If you’re interested in why countries go to war, how global business is done or how climate agreements are made, then a degree in international affairs could be the perfect major for you. It blends politics, economics, history, culture and even law to explore how nations and organizations shape international relations and global issues.
The international field of study has its roots in the rise of the modern world, which began with the end of World War I and the creation of institutions like the League of Nations (the forerunner to today’s United Nations). It was a natural next step for universities as they started offering multidisciplinary undergraduate degrees, including a variety of majors that combine political science with global studies, foreign languages and area studies.
International affairs is also a growing area of study within broader fields such as global governance, diplomacy and world history. Its main focus is on the interactions of the world’s primary political institutions, nation-states.
It has several schools of thought, including realism, liberalism and constructivism. Realism is the oldest and most common approach, arguing that the international system of states, rules and laws is anarchic and based on the fundamental concept of sovereignty. Liberalism focuses on the idea of mutually beneficial cooperation between states. Constructivism argues that the international system is a product of social constructions, including ideas, norms and identities.
Another school of thought, critical theory, derived from Marxian thinking and examines the root causes of international conflicts. It criticizes mainstream IR theories that are positivist and state-centric and focuses on the need for human emancipation from the world of the nation-state.