International Affairs (MA)
The growing interconnectedness of the world’s almost 200 countries, termed globalization, and the rising impact of foreign affairs on our daily lives increasingly require individuals with advanced knowledge of International Affairs. The Master of Arts in International Affairs allows students to explore global problems and interactions from an interdisciplinary perspective that makes use of eight Arts and Sciences academic departments and four additional colleges. Students will have the flexibility to tailor their program to fit their individual interests. Students can fulfill a capstone experience by participating in an internship, taking a study abroad class, writing a paper for publication, or writing a master’s thesis.
Curriculum
The Master of Arts in International Affairs requires 30cr hours. Four required core classes, including a capstone experience, and an additional six elective classes, with no more than three offered by a single department in CAS or another school at Loyola.
Core Courses
All students will take the a core of four International Affairs classes. These core courses, which will be offered on an annual basis, are designed to provide entering students from a variety of interdisciplinary backgrounds with a common experience in research methods, an introduction to comparative political systems and international relations, and a capstone experience.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core International Affairs Courses | ||
| INTA 420 / PLSC 420 | Comparative Political Systems | 3 |
| INTA 430 / PLSC 430 | Theories of International Politics | 3 |
| INTA 475 | Political Analysis I | 3 |
| Choose one (Internship/Directed Reading/Thesis) | ||
| Fieldwork in PLSC-Internship | ||
| Directed Readings | ||
| Master's Study | ||
Elective Courses
In addition to the four core classes, students will take six elective courses, with no more than three offered by a single department in the College of Arts and Sciences or another School at Loyola. The core International Affairs courses in Political Science do not count toward this three-course total, and thus a student may take three Political Science courses in addition to the three core (required) courses. The participating programs that will contribute classes include eight departments in CAS (History Department, Philosophy Department, Political Science Department, Psychology Department, Sociology Department, Theology Department, Criminal Justice & Criminology Department, and Modern Languages and Literatures Department) and four additional Schools (School of Communication, School of Education [International Education], School of Social Work, and School of Law).
Please note that the courses listed might not be offered every year and new courses may be added to this list. Students should talk with the Graduate Program Director if they want to take a course that is not on the list of elective courses below for approval.
Approved Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| College of Arts and Sciences | ||
Criminal Justice and Criminology Department | ||
| Program Evaluation and Research | ||
| Applied Data Analysis and Interpretation | ||
| International Criminal Justice | ||
History Department | ||
| Women's & Gender History: Europe | ||
| Environmental History | ||
| Transnational Urban History | ||
| Oral History: Method and Practice | ||
Modern Languages and Literatures Department 1 | ||
Students interested in honing their foreign language skills will have the option of taking a 300 or 400-level language course (i.e., a course beyond 101, 102, 103, and 104), and having that course count as one of the six elective courses. Current language possibilities offered at Loyola at the 300 level include Chinese, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. | ||
| Critical Methods (pan-Hispanic world) | ||
| Hispanic Culture &Civilization (Latin American film, with a focus on human rights) | ||
Philosophy Department | ||
| Philosophy Research Tools | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Virtue Ethics (includes non-Western philosophy) | ||
| Social & Political Philosophy (focuses on global development on a regular basis) | ||
| Current Philosophical Issues (Critical Race Theory) | ||
Political Science Department | ||
| Intro to Research Design & Method | ||
| Democratic Political Systems | ||
| Authoritarian Political Systems | ||
| Formulation US Foreign Policy | ||
| Comp Foreign Policy Analysis | ||
| International Organization | ||
| International Political Econ | ||
| International Conflict | ||
| Political Analysis II | ||
Psychology Department | ||
| Social Psychological Theory | ||
| Attitude and Attitude Change | ||
| Research in Group Dynamics | ||
| Prejudice and Intergroup Relations | ||
| Methods of Program Evaluation | ||
Sociology Department | ||
