets the concentration requirement for the ITS major.

Take 9 semester hours, representing at least 2 different disciplines, from the following courses.


Courses for Women in the World Concentration
Course Title Hours
ATH 428/528 Anthropology of Women's Health 3
BWS/WGS/POR 383 By or About (Afro-) Brazilian Women 3
GEO/WGS 436 Women, Gender, and the Environment 3
HST 383 Women in Chinese History 3
PHL/WGS 355 Feminist Theory 4
POL/WGS 346 Global Gender Politics 3
REL/WGS 333 Religion, Dress, and Status 3
SOC/WGS 203 Sociology of Gender Roles 3
SOC 305 Introduction to the Sociology of Globalization 3
WGS 201 Introduction to Women's Studies 3
WGS/AAA/REL 313 Marriage Across Cultures 3
WGS/AAA/ENG 351 Cultural Politics of Gender and Sexuality in Asian/America 3

Frequently Asked Questions

I would like to study Korean to fulfill my language proficiency requirement in ITS. However, I noticed in the Miami Bulletin that Korean is not offered at the 300 level. The ITS requirements state that I need 6 credits at the 300 level. How can I meet the requirement?

For languages like Korean and Hindi, etc. that are not offered at the 300 level, students are expected to choose a study abroad program that includes upper level language courses so that the requirement can be completed while abroad.

Do I have to study abroad for an entire semester, or can I do 2 summer programs instead?

The ITS program requires an entire semester of study abroad. There is a petition process for the rare exception to the semester study abroad requirement. If you wish to file a petition, you should first meet with the program director or the chief program advisor to see if you qualify.

I am an upper class student who has decided to change my major to ITS. Can I still graduate in 4 years?

That generally depends on where you place in foreign language. If you begin a new language at the 101 level, you will need 6 to 8 semesters to complete that requirement. You will also need to spend a semester abroad.

I have a double major in French and ITS. Do I have to take the ITS capstone, or can I take the French capstone instead?

You have to take the ITS capstone. You should check with the French department to see if they also require you to take theirs or if they will accept the ITS capstone. Many double majors have to take 2 capstones.

I am an international student from China. Do I also have to study abroad?

As an international student, a semester at Miami University counts as your study abroad but students are encouraged to consider a study abroad experience.

Learning Outcomes

At graduation, we expect that our majors can:

  1. Develop interdisciplinary explanations of global problems;
  2. Propose contextualized policy solutions;
  3. Operate effectively in a foreign culture;
  4. Write and present professionally.

Learn More about International Studies at Miami

 

 

The BA degree with a major in International Studies appeals to students with academic interests and career plans that intersect with peoples and places in the world beyond the United States.

Careers

Our students gather many honors including:

  • Fulbrights
  • Critical Language Fellowships
  • Gilman International Scholarships
  • Provost's Student Academic Achievement Awards
  • University Summer Scholar Awards
  • and others …

International Studies majors are successful in finding internships related to their academic interests. In 2015, 58% of graduating ITS majors had completed at least one internship experience.

Our 2015 graduating seniors reported the following post-graduation plans:

  • 38% Private sector jobs including:
    • researchers and analysts
    • consultants
    • public relations
    • finance
  • 31% Professional and graduate school including:
    • international relations/diplomacy
    • economics
    • law school
    • language programs
    • public health
  • 19% Public sector jobs including:
    • U.S. foreign service
    • government analysts
    • federal, state and local service coordinators
    • elected officials
  • 12% Volunteer and non-profit sector jobs including
    • Americorps
    • Peacecorps
    • children's advocacy
    • drug prevention
    • refugee service

Many of our graduates work overseas and draw extensively from the study abroad, language training and analytical skills learned as part of their ITS degree.

See also:

Faculty

Grayson Kirk Lectures

Grayson Kirk photo by Gjon Mili, ©Time, Inc.

The Grayson Kirk Distinguished Lecture Series was endowed by the Tinker Foundation in honor of Dr. Grayson Kirk, Miami University class of 1924.

