Alex Borthwick

Alex Borthwick (she/her) is a junior majoring in International Relations. Her primary specialization is International History and Culture, and secondary concentration is Middle East and Central Asia. She is also pursuing minors in human rights and Arabic. Alex spoke with us about her interest in IR, study abroad experience, favorite IR class, and career goals!

What is your favorite IR class so far and why?

My favorite class (both IR and overall at Stanford) has been History of South Africa with James Campbell. He is an incredible lecturer who speaks in essays (I swear) and really gets students to think in a nuanced way about a place with a very complicated history. The readings were incredible, mostly stories from people in South Africa. Also, IR 101 with James Fearon! I put off taking the intro course but honestly it is an extremely well taught course that I wish I would have done earlier, Professor Fearon is brilliant, and the class gave me a great overview of the field. 

Can you tell us a bit about study abroad experience you've had?

I studied abroad in Santiago, Chile last spring! It was really wonderful, and I would recommend it to anyone interested. I learned a lot about transitional justice in the Chilean context, the transition to democracy from the Pinochet dictatorship and Chile's truth and reconciliation commission. Also, Chile has produced some incredible art, so it was very cool to study Pablo Neruda, Violeta Parra, Victor Jara, Gabriela Mistral, etc. Also, Patagonia!

What are your future career goals?

I'm hoping to take a year or two off and then go to law school. I think I want to work in the field of international law/human rights law. I’m currently interested in post-conflict studies, transitional justice, and migration. I could see myself doing work in tribunals in the future, but open to other paths as well. We'll see!