Courses

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Courses

IAPA Course Offerings

Lists are subject to change. Check Courses at Brown (C@B) for current availability.

Core Courses

All International and Public Affairs concentrators take a common core of classes, including:

  • One “gateway” lecture course that examines broad global themes and provides an introduction to multidisciplinary analysis
  • Two Research Methods Courses (one qualitative and one quantitative)
  • One Track Foundational Course (corresponding to one of the three tracks: Development, Policy & Governance, or Security)
  • One junior seminar
  • One capstone (either a senior seminar or the two-course Honors Thesis sequence, for students accepted into the Honors Program).  

Track Electives

Students take five electives within their corresponding track. Courses must be selected from the list of pre-approved electives.  

 

Course Lists

A Note About Course Substitutions
In rare cases where we missed a course offering or in exceptional circumstances, students can petition for a course outside the current pre-approved list to count towards IAPA requirements. If you find yourself in such a circumstance, submit a completed Petition Request form for each course you’re seeking approval for. It may take up to 3-5 business days to receive a response. 

  • Core courses (Gateway, Track Foundational, Junior Seminars, and Senior Seminars) cannot be substituted.
  • Requests can be submitted if a student already has an approved IAPA declaration in ASK or during the declaration process (i.e., prior to or immediately after the declaration meeting with advisor/Manager).
  • Retroactive Approvals of exceptions are granted only in extreme circumstances (e.g., late transfer, graduation jeopardy).