Major Overview

As you delve into the exciting new challenges presented by our rapidly changing world, we will help you achieve a more sophisticated understanding of the allocation of ideas and resources across nations and societies, with expanded exploration of the complex relationships between the national and international, the local and global, and the corporate and civil. At a time when the interactions among different political actors affect all our lives, we want to help you find your own path towards participation in a systematic study of political institutions, processes, and behaviors that can help you understand some of the biggest questions of our day.  

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The educational goals for this major are as follows:

  • You will develop mastery of the disciplinary corpus covered by ICP studies (international relations theory, international political economy, international law, comparative politics, and political philosophy).
  • You will be equipped with the analytical tools and methods needed for rigorous thinking about and engaging in research over core issues of world politics.
  • You will communicate ideas (written and oral) clearly in rigorously argued fashion.

Learning Environment

Our interdisciplinary and interactive courses in political science, government, law, geopolitics, country and regional studies, and political economy will help you discover the best ways in which you can engage with and assume civic and political leadership. Additionally, our close ties with world-renowned universities, international institutions, UN agencies, the media, and non-governmental organizations, will provide you with numerous opportunities for intellectual exploration, internships, and special research and publication projects. Our strategic location in Paris also provides easy access to the resources of other prestigious academic institutions, including the Sorbonne, Sciences Po, and the Collège de France. 

Major Components
Build Your Degree

With every single one of our majors, you’ll find a carefully curated medley of core courses and electives, which will provide you with the tools you need to establish an unshakeable foundation in the principles and concepts fundamental to your growth within your disciplines of choice. Many majors also enable you to specialize further within the broader area of study.

Core Courses

Core Courses

We aim to help you develop a range of skills, capacities, and modes of inquiry that will be crucial for your future since employers and graduate schools are looking for the critical thinking and innovative problem-solving skills that are associated with a liberal arts education, including sophisticated writing abilities, willingness to pose difficult questions, and an understanding of the historical and cultural contexts surrounding a topic or decision. 

Scroll to Core Courses

Specialization

Specialization

The International Comparative Politics major offers courses in the following three specializations: 

  • World Politics 
  • European and US Politics 
  • Development and Human Rights

See all International & Comparative Politics Specialization Requirements

Core Courses

The International & Comparative Politics core courses, which you must take as part of the major requirements, will provide you with the tools you’ll need to ground your present and future studies. Your introduction to the fundamentals of International & Comparative Politics will help pave the way for your successful completion of other International & Comparative Politics courses.