International Affairs (INTL)

INTL 1000. International Affairs at Northeastern. (1 Hour)

Introduces first-year international affairs students to the majors, the departments servicing IAF, and the university as a whole; familiarizes students with the skills needed for success as a university student.

INTL 1101. Globalization and International Affairs. (4 Hours)

Offers an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing global/international affairs. Examines the politics, economics, culture, and history of current international issues through lectures, guest lectures, film, case studies, and readings across the disciplines.

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 1150. The Mediterranean World: An Overview. (4 Hours)

Introduces problems currently facing the nations of the Mediterranean region, the sources of these problems, how they are affecting the rest of the world, and what the future of the region may be. The Mediterranean is a region of significant international geopolitical importance where three major religions and continents meet, very different demographic patterns interact, the challenge of adapting to global economic and social forces is being faced, and security and terrorism are major problems. Surveys the Mediterranean region, its characteristics and significance, the changes it has experienced, and the ways in which societies around the Mediterranean currently interact and influence each other.

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 1160. Middle East Studies. (4 Hours)

Concentrates on the history, politics, cultures, and economics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries in the 20th and 21st centuries. Explores topics such as empire, colonialism, revolutions, state-building, development, and social movements. Offers students an opportunity to obtain interdisciplinary skills to analyze dynamics of gender, class, race/ethnicity, and religion in MENA countries.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 1251. Dante’s "Inferno" and Medieval Italian Culture. (4 Hours)

Presents an overview of Dante’s "Commedia," with a focus on the first book, "Inferno." Explores the descending levels of hell, analyzing the historical and cultural context of Dante's time, including political events and social structures. Examines theological concepts such as sin, punishment, redemption, and the afterlife from the perspective of Christian theology. Through the literary analysis of selected chapters (canti), evaluates the potential relevance of the poem to the modern human condition and to the reader's own experiences. Taught in English.

Attribute(s): NUpath Ethical Reasoning, NUpath Interpreting Culture

INTL 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 2100. Modern Israel. (4 Hours)

Introduces students to an Israel rarely seen in the news: Films, art, music, short stories, food, and spiritual movements show Israel from a different point of view and expose students to the questions Israelis ask themselves in order to define their own identity. Modern Israel is a fascinating, vibrant, talented, imperfect nation of people from 100 different countries. Thus, conflicts, tensions and contradictions lie at its heart: Ashkenazi Jews complain the country is too Levantine; Sephardi Jews complain about deprivation; Israeli Arabs complain about their position in the nation; Orthodox Jews say the state is not sufficiently religious; seculars consider it antiquated in nature. Immigrants from Russia and Ethiopia, foreign guest workers, water crises, and the Arab-Israeli conflict also figure in the story.

INTL 2101. Law and Religion in Israel. (4 Hours)

Examines how religious diversity features into Israeli life, society, and laws. Israel maintains a unique form of legal pluralism in regulating its official religious communities and their courts. Considers how Israeli society, its religious and civil courts, and its government navigate the challenges that Israel faces as a self-defined “Jewish and democratic state” with a legal commitment to the religious autonomy of its officially recognized religious communities. Explores the complex interplay between religion and law in the daily life of Israel’s citizens.

INTL 2200. America and the Middle East. (4 Hours)

Focuses on U.S. engagement with the Middle East, primarily with Muslim societies, and with the Christian and Jewish communities across the region. Emphasizes Egypt, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Israel/Palestine, and Lebanon. From America’s first proselytizing adventure to the Ottoman Empire in 1820 to the embrace of Saudi Arabia in the 1940s to the overthrow of the democratically elected prime minister in Iran in 1953 to the attacks of September 11, 2001, to the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 to America’s response to the “Arab Awakening” in 2011 and beyond, the course covers history, politics, oil, war, and peacemaking within the framework of U.S. involvement in the Middle East.

