International Studies

Transfer credit - lower division elective.

A survey of factors affecting interaction within the international community. The focus is on the meaning, purposes and methodologies of international studies as a framework for better understanding historical, social, cultural, economic and political issues and trends within the human family.

Transfer credit - lower division core.

An overview of research and writing techniques used in the field of international studies to develop evidence-based solutions to global issues. This course introduces data collection and analysis techniques that lead to understanding and addressing issues of global concern. Additional emphasis is placed on standard academic writing in the field of international studies. Pre-requisite: INST 1351

Transfer credit - upper division elective.

A topical examination of the history of one or more Latin American nations since independence, with a concentration on the persons, events and institutions that help to explain current developments in Latin America.

An overview of the world’s political cultures, systems, behavior, and institutions. The objective is to develop a background with which to assess and explain differences in political culture, governmental structures and political behavior, and to appreciate the effects these factors have on international relations. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member.

Theories of international politics and the decision–making process that generates foreign policy. An examination of the role of power in the modern world, the utility of force in conflict resolution versus the multilateral, collaborative approach. An introduction to the way current international politics is increasingly related to the world economic situation with special attention to the role of multinational corporations, international trade and finance. Prerequisites: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member. (POSC 3352)

This course examines the interrelationship between political and economic factors in international relations. Theoretical perspectives on the relationship between international economics and politics, trade policies, trends in integration of political and economic systems, the role of multinational corporations and economic organizations in the modern world. Prerequisites: INST 3352 or permission of faculty member.

A survey of world cultures, the factors distinguishing them from one another and the impact that cultural differences have on international relations. Special emphasis is placed on current cultural issues of major concern to the international community. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member.

An interdisciplinary survey of Europe, focusing on the geographic, historical, cultural, economic and political factors most affecting the role of this region in the international community today. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission faculty member.

An interdisciplinary survey of Latin America, focusing on the geographic, historical, cultural, economic and political factors most affecting the role of this region in the international community today. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member.

An interdisciplinary survey of East Asia focusing on the geographic, historical, cultural, economic and political factors most affecting the role of this region in the international community today. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member.

An interdisciplinary survey of the Middle East, focusing on the geographic, historical, cultural, economic and political factors most affecting the role of this region in the international community today. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member.

(POSC 4354) The foreign–policy–making process and factors influencing U.S. international behavior since 1945. Special emphasis on foreign policy issues affecting United States’ interests in the coming decade. Prerequisite: INST 1351 or permission of faculty member.

Transfer credit - upper division core.

This course is the second semester continuation of a two-semester long (3 credit) capstone course in which majors develop, elaborate, and research a topic of their own choosing, in consultation with their thesis director. The result of this intensive research and writing exercise will be a thesis fit for presentation at a professional conference and UST Research Day. Prerequisite: INST 4399

Work experience in business, government, media or private, not–for–profit agencies in the international field. To be arranged with the director. Consent required: Department. Course offered Pass/Fail basis only.

Student research on a selected problem in the field under the guidance of an international studies faculty member. Consent required: Instructor

Upper–division treatment of selected topics in international studies.

Work experience in business, government, media or private, not–for–profit agencies in the international field. To be arranged with the director. Consent required: Department. Course offered Pass/Fail basis only

Student research on a selected problem in the field under the guidance of an international studies faculty member. Consent required: Instructor

Upper–division treatment of selected topics in international studies.

This course is an introduction to the political and economic trends underway in Mexico. The political sphere includes features of the current political system, electoral processes, the evolution of nongovernmental organizations and the relation of the Mexican government with civil society, business and labor sectors. The economic sphere focuses on Mexico’s role in NAFTA and regional integration, and the bilateral relationship of Mexico with the United States.Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course examines how the interplay of cultures affects our daily lives and how values and beliefs can shape cultural regions. While the course will cover broad theory, particular focus will be on Latin America. The key question is: who is the Latin American? This course will review and deconstruct the paradigm of Latin American character and how it impacts and is impacted by the church, work relations, family, race and gender. The influences of particular historical, geographic and socio–economic forces in Latin American build an image of a coherent cultural region. This is an image, however, full of intra–regional diversity. To what extent then does the cultural ideal type accommodate this diversity? Mexico, Brazil and Argentina will be examined for answers to these questions. Prerequisite: 60+credit hours

This course presents the history of modern China from 1860s to today. The course begins with China’s forced opening to the West after the Opium Wars and concludes with China’s transition at the start of the 21st Century. While emphasizing the chronological record of China’s development, discussion also focuses on the changing images of China at home in the West over one and a half centuries. Reliance upon text material is accented by frequent use of film to bring these images and events to life. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course explores the political, social and economic issues surrounding the global exploration, supply, and consumption of energy. The politics of energy examines the national, multinational, and transnational actors that compete for energy resources. The relationship between energy and security is investigated with special attention to the Middle East, China , India , and the United States . The social consequences of the search for and use of fossil fuels is examined, as well as the economics of fossil fuels, biomass, and renewal energy resources. Considerable attention will be granted to studies forecasting future supply and demand, as well as the cost benefit analysis of alternative energy sources. Prerequisite: 60+credit hours

