International Politics (IPOL) Major Requirements

Major Requirements

Required Courses

International Politics is an interdisciplinary major that explores processes between actors in the international system. There are two core requirements in this major: Scope and Methods for Political Science and Quantitative Methods for International Politics (IPOL 3270). The student must also take seven other courses approved for the IPOL Major program. These courses come under the headings of Political Theory, International Relations, and Comparative Politics.

• IPOL 2170 Scope and Methods for Political Science (Spring of Year 2)
• IPOL 3270 Quantitative Methods (Year 3)
• 1 course from the Comparative Politics concentration 
• 1 course from the International Relations concentration 
• 4 courses that have been approved for the IPOL major program

Sample Courses

GU-Q offers a variety of courses that fulfill the IPOL major requirements. You can view all current and upcoming IPOL courses in the schedule of classes. Recently offered courses include:

• ANTH 3360: War Ethnography
• GOVT 3417: Social Movements and Interest Groups
• GOVT 3226: Women and Politics
• GOVT 4420: Comparative Politics of the Middle East
• GOVT 4417: Gulf Politics
• INAF 3370: Intro to Global Diplomacy
• ISIM 4400: Environmental Migration
• IPOL 3808: External Intervention in the Middle East
• IPOL 3388: Political Extremism in Europe
• IPOL 3394: Islamic Movements
• IPOL 3395: Women and National Identity in the Gulf

Integrated Writing Requirements

IPOL is a writing-intensive major and students need to be able to absorb, analyze, and disseminate information on a wide range of issues and topics in written form. There are some commonalities in terms of this writing requirement across IPOL-approved courses. All IPOL courses have the goal of building on the core concepts and theories provided to students in Introduction to International Relations (GOVT 1600) and Comparative Political Systems (GOVT 1400). Inherent in this is the objective of further developing the student’s foundational writing skills to reach a level that is commensurate with the analytic tradition and which provides those planning to progress to graduate study with the necessary writing skills to succeed at that level.

The IPOL major’s interdisciplinary nature does not lend itself to a narrow set of guidelines, and there is a recognition that no one means of written assessment or writing style should be required across IPOL-approved courses. Some will require several shorter papers in the form of book reviews, responses, course papers or assessed quizzes. Others require longer final papers or written examinations. Others again require a combination of both. All tend to combine written assessments with other demonstrations of learning and development including, but not limited to, graded oral presentations.

Quantitative Methods, for example, trains students how to use statistical tools, analysis, and inference in writing with the expectation that these skills will be applied where relevant in the writing requirements in other IPOL courses. There is also a commitment that writing in the major will develop:

• The skills necessary to conduct research and use citation styles correctly.
• An awareness of the centrality of structure and clarity in scholarly writing.
• An ability to offer argument-driven analysis that critically examines arguments and counter-arguments.
• An ability to apply the relevant theoretical literature and historiographical debates.

Honors in the Major

The honors program allows students to examine a significant scholarly issue in detail and to focus their time and attention on an important issue that deeply interests them. Honors theses are original works of thought and research, not merely summaries of the work and ideas of others.  By writing an honors thesis, the student gets a sense of how much he or she enjoys the kind of original research done in graduate school. The student also demonstrates that he or she can independently design and carry out a long-term research project – a skill that both employers and graduate and professional schools find very attractive.

View past IPOL Honors theses.

How to Apply

• Cumulative GPA of 3.5* and Major GPA of 3.67, or strong evidence of the capacity to achieve.
• By March 1 of junior year, submit a thesis proposal to IPOL field advisor.

Honors Requirements

• Complete both Honors seminars (Research and Thesis) in the senior year.
• Final written thesis must gain the approval of a faculty committee, which usually includes the seminar instructor, the curricular dean, and the IPOL field advisor. The thesis should be in the range of 50-80 pages. The student should speak with his or her thesis advisor to determine a paper length. The student will give a formal presentation attended by all IPOL faculty in residence during the spring semester in which the thesis is completed.
• Earn a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 and a grade point average of 3.67 in the major by the date of graduation.

Note that students cannot pursue honors and a certificate simultaneously, due to the heavy workload. If a student wants to complete a certificate in addition to the honors program, then the certificate thesis must be completed during their junior year. The deadline for submitting the certificate thesis in its approved form would be the first day of classes in the student’s senior year.

Outstanding IPOL Graduating Senior Award

Faculty present a yearly Outstanding Student in the Major Award to a graduating IPOL senior who has demonstrated outstanding performance in written work, in cumulative grade point average, and in leadership.