Master of Arts - International Studies

The Master of Arts in International Studies is an academically rigorous, thesis-driven, two-year program focused on social analysis and justice issues. Students today are confronted by complex world events such as the long "war on terror", global climate change, transitions to capitalism among post-communist societies, recurrent economic crises, and the exclusions effected through stigma, symbolic violence, and systematic misrecognition. Traditional economics and international relations theory has failed to offer insightful analyses or solutions for many of these developments. The interdisciplinary field of international studies is uniquely situated to analyze this increasingly complex world, challenge conventional wisdom, and train students to find creative solutions.

The curriculum allows the flexibility of integrating multiple disciplines with training in critical theory and a rigorous thesis-driven program. Students investigate the underlying assumptions and histories of contemporary issues and analyze scholarship using approaches from critical social and cultural theory, and international political economy.