This degree provides the student an opportunity to research, study, and write in the field of international relations and conflict resolution.  The approach to International Relations is that this field of study is firmly embedded in the Social Sciences as a whole.  The rapid pace of globalization is blurring the boundaries of the state.  Traditionally, state borders used to regulate the flows of things “foreign” into the state.  Today borders are becoming ever more permeable to the transnational flows of goods, finance, ideas, communications, images, and crime and terrorism.  Traditional thinking is also that state borders define the boundaries of a political community implying that domestic politics is qualitatively “different” than international politics.  The fact is that individuals increasingly participate in growing networks of “international civil society” where political activities take place transnationally.    Consequently, both the external and internal political functions of borders are dissolving.  The rapid changes taking place in global society make it difficult to comprehend International Relations by focusing only on the state as the principal unit of analysis.  Because of that, the discipline of International Relations is increasingly connected with insights from sociology, political economy, psychology, anthropology, and international law.

This program offers:

• Inter-cultural understanding, cooperation, and cosmopolitanism reflected in the staff and student body;
• An insight into the dynamics of international relations, across a number of issue areas, and the different ways of approaching them to prepare students for a number of career paths;
• An insight into the nature of change as an endemic feature of politics on a national, regional and global scale;
• An understanding of the causes of change and mechanisms to manage change;
• An insight into the role of various international actors – state, and non-state- as participants  on the international scene;
• Training in research methods in the social sciences;
• A solid foundation in to the philosophical aspects of the study of international relations;
• Insights into the complex relationship between the concerns of domestic and international politics

Degree Program Objectives

In addition to the institutional and degree level learning outcomes objectives, the Master of Arts in International Relations also seeks the following specific learning outcomes of its graduates. Graduates in this degree program will be able to:

• Construct and criticize the theory and politics of conflict, war, diplomatic relations, and the evolving nature of the international system.
• Provide students with a  research-active teaching environment which gives them a grounding in the study of international relations including its political, social, and economic aspects.
• Assess how state, non-state, and supra-national actors behave and interact through a dynamic appreciation of different levels of analysis
• Critique the theories of international relations, the heritage and development of the discipline, its major debates, its inherent nature as an interdisciplinary study, and a critical appreciation of the essentially contested nature of politics in general and international relations in particular;
• Evaluate the nature and distribution of power in the international systems, the problems of political order and the social economic, historical and cultural context within which international actors operate.
• Assess the current challenges to international order, cooperation, identity, social formations, and global issues, and possible strategies to address them.
• Evaluate the changing role of the state in the context of globalization and regional integration and the implications for international peace and security.
• Conceptualize the different kinds  of actors on the international scene, their respective interests, and their influence across a range of issues.

 In addition to the program objectives, this Masters Degree in International Relations will assist in providing the student with transferable skills that include:

• Communication: You will be encouraged to communicate effectively  and fluently  in speech and writing; to organize information clearly and coherently; and to use communication and information technology for the retrieval and presentation of information.
• Information technology:  You will be required to produce written documents; and undertake online research.
• Working with others:  You will be encouraged to define and review the work of others; to work cooperatively on group tasks; to understand how groups function; and to collaborate with others and contribute effectively to the achievement of common goals;
• Improving own learning:  You will develop autonomy in learning, be expected to work independently, and demonstrate initiative and self organization.  You will enhance your research skills to a presentation of a clear statement of the purposes and expected results of the research and develop appropriate means of estimating and monitoring resources and use of time.
• Problem Solving:  The courses and classroom exercise will emphasize the need to identify and define problems and help you to explore alternative solutions.

• Evaluate the potential for conflict in a society/state/region based on theories of causation
• Assess the approaches to peace through coercive power, nonviolence, and world order constructs
• Reconstruct the phenomenon of peace through examples and case studies
• Synthesize the rationale for negotiation versus historical tendencies toward coercion
• Evaluate the development of multiparty mediation and assess the value of such an approach.
• Analyze the complexity and limitations of negotiating across cultures and historical divides. 

Concentration Requirements
PS540 / INR 610 - Foundations of Peace
PS542 / INR 611 - Conflict Analysis and Resolution: Theory and Practice
PS544 / INR 612 - Factors of Peace
PS543 / INR 613 - International Negotiation
DM579 / INR 614 - International Civil Order

Concentration in Peacekeeping
Objectives
Students in this concentration undertake an in-depth study of the principles and foundations of peace operations within the context of international and regional mechanisms.  The student gains valuable insight into the skills necessary to step into international incidents between countries and among peacemakers to assist in the resolution of difficult problems.
Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:

• Assess the evolving theory and practices of United Nations Peacekeeping operations.
• Evaluate the role of UN and regional peacekeeping initiatives in specific peace-building, peace-making, and peace-keeping operations in conflict areas.

Concentration Requirements
DM579 / INR 614 - International Civil Order
LC533 / INR 615 - Peacekeeping: Structure and Process
DM562 / INR 616 - Peacekeeping Logistics
LC531 / MIL 693 - History of Peacekeeping: 1945 – 1987
LC532 / MIL 691 - History of Peacekeeping: 1988 – Present

Concentration in Comparative and Security Issues
Objectives
Students in this concentration undertake an in-depth review of regional issues and actors.  This will allow the student to determine the significant political, economic, security, diplomatic, and social challenges facing a selected region—individually as separate nations and collectively as a region.
Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:

• Evaluate the potential for conflict in a specific region based on existing theories of causation.
• Apply the approaches to peace through coercive power, nonviolence, world order, personal and community transformation in a specific geographic region.
• Understand the concepts and theories of comparative analysis of different political regimes.
• Determine the significant political, economic, security, diplomatic, and social challenges facing a selected region—individually as separate nations and collectively as a region.

Concentration Requirements
MS674 / INR 600 - Strategic Geography and Geopolitics
MS641 / INR 605 - Comparative Defense Policy
IN529 / INT 670 - Regional Threat Analysis
NS546 / INR 631 - Government and Security in Korea
NS565 / INR 655 - Latin American Security Issues
NS556 / INR 660 - Seminar in Middle East Politics and Security
NS551 / INR 662 - Middle Eastern Culture
NS552 / INR 663 - Islam
NS553 / INR 661 - Politics and Security in the Persian Gulf

Concentration in International & Transnational Security Issues
Objectives
Students in this concentration undertake an in-depth examination of international and transnational issues that affect the global community as a whole and nation-states as individual entities.
Upon successful completion of this concentration the student will be able to:

• Construct a theory about the distinct nature of conflict in the post-Cold War era.
• Assess the norms and purposes of international structures and regimes
• Critique the various manifestations of globalization and its impact on various political, economic and social systems

Concentration Requirements
NS504 / NSS 504 - International Security   
PS555 / POL 522 - American Defense Policy
PS556 / POL 524 - Homeland Security Policy
MS673 / INR 603 - Politics and War
CR506 / CRJ 506 - International Crime
LC524 / CRJ 526 - Drug Cartels and the Narcotics Threat
LC529 / SCM 529 - International Terrorism

Graduate Electives (6 semester hours)
From other courses not taken to meet required, core, or major requirements.  Student will be encouraged to take foreign language courses as part of their elective options to enhance their proficiency and capability in the field of study
PS700 - Separate Comprehensive Examination  Taken once all other degree requirements have been met.

Total Hours: 36 semester hours