International Affairs Major: Culture, Conflict, and Globalization Concentration (CCG)

Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120

Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0

Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: A grade of C or better is required in all International Affairs courses counting toward the major.

Other GPA requirements to graduate: None.

Required Courses for fulfilling Capstone Experience: ANT493. Alternatively, with approval, students may fulfill the capstone requirement with ANT460, ANT497, or the Honors thesis (HON499). Double majors: If IA is your secondary major, the capstone from your primary major may fulfill your IA capstone requirement as long as there is an international affairs component to it (chair approval required). However, the earned credits of your primary capstone experience/course will not count toward the minimum number of credits required for the IA major.

Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement
International Affairs majors are required to pass a foreign language oral proficiency exam. Please see details below, under Program Requirements.

Restrictions:

  • A double major in International Affairs (Culture, Conflict, and Globalization concentration) and Anthropology is not permitted
  • A double major in International Affairs (Culture, Conflict, and Globalization concentration) and Human Dimensions of Climate Change is permitted, but no courses beyond ANT102 and ANT493 may be double counted.
  • International Affairs (Culture, Conflict, and Globalization concentration) majors may not minor in Anthropology
  • International Affairs (Culture, Conflict, and Globalization concentration) majors can minor in Archaeology, Human Dimensions of Climate Change, or Geography, but no more than one course may be double counted.

IA Contact Information: Jim Settele, Interim Director of International Affairs and Director of the School of Policy and International Affairs, 201 Little Hall, (207) 581-3153, james.settele@maine.edu

CCG Concentration Contact Information: Samuel Hanes, Chair of Anthropology, 5773 South Stevens Hall, Room 228C, (207) 581-1885, samuel.hanes@maine.edu

Overview
A degree in International Affairs benefits students as they prepare for their roles as national and global citizens, teaching them the dynamics behind a changing global society and introducing them to ways of enhancing the international community. Moreover, the International Affairs Program offers a strong, interdisciplinary curriculum that includes courses from departments across campus and enables students from diverse disciplines to integrate an international perspective into their studies and future careers.

Special Resources and Programs
Core faculty of this concentration are affiliated with the Anthropology Department and engage in a range of internationally focused research. Anthropology faculty members are also associated with the School of Policy and International Affairs, the Climate Change Institute, and/or the School of Marine Sciences. Although students of this program are counted as International Affairs majors, those of the Culture, Conflict, and Globalization concentration are fully recognized to be active members of the Department of Anthropology and are advised by full time faculty in the Anthropology Department. Students are therefore able to take advantage of the connections Anthropology faculty have with these other relevant units on campus.

Career Opportunities
Graduates of this program are able to think critically in a range of global affairs and communicate effectively in a foreign language. Upon completion of this degree program, students enter a number of related fields, including the foreign service, cultural affairs, other government entities, the private sector, non-profit agencies, international business, journalism, law, and university teaching and research, among others.

The Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs – Culture, Conflict, and Globalization (CCG)
Students may declare an International Affairs (CCG) major during their first or second year, and must declare their major once they have accumulated 53 credits. During the first two years, students are encouraged to complete course work to fulfill the core requirements for the major as well as General Education requirements and/or some concentration electives. All International Affairs students are strongly encouraged to develop or sharpen their language training early in their program of study in order to fulfill the language requirement in their third or fourth year. The final two years should be focused on the concentration electives, a minor program of study, or a second major. All International Affairs students are strongly encouraged to participate in a Study Abroad program.

The Capstone course, ANT493, is preferably taken in the senior year. Alternatively, with approval, students may fulfill the capstone requirement with ANT460, ANT497, or the Honors thesis (HON499).

Although not required, we strongly encourage study abroad opportunities, whether it be a semester length program, a summer session, or travel study course. Students should work with their faculty advisor and the Study Abroad office to determine the most appropriate options.

The requirements listed on this page are specific to this particular major. Students are also responsible for meeting any graduation requirements set out by their college. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) should make sure to review those requirements as stated on the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences page of the catalog.

