International Relations - Political Science Major

Goals for the International Relations - Political Science Major

• A student who completes a major in IRPS will acquire the depth of knowledge and intellectual skills equivalent to completing a major in one of the three component disciplines (economics, history, political science).
• The student will also acquire the breadth of knowledge about the other two component disciplines necessary for an interdisciplinary approach to the study of international relations.
• The student will demonstrate advanced competence in the reading, writing, and speaking of a language other than English.
• The student will be familiar with the historical study of international relations across both world regions and centuries, complete at least five courses in the International Relations subfield, and engage in intensive research, writing, and interaction with a faculty member.

Requirements for the International Relations - Political Science Major

International Relations - Political Science (IRPS) major consist of 14 units of course work—five core courses plus nine additional courses described below. Majors are also required to demonstrate advanced proficiency in a modern language, normally defined as two units of language study beyond the minimum required by the College or demonstrate fluency by other means. Language courses do not count towards the minimum 14 courses. Students who studied in educational systems requiring them to read, write, and speak a language other than English have met the language requirement for the IRPS major. If you intend to fulfill your language requirement this way, please provide your advisor with a signed statement attesting to the above under the honor code. 

Five core courses: All students majoring in IRPS must take the following courses:

ECON 101; ECON 102; ECON 213 or ECON 214 or ECON 220; HIST 205; POL3 221.

It is strongly recommended that students complete all core courses by the end of the sophomore year.

Nine Additional courses:

IRPS majors must take nine additional courses from among the following:

• Five political science courses in the International Relations subfield of Political Science (POL3) beyond POL3 221, at least two of which must be at the 300 level and one of which must be a seminar.
• Two political science courses in comparative politics: either POL2 202 or POL2 204; and a comparative politics course that focuses on a particular country or region. At Wellesley, the following courses meet this requirement: POL2 207 [Latin America], POL2 208 [China], POL2 211 [South Asia], POL2 217 [Middle East and North Africa], and POL2 231 [Africa]. Courses on additional regions or countries taught at other institutions may also fulfill this requirement.
• One political science course in American Politics (POL1), Political Theory (POL4), or Research Methods (POL 299)
• One additional 200- or 300-level course in, for example, Africana Studies, Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Studies, History, Peace & Justice Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, or Women’s & Gender Studies, dealing with a particular country or region other than the United States, or with relations among nations, or with transnational institutions or phenomena.

Honors in International Relations - Political Science

For the Internaitonal Relations - Political Science major, the only route to honors in the major is writing a thesis and passing an oral examination. To be admitted to the honors program, a student must have a minimum 3.5 grade point average in work in the major above the 100 level. Students who fall slightly below this minimum requirement may petition for an exemption if they present a particularly strong proposal and if they have the strong support of a potential thesis advisor. Majors who are interested in writing a senior honors thesis are urged to discuss their ideas and plans with a potential faculty advisor as early as possible in their junior year. The deadline for submitting an honors thesis proposal is typically the second Monday in April; all students are expected to submit their proposals by this date.

Advanced Placement Policy in International Relations - Political Science

Students may receive units of College credit if they achieve a grade of 5 on the American Government and Politics or the Comparative Politics Advanced Placement Examinations. Such AP credits do not count toward the minimum number of units required for the International Relations - Political Science major nor for the American or comparative subfield distribution requirements for the major.

Study Abroad for International Relations - Political Science Majors

International Relations-Political Science (IRPS) majors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one semester in a study-abroad program. Transfer credits from study-abroad programs must be approved by the IRPS director. Credit for courses taken outside of Wellesley transfer at the 200-level. Normally, to be counted toward the major, a course taken elsewhere should be taught by a political scientist or in department of political science or its equivalent. For the purpose of meeting a subfield distribution requirement in the major, a student may count a course taken elsewhere provided that it transfers as at least .75 Wellesley units. All 300-level coursework must be taken at Wellesley. Students are also encouraged to complete their five core IRPS courses at Wellesley.