Area Studies Minor

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www.smu.edu/internationalstudies

Professor Stephen K. Wegren, Director

General Information

To succeed in an international career, students need expertise in the politics, economics, history, language and cultures of societies other than their own. The curricula for the International and Area Studies Program are designed to provide students with a foundation for this expertise, requiring coursework in the social sciences, business, language and humanities. A student majoring in international studies also chooses a region in which to specialize: Europe, Asia, Latin America, or the Middle East/Africa.

As an alternative to the international studies major, a student may choose an area of study to earn a minor. Minors include European studies, Asian studies, Latin American and Iberian studies, and Africa/Middle East studies.

International Studies Major and Minor Rules for SMU Abroad Credit

To maximize the educational experience in these degree programs, all international studies majors and minors are strongly encouraged to spend at least one term or summer studying abroad. The University offers numerous study abroad opportunities around the world; most of these courses may be applied to the international and area studies major or minor. The following policies apply to the International and Area Studies Program:

For an Area Studies Minor

Up to 12 hours of world language study may be taken in an SMU-approved study abroad program and counted toward the language requirement for any area studies minor.
Three of nine hours in the student’s regional specialization may be taken in an SMU-approved study abroad program and counted toward the minor.

Minor Information

The area studies minor is separate from the major or minor in international studies. A student may earn a minor in a geographical area in order to increase expertise and in-depth knowledge of a region’s history, politics, society and culture. A minor in an area study is offered in Africa/Middle East studies, Asian studies, European studies, and Latin American and Iberian studies.

Requirements for the Minor

A minor in one of the four geographic areas of study requires 15 hours of coursework. The first six hours (two courses) must be chosen from the four categories of the basic curriculum; each of the two courses must be from a separate category: “World Cultures,” “International Economics,” “International Politics” or “The Global Perspective.” The next nine hours (three courses) must be chosen from a regional specialization: 1) the African and Middle Eastern studies curriculum, 2) the Asian studies curriculum, 3) the European studies curriculum, or 4) the Latin American and Iberian studies curriculum. At least one course must be selected from the social sciences group and at least one course must be selected from the humanities and arts group for the selected curriculum. At least nine hours must be at the 3000 level or above. If a student is an international studies major, only one course from the area studies curriculum may be double counted toward the area studies minor. The language requirement for the minor may be met through examination, the transfer of language study credit from another university or by taking courses on campus.

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