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Office: Encina Hall West, Room 216
Mail Code: 94305-6045
Phone: (650) 725-0715
Email: internationalrelations@stanford.edu
Web Site: http://internationalrelations.stanford.edu

Courses offered by the Program in International Relations (IR) are listed under the subject code INTNLREL on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses web site.

The Program in International Relations offers an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts program, an honors program, and a minor in International Relations.

Mission of the Undergraduate Program in International Relations

The undergraduate program in International Relations is an interdisciplinary undergraduate major allowing students to explore how global, regional and domestic factors influence relations between actors on the world stage. The program equips students with the skills and knowledge necessary to analyze choices and challenges that arise in this arena. IR majors pursue study in world politics, including courses in political science, economics, history, and language, focusing on issues such as international security, political economy, economic development, and democratization. Students must spend at least one quarter overseas. The major prepares students for careers in government and the corporate sector, and for admission into graduate programs in law, business, economics, and political science.

Learning Outcomes (Undergraduate)

The program expects its undergraduate majors to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the Program in International Relations. Students are expected to demonstrate:

  1. understanding of core knowledge necessary to understand contemporary world politics.
  2. ability to analyze international issues and draw correct inferences using qualitative and/or quantitative analysis.
  3. ability to write clearly and persuasively, communicating ideas clearly.
  4. ability to evaluate theory and critique research within the discipline.

Honors Program 

The International Relations honors program offers qualified students the opportunity to conduct a major independent research project under faculty guidance. Such a project requires a high degree of initiative and dedication, significant amounts of time and energy, and demonstrated skills in research and writing.

In their junior year, students should consult with prospective honors advisers, choose the courses that provide academic background in their areas of inquiry, and demonstrate an ability to conduct independent research. Students can also select to complete an Interdisciplinary honors thesis with other programs on campus.

Prerequisites for participation include a 3.5 grade point average (GPA), a strong overall academic record, good academic standing, successful experience in writing a research paper, and submission of an acceptable thesis proposal.  Students should submit their honors thesis proposal late in Winter Quarter of the junior year; please check with IR office for the exact deadline. Students are required to enroll in INTNLREL 200A International Relations Honors Field Research, in Spring Quarter of their junior year and should consider participating in Bing Honors College. In their senior year, honors students must enroll in INTNLREL 200B International Relations Honors Seminar in Autumn Quarter, INTNLREL 200C IR Honors Thesis Writing in Winter Quarter, and in research units through INTNLREL 198 Senior Thesis each quarter of their senior year (Autumn, Winter, and Spring) with their faculty adviser. Honors students present a formal defense of their theses in mid-May. Students must receive at least a grade of ‘B+’ in order to graduate with honors in International Relations.

Coterminal Programs in Related Fields

It is possible for students majoring in International Relations to work simultaneously for a coterminal master’s degree in a number of related fields. Coterminal students should consult advisers in both departments or programs to ensure that they fulfill the degree requirements in both fields. For information on the M.A. program in International Policy Studies, see the “International Policy Studies” section of this bulletin. University requirements for the coterminal M.A. are described in the "Coterminal Degrees" section of this bulletin. See also the Registrar's Coterminal Degree Programs pages.

Bachelor of Arts in International Relations

Students are encouraged to declare by the end of their sophomore year to ensure timely completion of the program. Students must submit an acceptable major proposal to the Director of the Program in International Relations (IR) and declare IR in Axess. Students completing a double major, or who have a minor, are also required to file a Major-Minor and Multiple Major Course Approval Form by the Final Study List deadline for the term in which the student intends to graduate.

Students majoring in International Relations must complete a minimum of 70 units (30 units of core courses as well as 40 units of specialization courses). As part of the core curriculum, IR majors must take an Introductory economics course. The Economics department is  offering ECON 1 Principles of Economics, replacing the former ECON 1A and 1B.

Students who complete only ECON 1 Principles of Economics , or the old ECON 1A, are to complete 30 units of core courses and 40 units of specialization courses in order to meet the 70 units required for the major.

Students who took courses in previous years that are not featured in the below table should consult the Stanford Bulletin for the years in which the courses were taken.   

Core Courses (30 units):

Units
Required Courses:
International Politics:5
Introduction to International Relations
Comparative Governance (Select one of the following): 5
History of the International System
Introduction to Comparative Politics
Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law
American Foreign Policy (Select one of the following):5
INTNLREL 154
America as a World Power: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1914 to Present
Presidents and Foreign Policy in Modern History
Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country
America and the World Economy
War and Peace in American Foreign Policy
Governing the Global Economy
Challenges and Dilemmas in American Foreign Policy
Introductory Economics (Select one of the following): 5
Principles of Economics
Economic Analysis I
Economic Analysis II
Economic Analysis III
Skills Classes (Select one of the following):5
Introduction to Statistical Methods (Postcalculus) for Social Scientists
Introduction to Statistical Methods: Precalculus
Applied Economics Courses (Select one of the following):5
World Food Economy
Money and Banking
Development Economics
The Russian Economy
Economic Development and Challenges of East Asia
Economic Development, Microfinance, and Social Networks
Economics of Health and Medical Care
Economics of Health Improvement in Developing Countries
Economic Development: A Historical Perspective
Public Finance and Fiscal Policy
The Modern Firm in Theory and Practice
Economic Policy Analysis
The Law and Economics of the World Trading System
International Finance
International Trade
Political Economy of International Trade and Investment
INTNLREL 122A
The Future of the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities
INTNLREL 149
Topics in International Macroeconomics
Issues in International Economics
Economics of Corruption
Contemporary Spanish Economy and the European Union
Globalization and Its Effect on France and the European Union
America and the World Economy
Governing the Global Economy
POLISCI 210G
Political Economy of Financial Crisis
International Organizations and Institutions
Politics and Public Finance
PUBLPOL 184
Economic Growth and Development Patterns, Policies, and Prospects
Economic Sociology
Total Units30

Specialization Courses (40 units):  

The ten specializations are:

  1. Africa
  2. Comparative International Governance 
  3. East and South Asia
  4. Economic Development/World Economy
  5. Europe (East and West) & Russia
  6. International History and Culture
  7. International Security
  8. Latin America and Iberian Studies
  9. Middle East and Central Asia
  10. Social Development/Human Well-Being

Students on the old IR plan (declared prior to Autumn Quarter 2013-14) who completed two introductory economics courses must complete a total of at least 35 units (usually seven 5 unit courses) in their primary and secondary specializations. 20 units must be from the student’s primary specialization; 15 units from the secondary specialization. Functional specializations are not declared on Axess nor are they printed on the diploma or transcript.

Students who have only taken one introductory economics course must take 40 units of specialization courses in order to meet the 70 units required for the major. 20-25 units must be from the student’s primary specialization; 15-20 units from the secondary specialization. Functional specializations are not declared on Axess nor are they printed on the diploma or transcript.

The following courses are approved for each functional specialization. 

Africa

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
AFRICAAM 81Media Representations of Africa3-5
AFRICAAM 133Literature and Society in Africa and the Caribbean4
AFRICAST 81Media Representations of Africa3-5
AFRICAST 111Education for All? The Global and Local in Public Policy Making in Africa5
AFRICAST 112AIDS, Literacy, and Land: Foreign Aid and Development in Africa5
AFRICAST 127African Art and Politics, c. 1900 - Present4
AFRICAST 135Designing Research-Based Interventions to Solve Global Health Problems3-4
AFRICAST 141AScience, Technology, and Medicine in Africa4
AFRICAST 181Media Representations of Africa3-5
AFRICAST 209Running While Others Walk: African Perspectives on Development5
AFRICAST 211Education for All? The Global and Local in Public Policy Making in Africa5
ANTHRO 147AFolklore, Mythology, and Islam in Central Asia3-5
ARTHIST 127AAfrican Art and Politics, c. 1900 - Present4
HISTORY 48QSouth Africa: Contested Transitions4
HISTORY 106AGlobal Human Geography: Asia and Africa5
HISTORY 145BAfrica in the 20th Century5
HISTORY 146History of Humanitarian Aid in sub-Saharan Africa4-5
HISTORY 147History of South Africa5
INTNLREL 62QMass Atrocities and Reconciliation3
OSPCPTWN 16Sites of Memory3
OSPCPTWN 30Engaging Cape Town2
OSPCPTWN 31Political Economy of Foreign Aid3
OSPCPTWN 38Genocide: African Experiences in Comparative Perspective3-5
OSPCPTWN 43Public and Community Health in Sub-Saharan Africa3
OSPCPTWN 69Comparatively Assessing South Africa's Transition to Democracy: Past, Present and Future3
OSPCPTWN 70Youth Citizenship and Community Engagement3
OSPCPTWN 75Giving Voice to the Now: Studies in the South African Present3
POLISCI 146AAfrican Politics4-5
POLISCI 242AWhy is Africa Poor?5
POLISCI 246PThe Dynamics of Change in Africa4-5
THINK 42Thinking Through Africa: Perspectives on Health, Wealth, and Well-Being4

