International Studies

Academics at Hanover:

As an international studies student, you’ll become a confident, competent global citizen who is prepared to take an active role in the growing global community.

With their extensive international experience, Hanover’s multilingual faculty has helped students understand the complexities of international interdependence and has produced two Fulbright scholars. International studies majors have interned with the United Nations in New York City, with foreign embassies in Washington, D.C. and with the Inter-Paliamentary Union in Geneva.

Maybe you’ll travel to Brussels to learn about the economics of the European Union or to Africa to understand African politics and societies. Certainly, you’ll broaden your perspective on the cultural, economic and political issues that are keys to success in today’s world.

BUILDING SKILLS FOR AN INTERCONNECTED WORLD

With international studies, you’ll build the skills needed to make professional contributions in positions that require sensitivity and expertise in areas of international relations. You’ll develop:

A historical grasp of the formation of our contemporary world
A heightened sensitivity to cross-cultural differences
An understanding of the basics of international social, political and economic relations
Independent thought and action
Critical-thinking skills
Effective communication skills
Practical knowledge of research design, implementation and analysis
Competence in at least one language other than English

“People do not often have the opportunity to see an entirely different world; I had three opportunities to do so. Each one of them offering experiences that has shaped my outlook on the world in varying degrees.”
Hilary F. Tollefson ’14

WHAT DO INTERNATIONAL STUDIES MAJOR STUDY?

Because international studies is an interdisciplinary program, students take courses taught by professors from various departments such as:

Modern languages
Anthropology
Economics
History
International studies
Political science

This design means you have access to a wide range of classes and can focus on those topics that interest you.

PLACEMENTS

International studies students develop skills to pursue careers such as:

International political scientist
International economist
International historian
Foreign service officer
International trade or business specialist
Applied anthropologist
Special international legislative or congressional aide
Journalist

“The International Studies Department at Hanover College has provided me with a truly global outlook, an invaluable resource not only in the job market, but in the world at large. The interdisciplinary nature of the major, coupled with Hanover’s emphasis on study abroad, fosters a learning environment that favors academic exploration and personal experience over second-hand textbook accounts of other nations’ political and cultural characteristics.”
Sara St. John ’06, Fulbright Scholar

COURSES

Anthropology
ANTH 112 Introduction to Anthropology
Followed by a geographical area course at the 200-level or higher (**):
ANTH 232 Native North American Cultures**
ANTH 238 Middle East: Peoples and Cultures**
ANTH 241 North and East Africa: Peoples and Cultures**
ANTH 260 South and East Africa: Peoples and Cultures**

Other courses that satisfy the five other courses requirement:
ANTH 222 World Ethnographies
ANTH 259 Immigration and Transnationalism
ANTH 260 Special Topics
ANTH 311 World of Islam
ANTH 316 Comparative Spiritual Traditions
ANTH 332 Food, Body, and Culture
ANTH 333 Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion
ANTH 336 Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ANTH 424 Theory in Anthropology

Economics

ECO 114 Principles of Macroeconomics

Followed by one of the following:
ECO 214 Intermediate Macroeconomics
ECO 222 Economics of the European Union (in Belgium)
ECO 223 Economics of Poverty and Discrimination (113, 114, or 161 prerequisite)
ECO 260 Special Topics
ECO 333 International Trade and Finance
ECO 337 Economic Development (113 or 114 prerequisite)
ECO 360 Special Topics

History

Introductory Courses
HIS 162 Modern Politics II: East Asia
HIS 215 The West: Ancient to Medieval
HIS 216 The West: Renaissance to 1800
HIS 217 The West: 1800 to the Present

American History

The Search for Order, 1877-1945
Modern America, 1945-Present

European History

HIS 242 The Soviet Union
HIS 245 Studies in Modern Europe
HIS 325 The Holocaust
HIS 349 Nazi Germany
HIS 360J Britain in the Age of Empire

Advanced Courses in Asian, Latin American, and World History

HIS 261 The World Outside the West, 1500-Present
HIS 264 The World Since 1945
HIS 266 History of China
HIS 267 History of Japan
HIS 268 History of Modern Science
HIS 345 The Renaissance
HIS 362 Modern China
HIS 365 History of the Middle East

Interdisciplinary Courses Satisfying the Five Other Courses Category

ID 210 Africa and the Americas I: Society and Literature in Africa
ID 211 Africa and the Americas II: Society and Literature in the Americas
MS 125 Eurasia: Modern Societies from 1600 to 1850
MS 126 Eurasia: Modern Societies from 1850 to present
INS 161 Modern Africa I
ANTH 161 Modern Africa II

Modern Language Courses Satisfying the Five Other Courses Category

FRE 161 Francophone Multiculturalism
FRE 227 Off-Campus French Conversation in Contemporary Context
FRE 239 French Civilization and Culture Before 1900
FRE 240 Contemporary French Business and Culture
FRE 310 Studies in French Literature and Culture
FRE 311 Studies in Francophone Literatures and Cultures
GER 161 The Great German Dynasties
GER 227 Off-Campus German Conversation in Contemporary Context
GER 230 German Culture and Civilization
GER 240 Studies in German Literature and Culture
GER 246 German History from the Beginnings to World War I
GER 247 German History, 1945-Present
MS 120 Latin American Cinema
SPA 227 Spanish Conversation and Culture
SPA 230 Spanish Culture and Civilization
SPA 231 Spanish American Culture and Civilization
SPA 321 Film and the Spanish Speaking World
SPA 333 The Development of Spanish-American Literature
SPA 337 Studies in Latin American Literature and Culture
SPA 439 The Clash of Cultures

Natural Science Courses Satisfying the Five Other Courses Category

GEO 165 Global Environmental Change

Political Science

PLS 231 World Politics (Required)
PLS 211 Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa
PLS 212 American Foreign Policy
PLS 217 Latin American Politics
PLS 218 European Politics
PLS 219 Middle Eastern Politics
PLS 220 Politics and Society in Contemporary Asia
PLS 225 Women in the Developing World
PLS 331 International Law & Organization
PLS 335 International Political Economy
PLS 337 Field Study of the United Nations

Research Methods Courses Satisfying the Five Other Courses Category

One of the following:
MAT 217 Applied Statistics
PLS 239 Research Methods
SOC 320 Research Methods and Statistics
ANTH 325 Research Methods in Anthropology
ECO 257 Quantitative Methods for Business and Economics
HIS 371 Historical Research