This course examines the relationship between the globalization phenomena and issues related to gender treatment and equity. Primary emphasis will be granted to the effect of globalization on female labor. This topic will be explored in the context of socioeconomic development within and across developed and developing societies. .Major conceptual approaches to understand development will be addressed and assessed through quantitative and qualitative analyses. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

Beginning with the customs and sources of international jurisprudence, this course introduces essential legal terminology and distinctions focusing on the lawful exercise of power of nations. Relevant topics include international organizations and methods of dispute resolution, especially armed conflict, human rights, global environmental law, and law of the sea, air, and space. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course provides an extensive examination of the conceptualization and measurement of “development” and “democracy.” The course begins with discussion and analysis of the extant model of development as it developed in Western Europe and North America. This model is then applied and tested in regions of the world outside of the core–industrialized states to ascertain its applicability historically and empirically. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course exposes students to a focused look at security studies of peace and war, with application to understanding the source and nature of conflicts over time. State and systemic security is approached from a perspective broader than traditional conventional security by examining economic, health, and environmental challenges to states. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This seminar examines the challenges that the United States confronts in international affairs in the first decades of the twenty–first century; will analyze the foreign and national security policies the country pursues to meet these challenges; and will evaluate the strategies it deploys to implement those policies. The course will place these themes in their historical context. Among the subjects explored are nature of power and the uses of diplomacy in the contemporary world; United States’ diplomatic, foreign policy, and national security traditions; the National Security Strategy of the United States; the utility of the concepts of sovereignty, hegemony, and the balance of power; the impact of globalization and anti–Americanism on U.S. policy and strategy; and the U.S. approach to failed states, transnational threats, democracy promotion, and conflict termination. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course exposes students to the basic analytical skills and practical experiences needed to generally understand the rationale for and execution of international projects from identification to start of operations. It covers the general theories and practices used by multilateral and governmental organizations as well as large corporations to identify, justify, structure, negotiate and fund international projects. The course is designed to provide practical analytical skills to students who would like to develop careers in the international arena. Among the subjects this course will explore are project development; project finance; risk identification and mitigation; international legal structuring and negotiations; and project viability analysis. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course sees individuals as active agents of change in any given society. Through an integrated analysis of economic, social and political activities involving a variety of institutions and many interactive agencies it seeks to understand and analyze the roles and interconnections between certain crucial instrumental freedoms and their prospects for development. In part, these include economic opportunities, political rights, social facilities, transparency guarantees, and protective security. Course format will present opportunities for exploring development, including a formal debate on the role of societal arrangements. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

The study of global health requires the examination of predominant health issues and current health policy from the local to international perspectives and analysis. The increasingly open flow of resources, including human capital, and the potential of the catastrophic impact of epidemics and pandemics has transformed health from a domestic to a multi–national concern and challenge. Emphasis will be on the international health regime characterized by the institutional rules, norms, and organizations that address global health. Specifically, this course examines and discusses topics in health– and organization–related issues, including a current survey of global health problems, surveillance of diseases and injuries, basic methods for outbreak investigation, international health policies and treaties, and introduction to organizational theories relevant to global health. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course introduces the theoretical, legal and policy issues of importance in human rights discourse. Students will be provided a solid grounding in the key texts, documents and literature on the subject and will be equipped with a knowledge and understanding of the fundamental legal, political and nongovernmental organizations which underpin human rights practice. Emphasis will be international in nature and will focus on the international rules and institutions that address human rights. No prior knowledge of the law or any particular legal system is required. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course complements INST 3363 (Regional Study: North Africa and the Middle East) by examining the dynamics, debates, and crises that mark the modern Middle East. Topically it includes women and gender in the Middle East; the economics of oil; water as a scarce and contentious resource; Muslim fundamentalism; the Arab–Israeli conflict; the politics of armament. Topics rotate from semester to semester. It will strengthen methods and analytical capabilities for understanding the complexities of current affairs in this strategic world region. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course deals with key factors in the historical formation of Brazil; key factors which have shaped major contemporary issues. Among them, the course will highlight the formation of the territory and Brazilian identity, miscegenation and racial identity, land and income distribution, urbanization and urban violence. Students will learn to discuss contemporary attempts of development in the country, their failures and successes, and the involvement of the different social classes and major religious groups in these attempts. Furthermore, the discussion will place the Brazilian experience within the context of Latin America and the International community. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course is a survey of the contemporary history, politics, economics, and external relations of the Republic of China on Taiwan, known to most of the world as simply Taiwan. While founded on mainland China in 1912, the Republic of China we know today has been shaped largely by events after 1949. On the verge of total defeat near the end of China's civil war, the Nationalist government reestablished itself on the island of Taiwan. Since 1949, Taiwan has transitioned from abject poverty to one of the wealthiest societies in the world; from fascism to liberal democracy; and from near universal diplomatic recognition to nearly complete diplomatic isolation. This course will explore the immense challenges faced by Taiwan's people and government and investigate the manner in which such an imperiled island managed such a fascinating process of change. Highlighted as well is the prominent role played by the United States in guaranteeing the regional security necessary for Taiwan's ascendance. Prerequisite: 60+ credit hours