Comparative International Governance

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
ANTHRO 132BIslam Law in Muslim and Non-Muslim Societies3-5
EARTHSYS 61QFood and security3
EARTHSYS 112Human Society and Environmental Change4
HISTORY 48QSouth Africa: Contested Transitions4
HISTORY 181BFormation of the Contemporary Middle East5
HISTORY 202GPeoples, Armies and Governments of the Second World War4-5
HISTORY 207BEnvironment, Technology and Revolution in World History4-5
HISTORY 224CGenocide and Humanitarian Intervention3
HISTORY 275BHistory of Modern Mexico4-5
INTNLREL 60QUnited Nations Peacekeeping3
INTNLREL 114DDemocracy, Development, and the Rule of Law5
INTNLREL 122Introduction to European Studies5
INTNLREL 135AInternational Environmental Law and Policy4-5
INTNLREL 140AInternational Law and International Relations5
INTNLREL 140CThe U.S., U.N. Peacekeeping, and Humanitarian War5
INTNLREL 145Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention4
IPS 207Economics of Corruption3-5
IPS 210The Politics of International Humanitarian Action3-5
IPS 211The Transition from War to Peace: Peacebuilding Strategies3-5
IPS 216Making Things Happen in the Real World: Leadership and Implementation3
IPS 230Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law5
IPS 237Religion and Politics: A Threat to Democracy?4-5
IPS 242American Foreign Policy: Interests, Values, and Process5
JEWISHST 271CCampaigns and Elections in Israel5
OSPCPTWN 69Comparatively Assessing South Africa's Transition to Democracy: Past, Present and Future3
OSPFLOR 78The Impossible Experiment: Politics and Policies of the New European Union5
OSPMADRD 42A European Model of Democracy: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 48Migration and Multiculturality in Spain4
OSPOXFRD 18Making Public Policy: An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Politics, and Economics4-5
OSPOXFRD 45British Economic Policy since World War II5
OSPPARIS 32French History and Politics: Understanding the Present through the Past5
OSPPARIS 45Comparative Politics in the Contemporary Arab World4
OSPPARIS 91Globalization and Its Effect on France and the European Union5
OSPPARIS 98Global Health Systems: the Future5
OSPPARIS 122XChallenges of Integration in the European Union4-5
OSPSANTG 68The Emergence of Nations in Latin America4-5
OSPSANTG 116XModernization and its Discontents: Chilean Politics at the Turn of the Century5
OSPSANTG 129XLatin America in the International System4-5
POLISCI 110GGoverning the Global Economy5
POLISCI 141SPolitics of India5
POLISCI 143SComparative Corruption4-5
POLISCI 146AAfrican Politics4-5
POLISCI 147Comparative Democratic Development5
POLISCI 148Chinese Politics3-5
POLISCI 149TMiddle Eastern Politics5
POLISCI 212XCivil War and International Politics: Syria in Context5
POLISCI 214RChallenges and Dilemmas in American Foreign Policy5
POLISCI 216State Building5
POLISCI 237SCivil Society and Democracy in Comparative Perspective5
POLISCI 240TDemocracy, Promotion, and American Foreign Policy5
POLISCI 244An Introduction to Political Development5
POLISCI 244UPolitical Culture3-5
POLISCI 245APolitics and Public Finance5
POLISCI 245RPolitics in Modern Iran5
POLISCI 247GGovernance and Poverty5
POLISCI 248SLatin American Politics3-5
REES 206Media, Democratization and Political Transformations in Post-Soviet Societies3-5
SIW 146Diplomacy in Practice: Security Issues in the South Caucasus5

East and South Asia

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
ANTHRO 149South Asia: History, People, Politics5
ANTHRO 249South Asia: History, People, Politics5
CHINA 157Science, Power, and Knowledge: East Asia to 19003-5
CHINA 256Sino-Korean Relations, Past and Present3-5
EARTHSYS 138International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development4-5
EASTASN 117Health and Healthcare Systems in East Asia3-5
EASTASN 162Seminar on the Evolution of the Modern Chinese State, 1550-Present3-5
EASTASN 189KHigher Education and Development in Korea3
EASTASN 289KHigher Education and Development in Korea3
EASTASN 297The International Relations of Asia since World War II3-5
ECON 124Economic Development and Challenges of East Asia3-5
FILMSTUD 250BBollywood and Beyond: An Introduction to Indian Film3-5
HISTORY 90SThe Forgotten War: The Korean War in Historical Perspective5
HISTORY 95Modern Korean History3
HISTORY 95CModern Japanese History: From Samurai to Pokemon3
HISTORY 98The History of Modern China3
HISTORY 106AGlobal Human Geography: Asia and Africa5
HISTORY 193Late Imperial China5
HISTORY 195Modern Korean History4-5
HISTORY 195CModern Japanese History: From Samurai to Pokemon5
HISTORY 198History of Modern China5
HISTORY 256350 Years of America-China Relations4-5
HISTORY 290North Korea in Historical Perspective4-5
HISTORY 290EMovies and Empire in East Asia4-5
HISTORY 292DJapan in Asia, Asia in Japan4-5
HISTORY 294CFirst Encounters: China and the West, 1500-18604-5
HISTORY 296FShort Stories from India and Pakistan3-5
HISTORY 297The Cold War and East Asia5
HISTORY 297FReligion and Power in the Making of Modern South Asia3-5
HISTORY 356350 Years of America-China Relations4-5
HISTORY 392DJapan in Asia, Asia in Japan4-5
HISTORY 392GModern Korea4-5
HISTORY 395Modern Korean History4-5
HISTORY 397The Cold War and East Asia5
IPS 244U.S. Policy toward Northeast Asia5
IPS 246China on the World Stage4
IPS 264Behind the Headlines: An Introduction to US Foreign Policy in South and East Asia3-5
IPS 274International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development4-5
OSPKYOTO 13Contemporary Religion in Japan's Ancient Capital: Sustaining and Recasting Tradition4
POLISCI 115AThe Rise of Asia3-5
POLISCI 140LChina in World Politics5
POLISCI 141SPolitics of India5
POLISCI 148Chinese Politics3-5
POLISCI 211PInternational Security in South Asia: Pakistan, India and the United States.5
POLISCI 218JJapanese Politics and International Relations5
POLISCI 243EPolitical Economy of Development in Rural India5
POLISCI 318JJapanese Politics and International Relations5
RELIGST 56Exploring Chinese Religions4
RELIGST 118Gandhi, Nonviolence, Religion4
SOC 117AChina Under Mao5
SOC 213ATransformation of Socialist Societies3-5
SOC 217AChina Under Mao5

Economic Development/World Economy

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
ANTHRO 143BAnthropology and International Development3-5
BIOMEDIN 156Economics of Health and Medical Care5
CEE 107AUnderstanding Energy3-5
EARTHSYS 41NThe Global Warming Paradox3
EARTHSYS 106World Food Economy5
EARTHSYS 112Human Society and Environmental Change4
ECON 106World Food Economy5
ECON 111Money and Banking5
ECON 113Economics of Innovation5
ECON 118Development Economics5
ECON 119The Russian Economy4-5
ECON 124Economic Development and Challenges of East Asia3-5
ECON 125Economic Development, Microfinance, and Social Networks5
ECON 126Economics of Health and Medical Care5
ECON 127Economics of Health Improvement in Developing Countries5
ECON 128Economic Development: A Historical Perspective5
ECON 141Public Finance and Fiscal Policy5
ECON 149The Modern Firm in Theory and Practice5
ECON 150Economic Policy Analysis4-5
ECON 155Environmental Economics and Policy5
ECON 159Economic, Legal, and Political Analysis of Climate-Change Policy5
ECON 162Games Developing Nations Play5
ECON 164The Law and Economics of the World Trading System5
ECON 165International Finance5
ECON 166International Trade5
HISTORY 283Middle East Oil and Global Economy4-5
HUMBIO 124EEconomics of Infectious Disease and Global Health3
INTNLREL 110CAmerica and the World Economy5
INTNLREL 114DDemocracy, Development, and the Rule of Law5
INTNLREL 118SPolitical Economy of International Trade and Investment5
INTNLREL 123The Future of the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities5
INTNLREL 135AInternational Environmental Law and Policy4-5
IPS 202Topics in International Macroeconomics5
IPS 203Issues in International Economics5
IPS 207Economics of Corruption3-5
IPS 230Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law5
IPS 275UN Habitat III: Bridging Cities and Nations to Tackle Urban Development3-5
MED 262Economics of Health Improvement in Developing Countries5
MS&E 185Global Work4
MS&E 271Global Entrepreneurial Marketing3-4
OSPBER 115XThe German Economy: Past and Present4-5
OSPBER 126XA People's Union? Money, Markets, and Identity in the EU4-5
OSPBER 161XThe German Economy in the Age of Globalization4-5
OSPFLOR 26The Politics of the European Crisis: from the Maastricht Treaty to the Greek Crunch5
OSPFLOR 78The Impossible Experiment: Politics and Policies of the New European Union5
OSPMADRD 54Contemporary Spanish Economy and the European Union4
OSPOXFRD 45British Economic Policy since World War II5
OSPPARIS 86Measuring Well-Being and Sustainability in Today's World5
OSPPARIS 91Globalization and Its Effect on France and the European Union5
OSPPARIS 122XChallenges of Integration in the European Union4-5
OSPSANTG 119XThe Chilean Economy: History, International Relations, and Development Strategies5
POLISCI 110CAmerica and the World Economy5
POLISCI 110GGoverning the Global Economy5
POLISCI 110XAmerica and the World Economy5
POLISCI 115AThe Rise of Asia3-5
POLISCI 140LChina in World Politics5
POLISCI 143SComparative Corruption4-5
POLISCI 213RPolitical Economy of Financial Crisis5
POLISCI 216GInternational Organizations and Institutions5
POLISCI 218SPolitical Economy of International Trade and Investment5
POLISCI 241AAn Introduction to Political Economy of Development5
POLISCI 242AWhy is Africa Poor?5
POLISCI 243LPolitics of Economic Reform5
POLISCI 247GGovernance and Poverty5
POLISCI 248LPolitical-Economy of Crime and Violence in Latin America5
PUBLPOL 104Economic Policy Analysis4-5
PUBLPOL 107Public Finance and Fiscal Policy5
PUBLPOL 204Economic Policy Analysis4-5
REES 219The Russian Economy4-5
SIW 103Economic Growth and Development Patterns, Policies, and Prospects5
SOC 114Economic Sociology4
SOC 137Global Inequality4
SOC 177DEconomic Elites in the 21st Century3-5
SOC 213ATransformation of Socialist Societies3-5

