International and Intercultural Studies Major

Requirements of the Major

1. Core Courses: Majors must complete the IIS 010 PZ -Introduction to International and Intercultural Studies , IIS 050 PZ -Power and Social Change , and IIS 060 PZ -Interdisciplinary Knowledge & Global Justice , normally during their first two years before participating in an approved Study Abroad program. Majors must also complete one of the courses on the global impact of the United States listed below, normally before taking the IIS 190 PZ -Senior Seminar . This major requires at least one course introducing an intersectional analysis of three or more of the following vectors of oppression: race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and citizenship/nationality. The IIS 190 PZ -Senior Seminar  is required of all majors (except as noted below). A senior thesis or senior project is an option for all students, but required of all honors candidates (see below).
   
   • IIS 010 PZ -Introduction to International and Intercultural Studies 
   • IIS 050 PZ -Power and Social Change 
   • IIS 060 PZ -Interdisciplinary Knowledge & Global Justice 
   • IIS 190 PZ -Senior Seminar 
   • One course on the global impact of the U.S. selected from among these courses: ANTH 011 PZ -The World Since 1492 ; HIST 156 PZ -American Empire: 1898 & After ; SOC 071 PZ -Sociology of Popular Music .
   • One course on intersectional analysis, selected from these courses:
     
     • CHLT 060 CH -Women in the Third World 
     • CHLT 061 CH -Contemporary Issues of Chicanas & Latinas 
     • CHLT 115 CH -Gender, Race and Class: Women of Color in the U.S. 
     • CHLT 154 CH -Latinas in the Garment Industry 
     • ENGL 132 AF -Black Queer Theory 
     • ENGL 166 AF -James Baldwin: Major Figures in 20th-Century American Literature 
     • EA 086 PZ -Environmental Justice 
     • IIS 075 PZ -Introduction to Postcolonial Studies 
     • IIS 080 PZ -Introduction to Critical Theory 
     • IIS 167 PZ -Theory and Practice of Resistance to Monoculture: Gender, Spirituality, and Power 
     • SOC 071 PZ -Sociology of Popular Music 
     • SOC 124 AF -Race, Place and Space 
     • SOC 142 AF -The Black and South Asian Diaspora in Great Britain 
     • SOC 145 CH -Restructuring Communities ;
     • SOC 155 CH -Rural and Urban Social Movements 

The total number of courses required is: 6 core courses (7 for students who are honors candidates); 3 regional emphasis courses; the study abroad semester; and language coursework. The latter two may include courses counting for the regional emphasis, and the study abroad semester often includes language coursework.

2. Language:To satisfy the language requirement, any of the following methods may be used:
   
   • Two years of college or university-level classroom language instruction.
   • Proficiency by immersion, normally completed in a Pitzer Study Abroad program or other language-intensive study abroad program approved by thefield group. (See adviser or Office of International Programs for list of approved programs.)
   • Demonstration of competence at the equivalent level of two years of college or university-level classroom instruction by successfully completing an oral or written examination administered by a qualified language instructor.
3. Study Abroad: Students are expected to participate in a semester-long program of study abroad relevant to their chosen regional emphasis. Students should consult both with the Director of International Programs to choose an appropriate program and with their advisers to select courses that will prepare them for this experience. It is required that students planning to study in a particular study abroad program take IIS 060 PZ  and a regional course designed to prepare them for study in that region. The regional course may fulfill one of the regional emphasis courses described below. Students returning from study abroad programs are recommended to take POST 194B PZ -International Studies Teaching Workshop  [1⁄2 course].
4. Advanced Course Work: Regional Emphasis. Students will choose one particular region for emphasis from among the following list of regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the Middle East, the Third World, or Global Studies. Normally, students choose a regional emphasis that includes their Study Abroad location. Three courses are required as a minimum for study of their selected region, normally with one introductory course and two other courses at the advanced level (generally numbered above 100). Students are required to take one appropriate course before the Study Abroad semester, chosen in consultation with their advisor. Students are also required to take IIS 060 PZ  as part of their preparation for Study Abroad.

Honors:

Students with a cumulative and major GPA of 3.5 or higher may be considered for honors in International and Intercultural Studies. Honors candidates must write and successfully defend a senior thesis, generally while enrolled in IIS 199 PZ -Senior Thesis . The determination of honors is based on excellence in course work in the major and the quality of the senior thesis.