Beginning Fall 2007, all incoming freshman and transfer students must complete an approved internationally-themed course in order to graduate.  Students can either take a course on-campus that has the IR designation (click here for list of on-campus courses) or participate in a qualified study abroad program.  Most study abroad programs will fulfill the International Requirement.  Contact the International Center for assistance in choosing a program.

Students who were enrolled at the U prior to Fall Semester 2007 are exempt from the new requirement, provided they graduate by 2013.

The Upper Division International Course Requirement will give students a broad base of knowledge about global issues and about global perspectives in a comparative context. It will introduce students to international frames of reference so that they may think critically about long-standing and newly emerging issues. It will help students accept and appreciate the interdependence of nations and the viewpoints of other nations, and give them the ability to communicate with people across international borders.

Course Content Criteria

• Course primarily has an international, transnational, or comparative focus that includes a variety of perspectives
• Course focuses on cross-border phenomena (borders conceived in the broadest sense: language, cultural, economic, political, etc)
• Course focuses principally on contemporary issues, or shows how historical approaches are relevant to contemporary issues.

Desired student outcomes/Students will be able to:

• Identify and explain some contemporary issues that impact the global community;
• Identify and explain political, economic, social, and/or cultural connections between the United States and other communities of the world;
• Identify some examples of global interdependency and explain their relevancy for the future;
• Explain how global awareness will impact his/her frame of reference in the future;
• Use a comparative framework for an understanding of local, national, and disciplinary issues in an international or global context;
• Examine and explain how different nationalities may use different frameworks to understand issues.