Europe (East and West) & Russia

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
ECON 119The Russian Economy4-5
ENGLISH 145DJewish American Literature5
FEMGEN 115Queer Reading and Queer Writing in Early Modern England5
FRENCH 132Literature, Revolutions, and Changes in 19th- and 20th-Century France4
FRENCH 133Literature and Society in Africa and the Caribbean4
FRENCH 140Paris: Capital of the Modern World4-5
HISTORY 20NRussia in the Early Modern European Imagination4
HISTORY 106BGlobal Human Geography: Europe and Americas5
HISTORY 110BRenaissance to Revolution: Early Modern Europe5
HISTORY 120AThe Russian Empire, 1450-18005
HISTORY 125Dark Century: Eastern Europe After 19003-5
HISTORY 137The Holocaust4-5
HISTORY 138AGermany and the World Wars, 1870-19905
HISTORY 139Modern Britain and the British Empire5
HISTORY 185BJews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility4-5
HISTORY 219CScience, Technology, and Modernity in the Soviet Union5
HISTORY 221BThe 'Woman Question' in Modern Russia5
HISTORY 224AThe Soviet Civilization4-5
HISTORY 228Circles of Hell: Poland in World War II5
HISTORY 230CParis: Capital of the Modern World4-5
ILAC 130Introduction to Iberia: Cultural Perspectives3-5
ILAC 136Modern Iberian Literatures3-5
ILAC 193The Cinema of Pedro Almodovar3-5
INTNLREL 122Introduction to European Studies5
INTNLREL 123The Future of the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities5
IPS 231Russia, the West and the Rest4
ITALIAN 129Modern Italian Culture4
ITALIAN 155The Mafia in Society, Film, and Fiction4
JEWISHST 155DJewish American Literature5
JEWISHST 183The Holocaust4-5
JEWISHST 185BJews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility4-5
JEWISHST 282Circles of Hell: Poland in World War II5
OSPBER 37Leading from Behind? Germany in the International Arena since 19454-5
OSPBER 70The Long Way to the West: German History from the 18th Century to the Present4-5
OSPBER 71EU in Crisis4-5
OSPBER 115XThe German Economy: Past and Present4-5
OSPBER 126XA People's Union? Money, Markets, and Identity in the EU4-5
OSPBER 161XThe German Economy in the Age of Globalization4-5
OSPBER 174Sports, Culture, and Gender in Comparative Perspective5
OSPFLOR 8Migration and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Italy5
OSPFLOR 26The Politics of the European Crisis: from the Maastricht Treaty to the Greek Crunch5
OSPFLOR 48Sharing Beauty in Florence: Collectors, Collections and the Shaping of the Western Museum Tradition4
OSPFLOR 49On-Screen Battles: Filmic Portrayals of Fascism and World War II5
OSPFLOR 78The Impossible Experiment: Politics and Policies of the New European Union5
OSPFLOR 111YFrom Giotto to Michelangelo: The Birth and Flowering of Renaissance Art in Florence4
OSPMADRD 42A European Model of Democracy: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 54Contemporary Spanish Economy and the European Union4
OSPMADRD 57Health Care: A Contrastive Analysis between Spain and the U.S.4
OSPMADRD 61Society and Cultural Change: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 72Issues in Bioethics Across Cultures4
OSPMADRD 74Islam in Spain and Europe: 1300 Years of Contact4
OSPMADRD 75Sefarad: The Jewish Community in Spain4
OSPOXFRD 18Making Public Policy: An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Politics, and Economics4-5
OSPOXFRD 117WGender and Social Change in Modern Britain4-5
OSPPARIS 32French History and Politics: Understanding the Present through the Past5
OSPPARIS 68France: Birthplace of Human Rights5
OSPPARIS 81France During the Second World War: Between History and Memory5
OSPPARIS 91Globalization and Its Effect on France and the European Union5
OSPPARIS 122XChallenges of Integration in the European Union4-5
POLISCI 142BBritish Politics5
POLISCI 245APolitics and Public Finance5
POLISCI 246APaths to the Modern World: Islam and the West5
REES 206Media, Democratization and Political Transformations in Post-Soviet Societies3-5
REES 209Democratic Transition in Ukraine: Values, Political Culture, Conflicts3-5
REES 219The Russian Economy4-5
SIW 146Diplomacy in Practice: Security Issues in the South Caucasus5
SLAVIC 120Hacking Russia: Technological Dreams and Nightmares of Russian Culture3-5
SLAVIC 148Slavic Literature and Culture since the Death of Stalin1-5
SOC 213ATransformation of Socialist Societies3-5

International History and Culture

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit.  

