<p>It seems difficult to evaluate individual departments in schools. If a school offers international studies, international relations or a similar program would one indicator of their seriousness / competence be languages offered? If school A has an established program in Russian and / or Chinese and school B had a more limited offering would that tell a potential student anything about the effectiveness of the international studies program? </p>
<p>Eventually we will visit the top choice schools and S can meet with professors etc. In the mean time is there anything else he can look at that would be helpful in assembling a list of schools that have an international studies program?</p>
<p>S is looking at USNWR top tier schools but not the super selective schools at the top of the heap, more of the schools for B+ students with solid test scores.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re looking at colleges like Rhodes, so I’ll answer from my experience here. The “goodness” of any particular language offered at a college likely doesn’t indicate a whole lot about the international studies program. They’re likely two completely separate departments with separate priorities, though obviously you hope they are aligned to the same institutional mission. </p>
<p>Things that could tell you our program is good and that you might look for elsewhere: the fact that the dean of the college is an international studies scholar, the scholarly record of the faculty (for example, look up John F. Copper some time to see the freakin’ library of books he’s written about Taiwain), the number of students majoring, and study abroad and internship opportunities that area available. </p>
<p>In the end, what I suspect will matter most is your son’s fit with the college’s environment, so definitely visit as many as you can.</p>
<p>I think the presence of superb language departments does make a difference in international studies which is part of the reason that Middlebury has an excellent program. Check into the difference between international studies as a major and international relations at the places you visit. Also note that some people think the presence of a graduate program in international studies is important (Tufts and Hopkins make a pretty big deal about this) and others say that it doesn’t do much for the undergraduates. Look into the schools with graduate programs and inquire what benefits there are for undergraduates.</p>