International Studies

Full course description

In this course we investigate international economic relations, with a particular focus on the European Union (EU) and the euro area (EA). We discuss channels through which nations are economically connected. This involves analyzing the dynamics of international markets for products and services, labor and finance and the importance of the underlying institutional designs. We study the underlying economic theory and the way such insights have been translated into the institutional arrangements of the European Union. We discuss how effects of macroeconomic policies are transmitted from country to country through these channels and how fiscal and monetary policies can/should be coordinated to contribute to fostering economic integration. We pay attention both to the intra-European dynamics and the relation of Europe with the rest of the world.

The course provides an overview of key concepts and approaches of peace and conflict studies. It analyzes the most important problems that are central to understanding peace and conflict studies. What, for example, are the causes of war and peace? When do actors decide whether to go to war (as Russia and Ukraine did),  or cooperate? The class emphasizes critical thinking and encourages students to develop negotiation skills to resolve conflicts between two parties using negotiation games that will be implemented in class. 

This course charts the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the rise of political Zionism and Palestinian-Arab nationalism to the present day. It provides an understanding of the political and scholarly debates surrounding the causes for the dispute through the eyes of the belligerent societies, and the efforts that have been made to resolve it (and their degree of success or failure). It includes an evaluation of attempts to resolve the conflict and the factors shaping peace-making efforts to the present day.

This course introduces students to key International Relations (IR) theories, concepts, and discussions. It examines the complex and difficult problems the world faces today and the different ways of defining, understanding, and responding to these problems. Understanding the causes of the world’s complex problems is no easy task and no single analytical lens can capture any issue accurately. 

The Model United Nations (MUN) seminar is an interactive course developed by Geneva International Model United Nations (GIMUN). MUN is the simulation of a United Nations committee or agency, where each participant represents a State or organization and advances their policies as they debate contemporary global issues. The course is divided in two parts: theoretical and practical. In the first part of the semester, a new theoretical element of MUN is studied every week in the form of a traditional lesson with obligatory readings. In the second part of the semester, a contemporary global issue is debated every week in mini-simulations led by groups of four students. The course covers a variety of subject matter including international law, environment, and development. Students learn about the United Nation (UN) system and government foreign policy, while training in public speaking, research, negotiation, and diplomacy.

The extensive independent study field research paper produced by the student is both the centerpiece of the intern's professional engagement and the culmination of the academic achievements of the semester. During the preparatory session, IFE teaches the methodological guidelines and principles to which students are expected to adhere in the development of their written research. Students work individually with a research advisor from their field. The first task is to identify a topic, following guidelines established by IFE for research topic choice. The subject must be tied in a useful and complementary way to the student-intern's responsibilities, as well as to the core concerns of the host organization. The research question should be designed to draw as much as possible on resources available to the intern via the internship (data, documents, interviews, observations, seminars and the like). Students begin to focus on this project after the first 2-3 weeks on the internship. Each internship agreement signed with an organization makes explicit mention of this program requirement, and this is the culminating element of their semester. Once the topic is identified, students meet individually, as regularly as they wish, with their IFE research advisor to generate a research question from the topic, develop an outline, identify sources and research methods, and discuss drafts submitted by the student. The research advisor also helps students prepare for the oral defense of their work which takes place a month before the end of the program and the due date of the paper. The purpose of this exercise is to help students evaluate their progress and diagnose the weak points in their outline and arguments. Rather than an extraneous burden added to the intern's other duties, the field research project grows out of the internship through a useful and rewarding synergy of internship and research. The Field Study and Internship model results in well-trained student-interns fully engaged in mission-driven internships in their field, while exploring a critical problem guided by an experienced research advisor.