Units
ANTHRO 49Violence and Belonging in the Middle East5
ANTHRO 147BWorld Heritage in Global Conflict5
ANTHRO 152Ritual, Politics, Power5
ARTHIST 1AIntroduction to the Visual Arts: Prehistoric through Medieval5
ARTHIST 1BIntroduction to the Visual Arts: History of Western Art from the Renaissance to the Present5
ARTHIST 106Byzantine Art and Architecture, 300-1453 C.E.4
ARTHIST 190AIndigenous Cultural Heritage: Protection, Practice, Repatriation3
ARTHIST 205Cairo and Istanbul: Urban Space, Memory, Protest5
ARTHIST 208CArchitecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium1-3
CHINA 157Science, Power, and Knowledge: East Asia to 19003-5
CLASSICS 391Early Empires: Han and Rome4-5
COMPLIT 145Reflection on the Other: The Jew and the Arab in Literature3-5
ENGLISH 145DJewish American Literature5
FEMGEN 101Introduction to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies4-5
FRENCH 112Oscar Wilde and the French Decadents3-5
FRENCH 130Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance French Literature4
FRENCH 131Absolutism, Enlightenment, and Revolution in 17th- and 18th-Century France4
FRENCH 132Literature, Revolutions, and Changes in 19th- and 20th-Century France4
FRENCH 133Literature and Society in Africa and the Caribbean4
FRENCH 205Songs of Love and War: Gender, Crusade, Politics3-5
GERMAN 131What is German Literature?3-5
GERMAN 132Dynasties, Dictators and Democrats: History and Politics in Germany3-5
GERMAN 133Marx, Nietzsche, Freud3-5
GERMAN 222Myth and Modernity1-5
HISTORY 20NRussia in the Early Modern European Imagination4
HISTORY 102History of the International System5
HISTORY 103FThe Changing Face of War: Introduction to Military History3-5
HISTORY 110BRenaissance to Revolution: Early Modern Europe5
HISTORY 113Before Globalization: Understanding Premodern World History3-5
HISTORY 120AThe Russian Empire, 1450-18005
HISTORY 139Modern Britain and the British Empire5
HISTORY 145BAfrica in the 20th Century5
HISTORY 147History of South Africa5
HISTORY 177DU.S. Intervention and Regime Change in 20th Century Latin America5
HISTORY 181BFormation of the Contemporary Middle East5
HISTORY 182CMaking of the Islamic World, 600-15005
HISTORY 185BJews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility4-5
HISTORY 193Late Imperial China5
HISTORY 194BJapan in the Age of the Samurai5
HISTORY 198History of Modern China5
HISTORY 202GPeoples, Armies and Governments of the Second World War4-5
HISTORY 230CParis: Capital of the Modern World4-5
HISTORY 243GTobacco and Health in World History4-5
HISTORY 281BModern Egypt4-5
HISTORY 284FEmpires, Markets and Networks: Early Modern Islamic World and Beyond, 1500-18004-5
HISTORY 292DJapan in Asia, Asia in Japan4-5
HISTORY 294CFirst Encounters: China and the West, 1500-18604-5
HISTORY 296FShort Stories from India and Pakistan3-5
ILAC 130Introduction to Iberia: Cultural Perspectives3-5
ILAC 131Introduction to Latin America: Cultural Perspectives3-5
ILAC 136Modern Iberian Literatures3-5
ILAC 157Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literatures3-5
ILAC 161Modern Latin American Literature3-5
ILAC 193The Cinema of Pedro Almodovar3-5
ILAC 278ASenior Seminar: Iberian Islam 1492-16093-5
INTNLREL 168America as a World Power: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1914 to Present5
INTNLREL 168AAmerican Interventions, 1898-Present5
INTNLREL 173Presidents and Foreign Policy in Modern History5
INTNLREL 174Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country5
INTNLREL 179Major Themes in U.S.-Latin America Diplomatic History5
INTNLREL 182The Great War5
IPS 237Religion and Politics: A Threat to Democracy?4-5
ITALIAN 101Italy: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly3
ITALIAN 127Inventing Italian Literature: Dante, Boccaccio, Petrarca4
ITALIAN 128The Italian Renaissance and the Path to Modernity4
ITALIAN 129Modern Italian Culture4
ITALIAN 152Boccaccio's Decameron: The Ethics of Storytelling3-5
ITALIAN 235EDante's "Inferno"3-5
ITALIAN 236EDante's "Purgatorio" and "Paradiso"4-5
LINGUIST 167Languages of the World3-4
MUSIC 7BMusical Cultures of the World3
OSPBER 70The Long Way to the West: German History from the 18th Century to the Present4-5
OSPFLOR 8Migration and Cultural Diversity in Contemporary Italy5
OSPFLOR 48Sharing Beauty in Florence: Collectors, Collections and the Shaping of the Western Museum Tradition4
OSPFLOR 49On-Screen Battles: Filmic Portrayals of Fascism and World War II5
OSPFLOR 111YFrom Giotto to Michelangelo: The Birth and Flowering of Renaissance Art in Florence4
OSPKYOTO 13Contemporary Religion in Japan's Ancient Capital: Sustaining and Recasting Tradition4
OSPMADRD 83Narrating the Nation: National and Post-National Spanish and Latin American Literature4
OSPPARIS 30The Avant Garde in France through Literature, Art, and Theater4
OSPPARIS 81France During the Second World War: Between History and Memory5
OSPPARIS 92Building Paris: Its History, Architecture, and Urban Design4
OSPSANTG 118XArtistic Expression in Latin America5
OSPSANTG 129XLatin America in the International System4-5
POLISCI 131LModern Political Thought: Machiavelli to Marx and Mill5
POLISCI 149SIslam, Iran, and the West5
REES 301BHistory and Politics in Russian and Eastern European Cinema5
RELIGST 1Religion Around the Globe4
RELIGST 56Exploring Chinese Religions4
RELIGST 61Exploring Islam4
RELIGST 65Exploring Global Christianity4
RELIGST 118Gandhi, Nonviolence, Religion4
RELIGST 119Religion, Violence, and Nonviolence4
RELIGST 124Sufi Islam4
RELIGST 201Islamic Law3-5
SLAVIC 77QRussia's Weird Classic: Nikolai Gogol3-4
SLAVIC 129Russian Versification: History and Theory1-5
SLAVIC 145Survey of Russian Literature: The Age of Experiment1-5
SLAVIC 146The Great Russian Novel: Tolstoy and Dostoevsky1-5
SLAVIC 156Vladimir Nabokov: Displacement and the Liberated Eye1-5
SLAVIC 18820th century Russian Poetry: From Aleksandr Blok to Joseph Brodsky1-5
SLAVIC 198Writing Between Languages: The Case of Eastern European Jewish Literature1-5
SLAVIC 23018th Century Russian Literature2-4
THINK 12Century of Violence4

International Security

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit.  

Units
EARTHSYS 61QFood and security3
EASTASN 297The International Relations of Asia since World War II3-5
HISTORY 4NA World History of Genocide3-5
HISTORY 90SThe Forgotten War: The Korean War in Historical Perspective5
HISTORY 102History of the International System5
HISTORY 103EThe International History of Nuclear Weapons5
HISTORY 103FThe Changing Face of War: Introduction to Military History3-5
HISTORY 138AGermany and the World Wars, 1870-19905
HISTORY 150CThe United States in the Twentieth Century5
HISTORY 177DU.S. Intervention and Regime Change in 20th Century Latin America5
HISTORY 202GPeoples, Armies and Governments of the Second World War4-5
HISTORY 252BDiplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country5
HISTORY 256350 Years of America-China Relations4-5
HISTORY 297The Cold War and East Asia5
INTNLREL 60QUnited Nations Peacekeeping3
INTNLREL 102History of the International System5
INTNLREL 110DWar and Peace in American Foreign Policy5
INTNLREL 140AInternational Law and International Relations5
INTNLREL 140CThe U.S., U.N. Peacekeeping, and Humanitarian War5
INTNLREL 145Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention4
INTNLREL 152Organized Crime and Democracy in Latin America5
INTNLREL 168America as a World Power: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1914 to Present5
INTNLREL 168AAmerican Interventions, 1898-Present5
INTNLREL 173Presidents and Foreign Policy in Modern History5
INTNLREL 174Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country5
INTNLREL 182The Great War5
IPS 211The Transition from War to Peace: Peacebuilding Strategies3-5
IPS 219Intelligence and National Security3
IPS 231Russia, the West and the Rest4
IPS 232Hacking for Diplomacy: Tackling Foreign Policy Challenges with the Lean Launchpad3-4
IPS 242American Foreign Policy: Interests, Values, and Process5
IPS 244U.S. Policy toward Northeast Asia5
IPS 246China on the World Stage4
IPS 248America's War in Afghanistan: Multiple Actors and Divergent Strategies3-5
MS&E 93QNuclear Weapons, Energy, Proliferation, and Terrorism3
MS&E 193Technology and National Security3
MS&E 297"Hacking for Defense": Solving National Security issues with the Lean Launchpad3-4
OSPFLOR 49On-Screen Battles: Filmic Portrayals of Fascism and World War II5
POLISCI 110DWar and Peace in American Foreign Policy5
POLISCI 110YWar and Peace in American Foreign Policy5
POLISCI 114SInternational Security in a Changing World5
POLISCI 118PU.S. Relations in Iran5
POLISCI 140LChina in World Politics5
POLISCI 149SIslam, Iran, and the West5
POLISCI 211PInternational Security in South Asia: Pakistan, India and the United States.5
POLISCI 212XCivil War and International Politics: Syria in Context5
POLISCI 213SA Post American Century? American Foreign Policy in a Uni-Multi-unipolar World5
POLISCI 214RChallenges and Dilemmas in American Foreign Policy5
POLISCI 215Explaining Ethnic Violence5
POLISCI 215FNuclear Weapons and International Politics5
POLISCI 216State Building5
POLISCI 240TDemocracy, Promotion, and American Foreign Policy5
PUBLPOL 122Biosecurity and Bioterrorism Response4-5
PUBLPOL 123Thinking About War4-5
REES 209Democratic Transition in Ukraine: Values, Political Culture, Conflicts3-5
SIW 110U.S. Foreign Policy3
SIW 146Diplomacy in Practice: Security Issues in the South Caucasus5
THINK 12Century of Violence4
THINK 19Rules of War4

Latin American and Iberian Studies

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit.  

