Major Declaration
International Relations Major
*Important Policy Update for Upper-Division Economics requirement* (Item #4)
Students wishing to declare International Relations as a major, double major, or secondary major must declare before the end of the sophomore year as per the university guidelines. To declare International Relations as your major, indicate on AXESS that you want to declare IR. You must also submit a course proposal to the IR Office. You may pick up a Major Proposal Form from the IR Program Office or complete one on the web. Use the IR Course Offering Lists to indicate courses you have taken or plan to take to fulfill the major. Only include approved IR courses on your proposal but you may petition courses in the future. Your course proposal will be reviewed and once approved, you will be notified of your approval or changes via email.
The Major Proposal consists of three pages. Page 1 - General biographic information and why you want to major in IR; Page 2 - Your IR Proposal Course List, Page 3 - Faculty Advisor Form.
Fill out your Major Proposal completely then turn it in to the IR Office. You must have an advisor to declare. Attach the advisor form to your declaration packet (See ADVISING section for more information).
Major Requirements
70 units total
CORE COURSES (1-5); 35 units
1. International Relations
Political Science 1
2. American Foreign Policy
Political Science 110A or 110B or 110C or 110D
or
History 158 formerly History 172A (must be taken for five units)
3. Economics
Take at least two (10 units) of the following basic economics courses:
Economics 1A, 1B, 50, 51, 52
4. Two additional upper-division economics courses from the IR approved list of courses.
5. Skills
At least one of the following skills classes:
Political Science 150A or Statistics 60 or Economics 102A
SPECIALIZATION (35 units)
Choose either Functional or Area.
Functional Specialization: 7 courses (35 units)
Four courses must be from the functional area (CPHA, CIPE, CCAS); two courses from a second track; and the final course from the third track (4-2-1).
The functional specializations are: 1) Comparative and Historical Analysis (CPHA); 2) Comparative Culture and Society (CCAS); and 3) Comparative and International Political Economy (CIPE)
Taking the core course for your track is strongly recommended (see quarterly course listings for core course).
Area Specialization:: 7 courses (35 units)
The area specializations are: Africa, Europe, Latin America or Russia/Eastern Europe. Five courses must directly relate to the area: three of these five courses must be in one track; one course in a second track, and the final course in the third track (3-1-1). An additional two courses (10 units) may be in any track on a topic relevant to your course of study. Core courses are not required for the Area Specialization.
6. At least one course must be an upper division, seminar or colloquium.
7. At least one course must be designated by the IR Program as writing intensive (WIM).
8. Demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language. Completing two years of University-level
instruction or passing a proficiency exam can fulfill this requirement. Foreign language units do not count toward the IR major. Advanced placement units do not fulfill the foreign language requirement.
9. Complete a quarter of study overseas through the Stanford Overseas Studies Program or a pre-approved non-Stanford program.
ADDITIONAL POLICIES:
******************************************************
Special Note: Econ 1, 1A, 1B
As of September 1, 2006, Econ 1 will no longer be taught and has been replaced with Econ 1A and 1B. If you did not take Econ 1 prior to September 1, 2006, you must take Econ 1A and 1B.
Double and Secondary Majors
**Please note that even a double or secondary major in IR must be declared by the junior year.
DOUBLE MAJOR
Although most students declare only one major, a student may formally declare more than one major within a single baccalaureate (A.B. or B.S.) program. The student may do this either at the time of initial Major declaration, or by adding another major at a later date. Students should meet with advisors to discuss multiple major options.
Both departments/programs will have access to all information pertinent to the student’s academic record, and students are expected to have an advisor for both majors. Both majors will be reflected on the diploma and transcript.
When declaring double majors, students must make sure not to duplicate courses. To ensure that courses do not overlap, the IR Program (and the University) require that you complete a Multiple Major-Minor Course Approval Form indicating which courses you plan to apply toward each major. This must be filled out and approved by each major department/program. The form is available at: http://registrar/pdf/MajMin_MultMaj.pdf.
SECONDARY MAJOR
The difference between a Double Major and Secondary Major is the ability to duplicate courses. If pursuing a Secondary Major, you can duplicate courses for each major. The Secondary Major will appear on your transcript (with SEC as a notation) but not on your diploma.
Please complete both the Proposal and the course grid and submit it to the IR office:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| 07-08 IR Major Proposal.pdf | 39.63 KB |
| IR Major Proposal Course Grid 0708t.pdf | 9.58 KB |