After graduating, Dr. Kirk went on to become one of the pioneers in developing international relations as a field of political science and served as president of Columbia University for many years. This lecture series brings in public figures and recognized scholars to address international issues.

Read more about Dr. Kirk's life in the Columbia University Record's December 5, 1997 obituary for Dr. Kirk.


Most Recent Speaker

Steve Coll

The Lessons of Defeat in Afghanistan

November 01, 2021, Taylor Auditorium, FSB 1000

The 2021 Grayson Kirk Lecture Series - International Studies, the Department of Global and International Studies, presents an evening with Steve Coll as he speaks on The Lessons of Defeat in Afghanistan. 

Steve Coll was appointed Dean of Columbia Journalism School in 2013 after serving as president of New America Foundation (2007-2012). He joined The New Yorker as a staff writer in 2005 and continues to write for the publication on politics, national security, and the media. Coll is also the author of eight nonfiction books, a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and a former reporter, foreign correspondent, and senior editor at the Washington Post (1985- 2005). His latest book Directorate S, published in February 2018, is a follow-up to his 2004 Ghost Wars.

 

Peter Beinart

An Evening with Peter Beinart: The Arab - Israeli Conflict in Historical Perspective

October 05, 2021, Wilks Theatre, ASC 

The 2021 Grayson Kirk Lecture Series - International Studies, the Department of Global and International Studies, along with the Swepston Middle East Studies presents an evening with Peter Beinart as he speaks on a historical perspective of the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

Peter Beinart is a Professor of Journalism and Political Science at the City University of New York. He is also Editor-at-Large of Jewish Currents, a CNN Political Commentator, a frequent contributor to The New York Times, and a Non-Resident Fellow at the Foundation for Middle East Peace. He writes the Beinart Notebook newsletter on Substack.Com

 

Past Speakers

Dr. Sean Roberts (October 2019)

[October 2019] Dr. Sean Roberts is Director and Associate Professor, International Development Studies Program, Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University. Having conducted ethnographic fieldwork among the Uyghur people of Central Asia and China during the 1990s, he has published extensively on this community in scholarly journals and collected volumes. In addition, he produced a documentary film on the community entitled Waiting for Uighurstan (1996).

Valeria Luiselli

[April 2019] Valeria Luiselli was born in Mexico City and grew up in South Korea, South Africa, and India. An acclaimed writer of both fiction and nonfiction, she is the author of the essay collection Sidewalks; the novels Faces in the Crowd and The Story of My Teeth; Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions and, most recently, Lost Children Archive. She is the winner of two Los Angeles Times Book Prizes and an American Book Award, and has twice been nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Kirkus Prize. She has been a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35" honoree and the recipient of a Bearing Witness Fellowship from the Art for Justice Fund. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Granta, and McSweeney's, among other publications, and has been translated into more than 20 languages. She lives in New York City.

Graeme Robertson

[October 2018] Graeme Robertson is a Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His work focuses on political protest and regime support in authoritarian regimes. His most recent publications include Revolution and Reform in Ukraine, published by PONARS Eurasia (with Silviya Nitsova and Grigore Pop-Eleches), as well as scholarly articles on political institutions in authoritarian regimes, on the political psychology of dictatorship and on nationalism and identity. He has published articles in many academic journals including the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, The Journal of Politics, and the British Journal of Political Science.

Adekeye Adebajo

[March 2018] Adekeye Adebajo is the Director of the Institute for Pan-African Thought and Conversation (IPATC) at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. He was Executive Director of the Centre for Conflict Resolution (CCR) in Cape Town, South Africa, between 2003 and 2016. Professor Adebajo served on United Nations missions in South Africa, Western Sahara, and Iraq, and is the author of Building Peace in West Africa; The Curse of Berlin: Africa After the Cold War; UN Peacekeeping in Africa; and Thabo Mbeki: Africa's Philosopher-King. He is co-editor or editor of 9 books on Africa's International Relations, including on Nigeria's and South Africa's domestic and foreign policies. He obtained his doctorate from Oxford University in England where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, as well as a First Class bachelor's degree from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. He is a columnist for Business Day (South Africa) and The Guardian (Nigeria).