Units
CHILATST 180EIntroduction to Chicanx/Latinx Studies5
CSRE 142AWhat is Hemispheric Studies?5
CSRE 180EIntroduction to Chicanx/Latinx Studies5
EARTHSYS 138International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development4-5
HISTORY 106BGlobal Human Geography: Europe and Americas5
HISTORY 174Mexico Since 1876: HIstory of a "Failed State"?5
HISTORY 177DU.S. Intervention and Regime Change in 20th Century Latin America5
HISTORY 275BHistory of Modern Mexico4-5
HISTORY 279Latin American Development: Economy and Society, 1800-20144-5
HISTORY 471AEnvironmental History of Latin America5
ILAC 130Introduction to Iberia: Cultural Perspectives3-5
ILAC 131Introduction to Latin America: Cultural Perspectives3-5
ILAC 136Modern Iberian Literatures3-5
ILAC 161Modern Latin American Literature3-5
ILAC 193The Cinema of Pedro Almodovar3-5
INTNLREL 152Organized Crime and Democracy in Latin America5
INTNLREL 179Major Themes in U.S.-Latin America Diplomatic History5
IPS 274International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development4-5
OSPBARCL 114The Spanish Civil War and Historical Memory5
OSPBARCL 150AUniversitat Autònoma de Barcelona: Humanities 15
OSPMADRD 14Introduction to Spanish Culture2
OSPMADRD 42A European Model of Democracy: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 54Contemporary Spanish Economy and the European Union4
OSPMADRD 57Health Care: A Contrastive Analysis between Spain and the U.S.4
OSPMADRD 60Integration into Spanish Society: Service Learning and Professional Opportunities4
OSPMADRD 61Society and Cultural Change: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 72Issues in Bioethics Across Cultures4
OSPMADRD 74Islam in Spain and Europe: 1300 Years of Contact4
OSPMADRD 75Sefarad: The Jewish Community in Spain4
OSPMADRD 83Narrating the Nation: National and Post-National Spanish and Latin American Literature4
OSPSANTG 14Women Writers of Latin America in the 20th Century4-5
OSPSANTG 68The Emergence of Nations in Latin America4-5
OSPSANTG 71Santiago: Urban Planning, Public Policy, and the Built Environment4-5
OSPSANTG 116XModernization and its Discontents: Chilean Politics at the Turn of the Century5
OSPSANTG 118XArtistic Expression in Latin America5
OSPSANTG 119XThe Chilean Economy: History, International Relations, and Development Strategies5
OSPSANTG 129XLatin America in the International System4-5
POLISCI 244PReligion and Politics in Latin America5
POLISCI 248LPolitical-Economy of Crime and Violence in Latin America5
POLISCI 248SLatin American Politics3-5
POLISCI 348SLatin American Politics3-5

Middle East and Central Asia

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
ANTHRO 49Violence and Belonging in the Middle East5
ANTHRO 132BIslam Law in Muslim and Non-Muslim Societies3-5
ANTHRO 149ACities and Citizens in the Middle East4
ANTHRO 150AMinaret and Mahallah: Women and Islam in Central Asia3-5
ANTHRO 181AGender in the Middle East: Iran, Turkey, and Egypt4
ARTHIST 106Byzantine Art and Architecture, 300-1453 C.E.4
ARTHIST 205Cairo and Istanbul: Urban Space, Memory, Protest5
ARTHIST 208CArchitecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium1-3
CLASSICS 171Byzantine Art and Architecture, 300-1453 C.E.4
CLASSICS 175Architecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium1-3
HISTORY 181BFormation of the Contemporary Middle East5
HISTORY 182CMaking of the Islamic World, 600-15005
HISTORY 185BJews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility4-5
HISTORY 224AThe Soviet Civilization4-5
HISTORY 281BModern Egypt4-5
HISTORY 283Middle East Oil and Global Economy4-5
HISTORY 284FEmpires, Markets and Networks: Early Modern Islamic World and Beyond, 1500-18004-5
IPS 237Religion and Politics: A Threat to Democracy?4-5
IPS 248America's War in Afghanistan: Multiple Actors and Divergent Strategies3-5
JEWISHST 185BJews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility4-5
JEWISHST 271CCampaigns and Elections in Israel5
MUSIC 208CArchitecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium1-3
OSPPARIS 45Comparative Politics in the Contemporary Arab World4
POLISCI 118PU.S. Relations in Iran5
POLISCI 149SIslam, Iran, and the West5
POLISCI 149TMiddle Eastern Politics5
POLISCI 212XCivil War and International Politics: Syria in Context5
POLISCI 245RPolitics in Modern Iran5
POLISCI 246APaths to the Modern World: Islam and the West5
REES 208CArchitecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium1-3
REES 250AMinaret and Mahallah: Women and Islam in Central Asia3-5
REES 320State and Nation Building in Central Asia3-5
RELIGST 61Exploring Islam4
RELIGST 201Islamic Law3-5
RELIGST 208CArchitecture, Acoustics and Ritual in Byzantium1-3

Social Development and Human Well-Being

Crosslisted courses may appear in the list below multiple times. Crosslisted courses may only be taken once for credit. 

Units
AFRICAST 111Education for All? The Global and Local in Public Policy Making in Africa5
AFRICAST 112AIDS, Literacy, and Land: Foreign Aid and Development in Africa5
AFRICAST 141AScience, Technology, and Medicine in Africa4
ANTHRO 126Urban Culture in Global Perspective5
ANTHRO 137ATraditional Medicine in the Modern World3
ANTHRO 143BAnthropology and International Development3-5
ANTHRO 149ACities and Citizens in the Middle East4
ANTHRO 150AMinaret and Mahallah: Women and Islam in Central Asia3-5
ANTHRO 152Ritual, Politics, Power5
ANTHRO 181AGender in the Middle East: Iran, Turkey, and Egypt4
ARTHIST 190AIndigenous Cultural Heritage: Protection, Practice, Repatriation3
CHILATST 180EIntroduction to Chicanx/Latinx Studies5
CSRE 180EIntroduction to Chicanx/Latinx Studies5
EARTHSYS 41NThe Global Warming Paradox3
ECON 155Environmental Economics and Policy5
EDUC 136World, Societal, and Educational Change: Comparative Perspectives4-5
EDUC 202Introduction to Comparative and International Education4
FEMGEN 101Introduction to Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies4-5
HISTORY 103DHuman Society and Environmental Change4
HISTORY 106AGlobal Human Geography: Asia and Africa5
HISTORY 106BGlobal Human Geography: Europe and Americas5
HISTORY 113Before Globalization: Understanding Premodern World History3-5
HISTORY 146History of Humanitarian Aid in sub-Saharan Africa4-5
HISTORY 174Mexico Since 1876: HIstory of a "Failed State"?5
HISTORY 185BJews in the Contemporary World: Faith and Ethnicity, Vulnerability and Visibility4-5
HISTORY 221BThe 'Woman Question' in Modern Russia5
HISTORY 224CGenocide and Humanitarian Intervention3
HISTORY 243GTobacco and Health in World History4-5
HUMBIO 57Epidemic Intelligence: How to Identify, Investigate and Interrupt Outbreaks of Disease4
HUMBIO 114Environmental Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases4-5
HUMBIO 124EEconomics of Infectious Disease and Global Health3
HUMBIO 126AAdvanced Seminar in Health and Security3
HUMBIO 129Critical Issues in International Women's Health4
HUMBIO 129SGlobal Public Health4
HUMBIO 175LLiterature and Global Health3-5
INTNLREL 62QMass Atrocities and Reconciliation3
INTNLREL 114DDemocracy, Development, and the Rule of Law5
INTNLREL 136RIntroduction to Global Justice4
INTNLREL 140CThe U.S., U.N. Peacekeeping, and Humanitarian War5
INTNLREL 141ACamera as Witness: International Human Rights Documentaries5
INTNLREL 142Challenging the Status Quo: Social Entrepreneurs Advancing Democracy, Development and Justice3-5
INTNLREL 145Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention4
INTNLREL 180ATransitional Justice, Human Rights, and International Criminal Tribunals3-5
IPS 210The Politics of International Humanitarian Action3-5
IPS 213International Mediation and Civil Wars3-5
IPS 250International Conflict Resolution2
IPS 270The Geopolitics of Energy3-5
IPS 275UN Habitat III: Bridging Cities and Nations to Tackle Urban Development3-5
MS&E 92QInternational Environmental Policy3
MS&E 185Global Work4
MS&E 271Global Entrepreneurial Marketing3-4
OSPBER 71EU in Crisis4-5
OSPBER 174Sports, Culture, and Gender in Comparative Perspective5
OSPCPTWN 24ATargeted Research Project in Community Health and Development3
OSPCPTWN 38Genocide: African Experiences in Comparative Perspective3-5
OSPCPTWN 43Public and Community Health in Sub-Saharan Africa3
OSPCPTWN 70Youth Citizenship and Community Engagement3
OSPFLOR 78The Impossible Experiment: Politics and Policies of the New European Union5
OSPMADRD 57Health Care: A Contrastive Analysis between Spain and the U.S.4
OSPMADRD 60Integration into Spanish Society: Service Learning and Professional Opportunities4
OSPMADRD 61Society and Cultural Change: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 72Issues in Bioethics Across Cultures4
OSPOXFRD 117WGender and Social Change in Modern Britain4-5
OSPPARIS 68France: Birthplace of Human Rights5
OSPPARIS 81France During the Second World War: Between History and Memory5
OSPPARIS 86Measuring Well-Being and Sustainability in Today's World5
OSPPARIS 98Global Health Systems: the Future5
OSPSANTG 71Santiago: Urban Planning, Public Policy, and the Built Environment4-5
PEDS 223Human Rights and Global Health3
POLISCI 133Ethics and Politics of Public Service3-5
POLISCI 143SComparative Corruption4-5
POLISCI 149SIslam, Iran, and the West5
POLISCI 244An Introduction to Political Development5
POLISCI 244UPolitical Culture3-5
POLISCI 247GGovernance and Poverty5
PUBLPOL 134Ethics on the Edge: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, Government, and Individuals3
PUBLPOL 168Global Organizations: The Matrix of Change4
RELIGST 1Religion Around the Globe4
RELIGST 65Exploring Global Christianity4
RELIGST 119Religion, Violence, and Nonviolence4
SIW 116International Environmental Policy5
SOC 118Social Movements and Collective Action4
SOC 134Education, Gender, and Development4
SOC 137Global Inequality4
SOC 148Comparative Ethnic Conflict4
SOC 177DEconomic Elites in the 21st Century3-5
STS 140Science, Technology and Politics5
THINK 42Thinking Through Africa: Perspectives on Health, Wealth, and Well-Being4
URBANST 145International Urbanization Seminar: Cross-Cultural Collaboration for Sustainable Urban Development4-5

