Learning Goals

By majoring in International Relations, students should gain an understanding of:

• Understand the historical development of empires and nation-states and develop an appreciation for the political, economic, social, and ideological forces that shape states, impact their relations with other states, and structure their organization in an international order.
• Learn and apply theoretical approaches in the political science subfield of international relations to understand the evolution of the international system and such contemporary issues as conflict and conflict resolution, international political economy, human rights, and environmental protection.
• Understand and apply key concepts and theories analyzing economic interrelations among countries and economic and social outcomes in developing economies.
• Learn and apply key concepts and theories of human geography to develop a spatial, multi-scalar, place-based, and interdependent understanding of contemporary global issues.
• Acquire more detailed and multidisciplinary understanding of the historical background and current concerns in key international issue areas, such as international security, international political economy, international law and organizations, and protection of the environment.
• Learn how to design and implement a research project in history and the social sciences using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Attain foreign language proficiency at the intermediate level or above.

Faculty

This area of study is administered by the Program in International Relations:

Sarah Adelman, Professor of Economics

Sohail Hashmi, Professor of International Relations on the Alum Foundation and Professor of Politics

Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics

Jeremy King, Professor of History, Teaching Spring Only

Katherine Lande, Professor of Economics

Andy Reiter, Professor of Politics and International Relations, On Leave 2025-2026

Nieves Romero-Díaz, Professor of Spanish on the Alum Foundation

Desmond Fitz-Gibbon, Associate Professor of History, On Leave 2025-2026

Serin Houston, Associate Professor of Geography and International Relations

Christopher Mitchell, Associate Professor of International Relations and Politics

Dylan Shepardson, Robert L. Rooke Associate Professor of Mathematics

Abhilash Medhi, Assistant Professor of History

Requirements for the Major

A minimum of 40 credits:

¹

These introductory courses provide the foundation for more advanced course work in the IR major. Therefore, they should all be completed within the first five semesters at Mount Holyoke. POLIT-200 is intended for IR majors in their sophomore year.

²

Please note that the Department of Economics requires ECON-110 Introductory Economics as a prerequisite for ECON-213 and ECON-218.

³

Students with high school preparation in geography should take GEOG-206.

Other Requirements

• Focus. Each student’s major must have a focus, consisting of at least 12 credits in two different disciplines, only 4 credits of which may be independent study. Students may elect one of the following five foci: global commons, international institutions, international peace and security, international political economy, or international ethics. They may also design a focus, with the approval of their advisor and the chair.
• Independent study. Only 4 credits of independent work can count toward the requirement for courses at the 300 level.
• Foreign language. Each student is expected to possess or acquire intermediate-level or higher proficiency in a foreign language (usually four semesters).

Additional Specifications

• Soon after declaring their major, students should plan individual programs of study in consultation with one or more members of the faculty committee, one of whom will be designated the student’s academic advisor.
• Exceptions to the requirements above will be made only in rare cases and require the approval of the chair.
• The Department of International Relations does not cross-list courses in other departments that satisfy the major’s requirements. Generally, all courses taught by members of the IR Committee count toward the major. For courses offered by other faculty, the policy of the department is to accept any course in any department that is directly pertinent to the student’s focus in the major. Thus, for example, a student whose focus is global commons could conceivably count courses offered by the geology or biological sciences departments. Or a student focusing on international ethics could use certain courses in the religion or philosophy departments to satisfy the requirements of the major. Any questions concerning the appropriateness of a particular course can be answered by the advisor or the department chair. It is important for the student to verify that the course in question will count toward the major before enrolling.
• The IR major focuses on global issues and institutions, and relationships across regions and nations. This does not preclude students from developing expertise in a particular region or nation; indeed, part of the study of international relations is how global issues find local expressions. But students whose primary interest is in a particular area of the world should elect a more appropriate major, such as Latin American or Asian studies.
• Students who declare an international relations major automatically fulfill the College's "outside the major" requirement.

Certificate Overview

The Five College International Relations Certificate Program offers students an opportunity to pursue an interest in international affairs as a complement to their majors. It prepares students to make interdisciplinary connections between their field of study and the complexities of global challenges such as globalization, regional and ethnic conflict, environmental degradation, resource scarcity, demographic stress, global climate change, wide disparities in global economic development, and challenges to global public health.

The Five College Certificate in International Relations serves as the minor in International Relations.

Requirements for the Certificate

A minimum of seven courses:

Additional Specifications

• A complete list of the Five College courses for each of the seven areas of study is available from the IR certificate advisors and the program’s website.
• No more than four of these courses in any one discipline can be counted toward the certificate.
• No single course can satisfy more than one requirement.
• Students must complete the required courses (with the exception of the foreign language courses) with letter grades of B or better (no satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades).
• For further information consult with one of the Mount Holyoke College advisors. Additional information also can be found at the program's website.

Course Offerings

Courses Approved for International Relations Focus Fields

Global Commons

International Institutions

International Peace and Security

International Political Economy

International Ethics