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International Area Studies

The Department of International Area Studies offers a B.A. in international area studies and minors in international area studies and in eight languages: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, and Spanish.
Courses in an ninth language—Korean—are currently offered at the introductory level, and the Modern Language program plans to develop advanced-level Korean courses in the near future.

International Area Studies (IAS) at Drexel University is an interdisciplinary, intercultural, and interactive major, linking language study with other academic disciplines such as politics, history, economics, sociology, anthropology, literature and philosophy. It provides critical direction in study, research and professional experience necessary to understanding current global trends in politics, sociology and economics. IAS also offers an innovative framework for the preparation of responsible citizens who are aware of larger world issues and local concerns and are able to draw on both the arts and sciences in considering these changes.

The four thematic concentrations—Justice and Human Rights; Global Science, Technology, and Society; International Business and Economics; and Literature, Culture and Arts—provide dynamic frameworks for studying about international technology transfers, humanitarian crises, border crossings, and global culture.

Students majoring in the program study one or more languages, and may qualify for the University's advanced-level Certification of Proficiency in their target language or languages. French, German, Italian and Spanish are the Western languages available; non-Western languages include Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian. The major enrolls a number of students from abroad as well as students who lived or studied in Europe, Latin America, or Asia during high school.

IAS programs give international area studies students the option of study programs in Brussels, Bonn, Berlin, Madrid, Paris, and London. The programs feature academic internships with national legislatures, the European Parliament, international law firms, nongovernmental service agencies, and multinational corporations. IAS Abroad programs are also available in China, Japan, Russia, and Costa Rica.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students beginning with the entering class of 2002/01 (fall, 2002) must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog indicates that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. Departments will designate specific sections of such courses as writing-intensive. Sections of writing-intensive courses are not indicated in this catalog. Students should check the section comments in Banner when registering. Students scheduling their courses in Banner can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term. For more information on writing-intensive courses, see the Drexel University Writing Program's Writing-Intensive Course page.