Declaration in or after Fall 2009

Last update: October 2024

Major Overview

The International Affairs (IA) major at Temple University, Japan Campus is an interdisciplinary major in the College of Liberal Arts. It is closely related to political science and emphasizes issues affecting relations between East Asia (Japan, China, Korea) and the United States. This major requires 10 courses (approximately 30 semester hours) divided into 5 core courses and 4 electives in the major, a capstone course, an internship of 3-6 semester hours, an East Asian area studies requirement, and an East Asian language requirement.

Major Requirements

Arrow-Large 45 credits required

Arrow-Large Students must successfully complete the following courses with a grade of C- or higher

Major Core Courses

Political Science Requirements

Select two Political Science courses in consultation with the Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor. POLS 4310 / POLS 4320 taken multiple times under different course topics can count toward Political Science requirement.

Interdisciplinary Requirements

Select two courses in Social Science or other related disciplines in consultation with the Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor.

East Asian Studies Requirements

Select three courses that exclusively focus on East Asia in Social Science or other related disciplines in consultation with the Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor. May overlap with Political Science or Interdisciplinary Requirements.

East Asia Requirement 4000+ Writing Intensive

Select one course in consultation with the Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor.

Non-USA / Non-East Asian Studies Requirements*

Select two courses that focus on non-USA, non-East Asian regions in Social Science or other disciplines in consultation with the Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor. POLS 4310 / POLS 4320 taken multiple times under different course topics can count toward Political Science requirement. May overlap with Political Science or Interdisciplinary Requirements.

Political Science Seminar

Select one course in consultation with the Academic Advisor and/or Faculty Advisor. Students are required to take this course in their senior year. It will cover important and timely topics dealing with international affairs in East Asia and the United States and will strive to pull together concepts and skills from other courses. Students will write a major paper for the course, not unlike a senior thesis, and will make oral presentations on their work to the class as a whole.

Internship

Complete at least one internship for at least 3 credits, upon approval by the Faculty Advisor.

Political Science Capstone (WI)

Language (early start recommended)

Students must complete the 4th semester level of Chinese (2002), Japanese (2702/2002), Korean (2002) with a grade of C- or above. The language requirement may also be satisfied by examination.

Successful completion of Asian Studies major language requirement satisfies CLA Foreign Language requirement.

*How to Determine Major Course Electives and Requirement(s) Fulfilled

International Affairs is an interdisciplinary major which requires the following requirements with various components. Students should refer to the pre-approved major courses. (Contact your academic advisor New Tab for the pre-approved course list) Courses with special topics whose component will vary by semester may be used to satisfy a single or multiple requirement area(s) as well. Consult with the Faculty Advisor or Academic Advising Center for details.

Notes on Internship Requirement

Students are required to undertake an internship during their junior or senior year in which they work with some organization in a capacity related to international affairs. The minimum requirement is 3 semester hours of internship, but some students may opt for 6 semester hours. If for some reason the IA faculty advisor determines that a student should not have an internship, then 3 semester hours of Independent Study that in some appropriate way addresses work experience in IA may be substituted.

IA majors must register for Political Science 4185 Internship I (3 semester hours) when taking an IA internship.

Internships that are appropriate for IA majors can be at any of a number of sources, including news organizations, foreign embassies and consulates, government agencies, multinational companies engaged in trade, and various NGOs. A TUJ faculty member will be assigned to oversee IA internships and academic standards. As a general rule, 3-credit internship at TUJ requires at least 140 hours of on-the-job experience over a semester and a final paper about the internship experience.