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International Studies at UNO

• International Studies in New Orleans
• Overview of B.A. in International Studies
• Career Opportunities
• International Internships
• Study Abroad
• Curriculum
• Contact us

International Studies in New Orleans

A liberal arts education traditionally has placed strong emphasis on all five of the main elements of "international competence" or global awareness: knowledge of internationally oriented information, the ability to see an issue from the perspective of another culture, appreciation of things "foreign," second language facility, and the ability to perform tasks in an international environment. More recently, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the telecommunications revolution, the emergence of a global economy, and, now, the war on terrorism have made international competence even more important.

In the late 1990s, the College established its internationalization goals in a document entitled International Initiatives: A Handbook and Resource Guide. The committee that issued this handbook asserted that "(W)e live, work, and study within a global context and . . . all facets of life are shaped by that context. To benefit both students and faculty, we must continuously integrate international dimensions into the core of academic life." With strong support from chairs, program directors, and faculty, we are working hard in pursuit of these goals.

UNO is ideally situated for the pursuit of international studies. New Orleans, historically one of the most important international cities in the U.S., has a reputation for its French and Spanish traditions, especially in architecture and cuisine. What is less well known but probably more important now are the extraordinary Latin American, Caribbean, Asian, and African influences that pervade the local cuisine, music, crafts, language, and cultural values. It is commonplace to overhear Spanish, French, and Vietnamese conversations in local shopping malls. Near the port area, numerous languages can be heard. Located at the mouth of the Mississippi River, the Port of New Orleans regularly ranks number one among U.S. ports for annual tonnage. The resulting exchange of foreign goods and culture make for an exciting context for international study.

B. A. in INTERNATIONAL STUDIES Overview

The College of Liberal Arts offers an interdepartmental degree program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. This program's core requirements draw upon course offerings in Anthropology, Economics, English, Fine Arts, Geography, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology, and Foreign Languages. To complete a major area of concentration, students have two options: they can focus on any one of the College’s four area studies programs–Africana Studies, Asian Studies, European Studies, or Latin American and Caribbean Studies–or they can focus on a topical concentration. These include, but are not restricted to, Diplomacy & International Organizations; Ethnicity, Nationalism, & Migration; Environmental Issues & Policy; and Peace & Justice Studies. In addition to its concentrations, the program also offers a Business Track for students who wish to combine serious study of world geography, international politics, global problems, and a second language, with a curriculum in the fundamentals of sound international business and financial practice.

The BA in International Studies provides students with international experience, language skills, and a professional orientation that will make them ideal candidates for jobs in many international governmental programs, non-governmental agencies, education programs, and corporations. The program’s curriculum, together with its internship component, are designed to provide a broad-based academic foundation and hands-on experience suited to the demands of the international and multinational career marketplace. Graduates will find jobs in any of the following fields:

Diplomacy
Foreign Service
International Security Agencies
Intergovernmental Organizations
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)
International Corporations
Export/Import Businesses
International Education

International Internships

A distinguishing feature of the BAIS program at UNO is its internship requirement. IS 4998 (International Studies Internship) may be completed in one of three ways: 1) in an internationally-oriented organization in Louisiana (examples include any of the consular offices in New Orleans, the Louisiana International Trade Center, the World Affairs Council of New Orleans, the Hispanic-American or French-American Chambers of Commerce); 2) at one of UNO's internship sites in London, Dublin, Geneva, Paris, or Madrid; or 3) in an internship developed or chosen by the student in an international agency, corporation, or non-governmental organization in which he or she has a particular interest.

The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies program is committed to the belief that international experience significantly broadens students' understanding of the world and also enhances their attractiveness on the job market. For that reason, we strongly urge our students to take advantage of UNO’s many study abroad programs, including its summer programs in Greece, Italy, France, Costa Rica, Austria, Spain, and the Czech Republic, as well as its many semester- and year-long programs in some of the finest universities in Europe, Latin America, and Australia.

For more information on these programs, visit the University’s study abroad web pages at http://inst.uno.edu/exchange/.

The Curriculum for International Studies

The Bachelor of Arts in International Studies consists of a minimum of 120 credit hours. In addition to the general education course requirements, students majoring in International Studies must complete a core curriculum of 45 hours, including 6 hours of non-literature language courses, and an area concentration of 24 hours. Students must also complete a minimum 3 hour internship in an internationally-oriented entity.

1 The UNO computer literacy requirement can be met by GEOG 2801, POLI 2900, or SOC 2708.

2 The UNO oral competency requirement can be met by any 3000-level or higher foreign language conversation course. If a conversation course is not included in the student's six hours of 3000-level or higher language courses, he or she should include in area or topical studies or in electives a course that fulfills the oral competency requirement for majors in any Liberal Arts discipline.

3 Foreign language proficiency must be demonstrated by passing six hours of 3000-level (or above) non-literature courses in a language of choice, or competency may be determined by the director of International Studies in consultation with the appropriate faculty in the Department of Foreign Languages.

4 Any 2000-, 3000-, or 4000- level course in non -U.S. anthropology, art history, literature or culture, music, or philosophy.

5 Students pursuing concentrations in Area Studies must take POLI 2600; students pursuing concentrations in Topical Themes must take POLI 2700.

6 For BAIS students only, the prerequisite for ANTH 4765 is met by three hours of social science.

7 For BAIS students only, the prerequisites for SOC 4094 are met by SOC 1051 and one of the social science methodology courses listed under Special Requirements.

8 To satisfy the core curriculum requirements in History, students must take 6 hours in either non-western history or diplomatic history. Choices for the non-Western history option are: HIST 2000,2201,2202, 2302, 2402, 2701, 2702, 4201, 4301, 4304, 4401, 4403, 4406, or any 4000-level HIST course with a non-U.S./non-European focus. (Note: A student whose primary BAIS concentration is area studies should choose 6 hours of history unrelated to his or her geographic focus.) Choices for the diplomatic history option are: HIST 4381, 4570, 4575, 4580, and 4581.

9 The 31 total hours of course work taken in area/topical studies and as electives must include 15 hours of social sciences and at least three but no more than six hours of internship in the appropriate area. At least 12 of the 24 hours taken in Area or Topical studies must be at the 2000 level or above. Some concentrations also require that the courses taken to fulfill the concentration be distributed among a minimum number of disciplines.

For more information, contact:
John Hazlett, Director, BAIS
Email: bais@uno.edu Tel: 280-6142