Majors & Minors

This minor is intended for students who wish to understand the challenges associated with health care as an ethical issue in the international context. In doing so, it focuses on the convergence of three large fields of inquiry, raising questions about their intersection. Social justice is concerned with equity, with questions of fairness as they inform (or should inform) access to resources necessary for the survival and well-being of people around the globe.

To provide the necessary content, this minor presents an introduction to political economy, to cross-cultural approaches to health and wellness, and to theories of economic development as they relate to health care.

This minor is intended to prepare students for careers and leadership roles in the arenas of international health, medical ethics, overpopulation, economic development, human welfare and principles of social justice.

As with all minors, students should include four courses outside their major, four courses at the upper-division level, and four courses that are not being used to satisfy any other subject requirement. In addition, to satisfy this minor, students must choose courses from at least two different departments.

REQUIRED COURSE WORK: 24 units

The minor in international policy and management brings together courses from the School of International Relations, dealing with the new global challenges, specific regions of the world and international organizations and policies, and the USC Price School of Public Policy dealing with core management skills and public policy processes. Students will gain an understanding of the changes and challenges transforming the world and a taste of the policy and management skills to deal with them. To increase their understanding of the context and application of these concepts, students must complete a semester-long internship either in Washington, D.C. or Los Angeles with an organization that has an international focus.

Students take three courses in international relations, including the gateway course, IR 305w Managing New Global Problems, three courses in public policy and management, and an approved internship through the School of International Relations (IR 491x).

The BA in International Relations and the Global Economy (IRGE) offers students rigorous interdisciplinary training at the intersection of international relations and economics. The major prepares students for careers ranging from foreign policy and international development to international finance and political risk analysis. It is also ideally suited for students who plan to seek advanced degrees in the social sciences. 

The degree cannot also be combined as an additional major with any economics degree. The degree is administered by the School of International Relations.

The International Relations major requires a minimum of 48 units. All majors should complete IR 210gw International Relations: Introductory Analysis, IR 211g International Relations: Approaches to Research, IR 212 Historical Approaches to International Relations and IR 213 The Global Economy in their first 32 total units. The 200-level courses must be completed by the time they have completed 48 total units. The 200-level courses must be completed before attempting 400-level courses.

Four semesters of a single foreign language are required. All majors are encouraged to obtain as much foreign language training as possible either through a major or a minor in a foreign language or through a study program abroad.

Beyond IR 210, IR 211, IR 212 and IR 213, international relations majors are required to take eight additional upper-division courses. Majors must choose one course from each of the four fields: Culture, Gender and a Global Society; Foreign Policy Analysis; International Political Economy; International Politics and Security Studies. In addition, students must complete one course from Regional Studies (Europe; Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia; Latin America; the Middle East and Africa; or Pacific Rim). Finally, students must complete one 400-level course of their choice. Students are encouraged to explore different professional career options within international relations by enrolling in IR 391 Directed International Relations Field Study, a 2-unit course that can be repeated for major credit. Students may receive both general education credit and major credit for the same course.

The BA in International Relations with an emphasis in Global Business will give students the opportunity to pursue a degree in international relations and acquire specific skills in one of three concentrations in international business: international finance, global marketing or global management. Students who have earned a GPA of 3.0 or above and a "B" average in IR 210 International Relations: Introductory Analysis and a second 300-level or above IR course are eligible to apply during their sophomore year.

The degree cannot also be combined as an additional major in any business administration degree. The degree is administered by the School of International Relations.

The minor in international relations allows students to develop a specialty in the field without a full major. Requirements are: IR 210gw International Relations: Introductory Analysis and four upper-division courses including at least one regional course and one 400-level course. Students planning to minor in international relations should see the School of International Relations advisers in Von KleinSmid Center 301.

The Internet of Things Engineering minor introduces the concepts, tools and techniques that are involved in designing and programming electronic devices that involve sensing, computation, and communication. The minor prepares students to understand the design tradeoffs present in aggregating and processing information generated by these networked devices either locally or in the cloud. Students completing this minor will be ready to effectively compete in industries related to embedded and networked systems and IoT technologies.

This minor is an interdisciplinary degree focusing on the peoples and cultures of Iran. Its courses offer students interested in exploring the richness and complexity of Iran a framework for developing both expertise and wide-ranging critical perspectives on its past, present, and future. The cross-section of courses and rigorous training in the Persian language allow students to develop a wide-ranging perspective on the country or a narrower focus on a particular historical period or theme.

Learning Objectives for the Iranian Studies Minor:

1. Offer foundational knowledge of the geography, cultures and history of Iran.
2. Offer rigorous training in a range of social science and humanities approaches from history, economics, political science, geography and international relations to literary and cultural criticism with an emphasis on their application to the study of Iranian society.
3. Develop critical thinking skills that enable the student to place recent and current events in appropriate historical and contemporary contexts.
4. Enhance students' ability to question non-scholarly accounts of Iran's past and present.
5. Deliver firm grounding in the Persian language.
6. Train students to conduct informed research on Iran and its diaspora.

A special accommodation is in place for majors in the Department of Political Science and International Relations who minor in Iranian Studies. Courses that are cross-listed between MDES and IR can satisfy the four unique courses (at least 16 units) that must be completed outside of their major department for this interdisciplinary minor. Students will still be required, however, to complete at least four courses (16 units) that are unique to the minor (not required to meet major course requirements). A minimum of 20 units is required.

The upper-division requirements include one core course plus an additional five courses to be selected in consultation with the department adviser (no more than three of which may be in English). Of the additional five courses, at least two must be at the 400 level. 

The upper-division requirements include one core course plus an additional three courses to be selected in consultation with the department adviser (no more than two of which may be in English). Of the additional four courses, at least one must be at the 400 level.