<p>Columbia is on my list of schools, and while I'm undecided on an official major, one option that I have been leaning towards recently is international relations. I've noticed that Columbia is one of the top ranked (yeah I know, rankings don't matter) undergraduate schools for international relations, but doesn't actually have a major in this area. Why is this? I know that Yale has an "international studies" major. Is there something similar to this at Columbia for students interested in IR, or are these rankings simply based upon Columbia's overall academic offerings?</p>
<p>so i have made this argument many times in the past, but i will rehash and with some new experiences reformulate it.</p>
<p>What is International Relations?</p>
<p>International relations really only refers to the theory of international states that you would learn in political science. IR or IR Theory thus are interchangeable concepts. Essentially IR theory posits that everything in the international arena has to do with power, and so they try to understand how power operates when there is no suprainstitution to control behavior. Often IR theory does not have a nice vision of international agencies like the UN, etc.</p>
<p>I didn’t think that was International Relations, I thought it was…</p>
<p>International policy or Foreign Policy
Some schools offer an undergraduate concentrate in international policy, or have a policy major where students can concentrate on international issues. Regardless of the name, most policy majors deal with questions of institutions and the ways in which institutions - State institutions, NGOs and IGOs - cooperate to set and make international policy on a range of issues. This thus is more of a policy field. Some schools have this, but frankly this is something that is best left to graduate school work that is based on case-studies or field experience, but this is my opinion. Because it is so specifically based to thinking about a problem from a certain perspective. The two majors that come to mind are diplomacy based ones - one at Tufts and the other at Georgetown, though I’d say both end up being highly historically based.</p>
<p>More often than not schools will have a few classes on this subject (not an entire field devoted to it) in political science, history, or sometimes offered to undergraduates through a graduate course. </p>
<p>Area studies
Most often I’d say folks will confuse international relations for what is really area studies, or the opportunity for a student to focus on a specific part of the world and get to know that part of the world particularly with the hope of one day joining some international agency that will ask them to specialize on a particular part of the world. Most ‘international studies’ programs may offer some broad thematic courses about international governance, or international human rights (something very optimistic), but ultimately will ask you to take courses that are in reality based in area studies. Why is area studies so big and the predominant idea? Because the US government has defined what should be studied and how by Title VI funding.</p>
<p>International Business
Some schools offer an international business program that talks about multinational companies, often deals with macroeconomic theory, IPE theory, but also office more of a case-study approach and training. A good example is the International Studies program at Stern that sends folks to other countries to study situating an industry within the specific political, economic and historical conditions of that industry and that country.</p>
<p>So what can I do at Columbia?</p>
<p>Political Science Major - Field Concentration in International Politics
Columbia’s Polisci major has a concentration in International politics, where you learn IR theory. If you want to take classes in lets say US Foreign Policy, you would take courses outside of this field concentration. (As you see IR theory and Foreign Policy are not considered the same thing at Columbia nor at most places.)</p>
<p>History - Concentration on International History
Surprisingly I would say that the best way to think theoretically and practically about international relations is to be a history major and concentrate on International History at Columbia. It is a pioneer in the idea of international history, where you try to understand how various specific global processes impact national processes, how international institutions impact national ones, how the world has changed especially because of globalization and in the shadow of imperialism. You will be able to take classes with Anders Stephenson on US Foreign Policy, with Mark Mazower on the Balkans, but also his interest on the Untied Nations and other state institutions, Matt Connolly, Sam Moyn, Susan Pederson, the list goes on. It is the best way to think about various competing theories of internationalism (not just IR theory) and how they have been employed historically.</p>
<p>Economics-Political Science - Concentration in the latter in International Politics
Along with the International Political Economy seminar, made for folks who do the Econ-Polisci major, the major has specific courses that deal with IPE and each department have specific courses you can use to develop a bigger understanding of what international political economy is. </p>
<p>*Area Studies - Your pick *
Columbia offers Area Studies majors in most area specialities, so choose your pick. They often have intensive language components that help you when considering an actual future in international organizations (or careers that can be broadly considered international).</p>
<p>Sustainable Development
As a field it tries to incorporate policy, economics and earth science into an understanding of development practices - quite obviously something that someone interested in international policy can take, and you’d work with Columbia’s famed Earth Institute in your study. The reason I like Sustainable Development as a field is because despite the sound of it - it is really about earth and environmental sciences as the main skill and knowledge base, and such a skill and knowledge base that you use aspects of policy and economics to understand. It selects a problem - teaches you all about the problem, and then provides you some other tools to start to think about the problem, but at the very least you come out with a pretty good handle on environmental sciences.</p>
<p>Bone to pick with students that want international relations</p>
<p>Perhaps my biggest critique of students that ask for international relations is that they don’t quite know what they mean or want when they use the term, but think of it as a buzz word. No international organization will hire you because you majored in international relations. In fact most international organizations will only hire you if you have a master’s or phd degree. Same problem with applying to work at State, Defense or any host of alphabet agencies in Washington or other countries. Also, most graduate programs don’t expect you to have a background in international relations to be admitted to their program. Then there is just the practical issue - you really need to have a foundation in a methodology and with some skills to come out of college to have something to offer. That methodology could be the way a political scientist thinks about problems, a historian or an economist. Ultimately a major that teaches you or does not explore differences in methods will just be a survey major (not worth your time). The most important thing for international relations is language fluency and a strong methodological skill set. Neither of which you really get by going to most international studies programs, and the only reason why Gtown, Tufts and some very particular programs are good is because of networking and not because the programs themselves are good (I personally can’t stand Walsh).</p>
<p>Thanks for the detailed response.</p>
<p>When you discuss majors that develop foundations, would philosophy fit into this category?</p>
<p>hi people am from Zambia in Africa, I have been given an interview at Columbia today and am trying to find a forum that would be hlepful. I just got to CC today after many years of searching. Any tips for a phone interview, anyone?</p>