Charles King

[October 2017] Charles King is Professor of International Affairs and Government and chair of the Department of Government at Georgetown University. He previously served as chair of the faculty of Georgetown's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, the country's premier school of global affairs. He is the author or editor of 7 books, including Midnight at the Pera Palace: The Birth of Modern Istanbul which was a New York Times Editors' Choice and was awarded the French "Prix de Voyage Urbain;" Odessa: Genius and Death in a City of Dreams which received the National Jewish Book Award; and The Ghost of Freedom: A History of the Caucasus which was named "History Book of the Year" by the Moscow Times.

Dr. Bruce Cumings

[February 2017] Bruce Cumings is the Gustavus F. and Ann M. Swift Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of History at the University of Chicago. His research and teaching focus on modern Korean history, 20th-century international history, US–East Asian relations, East Asian political economy, and American foreign relations. His first book, The Origins of the Korean War, won the John King Fairbank Book Award of the American Historical Association, and the second volume of this study won the Quincy Wright Book Award of the International Studies Association.

Robin Wright

[October 2016] Robin Wright is a contributing writer to The New Yorker and a joint fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She has reported from more than 140 countries on six continents and has covered a dozen wars and several revolutions. She is a former diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post.

Dr. Steven Salaita

[March 2016] Steven Salaita currently serves as the Edward Said Chair of American Studies at the American University of Beirut. His latest book is Uncivil Rites: Palestine and the Limits of Academic Freedom.

Barry R. Posen

[October 2015] Barry R. Posen is Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT, Director of the MIT Security Studies Program, and serves on the Executive Committee of Seminar XXI. His most recent book, Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy, was released in May 2014 (Cornell University Press 2014).

Sarah Chayes

[April 2015] Sarah Chayes, senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, is an expert in South Asia policy and the security implications of acute corruption worldwide. An award-winning NPR correspondent, Chayes served as special advisor to ISAF command and special assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, participating in Cabinet-level decision-making on Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Arab Spring. Her books include The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban (2006) and Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security (2015).

Micah White, PhD

[October 2014] Micah White, Ph.D., is one of today's most innovative social activists. White is the former editor of Adbusters, the American creator of the Occupy Wall Street meme, and the inventor of the innovative debt-activism tactic known as Rolling Jubilee. He has more than 15 years of breakthrough campaign experience. White is now the founder of Boutique Activist Consultancy that specializes in anticipating the dynamics of social movement mobilization and contagion. He is currently working on a book about the future of activism.

Dr. Julia Sweig

[October 2013] Dr. Julia Sweig is the Nelson and David Rockefeller Senior fellow for Latin American Studies and Director for Latin American studies at Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She is the author of Inside the Cuban Revolution (2002), Friendly Fire: Losing Friends and Making Enemies in the Anti-American Century (2006), and Cuba: What Everyone Needs To Know (2012).

Zainab Salbi

[April 2013] Zainab Salbi is the author of Between Two Worlds—Escape from Tyranny: Growing Up in the Shadow of Saddam (Gotham), which details her childhood in Saddam Hussein's inner circle, and The Other Side of War (National Geographic). "The Oprah Winfrey Show" has featured Ms. Salbi and her organization multiple times. Time magazine named Ms. Salbi "Innovator of the Month". Forbes gave her its 2005 Trailblazer Award.

Zha Jianying

[September 2012] Zha Jianying was born in Beijing in 1959 to a family of intellectuals (her father was a professor at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences). In 1978, she joined the first class of students at the newly reopened Peking University (now Beijing University). In 2003, she was the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship in non-fiction.