Programmatic Learning Outcomes

  1. Demonstrate understanding of the intricacies and implications of cultural diversity in the past and present
  2. Identify and explain major theoretical and methodological approaches in the discipline
  3. Provide, integrate, analyze, and assess data (statistical, historical, ethnographic, archaeological, etc.) in a larger theoretical framework
  4. Think critically (comprehensively explore) and communicate ideas effectively (oral, written) using concepts and theoretical approaches of the discipline

Program Requirements
A minimum of 39 credits is required for the major. In some cases, double majors may be able to apply six credits of related coursework from the other major (with approval). Advanced study in a related field at the graduate level normally requires use of quantitative methods, some theoretical sophistication, and foreign language competency at the intermediate level. In consultation with his or her advisor, the student should select coursework appropriate to interests and desired career path. Thematic concentrations are designed to provide students with substantial, in-depth, and focused study of an aspect of International Affairs. Students are required to take a minimum of five courses in the primary concentration area, and at least two from a secondary concentration list.

Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement
International Affairs majors must receive a rating of Intermediate (Low, Mid, or High) or above on the foreign language Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) or the Oral Proficiency Interview by Computer (OPIc) of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). Students are responsible for registering and paying for these tests with Language Testing International. International Affairs students for whom English is not their native language are permitted to meet the language requirement with their TOEFL score. Information about the language proficiency requirement and the testing site can be found on the International Affairs program page here. Students may also contact the Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics for additional information about testing.

Note: The OPI proficiency exam is the only way to fulfill the foreign language proficiency requirement for the International Affairs major. Foreign language course credits will not fulfill the language proficiency requirement, but language instruction may be necessary to build foreign language proficiency. The recommended minimum preparation for these tests is generally six credits at the 300-level or above. UMaine can support language training into the advanced levels in French and Spanish only. Students who wish to select German or one of the other languages taught in the Critical Languages program (e.g., Chinese, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese) must consult the Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. Because UMaine generally offers coursework in these other languages at the introductory levels only, additional training would be necessary (e.g., study abroad or some other language immersion program).

Course Requirements
*fulfills writing intensive General Education requirement

Capstone requirement (3cr)
ANT493*-Capstone Seminar (3cr). Alternatively, with approval, students may fulfill the capstone requirement with ANT460*, ANT497, or the Honors thesis (HON499).

Required core courses (15cr)
ANT102-Introduction to Anthropology: Diversity of Cultures (3cr)
ECO121-Principles of Macroeconomics (3cr)
HTY241-History of Globalization, 1900-Present (3cr)
INA101-Introduction to International Affairs (3cr)
POS120-Introduction to World Politics (3cr)

Primary elective coursework from the following list (15cr)
ANT120-Religions of the World (3cr)
ANT212-The Anthropology of Food (3cr)
ANT225-Climate Change, Societies and Cultures (3cr)
ANT245-Sex and Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective (3cr)
ANT249-Religion and Violence (3cr)
ANT250-Conservation Anthropology (3cr)
ANT252-Civilization in South Asia (3cr)
ANT256-Ethnic Conflict (3cr)
ANT261-Islamic Fundamentalism (3cr)
ANT295-American Indians and Climate Change (3cr)
ANT311-Geography of Climate Change (3cr) (same as GEO311)
ANT350-Mediterranean: Ancient Landscapes, Modern World (3cr)
ANT410-Human Dimensions of Climate Change (3cr)
ANT430-Who Owns Native Cultures? (3cr)
ANT448*-Ethnography Through Film (3cr)
ANT451-Native American Cultures and Identities (3cr) (same as NAS451)
ANT459-Peoples and Cultures of South America (3cr)
ANT464*-Ecological Anthropology (3cr)
ANT466*-Economic Anthropology (3cr)
GEO100-World Geography (3cr)</em
GEO275-Geography of Globalization (3cr)

Secondary elective coursework from the following list (6cr)
HTY105-History of Ancient and Medieval Europe (3cr)
HTY106-History of Modern Europe (3cr)
HTY107-East Asian Civilization (3cr)
HTY108-India: Identities and Changes (3cr)
HTY110-Introduction to Modern Latin America (3cr)
HTY112-Introduction to Africa (3cr)
HTY240-Creation of the Atlantic World, 1450-1888 (3cr)
INA201-Topics in International Affairs (3cr)
INA310-Camden Conference Course (3cr)
INA401 – Advanced Topics in International Affairs
POS241-Introduction to Comparative Politics (3cr)
POS376-Politics of the Global Economy (3cr)
POS378-Theories of War and Peace (3cr)
POS467-African Politics (3cr)
WGS340-Transnational Feminisms (3cr)
WGS371-American Border-crossing: Gendered Perspectives on Modern Migration (3cr)

Notes

  • ANT493 (or another approved capstone experience), plus fifteen other credits toward the major must be completed at UMaine.
  • Minors in the social or environmental sciences are appropriate for this major. These are included in the Undergraduate Catalog’s Majors and Minors page.