International Politics (IPOL)

• Curricular Field Chair: Professor Gerd Nonneman
• Curricular Dean: Dean Julien Moutte

International Politics Major Requirements (9 courses)

• 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 
• 5 courses that have been approved for the IPOL major program 

Sample Courses

Integrated Writing Requirements

International Politics is an interdisciplinary major that explores the processes between actors in the international system. There are currently 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 7 other courses that have been approved for the IPOL Major program. These courses come under the headings of Political Theory, International Relations and Comparative Politics.

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.

That said, IPOL is a writing-intensive major and student needs 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.

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 examines critically arguments and counter-arguments.
• An ability to apply the relevant theoretical literature and historiographical debates.

Frequently Asked Questions