International Studies, B.A.
Program Description
Today’s increasingly competitive job market and graduate programs seek college graduates who can effectively integrate knowledge across a range of disciplines and use such insights to articulate pragmatic solutions to complex local and global challenges. The International Studies major – housed in the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies – addresses this need by combining rigorous academic training with practical strategies for effective community engagement. This course of study offers its students a cross-cultural and trans historical perspective on the human condition, thereby providing them with the tools to engage with an interconnected and rapidly changing world. Students select from two of four possible concentrations that will prepare them for careers in business, law, government, and the humanities. An emphasis on community-based and experiential learning encourages students to consider their roles and responsibilities as citizens in a pluralistic democracy, helping to build a more just and sustainable future. Students are encouraged to study abroad to give them an opportunity to experience a foreign country.
Program Goals
- To enrich students’ understanding of the interconnectedness of peoples and cultures
- To expose students to cultural traditions and practices outside their world view
- To develop students’ awareness of cultural diversity so that they can communicate with reflection, empathy, and intelligence
- To prepare students to participate in a global dialogue
- To familiarize students with different disciplinary approaches to the international world
- To increase students’ abilities to read closely and to make informed critical judgments
- To develop students’ abilities to communicate clearly and persuasively, orally, in writing, and in multimedia
- To prepare students for careers in government, law, international business, cultural institutions, organizations servicing international concerns, education, writing, and other fields that require global awareness, cultural sensitivity, and intellectual discernment
Degree earned: B.A.
Total number of credits: 120-125
Credit Distribution
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Core | ||
| Writing Courses | ||
| ENG 110 | College Writing | 3 |
| or ENG 112 | College Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| ENG/HON 200 | Advanced College Writing | 3 |
| or ENG 202 | Advanced College Writing for Multilingual Students | |
| Critical Dialogues Course | ||
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking 1 | 3 |
| American Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Photographers, Writers, and the American Scene | ||
| Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community | ||
| Justice and Democracy in America | ||
| African-American History | ||
| Cultural Interaction in Colonial North America | ||
| Enduring American Dialogues | ||
| Creative and Reflective Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Photography as Cultural Landscape | ||
| Beginning Drawing | ||
| Basic Photography: Criticizing Photography | ||
| Introduction to Creative Writing | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Writing | ||
| Creative Expression | ||
| Introduction to Theatre and Performance | ||
| Sustainability Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Introductory Biology | ||
| Human Nutrition | ||
| Botany | ||
| Enviromental Studies | ||
| Introductory Chemistry | ||
| Scientific Discovery | ||
| Physical Science | ||
| Principles of Physics I | ||
| Global Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| British Literature I: Middle Ages to the 18th Century | ||
| British Literature II: Late 18th Century to The Present | ||
| Themes and Topics in World Literature & Culture | ||
| Major Global Literary Figures | ||
| Baccalaureate Capstone I | ||
| Medieval World | ||
| The History of Ireland | ||
| History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
| The Arts in Society | ||
| Psychoanalysis & Politics | ||
| Seminar in Religion and Belief | ||
| Classical Music Studies | ||
| Truth & Justice | ||
| Citizenship Dialogues Course | ||
| Select one course of the following: | 3 | |
| Baccalaureate Capstone II | ||
| Capstone in Citizenship | ||
| Psychology Capstone | ||
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra 2 | 3 |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| SPE 130 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| Major Requirements | ||
| Major Core credits includes six credits of a Foreign Language. | ||
| HIS 101 | World Cultures | 3 |
| INT 150 | Introduction to International Studies | 3 |
| INT 325 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| ENG 215 | Survey of World Literature | 3 |
| Foreign Language I | 3 | |
| Foreign Language II | 3 | |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences Courses | ||
| APY 100 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| PHI 300 | Ethics | 3 |
| SOC 100 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| POL 100 | Introduction To Political Science | 3 |
| Experiential Learning | ||
| INT 377 | International Studies Field Experience I | 3 |
| INT 477 | International Studies Field Experience II | 3 |
| Concentrations | ||
| Select two of the following Concentrations: | 30-34 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Select 21 credits of Free Electives 3 | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 120-125 | |
- 1
Required of first-year students; all other students may substitute a 300/400 level Liberal Arts and Sciences elective
- 2
Or above, as determined by placement test. Students who meet the math competency may substitute a Liberal Arts & Sciences elective
- 3
May include any college course. Students are highly encouraged to use some of their free elective credits for study abroad.