 Additional Policies/Requirements:

  • At least one course must be an upper-division seminar or colloquium.
  • At least one writing intensive course designated as Writing in the Major (WiM) for International Relations.
  • All courses must be taken for a letter grade, and a minimum grade of ‘C’ is required for courses to count towards major requirements.
  • Completion of one quarter of academic study overseas, either through the Stanford Overseas Studies Program or an approved non-Stanford program. Non-Stanford programs must be pre-approved by the IR office before the student enrolls in the program.
  • All IR majors must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language by either completing two years of course work (second-year, third-quarter) or passing a proficiency exam. Foreign language units do not count towards the major.
  • Upon approval, a maximum of 15 non-Stanford units may be applied to the major for credit.

Independent Study/Honors

Units
INTNLREL 197Directed Reading in International Relations1-5
INTNLREL 198Senior Thesis2-10
INTNLREL 200AInternational Relations Honors Field Research3
INTNLREL 200BInternational Relations Honors Seminar3
INTNLREL 200CIR Honors Thesis Writing1

Honors Program 

The International Relations honors program offers qualified students the opportunity to conduct a major independent research project under faculty guidance. Such a project requires a high degree of initiative and dedication, significant amounts of time and energy, and demonstrated skills in research and writing.

In their junior year, students should consult with prospective honors advisers, choose the courses that provide academic background in their areas of inquiry, and demonstrate an ability to conduct independent research. Students can also select to complete an Interdisciplinary honors thesis with other programs on campus.

Prerequisites for participation include a 3.5 grade point average (GPA), a strong overall academic record, good academic standing, successful experience in writing a research paper, and submission of an acceptable thesis proposal.  Students should submit their honors thesis proposal in the Winter Quarter of the junior year; check with IR office for the exact deadline. Students are required to enroll in  INTNLREL 200A International Relations Honors Field Research, in the Spring Quarter of their junior year and should consider participating in Bing Honors College. In their senior year, honors students must enroll in INTNLREL 200B International Relations Honors Seminar in Autumn Quarter, INTNLREL 200C IR Honors Thesis Writing in Winter Quarter, and in research units through INTNLREL 198 Senior Thesis each quarter of their senior year (Autumn, Winter, and Spring) with their faculty adviser. Honors students present a formal defense of their theses in mid-May. Students must receive at least a grade of ‘B+’ in order to graduate with honors in International Relations. For more information, refer to the International Relations website. 

Minor in International Relations

A minor in International Relations (IR) is intended to provide an interdisciplinary background allowing a deeper understanding of contemporary international issues. To declare the IR minor, students must complete the application for a minor in Axess and complete the IR Minor Declaration and Course Proposal form and submit this to the IR office. Students completing a minor are also required to file a Major-Minor and Multiple Major Course Approval Form by the Final Study List deadline for the term in which the student intends to graduate.

Students complete the minor by taking 35 units from the IR curriculum that do not duplicate with the student's major (or, if applicable, any other minor), including the following:

Units
Required Courses:
International Politics5
Introduction to International Relations
American Foreign Policy (Select one of the following):5
INTNLREL 154
America as a World Power: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1914 to Present
Presidents and Foreign Policy in Modern History
Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country
America and the World Economy
War and Peace in American Foreign Policy
Governing the Global Economy
Challenges and Dilemmas in American Foreign Policy
Upper Division Specialization Courses (25 units)25
Total Units35

Complete at least 25 units in one of the following specializations below.

  • Africa
  • Comparative International Governance 
  • East and South Asia
  • Economic Development/World Economy
  • Europe (East and West) & Russia
  • International History and Culture
  • International Security
  • Latin America and Iberian Studies
  • Middle East and Central Asia
  • Social Development/Human Well-Being

Director: Michael Tomz (Political Science). 

Faculty Committee: Kyle Bagwell (Economics), Judith L. Goldstein (Political Science), Norman Naimark (History), Kenneth Schultz (Political Science), Kenneth Scheve (Political Science), Kathryn Stoner (Freeman Spogli Institute). 

Affiliated Faculty: Lisa Blaydes (Political Science), Gordon Chang (History), Joshua Cohen (Political Science), Larry J. Diamond (Hoover Institution), Amir Eshel (German Studies), James Fearon (Political Science), Zephyr Frank (History), Lawrence H. Goulder (Economics), Stephen H. Haber (Political Science), David J. Holloway (History, Political Science), Karen Jusko (Political Science), Terry L. Karl (Political Science), Stephen D. Krasner (Political Science), Philip Lipscy (Political Science) , Beatriz Magaloni (Political Science), Robert McGinn (Management Science and Engineering), Rosamond Naylor (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies), Jean C. Oi (Political Science), William J. Perry (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Management Science and Engineering), Richard Roberts (History), Jonathan Rodden (Political Science), Scott Sagan (Political Science), Debra M. Satz (Philosophy), Andrew Walder (Sociology), Amir Weiner (History), Jeremy Weinstein (Political Science).

Other Affiliation: Jasmina Bojic (International Relations), Christophe Crombez (Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies),  John Dunlop (Hoover Institution), Erica Gould (International Relations), Kathleen Janus (Freeman Spogli Institute for Program on Social Entrepreneurship, International Relations), Katherine Jolluck (History), Timothy Josling (International Relations, Senior Member of Academic Council, Professor at the Food Research Institute, Emeritus),  Anjini Kochar (Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research), Martin W. Lewis (History), Pawel Lutomski (International Relations), Abbas Milani (Hoover Institution, Iranian Studies), Alice Lyman Miller (Hoover Institution), Bertrand Patenaude (Hoover Institution, International Relations),  Robert Rakove (International Relations), Margaret Sena (El Centro Chicano, International Relations), Stephen Stedman (Political Science), Richard Steinberg (Stanford Global Studies), Gil-Li Vardi (Hoover Institution, International Relations). 

Overseas Studies Courses in International Relations

The Bing Overseas Studies Program manages Stanford study abroad programs for Stanford undergraduates. Students should consult their department or program's student services office for applicability of Overseas Studies courses to a major or minor program.

The Bing Overseas Studies course search site displays courses, locations, and quarters relevant to specific majors.

For course descriptions and additional offerings, see the listings in the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses or Bing Overseas Studies.

Units
OSPBER 37Leading from Behind? Germany in the International Arena since 19454-5
OSPBER 70The Long Way to the West: German History from the 18th Century to the Present4-5
OSPBER 71EU in Crisis4-5
OSPBER 115XThe German Economy: Past and Present4-5
OSPBER 126XA People's Union? Money, Markets, and Identity in the EU4-5
OSPBER 161XThe German Economy in the Age of Globalization4-5
OSPBER 174Sports, Culture, and Gender in Comparative Perspective5
OSPCPTWN 24ATargeted Research Project in Community Health and Development3
OSPCPTWN 31Political Economy of Foreign Aid3
OSPCPTWN 38Genocide: African Experiences in Comparative Perspective3-5
OSPCPTWN 69Comparatively Assessing South Africa's Transition to Democracy: Past, Present and Future3
OSPFLOR 49On-Screen Battles: Filmic Portrayals of Fascism and World War II5
OSPFLOR 78The Impossible Experiment: Politics and Policies of the New European Union5
OSPMADRD 42A European Model of Democracy: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 48Migration and Multiculturality in Spain4
OSPMADRD 54Contemporary Spanish Economy and the European Union4
OSPMADRD 57Health Care: A Contrastive Analysis between Spain and the U.S.4
OSPMADRD 61Society and Cultural Change: The Case of Spain4
OSPMADRD 72Issues in Bioethics Across Cultures4
OSPMADRD 74Islam in Spain and Europe: 1300 Years of Contact4
OSPOXFRD 18Making Public Policy: An Introduction to Political Philosophy, Politics, and Economics4-5
OSPOXFRD 45British Economic Policy since World War II5
OSPOXFRD 117WGender and Social Change in Modern Britain4-5
OSPPARIS 32French History and Politics: Understanding the Present through the Past5
OSPPARIS 45Comparative Politics in the Contemporary Arab World4
OSPPARIS 81France During the Second World War: Between History and Memory5
OSPPARIS 91Globalization and Its Effect on France and the European Union5
OSPPARIS 92Building Paris: Its History, Architecture, and Urban Design4
OSPPARIS 98Global Health Systems: the Future5
OSPPARIS 122XChallenges of Integration in the European Union4-5
OSPSANTG 14Women Writers of Latin America in the 20th Century4-5
OSPSANTG 68The Emergence of Nations in Latin America4-5
OSPSANTG 71Santiago: Urban Planning, Public Policy, and the Built Environment4-5
OSPSANTG 116XModernization and its Discontents: Chilean Politics at the Turn of the Century5
OSPSANTG 119XThe Chilean Economy: History, International Relations, and Development Strategies5
OSPSANTG 129XLatin America in the International System4-5

Courses

INTNLREL 60Q. United Nations Peacekeeping. 3 Units.