| Logic of Sociological Inquiry | ||
| Qual Meth in Social Research | ||
| Statistical Methods Analysis I | ||
| Statis Methods of Analysis II | ||
| Demography | ||
| Social Movements | ||
| Sociology of Gender | ||
| Sociology of Religion | ||
| Sociology of Culture | ||
| Race & Ethnicity | ||
Theology Department | ||
| Contemporary Theology | ||
| Seminar in Hist of Theology | ||
| Religion & Politics in Christian History | ||
| Found Crit Issues Theo Ethics | ||
| Seminar in Christian Ethics | ||
| School of Education (International Education) | ||
| Introduction to Educational Policy Analysis | ||
| International Higher Education | ||
| Comparative Education | ||
| Seminar in the History of Education | ||
| Seminar on Globalization and Education | ||
| Sem Comparative Education | ||
| School of Communication | ||
| Foundations of Global Strategic Communication | ||
| Organizational Leadership and Change Management | ||
| Global and Multicultural Audiences and Stakeholders | ||
| School of Social Work | ||
| Power, Oppression, Privilege, and Social Justice | ||
| Global Social Work: Reflective Practice for Justice and Peace | ||
| Immigration Dynamics and U.S. Social Policy | ||
| Social Work Practice with Refugees and Immigrants | ||
| Migration, Social Justice, and Human Rights | ||
| North American Migration Dynamics, Challenges & Opportunity | ||
| School of Law 2 | ||
| International Art Law | ||
| International Arbitration: Public and Private | ||
| International Trade Law | ||
| International and Comparative Antitrust | ||
| Advanced Business Organizations including a Comparative Perspective | ||
| International Arbitration | ||
| Global Law Seminar and Field Study | ||
| U.S. Foreign Trade and Customs Law | ||
| International Business Trans | ||
| International Law and Practice | ||
| International Arbitration Workshop | ||
| Global Access to Medicine: A Patent Perspective | ||
| Intro to English Legal Profession | ||
| Strategic Counseling for International Corporate Clients | ||
| International Arbitration Oral Advocacy | ||
| Human Rights in the Global Economy | ||
| European Union Law | ||
| School of Law at John Felice Rome Center | ||
| Comparative and Ethical Lawyering for the Rule of Law | ||
| History, Theory and Practice of Rule of Law for Development | ||
| Theory and Practice of Assessments in Rule of Law Advising | ||
| International Development Architecture | ||
| Sustainable Development through International Commerce and Investment | ||
| Design of Rule of Law Programs and Proposal Preparation | ||
| Rule of Law in Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding | ||
| Legal Systems and Methods | ||
| Research and Writing on the Rule of Law | ||
| Rule of Law Project Management, Monitoring & Evaluation | ||
| Parkinson School of Public Health | ||
| Determinants of Population Health | ||
| Introduction to Global Health | ||
| Global Maternal & Child Health | ||
| Population Health Planning & Management | ||
| Health Economics and Healthcare Financing | ||
| Health Impact Assessment | ||
| Quinlan School of Business | ||
| Internatnl Business Economics | ||
| International Financial Management | ||
| Global HR Management | ||
| Global Employment Relations | ||
| International Marketing | ||
| Comparative Consumer Behavior | ||
| International Business Ethics | ||
| Global Logistics | ||
- 1
Modern Languages and Literatures offers graduate-level courses in Spanish. The courses that follow are open only to interested students with advanced writing, speaking, and reading skills in Spanish.
- 2
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MA in International Affairs students must take variable credit Law courses for 3cr hours. The following notation can be included with the course listing: ‘MA students must choose the 3 credit option for enrollment in this course’.”
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supercede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
Students will graduate from our program having achieved:
- A foundation for understanding and critiquing research related to International Affairs, including methods training that leverages both qualitative and quantitative data
- Knowledge of the principal theories of comparative politics and international relations, as well as the key areas of research in these two subfields
- An interdisciplinary understanding and appreciation of International Affairs through coursework available within eight different departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and four additional Schools at Loyola
- Enhanced writing and critical thinking skills and dispositions through class-based projects and a capstone experience
- Strengthened methods, research, or writing skills tailored to students interests with advanced methods courses, language training, or the writing of a master’s thesis