<p>Hey I'm a junior interested in international relations and politics and I love DC. What are the real differences between American, GW, and Georgetown academically? What area is Georgetown the strongest in compared to the other two? What programs make it unique? How does Georgetown view American and GW Is there any interaction between the schools? I'm trying to get a sense of each school regardless of ranking because each school does have a great IR program. I'm looking to figure out which one is best for me. Is each program equally strong but people choose one over the other for the atmosphere? Any insight would be appreciated. I posted this in each forum to get a broad range of opinions. Thanks!</p>
<p>I would say Georgetown is far better in International Relations; American is a private school that just is not ranked that high. Gtown has a unique Islam-Christian Understanding program, which is a major keystone in any international relations field in the Middle East (Best professor: John Esposito).</p>
<p>While on their face the IR programs at the three DC schools look fairly similar, there are a few key differences between them. I just graduated from AU but spent a good amount of time at Gtown where my long-time girlfriend attended. </p>
<p>AU’s program is unique in that it has a strong focus on experiential learning combined with a more developmental/humanitarian curriculum. This means that almost every student has an internship by graduation with most having multiple, taking many classes in the evening. While the curriculum still provides the standard classes, it also requires students to take at least some courses in development, conflict resolution, and/or environmental politics instead of the traditional hard politics/econ classes. Classes are all small with the largest having 30 students and are frequently discussion based rather than traditional lecture-style and do not have grad students as teachers.</p>
<p>The Georgetown program is much more of a traditional IR program with a number of larger lecture classes with grad student-led discussion sections. The curriculum focuses more on hard-power perspectives of international relations with classes scheduled such that multiple internships are more difficult to pursue. The program does offer a STIA concentration that incorporates science and technology into the study of international affairs, providing graduates with a unique academic background. Georgetown is probably the most isolated school in the city, with most students rarely wondering far from campus if at all. However, this is compensated for by a vibrant campus community that makes the enclave enjoyable to remain in. </p>
<p>GW’s program is also of the more traditional style with a heavy focus on econ classes. The campuses location is both a blessing and a curse, centrally located downtown close to major government and organization headquarters but also segmented by other neighbors.</p>
<p>-Georgetown is not isolated, as it not only has shuttle buses going to Dupont Circle and Rosslyn Metro Stations throughout the week (though limited on weekends), it is surrounded by various Metrobus stops. Even more bus stops are a 5-10 minute walk on Reservoir Road, or a 10 minute walk on O Street. Just had to mention this, as many claim that Gtown is isolated and the rest of the city is inaccessible, when it clearly isn’t. As someone that actually attended Georgetown, I know that many students do venture off campus away from the surrounding areas, into downtown. And that isn’t only for weekend drinking activities.</p>
<p>The IR programs in fact are not fairly similar on the surface. GW and AU both have International Studies/Affairs majors, Gtown does not. The majors available at GW Elliot School are:</p>
<p>-International Affairs
-Asian Studies
-Middle Eastern Studies
-Latin American and Hemispheric Studies</p>
<p>The majors available at AU’s SIS are:</p>
<p>-International Studies
-Language and Area Studies: German/Europe
-Language and Area Studies: French/Europe
-Language and Area Studies: Russian/Area Studies
-Language and Area Studies: Spanish/Latin America</p>
<p>The majors available at Gtown SFS are:</p>
<p>-Culture and Politics
-International Economics
-International History
-International Politics
-International Political Economy
-Regional and Comparative Studies
-Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA)</p>
<p>SFS offers more specialized areas in IR from the beginning, and there are many subspecialties available to students within those majors. Georgetown SFS is typically seen as offering the most rigorous programs in IR in DC. Georgetown also offers International Business in the School of Business, and International Health in the School of Nursing and Health Studies. There is also Biology of Global Health in Georgetown College. SFS will give you a strong background in economics and language, as well as specialized focus in your chosen field of IR.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, while International Studies is the primary major in AU’s SIS, students are required to concentrate in a particular field within the major: International Politics, International Development, International Business, Peace and Conflict Resolution, or US Foreign Policy.</p>
<p>Wow that really helps. I was looking at the regional/ comparative studies major at Georgetown and I really like that it is isn’t limited to a geographic concept. What exactly is a certificate? Is it like a concentration? The political philosophy sounds really interesting. I didn’t realize that there are so many more options at Georgetown when it comes to course of study. I feel like American’s area studies programs are very Cold War centric. It’s weird that they don’t have an Arabic/ Middle East or a Chinese/ Asia major.</p>
<p>A certificate at Georgetown SFS is the equivalent of a minor. The certificates in SFS are:</p>
<p>-International Business Diplomacy
-African Studies
-Asian Studies
-Australian and New Zealand Studies
-European Studies
-Arab Studies
-International Development
-Islam and Muslim-Christian Understanding
-Jewish Civilization
-Justice and Peace Studies
-Latin American Studies
-Medieval Studies
-Russian and East European Studies
-Social and Political Thought
-Women’s and Gender Studies</p>
<p>-Also note that in Georgetown College, there are Chinese and Arabic majors, if you’re interested in those.
-Also note that each of the majors in SFS have concentrations, where you can further specialize. Here are some examples:</p>
<p>International Economics
-International Economic Theory and Policy
-International Finance and Commerce
-Economic Growth, Transition and Development</p>
<p>International Politics
-International Law, Institutions, and Ethics
-Trans-state Actors in World Politics
-International Security Studies
-Foreign Policy and Policy Processes</p>
<p>Science, Technology, and International Affairs
-Environmental Studies, including Energy
-Technology, Growth, and Development
-Biotechnology and Global Health
-Science, Technology, and Security</p>
<p>So, Georgetown SFS has SO many options in IR available to you, moreso than probably any other school at the undergraduate level. You also have world-class faculty teaching you. SFS sounds great, I wish I had taken some courses in it. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>“GW’s program is also of the more traditional style with a heavy focus on econ classes.”</p>
<p>I would not say there is a heavy focus on econ classes, any more so than at Georgetown. Both colleges require micro, macro, and international econ, and actually you can get away with 3 semesters of econ at GW as opposed to 4 at Gtown.</p>
<p>How much econ you take also depends on your specialization.</p>