Focus is on an examination of United Nations peacekeeping, from its inception in 1956 in the wake of the Suez Crisis, to its increasingly important role as an enforcer of political stability in sub-Saharan Africa. Examines the practice of "classic" peacekeeping as it developed during the Cold War, the rise and fall of "second-generation" peacekeeping, and the reemergence of a muscular form of peacekeeping in sub-Saharan Africa more recently. Topics include the basic history of the United Nations since 1945, he fundamentals of the United Nations Charter, and the historical trajectory of U.N. peaeckeeping and the evolving arguments of its proponents and critics over the years.

INTNLREL 61Q. Food and security. 3 Units.

The course will provide a broad overview of key policy issues concerning agricultural development and food security, and will assess how global governance is addressing the problem of food security. At the same time the course will provide an overview of the field of international security, and examine how governments and international institutions are beginning to include food in discussions of security.
Same as: EARTHSYS 61Q, ESS 61Q

INTNLREL 62Q. Mass Atrocities and Reconciliation. 3 Units.

This seminar considers the theory and practice of transitional justice as exemplified by diverse case studies, such as Germany, South Africa, Bosnia, and Rwanda. We will ask ourselves throughout the term whether and to what extent mass atrocities and grave human rights violations can be ameliorated and healed, and what legal, institutional, and political arrangements may be most conducive to such attempts. We will study war crimes tribunals and truth commissions, and we will ask about their effectiveness, especially in regards to their potential of fostering reconciliation in a given society. In every case we will encounter and evaluate specific shortcomings and obstacles, which will provide us with a more nuanced understanding of the complex process of coming to terms with the past.

INTNLREL 101Z. Introduction to International Relations. 4 Units.

Approaches to the study of conflict and cooperation in world affairs. Applications to war, terrorism, trade policy, the environment, and world poverty. Debates about the ethics of war and the global distribution of wealth.
Same as: POLISCI 101Z

INTNLREL 102. History of the International System. 5 Units.

After defining the characteristics of the international system at the beginning of the twentieth century, this course reviews the primary developments in its functioning in the century that followed. Topics include the major wars and peace settlements; the emergence of Nazism and Communism; the development of the Cold War and nuclear weapons; the rise of China, India, and the EU; and the impact of Islamic terrorism. The role of international institutions and international society will also be a focus as will the challenge of environment, health, poverty, and climate issues to the functioning of the system.
Same as: HISTORY 102

INTNLREL 110C. America and the World Economy. 5 Units.

Examination of contemporary US foreign economic policy. Areas studied: the changing role of the dollar; mechanism of international monetary management; recent crises in world markets including those in Europe and Asia; role of IMF, World Bank and WTO in stabilizing world economy; trade politics and policies; the effects of the globalization of business on future US prosperity. Enroll in POLISCI 110C for WIM credit.
Same as: POLISCI 110C, POLISCI 110X

INTNLREL 110D. War and Peace in American Foreign Policy. 5 Units.

(Students not taking this course for WIM, register for 110Y.) The causes of war in American foreign policy. Issues: international and domestic sources of war and peace; war and the American political system; war, intervention, and peace making in the post-Cold War period.
Same as: AMSTUD 110D, POLISCI 110D, POLISCI 110Y

INTNLREL 114D. Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. 5 Units.

Links among the establishment of democracy, economic growth, and the rule of law. How democratic, economically developed states arise. How the rule of law can be established where it has been historically absent. Variations in how such systems function and the consequences of institutional forms and choices. How democratic systems have arisen in different parts of the world. Available policy instruments used in international democracy, rule of law, and development promotion efforts.
Same as: IPS 230, POLISCI 114D, POLISCI 314D

INTNLREL 118S. Political Economy of International Trade and Investment. 5 Units.

How domestic and international politics influence the economic relations between countries. Why do governments promote or oppose globalization? Why do countries cooperate economically in some situations but not others? Why do countries adopt bad economic policies? Focus on the politics of international trade and investment. Course approaches each topic by examining alternative theoretical approaches and evaluate these theories using historical and contemporary evidence from many geographical regions around the world. Prerequisites: ECON 1A, ECON 1B, and a statistics course.
Same as: POLISCI 218S

INTNLREL 122. Introduction to European Studies. 5 Units.

This course offers an introduction to major topics in the study of historical and contemporary Europe. We focus on European politics, economics and culture. First, we study what makes Europe special, and how its distinct identity has been influenced by its history. Next, we analyze Europe's politics. We study parliamentary government and proportional representation electoral systems, and how they affect policy. Subsequently, we examine the challenges the European economy faces. We further study the European Union and transatlantic relations.
Same as: POLISCI 213E

INTNLREL 123. The Future of the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities. 5 Units.

First, this course analyzes the EU's greatest challenge, preserving the monetary union, and discusses the political and economic reforms needed to achieve that goal. In this context the course also studies the fiscal and budgetary polices of the EU. Second, the course discusses the EU's role in global politics, its desire to play a more prominent role, and the ways to reach that objective. Third, the course analyzes the EU's institutional challenges in its efforts to enhance its democratic character.

INTNLREL 135A. International Environmental Law and Policy. 4-5 Units.

This course addresses the nature, content, and structure of international environmental law. We will discuss its sources (formal and informal) and general principles, along with the emerging principles (sustainable development, precautionary principle, etc.) We will evaluate the role of international and non-governmental organizations, as well as examine the negotiation, conclusion, and implementation of international environmental agreements. Problem areas to be examined include global warming, stratospheric ozone depletion, exports of hazardous substances, transboundary pollution, trade and environment, and development and environment. RECOMMENDED PREREQ: students have completed POLISCI 101 and/or INTNLREL 140A.

INTNLREL 136R. Introduction to Global Justice. 4 Units.

This course provides an overview of core ethical problems in international politics, with special emphasis on the question of what demands justice imposes on institutions and agents acting in a global context. The course is divided into three sections. The first investigates the content of global justice, and comprises of readings from contemporary political theorists and philosophers who write within the liberal contractualist, utilitarian, cosmopolitan, and nationalist traditions. The second part of the course looks at the obligations which global justice generates in relation to five issues of international concern ¿ global poverty, climate change, immigration, warfare, and well-being of women. The final section of the course asks whether a democratic international order is necessary for global justice to be realized.
Same as: ETHICSOC 136R, PHIL 76, POLISCI 136R, POLISCI 336

INTNLREL 140A. International Law and International Relations. 5 Units.

What is the character of international legal rules? Do they matter in international politics, and if so, to what degree? How effective can they really be? What should we expect from international law in shaping international relations? This seminar will provide introductory knowledge of the foundational principles and sources of public international law and a brief review of the most prominent IR-theories. Besides exploring how these theories address the role of IL in international politics, we will also consider a set of practical problems, where IL and IR intersect most dramatically, such as intervention by force, human rights, and enforcement of criminal law. Course satisfies the WiM requirement for International Relations majors.

INTNLREL 140C. The U.S., U.N. Peacekeeping, and Humanitarian War. 5 Units.

The involvement of U.S. and the UN in major wars and international interventions since the 1991 Gulf War. The UN Charter's provisions on the use of force, the origins and evolution of peacekeeping, the reasons for the breakthrough to peacemaking and peace enforcement in the 90s, and the ongoing debates over the legality and wisdom of humanitarian intervention. Case studies include Croatia and Bosnia, Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, East Timor, and Afghanistan. * Course satisfies the WiM requirement for International Relations majors.
Same as: HISTORY 201C

INTNLREL 141A. Camera as Witness: International Human Rights Documentaries. 5 Units.