This course explores the country risks businesses and non-profits face in the developing world, including government instability, the lack of government capacity, insecurity, dysfunctional legal systems, corruption, human rights violations, poverty, poor infrastructure, and a low level of social services, including poor education and health care. We will look at how entities evaluate these risks before entering a country and how they manage these risks once on the ground. We will also discuss the ethical issues encountered in doing business in developing countries. The course will provide a foundation for anyone interested in doing business or otherwise working in developing countries. While the course is organized around specific risks, it will also review the broader issues common to developing countries. Prerequisites: INST 1351 and INST 1352

This course examines the potential of the private sector to foster human development on local and global scales. We examine what different corporations and small entrepreneurs are doing to make a profit and better our planet. The course also offers perspectives about what enterprises could or should be doing to promote sustainability, and it explores how corporate social responsibility can be a useful tool for business men and women around the world navigate across cultures and classes; make a living' and promote sustainable economic development. The course is also an informal invitation to become social entrepreneurs with real social values at the course of our goals and objectives. The course will foster our own social entrepreneurship principles, based on the idea that the market can be a tool for delivering profit while also generating many other values with real and substantial marginal social benefits.

This course overviews the growth and scope of cyber warfare and its impacts on national power in the domains of government, diplomacy, international law, international commerce/economic power, social media/privacy, science/technology, and civil society. It traces the evolution of conflict from traditional information gathering to the development of cyber weaponry with destructive capabilities and the use of those capabilities to advance national foreign policy interests. Through the use of case studies and selective readings from a variety of sources (government policy directives, cyber security industry studies, and defense related academic papers), the course guides students through the emergent quality of the broadening scope of cyber conflict and the multifaceted response to the challenge. Ultimately, students are confronted with the impact of the ongoing threat as they interface with cyberspace in their day-to-day interactions. The goal is for a deeper understanding of the scope and complexity of the cyber domain and the global conflict that is raging out of view.

This course begins with the premise that conflict is a part of everyday life that spans across every inch of the globe and is found in all careers and relationships, so it is designed to be a practical course that provides a comprehensive overview of conflict resolution from a micro (person-to-person) to a global perspective. This course reviews the theoretical components while exploring conflict within different contexts, including intergroup, interpersonal, cross-cultural, legal, and international, by analyzing select global conflicts and learning to identify its primary and secondary participants. This course introduces positive conflict management skills, including active listening, communication skills, principled negotiation, facilitation, and peacekeeping skills. This skill-based course will explore how these variables and behavioral attributes have, and can, influence global conflicts through escalation and de-escalation. Upon completion of this course and attendance in class for at least 40 hours, as designated by Texas State Statute, graduate and undergraduate students will be able to mediate globally with their basic mediation certificate.

This course will provide a broader understanding of security and geopolitics in East Asia. With the rise of China and the nuclear threat from North Korea, the security dynamics within and beyond East Asian states is of critical importance to both the United States and the world. To better comprehend such complex security dynamics in East Asia, this course will review the historical progress of diplomatic and security related interactions between East Asian countries, and their relations with the United States as well. After a profound understanding of the history is acquired, this course will guide students to analyze the current events and potential changes in this region and derive policy implications and strategic proposals for the East Asian countries and the United States.

Work experience in business, government, media or private, not–for–profit agencies in the international field. To be arranged with the director. Consent required: Department. Course offered Pass/Fail basis only

Student research on a selected problem in the field under the guidance of an international studies faculty member. Consent required: Instructor

Upper–division treatment of selected topics in international studies.

Capstone course in which students develop, elaborate, and research a topic of historical and/or contemporary relevance. The result of this intensive research and writing exercise will be a thesis fit for presentation at a professional conference and UST Research Symposium. Prerequisite: Senior standing, INST 2352

This course is the second semester continuation of a two–semester long capstone degree requirement in which majors develop, elaborate, and research a topic of their own choosing, in consultation with their thesis director. It is expected that the result of this intensive research and writing exercise will be a thesis fit for presentation at a professional conference and UST Research Symposium. Prerequisite: INST 4398

Work experience in business, government, media or private, not–for–profit agencies in the international field. To be arranged with the director. Consent required: Department. Course offered Pass/Fail basis only

Student research on a selected problem in the field under the guidance of an international studies faculty member. Consent required: Instructor

Upper–division treatment of selected topics in international studies.

Work experience in business, government, media or private, not–for–profit agencies in the international field. To be arranged with the director. Consent required: Department. Course offered Pass/Fail basis only

Work experience in business, government, media or private, not–for–profit agencies in the international field. To be arranged with the director. Consent required: Department. Course offered Pass/Fail basis only