collageIn our complex world where challenges to peace are multiplying, there is a crucial need for analytical thinkers able to address transnational issues in a creative and constructive fashion. The MA in International Affairs allows you to take full advantage of Paris’s central role in international economics, politics and social issues. Throughout the pursuit of your degree, you will have the opportunity to supplement the rigorous coursework and professional modules with internships, fieldwork for thesis research and case study methods for thesis production.
We work closely with our students to provide one-on-one intellectual mentoring and support that enables them to make a difference in the world. Recent Fulbright recipients have specialized in post-conflict civil society building in Ivory Coast; women’s rights in India; and the impact of corporate social responsibility on climate change.
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
While providing a rigorous and well-rounded understanding of contemporary international affairs the course will push you to take theory beyond the classroom. Throughout your studies, you will have opportunities to work alongside visiting professionals to advance your skills and networks through intense three-day workshops that provide expertise in humanitarian assistance, diplomacy, non-profit management, negotiation, legal problem solving, health assessment in conflict zones, micro-credit management and mediation.
NEW AND EXPERIENCED THINKING
We welcome recent graduates from educational institutions across the world – having earned the equivalent of a BA degree in International Affairs or a closely related field – as well as current professionals already working in the worlds of international institutions, NGOs and policymaking.
INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
As part of the program, you will engage with the world at large through the Ecole de Guerre practicum and cultural trips offered by other programs, such as those in India, Fez and Cambodia. This type of on-site learning or fieldwork encourages you to interact with a professional environment – legal, humanitarian, diplomatic, civil society – and often within the context of another language and culture.
PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS
As a student of the MA in International Affairs you will engage with discipline-specific theoretical constructs through modules designed to enhance critical thinking, as well as graduate-level research and writing capacities.
The program features core and elective courses, allowing you to focus on various fields of practice. We cover a rich scope of content from law to international relations and diplomacy and from conflict resolution to human rights, including:
CORE COURSES
PO5005 Philo. Found. Of Internat’l Relations
Articulated within the emergence of the European nation-state and born in the context of the First World War and its aftermath, the discursive field of International Relations is organized around the constitutive concepts of conflict, anarchy, power, system, rule, law, and justice, and the practices of civil society and political economy. These concepts and practices organize, in turn, both the major schools of International Relations theory and contemporary methodological pluralism. This course interrogates these founding concepts from a philosophical perspective within the historical and discursive context of each major school: 1) from classical liberalism to international liberalism; 2) from classical realism to modern realism; 3) the ‘English School’ of IR theory (Bull); 4) Marxist tenets within international relations (from Karl Marx to international political economy); 5) Modern and Contemporary Critical Liberalism (Polanyi and Held); 6) The philosophical grounds of contemporary Constructivism.
PO5012 Civil Society: Internat’l & Comp. Persp.
“Civil society” is one of the more elusive entries in the social science lexicon, and not a few have argued that we could do well without it. In a critical but appreciative spirit, this seminar introduces to the various meanings and uses that have been attributed to, or made of, civil society across time and national contexts. A constant in its various meanings is the reference to an elementary capacity of social self-organization beyond states and markets. This has made civil society an attractive alternative to diminished states and unfettered markets in the era of globalization, interestingly for the political left and right alike.
American University School Of International Service Ranking
See where this school lands in our other rankings to get a bigger picture of the institution’s offerings.
#79 in National Universities (tie)- #120 in Best Colleges for Veterans
- #42 in Best Undergraduate Teaching (tie)
- #91 in Best Value Schools
- #46 in Most Innovative Schools (tie)
- #202 in Top Performers on Social Mobility (tie)
- Business Programs
- #8 in International Business (tie)
- Management
- #7 in Study Abroad
- #39 in First-Year Experiences (tie)
American University Ranking Factors
American University is ranked #79 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence. Read more about how we rank schools.
U.S. News Overall Score
Score (out of 100)
64
Outcomes (40%)
Average 6-year graduation rate (17.6%)
79%
6-year graduation rate of students who received a Pell Grant (2.5%)
75%
6-year graduation rate of students who did not receive a Pell Grant (2.5%)
Expert Opinion (20%)
Peer assessment score (out of 5)
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