International Relations at NYU: A Global System in Action

Inside the classroom, the program focuses on four major components: politics, economics, a regional specialization, and foreign language. “The components serve as building blocks,” explains rising senior Sean A. Nesmith. “International relations students are taught how to think, not what to think.” Another part of what makes the program so special is its capacity for interdisciplinary learning. Sean adds, “No two International Relations majors will graduate with the same transcript.”

All International Relations majors study a foreign language. Jessica Beck chose Spanish, which she complemented with the programʼs study abroad requirement. “At NYU Buenos Aires, I was able to live with a host family for a semester and practice my Spanish at dinner every night,” she says. “NYU is one of the few schools where you can learn both in and outside the classroom, going out and using the resources of various cities to enhance your education.”

But not all international relations students throw themselves into six semesters of a brand-new language to fulfill that requirement. Recent international relations honors and French honors graduate Julia-Françoise Raith chose to concentrate on French even though she was already fluent in it. For her, it was a way to gain a deeper understanding of her own identity and the lines of influence in the region. “Although I am a native French speaker, I have learned so much that goes beyond language. From literature, culture, history, and francophone countries to politics, translation, demographic identities, the news, acting, and more” she says.

At the start of their senior year, international relations honors students Jasmine Balderas and Ann Yoon began constructing their theses, the culmination of their studies at NYU. The international relations honors track, an option for high-achieving majors, offers a two-semester seminar during which students work closely with faculty to design and carry out original research on international phenomena. Honors students complete a thesis with their findings by the end of their final spring and present their research at the annual Undergraduate Research Conference.

For her thesis, Jasmine dove deeper into the Middle East. She had already customized her studies to focus on the region. She learned several dialects of Arabic and spent a semester abroad at NYU Abu Dhabi. While there, she enrolled in core classes that highlighted her area of interest and added related electives. She focused her thesis on the integration of Iraqi, Syrian, and Afghan refugees in Germany following the Syrian refugee crisis. “Crafting your own research project is undoubtedly a demanding and rigorous process. But an invaluable opportunity to create a piece of research that contributes to the change you want to see in this world, no matter how big or small, comes with it,” she says. “With my thesis, I hope to make a small, yet meaningful impact in creating a piece of research that influences future policymaking.”

Ann also turned to current events when choosing a thesis topic: how language used by the media affects hate incidents. “I wanted to understand the scope and extent of speech that can lead to real-world actions,” explains Ann. “That topic is particularly apt given the modern context of globalization, with a greater number of immigrants, multicultural families, and foreign workers increasingly demanding that society accommodates diversity.”