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International Studies General Comments International Studies encompasses a broad range of academic disciplines whose common denominator is that they focus on the global system. There are at least four specializations
within International Studies. These are: The Political Approach to International Studies. This approach is a specialization within the academic discipline of Political Science. It looks at International Politics, International Law, the United Nations, Other International Organizations, Comparative Government, Area Studies, and Global Institutions. International Politics concerns itself with the sovereign state, war, military power, conflict, and conflict resolution. It looks at the realist and the idealist (liberal) approaches to foreign policy making. The Economic Approach to International Studies. This approach focuses on the emerging world economy. This approach looks at basic structures whereby international finance and world trade are conducted. International economic institutions like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization are considered. Other concern topics covered would be the workings of Central Banks, their management of foreign exchange markets. Economic cooperation of the world's major economies through the regular meetings of the G7 plus Russia. International Business is another aspect of this approach. Most large corporations have become multinational or transnational. Majoring in international business has become popular. The Cultural Approach to International Studies. This approach looks at the cultural dimension of our world. When educators talk about "internationalizing the curriculum," they often want to sensitize students to a multi-cultural world. The United States is a multi-cultural society. Our citizens come from all over the world. Learning something about foreign cultures should make you more tolerant of diversity. If you work for a multinational corporation or any organization where you may be posted in another country besides the one where you were born, is is important to know something about that culture. This would include speaking the language and some familiarity with art, literature, and history. Specialized history courses on Africa, China, India, South America fit into this approach. The Language Approach to International Studies. Learning a foreign language forces you to become familiar with a foreign culture. It is not enough to learn vocabulary and grammar. That is just the beginning. You need to be able to read foreign newspapers or technical articles. You need to speak a language sufficiently to go to a restaurant, hail a taxi, and have a simple conversation with a native. Finally, it may be necessary to write in a foreign language. This is the same as learning your own language: speaking, reading, and writing. These are different skills, although they are related. Once you have gained access to language fundamentals, you may be able to learn its culture and think like a native. It should be obvious that these four approaches are quite different from each other. International Studies at Union County College gives you some exposure to all four. But our program is only a start. You really must go on to a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's before you will find employment in this area. There is one other caveat. Just because you are an international student, that is you come from a foreign country, that does not make you an international studies student. Indeed, as a foreign student you should acculturate yourself to the American culture first. However, your foreign language skills and your knowledge of your native culture are advantages. Graduate in your business major or other program and then steer toward work which has an international dimension. Updated: November 25,
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