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 2464. Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. (4 Hours)

Examines the social dimensions of resource extraction. Focusing mainly on developing nations, studies global issues, including developments in industrial nations, to assess their impact on resource extraction and living and working conditions in resource-rich regions. Uses case studies of key countries producing oil/gas, minerals, and forest/agricultural commodities to illustrate the past/current causes of resource mismanagement; their social consequences; and how public policies, legislation, and financial and human resource management with industrialization can be used to avert or reduce the adverse effects of resource extraction, especially in poor countries. Major theories examined include the resource curse and alternative approaches to problems faced by resource-bearing developing nations. AFRS 2464 and INTL 2464 are cross-listed.

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 2480. Women and World Politics. (4 Hours)

Introduces a variety of issues facing women across the globe. Focuses on the gender dynamics of key issues in international affairs. These could include economic policy, conflict and war, human rights/women’s rights, political power, and collective action. Draws on examples from various world regions since the twentieth century to analyze similarities and differences across cases around the globe. INTL 2480 and WMNS 2480 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 2500. Race and Global Human Mobility. (4 Hours)

Examines the relationship between race and the movement of people around the globe. Offers students an opportunity to acquire a concrete understanding of how race and ethnicity (as social constructions) have developed as people have migrated (under free will or forced circumstances) within and across geopolitical territories (i.e., colonies, countries) in the past (1400s) and through the present. Ethnoracial-related conflicts connected to migration (i.e., rebellions by the enslaved during the Atlantic slave trade, Rwandan genocide, Syrian civil war) may also be explored.

Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 2718. Research Methods in International Affairs. (4 Hours)

Introduces a range of research methods employed in the study of international affairs. Offers students an opportunity to develop competency in the most commonly used quantitative and qualitative research tools in the social sciences and related humanities. Topics include empirical and normative research traditions, generalizability, historical analyses, hypothesis testing, literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative approaches, research ethics, survey research, units of analysis, and more.

INTL 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 3150. Global Philanthropy. (4 Hours)

Analyzes whether transnational philanthropy can solve problems of global poverty, development, and human welfare. Introduces students to relevant normative and empirical scholarship drawn from moral philosophy, postcolonial critical theory, development economics, and comparative politics. Offers students an opportunity to obtain the analytical tools needed to assess the promise and pitfalls of global philanthropy. Invites the application of these skills through a sustained funding simulation.

Attribute(s): NUpath Ethical Reasoning, NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 3200. Cities in a Global Context. (4 Hours)

Examines the roots of the urbanization process, major ways of thinking about it, and the development of world cities and megacities. The twenty-first century will be a century in which urbanism is a central problem and opportunity. Considers the economic, political, cultural, and environmental dimensions of urbanism across the globe. Includes specific case studies from around the world. Encourages students to develop a knowledge of particular cities in order to examine the key themes of the course. INTL 3200, ANTH 3200, and SOCL 3200 are cross-listed.

INTL 3201. Cities in a Global Context (Abroad). (4 Hours)

Focuses on the character of space, place, and culture of a contemporary world (global) city. Explores the material transformations of the city and how people understand and imagine the places, spaces, times, and environments they inhabit. Addresses issues of global geographies of cultural change, especially the relationship between the local and the global; questions of place, identity, and landscape, especially at the local level; the significance of place and space in the invention of modern traditions, including places of memory (memorials, museums); the nature of public space and its relations to citizenship; gentrification and the role of art in the city and nature-society relations as expressed in urban parks. Includes a combination of lectures and guided and self-directed field trips in the selected global city. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 3300. Covering Conflicts: Peace, War, and the Media. (4 Hours)

Examines the media’s portrayal of conflicts and the peace process in the Middle East, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Rwanda, and elsewhere. Evaluates the limits of fairness, balance, and accuracy in the coverage. Looks at the U.S. and international media—print, broadcast, and online—and some of the major stories in recent years and attempts to put these stories in historical, political, and social context. Analyzes the wide-ranging criticism of coverage from a variety of perspectives. INTL 3300 and JRNL 3300 are cross-listed.