Concentrations
Intercultural Studies Concentration (Concentration I)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one courses of the following: | 3 | |
| Art History I: Ancient Through Medieval | ||
| Art History II: Renaissance Through Modern | ||
| The History of Photography | ||
| Select four courses of the following: | 12 | |
| British Literature I: Middle Ages to the 18th Century | ||
| Multicultural Literature of the United States | ||
| Themes and Topics in World Literature & Culture | ||
| Major Global Literary Figures | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| History of Ethnic America | ||
HIS 320 | ||
| The History of Ireland | ||
| The Arts in Society | ||
| Seminar in Religion and Belief | ||
| Classical Music Studies | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
International Business Concentration (Concentration II)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select five courses of the following: | 15 | |
| Business and Professional Writing | ||
| Business Law I | ||
| International Business Strategy | ||
| Diversity in Organizations | ||
| Macroeconomics | ||
| Global Leadership | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
International Law Concentration (Concentration III)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select five courses of the following: | 17 | |
Select one course of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Criminal Law | ||
| Constitutional Issues in Criminal Justice | ||
| American Popular Culture | ||
| Logic | ||
| Truth & Justice | ||
Select one course of the following: | ||
| Argumentation & Persuasion | ||
| Advanced Report and Proposal Writing | ||
| Legal Writing | ||
Select one course of the following: | ||
| Early United States History | ||
| Contemporary United States History | ||
| History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict | ||
Required | ||
HLS 300 | ||
HLS 301 | ||
| Total Hours | 17 | |
Urban Studies Concentration (Concentration IV)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select five courses of the following: | 15 | |
| Photography And Perception: A Way Of Seeing | ||
| Urban Anthropology | ||
| Social Issues in Policing a Multicultural Community | ||
| Cultural Geography | ||
| Urban History | ||
| The History of Buffalo | ||
| The American City | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Suggested Sequence
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| INT 110 | Introduction to Dialogues in Critical Thinking | 3 |
| ENG 110 | College Writing | 3 |
| MAT 114 | Intermediate Algebra | 3 |
| SPE 130 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| SOC 100 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| American Dialogues | 3 | |
| ENG 200 | Advanced College Writing | 3 |
| MAT 201 | Statistics and Society | 3 |
| INT 150 | Introduction to International Studies | 3 |
| POL 100 | Introduction To Political Science | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| Creative Dialogues | 3 | |
| APY 100 | Introduction to Anthropology | 3 |
| For. Lang. | 3 | |
| Concentration 1 | 3 | |
| Concentration 2 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Sustainability Dialogues | 3 | |
| For. Lang. | 3 | |
| ENG 215 | Survey of World Literature | 3 |
| Concentration 1 | 3 | |
| Concentration 2 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| PHI 300 | Ethics | 3 |
| INT 325 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| Concentration 1 | 3 | |
| Concentration 2 | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Global Dialogues | 3 | |
| HIS 101 | World Cultures | 3 |
| INT 377 | International Studies Field Experience I | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| INT 450 | Capstone in Citizenship | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| INT 477 | International Studies Field Experience II | 3 |
| Concentration 1 | 3 | |
| Concentration 2 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Concentration 1 | 3 | |
| Concentration 2 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
Please Note: The above shows the ideal suggested sequencing and scheduling of courses and credits by semester. It is based on eight semesters for a traditionally-structured baccalaureate degree. Degree program requirements and the scheduling of courses are subject to change, based on writing/math placements and course availability. This chart should be utilized a guide and is not a written contract. Students will be notified of changes that may affect their academic progress.