Bachelor of Arts in International Relations

Few universities have separate International Relations departments. As the process of globalization becomes more pervasive, preparation in this area is becoming more pertinent every year.

International Relations is becoming increasingly relevant as the world grows more and more interconnected through trade and commerce, migration, the internet and through social media, and concerns about pressing global environmental problems. A globalized world calls for academics and professionals trained to comprehend these complex interactions - promoting understanding and crafting policy and business solutions to meet the challenges of today and the future. International Relations offers a comprehensive and adaptable toolkit particularly well suited to employment in a rapidly changing world.

View the SF State Bulletin B.A. in IR section for further details.

Prospective Undergraduates: Request Information
Professor Mahmood Monshipouri with 2023 graduates

Professor Mahmood Monshipouri congratulates graduating International Relations students, class of 2023.

Courses for the Bachelor of Arts in International Relations have three objectives:

  1. To impart knowledge of basic concepts, theories and methods in international relations.
  2. To develop in each student at least one area of special individual competence in international relations.
  3. To train students in research, writing, analytical, and presentation/communication skills.

While integrating liberal arts educational goals, the program also seeks to develop marketable skills appropriate to the field. Utilizing the extensive course offerings in IR and other departments, students are encouraged to develop specializations within geographical, functional (e.g., international political economy), problem-oriented (e.g., arms control), theoretical and methodological, and other categories. The emphasis on elective courses of study requires students to consult with an advisor every semester.

International Relations (IR) is an interdisciplinary major focusing on the changing political, economic, and cultural relations within a globalized system. The program explores how global, regional, and domestic factors influence relations between actors on the world stage. Students are prepared for future careers, civic engagement, and life-long learning with strong analytical, writing, research, and presentation skills steeped in theory, history, and practice. 

Our faculty offers courses in theory and regional/thematic issue-areas that meet the diverse needs and preferences of students. Examples of our student best practices include the development of individual and group projects in close consultation with faculty. Outcomes of such training in research and presentation skills are evident not only in classes, including the culminating senior thesis experience (I R 550), but also in student participation in IR conferences at both regional and national levels. Our students have the opportunity to publish their original research papers in the Department’s International Relations Journal.

Core: 25 Units

I R 208 must be taken prior to I R 309GW, and I R 309GW must be completed prior to I R 550. No core courses may be taken concurrently with I R 550.

  • I R 104: Introduction to International Relations (3 Units)
  • I R 208: Fundamentals of International Relations: Theories, Issues, and Perspectives (4 Units)
  • I R 309GW: International Relations Analysis and Application-GWAR (3 Units)
  • I R 309: International Relations Writing Workshop (1 Unit) (Must be taken concurrently with IR 309GW)
  • I R 310: U.S. Foreign Policy (4 Units)
  • I R 312: Introduction to International Political Economy (4 Units)
  • I R 550: Senior Thesis in International Relations (6 Units) (Culminating Experience)

Grading Basis

International Relations majors must take the core courses for a letter grade.

Electives: 18 Units

Students are required to complete 18 elective units related to international relations. At least twelve units of coursework must be upper-division I R courses (300-level or above) or be cross-listed with I R. Six additional units may be taken outside of the department upon the approval of a major advisor. Lower-division language courses taken in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures and 200-level IR courses can be used for these six units; otherwise, upper-division courses are required.

Twelve units of complementary studies are required of all candidates for the B.A. degree in International Relations. These units must come from courses bearing a prefix other than IR and that are not cross-listed with International Relations. They can be lower or upper division courses. Students can also satisfy this requirement by completing a minor, a second major or through an approved study-abroad program.

Complementary studies courses should have a direct bearing on the study of politics, or deepen and enrich the study of politics. Such courses are typically found in departments like Modern Languages and Literatures, Political Science, Urban Studies and Planning, or Philosophy, and in the College of Ethnic Studies.

Six of the twelve Complementary Studies units may count toward the major as elective units, if approved in advance by an IR advisor. Students must consult with an advisor in the department to ensure that their choices fulfill the department’s requirements.

In addition to fulfilling elective requirements for the International Relations major and minor, many electives offered through the IR department satisfy upper-division General Education and SF State Studies requirements.

Undergraduate Electives in IR
Course ID Title Units GE SF State Studies Cross-listed with

I R 201

International Relations Through Cinema

3

LD-1

GP

CINE 101

I R 255

Religion and World Politics

3

 

 

 

I R 259

Children and Youth in International Relations

4

LD-E

GP, SJ

 

I R 305

Science Tech and Global Politics

4

 

 

 

I R 306

U.S.-Central American Relations

4

 

GP, SJ, AERM

CJ 306

I R 307

Qualitative Methods in Political Science and International Relations

4

 

AI

PLSI 307

I R 314

Post Modernism in International Relations

4

 

AI

 

I R 315

Introduction to Global Peace Studies

3

UD-C

ES, GP, SJ

GPS 315, PHIL 315

I R 321

Development and Foreign Policy: Africa

4

 

AI

PLSI 321

I R 322

Latin American Policy Analysis

4

UD-D

GP, SJ

PLSI 322

I R 323

The Persian Gulf in International Relations

4

 

AI

 

I R 324

Middle East and North Africa

4

UD-D

ES, GP, SJ

 

I R 325

Chinese Foreign Policy

4

 