INTL 3350. Borders and Racial Security. (4 Hours)

Presents a comprehensive overview of governance of borders across the world. Addresses the disconnect and tension between the concept of a world without borders and the post–September 11 realities of increased border securitization. Explores the link between securitized borders and racism by unpacking the concept of racial security. Critically examines how borders are used to treat various groups and people differently, and introduces an intersectional analysis of race, ethnicity, gender, and class. Explores the geopolitics of securitized borders, border cities, and bordering practices beyond material border zones. Analyzes cross-border activities, transnational human rights activism, and freedom of mobility.

INTL 3400. International Conflict and Negotiation. (4 Hours)

Offers an interdisciplinary approach to analyzing international conflict and negotiations: how conflicts evolve, are managed, and/or resolved. In dealing with different types of regional and international conflicts, students focus on historical, ethnic, religious, geographic, and political aspects of a variety of conflicts and the consequences these conflicts hold for regional and international actors.

Prerequisite(s): INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- ; POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D- ; (ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C )

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTL 3406. International Law. (4 Hours)

Introduces international law and how it redefines and shapes world politics. Offers students an opportunity to learn about the cornerstones of this area of the law: the state, organizations and their legal personality, diplomatic relations, treaties, extraterritorial jurisdiction, extradition, human rights and humanitarian law, the law of the sea trade/economic law, and international criminal law with a focus on the world courts. Considers the degree to which international law is pervasive in the life of individuals and states alike.

Prerequisite(s): POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

INTL 3430. Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection. (4 Hours)

Explores various types of conflict settlements and their implications for peace and reconciliation. Why do civil wars break out in some places but not others? What does it take to start a revolution? Why do some conflicts last decades, and what can be done to mitigate their costs? Examines why civil conflicts begin, how they are fought, and how they end. Substantive topics include strategies of insurgency and counterinsurgency; the role of ethnicity, religion, and gender; and the relationship between economic factors and conflict. Students leverage fundamental concepts and theories in comparative politics to analyze civil conflicts in a wide range of country contexts.

Prerequisite(s): POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTL 3450. Security, Culture, Power. (4 Hours)

Offers a critical and interdisciplinary approach to the study of security. Analyzes the politics, culture, geography, and history of security as a major force shaping the contemporary world. Aims to develop a critical analysis of how power operates in and through security by examining questions of how security shapes cities, states, space, and society from the cultural and psychological terrain of fear to the international terrain of war, capitalism, migration, and transnational conflicts.

Prerequisite(s): INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- ; POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D- ; (ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C )

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 3455. Russian Foreign Policy. (4 Hours)

Presents an analysis of the goals, methods, and achievements of Russian policy in the post-Soviet era toward Eastern Europe, Western Europe, the Middle East, Central and East Asia, and the United States against the background of Soviet behavior toward these areas in the recent past.

Prerequisite(s): POLS 1155 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

INTL 3470. Arab-Israeli Conflict. (4 Hours)

Explores the history and politics of the Arab-Israeli conflict, examining the origins of the conflict, its development over time, the key events that have shaped it, and the different narratives and perceptions of these events. Offers students an opportunity to learn about the conflict from the emergence of Zionism and Arab nationalism up to present day. Emphasizes the Israeli-Palestinian dimension of the conflict.

Prerequisite(s): ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C

INTL 3520. Global Political Economy. (4 Hours)

Examines how states, institutions, policy choices, and social forces shape—and are influenced by—the global economy and the world polity. Draws on historical patterns and empirical evidence of societal behavior to evaluate the evolution of global development policy over time and across space. Uses country illustrations and case studies to demonstrate how examining development policy trade-offs can provide guidance for formulating sustainable development policies at the global level. Focuses on global governance and how decisions about global rules related to industrial policy, foreign investment policy, and climate change policy are made at the level of several international institutions.

