President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the Upcoming 60th Anniversary of the International Affairs Major

Mission Statement:

The International Affairs curriculum focuses on transnational issues linking the global to the local. The IA program provides students with a multi-disciplinary set of intellectual tools and practical skills to engage in a continually changing world as effective, knowledgeable, and ethical citizens. International Affairs courses address past and present international conflicts and global inequalities in power and wealth; the legacies of colonialism; the dynamics of race, class, and gender; and emerging questions and opportunities of globalization. The program provides students a challenging and enriching environment, in which they build their own critical perspectives that empower them to understand and constructively address global problems. Students also learn how to perform their own original research and communicate across disciplines and cultures about these issues.

Program Description:

The IA Program provides an intellectually vibrant and inclusive environment for everyone at Lafayette College. Students learn about globalization through the study of specific world regions and focused themes, linked by a core set of courses. Our engaging and rigorous curriculum, coupled with the thought provoking co-curricular programming, brings together faculty and students from the Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Engineering.

The Program introduces a sophisticated look at transnational issues, introducing students to complex relationships among communities, societies, states, and the international system. Students may focus on a range of topics, such as economic development, human rights, international conflict, global networks, and environmental sustainability. They gain proficiency in a second language relevant to a regional emphasis of their own choosing, and they study abroad to deepen their expertise in their chosen region. After graduating, IA majors often work in government, diplomacy, business, health, or NGO’s. Many continue their studies at the graduate level.

Exterior of the Oechsle Center for Global Education March 2015 © Chuck Zovko