Ben Wedeman

[March 2012] Ben Wedeman is CNN's senior international correspondent based in Cairo, Egypt. Since 1995, he's reported for the network from scenes of conflict and tension across the Middle East and northern Africa including Israel, Pakistan, Lebanon, the Balkans and Iraq. Wedeman was CNN's bureau chief in Cairo from 1998-2006.

Hooman Majd

[October 2011] Hooman Majd is an expert on US-Iranian Relations and the author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ and The Ayatollahs' Democracy. Majd was born in Iran, and raised and educated in America. The son of an Iranian diplomat, and the grandson of an eminent Ayatollah, Majd has worked as an advisor and translator for two Iranian Presidents, Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on their trips to the United States and the UN.

Pico Iyer

[March 2011] Pico Iyer is the author of seven works of non-fiction, including Video Night in Kathmandu, The Lady and the Monk, and The Global Soul. He has also written the novels, Cuba and the Night and Abandon. For a quarter of a century, he has been an essayist for Time magazine. His most recent book, The Open Road, describes more than 30 years of talking and traveling with the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

Jonathan Morduch

[October 2010] Jonathan Morduch, one of the authors of Portfolios of the Poor, is professor of public policy and economics at New York University He writes and advises widely on microfinance and financial markets. He leads the Financial Access Initiative, a consortium of researchers at NYU, Harvard, Yale, and Innovations for Poverty Action. Morduch holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard.

Brian Nelson and Gregory Wilpert

[March 2010] Brian Nelson and Gregory Wilpert debated controversial issues related to the presidency of Hugo Chávez. Brian Nelson is the author of The Silence and the Scorpion: The Coup against Chávez and the Making of Modern Venezuela (Nation Books, 2009). Gregory Wilpert is the editor of Venezuelanalysis.com and the author of Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The Policies of the Chávez Presidency (Verso Books, 2007).

Nicholas Kristof

[September 2009] Nicholas Kristof, columnist for The New York Times and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to more than 140 countries, plus all 50 states, every Chinese province and every main Japanese island. After joining The New York Times in 1984, initially covering economics, Mr. Kristof served as a Times correspondent in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Beijing and Tokyo. His most recent book, co-authored with Sheryl WuDunn, is Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide.

Raj Patel

[February 2009] Raj Patel, controversial author, journalist and food policy expert, continuously challenges our presumptions about the global food economy with his work both as a policy analyst and activist. He has worked for some of the most prestigious international organizations and protested against them, and constantly works to find ways to improve the global food system. In his newest work, Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System, Patel discusses the growing worldwide food crisis and what needs to be done to solve it.

Steven Kinzer

[March 2008] An award-winning foreign correspondent, Kinzer spent more than 20 years with the New York Times and has reported from more than 50 countries on four continents. He is author of many books, including Crescent and Star: Turkey Between Two Worlds, All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror, and his most recent, Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq.

Andrew Bacevich

[January 2007] Andrew Bacevich is Professor of International Relations at Boston University and author of The New American Militarism. Bacevich is a 1969 graduate of West Point and a Vietnam veteran. He has criticized American foreign policy in the post Cold War era and argues that the United States has relied too often, and often unsuccessfully, on military power rather than diplomacy to achieve its foreign policy aims.

Shibley Telhami

[October 2006] Shibley Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and author of The Stakes. Telhami is a non-resident senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, has served as adviser to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and as a member of the U.S. delegation to the Trilateral U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian Anti-Incitement Committee.

Mark Hertsgaard

[November 2005] Hertsgaard is an American journalist, author and broadcaster. In The Eagle's Shadow: Why America Fascinates and Infuriates the World, Hertsgaard explains to Americans what the world really thinks of their nation and why. To non-Americans he explains why America is the way that it is.

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With its interdisciplinary curriculum and study abroad requirement, the International Studies (ITS) Program at Miami University is committed to helping students gain a better understanding of the world. The ITS program is vital for a truly global education, and the number of ITS majors continues to grow each year. ITS is committed to providing our students with the necessary tools and experiences to be successful in their careers and as global citizens.

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