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 4100. Forced Migration: Refugees, Exiles, and Displaced Persons. (4 Hours)

Analyzes the history and politics of forced migration, concentrating on the negative “push” factors that force people to migrate and the positive “pull” factors that motivate them to seek sanctuary in particular places. While millons of people worldwide are displaced by war and other forms of violence, the history of forced migration and processes of seeking and granting refuge are often poorly understood. Investigates the development of legal and institutional frameworks that govern forced migration and assesses its political and humanitarian implications. Rejecting dominant views of displaced people as “victims” or as “problems” to “solve,” the course addresses displaced people as complex historical actors whose experiences are tied to legacies and processes of imperialism, state violence, war, and globalization.

INTL 4350. Ethnography of Southeast Asia. (4 Hours)

Offers a seminar on the societies and cultures of Southeast Asia. Uses an interdisciplinary approach to this diverse and dynamic geopolitical region, with readings from anthropology, history, political science, and literature. Covers the major political and cultural changes that have shaped Southeast Asia in relation to the world—from the age of colonial expansion, to the rise of nation-states, to the present global era. Examines central questions in the ethnography of Southeast Asia, emphasizing the postcolonial legacies of Southeast Asia, states and violence, culture and mobility, and pressing contemporary issues in globalizing Southeast Asia. ANTH 4350 and INTL 4350 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): SOCL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or ANTH 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or HUSV 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or CRIM 1100 with a minimum grade of D- or INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or WMNS 1103 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1140 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 4500. Latin American Society and Development. (4 Hours)

Explores the processes of social, economic, and cultural change in Latin America. While concentrating on the present, traces class formation, agrarian structures, ethnic identity, ceremonial organization, gender roles, and political conflict since the colonial era in a range of countries. Emphasizes the relationship of communities and national political and economic systems. May emphasize Central America and Mexico or countries in South America through case studies. ANTH 4500 and INTL 4500 are cross-listed.

Prerequisite(s): (SOCL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or ANTH 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or HUSV 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or CRIM 1100 with a minimum grade of D- or INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or WMNS 1103 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1140 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D- ); (ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C )

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTL 4510. Anthropology of Africa. (4 Hours)

Explores Africa's changing place in the world. Studies the history of Africa and explores the role of ethnography in the making of colonial Africa and the cultural transformations and continuities produced by the emergence of African cities during and after colonialism. Studies postcolonial Africa to critically and comparatively engage with contemporary issues facing African societies. Considers the efflorescence of new cultural forms of music, art, film, and literature, in conjunction with new sources of identity such as nationality, religion, ethnicity, consumption, and migration.

Prerequisite(s): (ANTH 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or CRIM 1100 with a minimum grade of D- or HUSV 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1140 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D- or SOCL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or WMNS 1103 with a minimum grade of D- ); (ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C )

Attribute(s): NUpath Interpreting Culture, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTL 4520. Chinese Society and Culture. (4 Hours)

Introduces students to changes in society and economy in contemporary China. Examines changes in family, gender relations, rural life, work, and international relations. Draws on literature from a range of disciplines including sociology, political science, anthropology, and economics.

Prerequisite(s): ANTH 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or INTL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1140 with a minimum grade of D- or POLS 1160 with a minimum grade of D- or SOCL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or WMNS 1103 with a minimum grade of D-

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 4700. Senior Capstone Seminar in International Affairs. (4 Hours)

Offers a senior research and writing seminar that integrates and assesses the knowledge and skills developed by students participating in the international affairs curriculum, including both experiential (co-op, Dialogue of Civilizations, study abroad, internship, or other approved international experience) and classroom-based components. Requires student self-reflection as well as new research, analysis, and writing, which culminate in a final paper and presentation. Topics include contemporary global issues and draw on relevant literature in the disciplines relating to international affairs.

