International Politics Minor

To earn an international politics minor, students will complete various political science, economics, theology, and history courses.

• Introduction to Politics: An introduction to the political dimension of life from a biblically-oriented perspective. Laying the foundation for political thought and practice, the course will examine scripture, models of how the church relates to culture, and examples of Christian engagement with the political world. It will also provide a brief survey of each of the fields of political science and raise practical questions about political involvement.
• International Relations: An introduction to the contemporary relations among states with a consideration of the issues of war and peace, international organizations, law, integration, political economy, interdependence, and relations among the superpowers.
• Modern Political Thought: Major ideas and trends in political thought from the early modern era of the 1600s to the present will be examined. The first portion of the course will be a survey of major political philosophers. This will set the stage for understanding modern ideologies (populism, libertarianism, conservatism, liberalism, totalitarianism, and other -isms).
• Global Security Issues: This seminar course examines the challenges facing world security in the twenty-first century, including arms proliferation, ecological threats, economic globalization, ethnic conflict, resource scarcity, political economy, and human rights.
• Global Economic Development: A study of economic aspects of poverty and underdevelopment in the modern world. Specific topics include the dimensions and nature of poverty in the world, characteristics and types of developing nations, theories of development, and emerging issues in development. We will also consider the implications of biblical principles for policy to promote economic development and alleviate poverty.
• Engaging World Religions: An exploration of how the major world religions function in human life. Major topics will include systems of religious belief and worldview, sacred literature, symbols, rituals, and practices. Students will explore diverse religious practices by bringing the biblical and theological perspective of the Reformed tradition into dialogue with different religious systems. The goal of this exploration is to use the tools of the Reformed tradition to gain a practical understanding of different religions in order to engage people of different faiths with the gospel.
• War and Peace: 20th Century Europe: The history of Europe from the immediate pre-First World War period to the end of the post-Second World War period as marked by the reunification of Germany and the 1991 Maastricht Treaty on European Union. The primary emphasis will be on the cultural, political, social, and economic developments in this period, with particular reference to the destructiveness of nationalism, the cold war, and the processes of European integration.
• Modern Middle East: An in-depth study focusing on developments in the Middle East during the 20th century. Topics include de-colonization; “modernization” and the tension between western ideologies and Islam; Palestine, Israel, and the peace process; regional and global relations during and UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC OFFERINGS: INDIVIDUAL STUDIES 120 after the Cold War; the impact of the oil economy; urbanization; gender and family relations; and contemporary issues like water resources, ethnic conflict, human rights, and leadership change.
• Comparative Politics: This course will introduce the field of comparative politics. Nation-states will be compared to one another and to the United States. We will cover a range of topics including history, ethnic groups, political parties, and government structures. The diversity of nations and norms of human government will be examined from a Christian perspective. The course will focus on a specific region or continent of the world. Specific geographic focus to be announced.

See the course catalog for more information.