IAS Major - Course Requirements

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 foundations for understanding global political, social, and economic trends and developing intercultural awareness. It also offers an innovative framework for preparing 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 challenges. The four concentrations - Justice and Human Rights; International Business and Economics; Global Science, Technology, and Society; Literature, Culture, and Arts - are designed to provide academic grounding, specialized knowledge, application of language skills, and preparation for study abroad, internships, and co-operative education.

IAS Concentrations:

International Business and Economics

This concentration is for students interested in careers linked to the global economy, where area expertise, intercultural competency, and writing and language skills are highly valued. This concentration provides the social, political, and historical contexts for international economic processes, introduces students to the global challenges of transitional economies and development programs, and poses ethical and cultural issues for international actors. As opposed to business school programs this concentration offers a liberal arts focus for careers in multinational companies, development agencies, government services, and international organizations. It encourages students to take advanced language courses specifically designed for international business and to study abroad in the language of their area specialty.

Justice and Human Rights

The Justice and Human Rights concentration connects students with important new concerns that have become a major focus of international activity in the last 20 years, such as the growth of international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), peacekeeping missions, and international courts. These new bodies require specialists who have not only studied international law, human rights regimes, and the related fields of health, social welfare, and security, but who are also fluent in different languages and knowledgeable about cultural traditions. International aid workers and experts in non-violent conflict resolution, refugee relief, and adjudication of rights claims need a strong foundation in social sciences and humanities as well as heightened awareness of cultural commonalities and differences. Language skills and regional specialization are also essential. This concentration is designed to meet these needs and prepare students for graduate study, internships, and careers in the above-mentioned fields. It also links technology and science issues to human rights and social justice, directing students to examine such problems as access to medicine and energy crises and to continue working on these issues in their co-operative education or study abroad. Our Costa Rica program, for example, offers two exciting options that dovetail well with this IAS concentration: Justice, Human Rights, and Development and People and the Environment.

Global Science, Technology, and Society

This concentration provides a social science and humanities framework for a focus in science, technology, and society (STS). Language courses and an emphasis on intercultural understanding give this International Area Studies concentration a unique global approach to STS. Interdisciplinary and language based, it provides a solid foundation for international work with appropriate technology and other related development issues, or in international public policy that deals with such matters as health, water safety, irrigation, environmental protection, and technology transfers. The Costa Rica Study Abroad programs or European internships complement this concentration.

It is ideal for students who are interested in careers in international law, government, public policy, development, and advocacy that are particularly focuses on global science and technology-related affairs.

Literature, Culture, and Arts

The Literature, Culture, and Arts concentration provides a framework for students who wish to develop a major around their language studies, putting greater emphasis on the literature, culture, and arts associated with the language and its regions. By offering students a truly multidisciplinary background combining language study with courses in anthropology, history, philosophy, English literature, art history, and music, this concentration provides a broader understanding of the ways in which language intersects with so-called high culture and expressions of everyday life in creative and symbolically significant ways.

Students following this concentration will be prepared for graduate studies in comparative literature and modern languages, as well as careers as interpreters and translators, in intercultural professions, and in international organizations and cultural institutions.