Attribute(s): NUpath Capstone Experience, NUpath Writing Intensive

INTL 4938. Dialogue of Civilizations: Globalization and Social Sciences. (4 Hours)

Engages students with the culture, civilization, and people of the countries studied and visited. The course provides students with an in-depth and on-site experience, learning the politics, sociology, journalism, human services, law, public policy, and/or economics and business in the country of study. Students connect with their peers in each country/society and gain a “global experience” that enhances their academic studies on campus in Boston. The experience culminates in an independent research project conducted by the students before, during, and after their time in-country. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 4944. Dialogue of Civilizations: Regional Engagement. (4 Hours)

Engages students with the cultures, societies, and peoples of particular countries and localities in one primary geographic region. Offers students an in-depth and on-site experience and an opportunity to learn about various aspects of the region, which may include politics, sociology, law, history, philosophy, culture, music, arts, literature, theatre, economics, and/or business. Students may connect with their peers in each locality and across societies, therein to gain an international experience designed to enhance their academic studies on campus in Boston. Culminating projects may include a research paper, an artistic expression piece (i.e., film or photos), or other assignment as determined by the professor. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 4970. Junior/Senior Honors Project 1. (4 Hours)

Focuses on in-depth project in which a student conducts research or produces a product related to the student’s major field. Combined with Junior/Senior Project 2 or college-defined equivalent for 8-credit honors project. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 4971. Junior/Senior Honors Project 2. (4 Hours)

Focuses on second semester of in-depth project in which a student conducts research or produces a product related to the student’s major field. May be repeated without limit.

Prerequisite(s): INTL 4970 with a minimum grade of D-

INTL 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)

Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 4991. Research. (4 Hours)

Offers an opportunity to conduct research under faculty supervision.

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience

INTL 4992. Directed Study. (1-4 Hours)

Offers independent work under the direction of members of the department on a chosen topic. Course content depends on instructor. May be repeated without limit.

INTL 4994. Internship. (1-4 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity for internship work. May be repeated up to nine times for a maximum of 28 semester hours.

Attribute(s): NUpath Integration Experience

INTL 5010. International Human Rights Law and Policy. (4 Hours)

Examines the law, politics, policy, and advocacy practices of international human rights. Focuses on the dilemmas that ensue and the political, policy, and philosophical implications of human rights. Explores the role of international and domestic law in enacting and enforcing human rights claims, the institutions of international human rights law, and the relationships between different types of rights. Places human rights in the context of colonialism, racism, and economic inequality. Analyzes how and when human rights law and practice can adequately address global challenges as well as when they fall short.

INTL 5100. Climate and Development. (4 Hours)

Serves as an introduction to climate change and development processes in developing countries. Exposes students to key debates in the fields of climate change and international development. Offers students an opportunity to learn about the approaches to climate adaptation, the relationship between adaptation and development, and concepts of resilience and transformation. Using a comparative case study approach, explores the importance of the local context; the intersections of politics, economics, and culture; ecology and human-environment relationships; and the role (and challenges) of finance and development assistance. Climate impacts threaten to reverse many of the development gains of the last century, and the most vulnerable are likely to be the most impacted by climate change. At the same time, opportunities exist to ensure climate-compatible development pathways. Cross-listed with PPUA 5100.

Attribute(s): NUpath Societies/Institutions

INTL 5268. International Environmental Policy. (4 Hours)

Explores key environmental challenges and policy solutions from an international perspective. Emphasizes the complexity of human-natural systems for policy design, provides a history of international environmental politics, and discusses contemporary policy issues. Presents key paradigms for understanding environmental challenges and the analytical tools to look critically at important debates, understand the role of different actors, identify equity and justice considerations, and assess policy options from multiple perspectives. Focuses on global environmental governance and sustainable development diplomacy, natural resource management, and climate change policy. Addresses the role of science in policymaking, tensions between environment and development, the scale and complexity of international environmental governance, and equity and justice.

INTL 7986. Research. (0 Hours)

Offers students an opportunity to conduct full-time research under faculty supervision.

INTL 7990. Thesis. (4 Hours)

Offers thesis supervision by members of the department.

INTL 7996. Thesis Continuation - Half-Time. (0 Hours)

Offers continued thesis supervision by individual members of the program.