American History vs. International Affairs

College Majors
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<p>I have always liked history. I have received straight A's in history no matter what the focus is since the 1st Grade. Recently, I have wanted to study International Affairs. Foreign languages was always something that I liked, passionately for a while, but recently the love has died down a bit. I still enjoy it (I take three foreign languages) but I don't enjoy it as much. So which major should I choose? Which would be more "practical" for the future? And what would my career options be for these two options?</p>

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<p>Some comments:

  1. IMO, it’s not at all an either/or situation; history and international relations are not mutually exclusive areas of study. Think about it this way: IR is just an interdisciplinary field, drawing on coursework from its core disciplines of history, economics, and political science. So, if you decide to major in history, you can still have a strong international focus through your history courses and through the electives you choose outside history. To do this, you can take 2-3 courses in modern international/diplomatic history, 2-3 courses each in international politics and international economics, 2-3 courses focused on a particular world region (in history and other departments), a course in statistics, and, coursework in a language relevant to a region that interests you. Throw in an internship for good measure and/or study abroad. And there you have it.
  2. You could major in History and do a minor in IR (or, vice versa).
  3. You also might consider a major in American Studies. Many American Studies programs permit a thematic focus such as “America’s Interaction with the World” or similar titles. This can provide a strong focus on American history in a comparative and international context.
  4. A background in history (including American history) is quite relevant to understanding of international affairs and to certain careers in that area. Certainly, being able to explain American society and politics is important in public diplomacy and cultural exchanges. Knowledge of the history of other regions and of US relations with other regions is an essential consideration in foreign policy. Indeed, if our current policy-makers had a better understanding of this, maybe they wouldn’t so often make a mess of things. American history and the history of other regions often has direct implications for understanding current issues at the intersection of domestic and foreign policy, e.g., immigration. Most programs in history require coursework in several geographic regions and historical periods. This gives a comparative perspective that is necessary to understand one’s own society and other societies and to place current issues in their proper historical context.
  5. Both history and IR are liberal arts majors, and both will foster the communication, analytic, and other skills relevant to a number of different careers. Most history majors will not become historians, and most IR majors will not work in fields related to their major. Instead, they will enter a diverse range of careers. If you do pursue an international career, especially in government, an IR major will not necessarily have an edge over a history major. If you seek admission to a graduate professional school program in IR, undergrad IR majors are not necessarily favored over majors in a range of other majors. While a certain background is expected for entry (coursework in basic economics and statistics, language skills, and relevant work experience, especially in an international setting), applicants from history and various other majors can and do enter these programs. For many areas of international work, a student would be better advised to acquire skills in an applied field, e.g., nutrition, agriculture, business, nursing, public health, etc., rather than in IR, history, etc. (See my post in this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/other-college-majors/902677-political-science-vs-international-relations.html&lt;/a&gt;)
  6. History could prepare one for any number of graduate and professional fields of study, e.g., history, American Studies, law, religion, public policy, IR, library science/archival work, museum studies, business, teaching, etc. IR also can prepare one for a range of graduate and professional fields, though compared to a major in a traditional discipline, it probably won’t prepare one adequately for graduate work in economics, history, and any number of other disciplines that make up this interdisciplinary major.
  7. Also, see my post in this thread: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/749245-undergraduate-foreign-policy-schools.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/749245-undergraduate-foreign-policy-schools.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;