Master of Arts in International Relations

This is an archived copy of the 2020-2021 Catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.norwich.edu/.

Program Director: Lasha Tchantouridzé
Associate Program Director of Academics: Charles Lerche

The Master of Arts in International Relations has three parts. The first two parts are taught seminars followed by electives. At the end of the program students complete an International Relations field exam that consists of issues from the required seminars, as well as the two elective seminars. Satisfactory completion of the field exam is required to graduate from the program. The third part of the program is research elements – students complete a Master’s research paper (MRP),  approximately 10 to 12 thousand words. Students select their MRP or capstone topic as early as possible; by the end of Seminar Four advisors are assigned. Students choose their elective seminars according to their research interests. Master’s Research Paper are a shorter version of MA thesis, with one important difference: students are asked to make original contributions to the field of international relations. Although it is not difficult to identify original theses statements in IR, even at Master’s level, fundamental difficulties exist in the field in terms of scholarly rigor and methodology of fully investigating the proposed research questions. Such challenges are common in the discipline at Master’s level and tend to exist even at wealthy schools – the challenges are connected with the limitations that naturally exist for those who study international security and history – it is seldom possible for Master’s students to do substantial field research, especially in the areas of conflict.

Program Mission

  • Prepare students to excel in a particular functional area of international relations and/or geographic area of the world,
  • Provide modern, fundamental, practice-oriented education in various fields of international relations,
  • Foster creativity and critical thinking in problem solving and motivate students to consider the societal consequences of their work,
  • Prepare ethical leaders for the fields of international relations and committed to global service to humanity.


Program Outcomes

Students:

  • Evaluate various political, economic or social issues of a particular functional area of international relations or a geographic area of the world,
  • Correlate historical, political and/or economic origins of an international phenomenon or a process,
  • Employ theories and methodological skills to clarify complex issues in international relations,

Curriculum Map/Plan of Study

Term 1
World Politics Intl Relations6
Term 2
One concentration course
6
Term 3
One concentration course
6
Term 4
One elective course
6
Term 5
Field Exam0
Masters Research Paper I
and Masters Research Paper Conclusion and Examination
9
MIR Residency 10
Total Cr.33


Curriculum Requirements 

All students in the Master of Arts in International Relations program are required to complete the following courses in the order prescribed in the curriculum map/plan of study for the degree.

Core Courses for all Concentrations
IR 510World Politics Intl Relations6
IR 555Field Exam0
IR 590
IR 591
Masters Research Paper I
and Masters Research Paper Conclusion and Examination
9
IR 595MIR Residency0
Total Cr.15


Concentration Areas

All students in the Master of Arts in International Relations program must select one concentration area of study and will complete 18 credits in the concentration. 

International Security Concentration Courses
IR 520American Foreign Policy6
IR 530International Security6
GD 540Conflict Avoidance, Prevention & Containment in the International System6
or GD 541 The Practice of Diplomacy
or GD 550 Conflict Resolution & Post-Conflict Reconstruction in the International System
or GD 560 Military Intervention & Conflict Management in the International System
or GD 561 Human Rights and Conflict in the International System
or GD 562 International Response to Transnational Terrorism
Total Cr.18
National Security Concentration Courses
IR 520American Foreign Policy6
IR 531National Security6
IR 541Intel & Natl Security Policy6
Total Cr.18
International Development Concentration Courses
GD 530Economics and the International System6
IR 543PoliEconomy of IntDevelopment6
IR 553Capital and international Development6
Total Cr.18
Cyber Diplomacy Concentration Courses
GD 520Law and the International System6
IR 531National Security6
or GI 512 Foundations and Historical Underpinnings of Information Assurance
or GI 522 Information Assurance Technology
or GI 532 Human Factors and Managing Risk
or GI 542 Information Assurance Management and Analytics
or GI 551 Computer Forensic Investigations
or GI 554 Computer Security Incident Response Team Management
or GI 556 Cyber Crime
or GI 557 Cyber Law
or GI 562 Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing I
or GI 563 Vulnerability Management II
or GI 566 Critical Infra. Protection
GI 567International Perspectives on Cyberspace6
or GI 512 Foundations and Historical Underpinnings of Information Assurance
or GI 522 Information Assurance Technology
or GI 532 Human Factors and Managing Risk
or GI 542 Information Assurance Management and Analytics
or GI 551 Computer Forensic Investigations
or GI 554 Computer Security Incident Response Team Management
or GI 556 Cyber Crime
or GI 557 Cyber Law
or GI 562 Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing I
or GI 563 Vulnerability Management II
or GI 566 Critical Infra. Protection
Total Cr.18
Regions of the World Concentration Courses
IR 520American Foreign Policy6
IR 530International Security6
IR 549Regions of the World6
Total Cr.18

Field Exam

All students take a written exam consisting of three sets of questions with two questions per set, for a total of six questions. Students must choose one of the two questions in each set, thus answering three questions. The questions are devised by program faculty and are not given to students in advance. The three-hour exam is proctored online. Students may opt to take the exam during the Residency Conference, however, this option will delay degree conferral. It is a closed book exam; in other words, no sources other than what is in a student’s mind can be used or consulted. The exam is read independently and blindly by a minimum of three faculty members. The exam should be passed by two readers for the passing grade; the concentration question must be passed by at least two readers for the satisfactory grade. Students who fail the exam will be given one more chance to take it. Students who publish an article in a peer-reviewed academic or a professional journal may be exempt from the Field Exam requirement.

One-Week Residency 

All degree candidates of the Master of Arts in International Relations are required to attend a one-week Residency Conference on the Norwich University campus, during which they may attend professional presentations, participate in roundtable discussions with faculty, and present papers. The one-week residency is a degree requirement.

Faculty Member Institution at which highest degree was earned
Lasha Tchatouridze, PhD (Program Director) Queens University, Canada
Charles Lerche, PhD (Associate Program Director of Academics) University of Ibaden, Nigeria
Hayat Alvi, PhD Howard University
Clifford Bates, PhD Northern Illinois University
Narain Batra, PhD Gujarat University, India
John Becker, PhD University of Denver
Bond Benton, PhD University of Vienna, Austria
James Binney, PhD University of Kentucky
Stefan Brooks, PhD University of Houston
Rowland Brucken, PhD Ohio State University
Anthony Cain, PhD Ohio State University
Stanley Carpenter, PhD Florida State University
Emily Copeland, PhD The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Paula Doherty, PhD Nova Southeastern University
Robert Farkasch, PhD York University, Canada
Hatice Gamze Menali, MA Norwich University
Don Harrington, PhD University of Connecticut
Michael Jackson, PhD Brandeis University
David Jones, PhD State University of New York at Albany
William Jong-Ebot, PhD University of Wisconsin
Seung-Ho Joo, PhD Pennsylvania State University
Angela Kachuyevski, PhD The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Brian Kupfer, PhD Claremont Graduate School
Jonathan Levy, PhD William Howard Taft Law School
James Miskel, PhD State University of New York
Darryl Mitry, PhD University of Southern California
Amit Mukherjee, PhD Syracuse University
Eric Nelson, PhD University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Scott Nelson, PhD Arizona State University
Robert Pauly, PhD Old Dominion University
Eileen Scully, PhD Georgetown University
Steven Shirley, PhD Old Dominion University
Joel Sokolsky, PhD Harvard University
Andrea Talentino, PhD UCLA
Eugene Tadie, PhD Northern Illinois University
Stephen Twing, PhD University of South Carolina