AI

PLSI 325

I R 326

South and Southeast Asia Foreign Relations

4

 

GP

 

I R 327

Europe: Forming a Union

4

 

GP, AI

PLSI 327

I R 328

Domestic and Foreign Policy: Post-Communist Regions

4

 

AI

PLSI 328

I R 329

U.S.-Japan Politics

4

 

AI

PLSI 329

I R 330

World Law

4

 

AI

 

I R 331

Global Environmental Crisis

4

 

ES, GP, SJ

ENVS 331

I R 332

International Criminal Law

4

 

AI

C J 505

I R 334

International Organizations & New World Order

4

 

AI

 

I R 335

Muslim Societies

4

UD-D

AERM, GP

 

I R 336

Politics of Globalization

4

UD-D

GP

 

I R 337

Introduction to the European Union

4

 

AI

 

I R 341

Comparative Criminal Justice

4

 

AI

C J 340

I R 342

Modern Conflict & Hybrid War

4

 

AI

PLSI 342

I R 346

Europe Since 1914

3

 

AI

HIST 346

I R 360

Intelligence and Intelligence Agencies

4

 

AI

CJ 360

I R 361

Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare

4

 

AI

C J 461

I R 362

The Making of U.S. Foreign Policy

4

 

AI

PLSI 362, CJ 362

I R 372

Critical Political Theory

4

 

AI

PLSI 372, HUM 372

I R 395

International History 1814-1918

3

UD-D

GP

HST 395

I R 404

Politics of China

4

UD-D

GP

PLSI 404

I R 407

Politics of Russia

4

UD-D

GP

PLSI 407

I R 409

Russia and World Order

4

 

GP, AI

PLSI 409

I R 411

East Asian Politics

4

UD-D

GP

PLSI 411

I R 412

South Asian Politics

4

 

GP

PLSI 412

Course ID

Title

Units

GE

SF State Studies

Cross-listed with

I R 413

Media Chinese

3

 

GP

CHIN 411, JOUR 411

I R 416

Ethnicity and Nationalism

4

UD-D

GP

PLSI 416

I R 417

Gender, Equality, and Politics: A Comparative Perspective

4

 

 

PLSI 417

I R 422

Comparative Law and Courts

4

 

 

PLSI 422

I R 424

Social Movements

4

 

 

PLSI 424, SOC 424

I R 425

Imagining Power in the Middle East

4

 

GP

PLSI 425

I R 428

International Political Economy of Food and Hunger

4

 

 

GEOG 428

I R 430

Israel Democracy & Society

3

UD-D

GP

JS 430, PLSI 430

I R 432

Model United Nations

4

 

 

 

I R 433

Model Arab League

4

 

 

MEIS 433

I R 435

Politics of Global Finance and Crisis

4

 

 

PLSI 435, FIN 435

I R 436

Human Rights in Global Perspective

3

UD-C

GP, SJ

PHIL 435

I R 445

Geopolitics and Globalization

3

UD-D

 

GEOG 445

I R 446

The Multinational Corporation in World Affairs

4

 

 

 

I R 450

International Labor

3

 

 

LABR 550

I R 452

International Media Politics

4

 

SJ

JOUR 452

I R 453

Women and Media in International Relations

4

 

 

 

I R 459

Refugees in Global Perspective

4

UD-C

AERM, GP

PLSI 459

I R 460

Rising Powers

4

 

 

HIST 430

I R 520

Globalization and Development

4

 

 

 

I R 530

The Arab-Israeli Conflict

3

UD-D

GP

JS 560

I R 540

The Rich and the Poor Nations: Legacies of Slavery and Colonialism

4

 

 

 

I R 544

Women in the World

4

UD-D

GP, SJ

PLSI 544

I R 601

Lectures on Contemporary Global Issues

1

 

 

 

I R 604

Analysis of Global Issues

4

 

 

 

I R 605

Get Ready for a Career in International Relations

2

 

 

I R 705

I R 609

Colloquium in International Relations

1

 

 

I R 709

I R 635

Economics of Globalization

3

 

 

ECON 635

I R 640

Field Study in International Relations

1-5

 

 

 

I R 685

Projects in the Teaching of I R

1-4

 

 

 

I R 699

Independent Study

1-4

 

 

 

Note: Due to staffing, the department is not able to offer all elective courses on a regular basis. The course IDs marked with an asterisk are those the department can currently offer on a regular basis—if not every academic year. This does not include cross-listed courses housed in and staffed by other departments.

Updated June 2023

Employment possibilities for graduates in international relations exist in business, government, electronic and print journalism, teaching and private international service (e.g., U.N. Association, Red Cross, etc.). Students completing a degree find it excellent preparation for entry into highly competitive programs of advanced study or work abroad in areas of special interest or knowledge.

Some of the most likely career areas are:

  • Non-governmental organizations
  • Foreign Service officer
  • Import/export business
  • Commerce Department
  • International finance and banking
  • Corporate regulatory affairs
  • Peace Corps administration
  • Intercultural communication
  • Foreign correspondent
  • International counseling
  • United Nations staff
  • International airlines
  • Intelligence officer
  • International marketing
  • Social studies teacher
  • International lawyer
  • Policy analyst
  • Research on global issues

Explore our Alumni section to find out where an IR degree might take you!