Rarely screened documentary films, focusing on global problems, human rights issues, and aesthetic challenges in making documentaries on international topics. Meetings with filmmakers.

INTNLREL 142. Challenging the Status Quo: Social Entrepreneurs Advancing Democracy, Development and Justice. 3-5 Units.

This seminar is part of a broader program on Social Entrepreneurship at CDDRL in partnership with the Haas Center for Public Service. It will use practice to better inform theory. Working with three visiting social entrepreneurs from developing and developed country contexts students will use case studies of successful and failed social change strategies to explore relationships between social entrepreneurship, gender, democracy, development and justice. It interrogates current definitions of democracy and development and explores how they can become more inclusive of marginalized populations. This is a service learning class in which students will learn by working on projects that support the social entrepreneurs' efforts to promote social change. Students should register for either 3 OR 5 units only. Students enrolled in the full 5 units will have a service-learning component along with the course. Students enrolled for 3 units will not complete the service-learning component. Limited enrollment. Attendance at the first class is mandatory in order to participate in service learning.
Same as: AFRICAST 142, AFRICAST 242

INTNLREL 145. Genocide and Humanitarian Intervention. 4 Units.

The course, traces the history of genocide in the 20th century and the question of humanitarian intervention to stop it, a topic that has been especially controversial since the end of the Cold War. The pre-1990s discussion begins with the Armenian genocide during the First World War and includes the Holocaust and Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Coverage of genocide and humanitarian intervention since the 1990s includes the wars in Bosnia, Rwanda, Kosovo, the Congo, and Sudan. The final session of the course will be devoted to a discussion of the International Criminal Court and the separate criminal tribunals that have been tasked with investigating and punishing the perpetrators of genocide.

INTNLREL 152. Organized Crime and Democracy in Latin America. 5 Units.

Scholars and policy analysts have long emphasized the strength of the rule of law as a key determinant of economic development and social opportunity. They also agree that the rule of law requires an effective and accountable legal system. The growth of transnational organized crime is a major impediment, however, to the creation of effective and accountable legal systems. nThis seminar examines how and why transnational criminal organizations have developed in Latin America, explores why they constitute a major challenge to the consolidation of democratic societies, economic development and individual rights. It also examines the efforts of governments to combat them, with a focus on the experiences of Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. The course examines these cases in order to draw lessons¿by pointing to both successes and failures¿of use to policy analysts, legal scholars, and practitioners.
Same as: IPS 247

INTNLREL 168. America as a World Power: U.S. Foreign Relations, 1914 to Present. 5 Units.

This course will examine the modern history of American foreign relations, from 1914 to the present. Beginning with the fateful decision to intervene in the First World War, it will examine the major crises and choices that have defined the "American Century." Our study of U.S. foreign relations will consider such key factors as geopolitics, domestic politics, bureaucracy, psychology, race, and culture. Students will be expected to undertake their own substantial examination of a critical episode in the era studied.

INTNLREL 168A. American Interventions, 1898-Present. 5 Units.

This class seeks to examine the modern American experience with limited wars, beginning with distant and yet pertinent cases, and culminating in the war in Iraq. Although this class will examine war as a consequence of foreign policy, it will not focus primarily on presidential decision making. Rather, it will place wartime policy in a broader frame, considering it alongside popular and media perceptions of the war, the efforts of antiwar movements, civil-military relations, civil reconstruction efforts, and conditions on the battlefield. We will also examine, when possible, the postwar experience.
Same as: HISTORY 259E, HISTORY 359E

INTNLREL 173. Presidents and Foreign Policy in Modern History. 5 Units.

Nothing better illustrates the evolution of the modern presidency than the arena of foreign policy. This class will examine the changing role and choices of successive presidential administrations over the past century, examining such factors as geopolitics, domestic politics, the bureaucracy, ideology, psychology, and culture. Students will be encouraged to think historically about the institution of the presidency, while examining specific case studies, from the First World War to the conflicts of the 21st century.
Same as: HISTORY 261G

INTNLREL 174. Diplomacy on the Ground: Case Studies in the Challenges of Representing Your Country. 5 Units.

The tragic death of Ambassador Chris Stevens has recently highlighted the dangers of diplomacy in the modern era. This class will look at how Americans in embassies have historically confronted questions such as authoritarian rule, human rights abuses, violent changes of government, and covert action. Case studies will include the Berlin embassy in the 1930s, Tehran in 1979, and George Kennan's experiences in Moscow, among others. Recommended for students contemplating careers in diplomatic service. * Course satisfies the WiM requirement for International Relations majors.
Same as: HISTORY 252B

INTNLREL 179. Major Themes in U.S.-Latin America Diplomatic History. 5 Units.

This seminar provides an overview of the most important events and initiatives that have characterized the relationship of the United States of America with its neighbors to the south, including Mexico, the Caribbean (especially Cuba, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic), Central America, and South America since the proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine in the early 19th century until the Obama Administration. In particular, the course examines the motivations for the Theodore Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine and the resulting period of blatant interventionism known as ¿Dollar Diplomacy¿, the Good Neighbor Policy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the brutal Cold War period, as well as policies pursued by the Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama administrations, such as the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) and the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA). The seminar explores not only what motivated U.S. policy makers and how their polices were implemented (and explains why they either succeeded or failed), but also discusses the impacts on individual countries and/or the region as a whole and the long-term consequences whose repercussions are still being felt today. The course also examines the major features of the inter-American system from the Pan American Union to the creation of the Organization of American States (OAS) and its continued relevancy in light of new institutional frameworks such as the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) that exclude the United States of America.

INTNLREL 180A. Transitional Justice, Human Rights, and International Criminal Tribunals. 3-5 Units.

Historical backdrop of the Nuremberg and Tokyo Tribunals. The creation and operation of the Yugoslav and Rwanda Tribunals (ICTY and ICTR). The development of hybrid tribunals in East Timor, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia, including evaluation of their success in addressing perceived shortcomings of the ICTY and ICTR. Examination of the role of the International Criminal Court and the extent to which it will succeed in supplanting all other ad hoc international justice mechanisms and fulfill its goals. Analysis focuses on the politics of creating such courts, their interaction with the states in which the conflicts took place, the process of establishing prosecutorial priorities, the body of law they have produced, and their effectiveness in addressing the needs of victims in post-conflict societies.
Same as: ETHICSOC 280, HUMRTS 103, IPS 280

INTNLREL 182. The Great War. 5 Units.

The First World War provided a prototype for a new, horrific kind of war. It catalyzed the emergence of modern means of warfare and the social mechanisms necessary to sustain the industrialized war machine. Killing millions, it became the blueprint for the total war that succeeded it. It also brought about new social and political orders, transforming the societies which it mobilized at unprecedented levels.n nThis course will examine the military, political, economic, social and cultural aspects of the conflict. We will discuss the origins and outbreak of the war, the land, sea and air campaigns, the war's economic and social consequences, the home fronts, the war's final stages in eastern and western Europe as well as non-European fronts, and finally, the war's impact on the international system and on its belligerents and participants' perceptions of the new reality it had created.

INTNLREL 189. PRACTICAL TRAINING. 1-3 Unit.

Students obtain internship in a relevant research or industrial activity to enhance their professional experience consistent with their degree program and area of concentration. Prior to enrolling students must get internship approved by the director. At the end of the quarter, a three page final report must be supplied documenting work done and relevance to degree program. Meets the requirements for Curricular Practical Training for students on F-1 visas. Student is responsible for arranging own internship. Limited to declared International Relations students only who are non-US citizens. May be repeated for credit.

INTNLREL 197. Directed Reading in International Relations. 1-5 Unit.

Open only to declared International Relations majors.n (Staff).

INTNLREL 198. Senior Thesis. 2-10 Units.

Open only to declared International Relations majors with approved senior thesis proposals.

INTNLREL 200A. International Relations Honors Field Research. 3 Units.

For juniors planning to write an honors thesis during senior year. Initial steps to prepare for independent research. Professional tools for conceptualizing a research agenda and developing a research strategy. Preparation for field research through skills such as data management and statistics, references and library searches, and fellowship and grant writing. Creating a work schedule for the summer break and first steps in writing. Prerequisite: acceptance to IR honors program.

INTNLREL 200B. International Relations Honors Seminar. 3 Units.

Second of two-part sequence. For seniors working on their honors theses. Professional tools, analysis of research findings, and initial steps in writing of thesis. How to write a literature review, formulate a chapter structure, and set a timeline and work schedule for the senior year. Skills such as data analysis and presentation, and writing strategies. Prerequisites: acceptance to IR honors program, and 199 or 200A. * Course satisfies the WiM requirement for International Relations majors who are accepted into the IR Honors program.

INTNLREL 200C. IR Honors Thesis Writing. 1 Unit.

Mandatory seminar for International Relations Honors Students who are writing their Honors Thesis. INTNLREL 200A and 200B are prerequisites.