Senior Seminar

Senior seminars are offered on different topics every semester and provide an opportunity for students to integrate and build upon their interdisciplinary coursework in international relations by focusing in-depth on a specific topic. Limited to 20 students, the seminar fulfills the required capstone experience in the concentration. Seminars emphasize student discussion, have advanced readings and require students to complete a major research project that demonstrates their skills in a second language.

Independent Study (DISP, GISP)

Independent study projects allow students, either individually (DISP) or in small groups (GISP), to take a course that is not otherwise offered at Brown. An IAPA independent study project is done under the direction of a Watson faculty member, who agrees to teach the equivalent of an additional course to a student or group of students. As independent studies are time consuming for faculty, they can be challenging to arrange.

Students are responsible for designing the course syllabus for an independent study. The syllabus should be equivalent in content to an IAPA junior or senior seminar, including extensive reading (100-150 pages per week) and assignments leading up to a 20-25 page research paper. They may include a significant project such as a film.  

Independent Study students register for IAPA 1818A, under the section of the Watson faculty member they are working with. IAPA 1818A must be taken for a grade.

Steps to initiate an independent study for IAPA concentration credit:

1 - Complete the Independent Study Project Approval Form.

2 - Review proposal with and obtain signature from your Faculty Sponsor.

3 - Submit the completed Approval Form to the IAPA Faculty Director (Anya_Bassett@brown.edu) with a cc: to the Undergraduate Concentrations Manager (Anita_Nester@brown.edu).

4 - Receive approval. The Undergraduate Concentrations Manager will request that the faculty sponsor be added to a section of IAPA 1818A.

5 - Register for the section of IAPA 1818A assigned to the faculty sponsor.
 

Global Independent Study Project (GLISP)

A GLISP combines independent research with the study abroad experience. Students design a project to be undertaken outside the United States under the sponsorship of a Brown faculty member. GLISP projects last one semester and typically incorporate archival work in their host university or other local institutions, as well as interviews.

Independent Study Project Approval Form (ISP, GISP, GLISP, CPT)

Visit the Office of International Programs to learn more about the GLISP.

IAPA Honors Program

An honors degree in International and Public Affairs requires successful completion of a thesis of original research on a pressing global problem. The thesis is undertaken in both semesters of senior year and fulfills the IAPA capstone requirement. 

Download the Application.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) for International Students on F-1 Visas

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is work authorization for off-campus employment in the United States in the student’s field of study. To qualify for CPT as an IAPA concentrator, students must design and enroll in an independent study course related to their internship. The independent study should immediately follow a summer internship in the fall semester.

Students wishing to develop an independent study course must find a Watson faculty member who is willing to teach the equivalent of an additional course. As independent studies are time-consuming for faculty, they can be challenging to arrange. Students who are interested in arranging a CPT independent study should allow plenty of time to find a faculty sponsor and know what their alternatives are, should they not be able to find one. 

A CPT Independent study in IAPA is one of three ways an international student on an F-1 Visa can receive authorization to work. The second option is to concentrate in a department that offers a professional track, which require internships but do not require course credit for them. Currently, the departments of Applied Math, Computer Science, Economics, and Engineering offer Professional Tracks. The third option is to apply for pre-completion OPT (Optional Practical Training). 

Students who wish to pursue CPT should first visit the Office of International Students and Scholars website to learn about non-professional track CPT and to start the application process. 

For the purposes of CPT, IAPA Faculty Director Anya Bassett will serve as the concentration advisor for all IAPA students. Students seeking concentration approval for a CPT must provide the following information to Dr. Bassett:

• Copy of letter of internship offer.
• CPT Authorization Approval Form that includes a description of how the internship and the subsequent course are INTEGRAL to your concentration.
• Completed Independent Study Project Approval Form signed by a Watson-affiliated faculty member. The independent study course must be taken in the semester following the internship.
• Week-by-week syllabus of topics and readings (approximately 100-150 pages per week) either attached separately or pasted into the Independent Study Form. The syllabus course description must include how the course relates to your internship as well as how the course is evaluated (e.g., a 20-25 page paper).
• Copy of letter from a faculty sponsor.

Once Dr. Bassett approves the application, she will fill out the CPT Faculty Sponsor Approval form, which sends the application on to the Dean of the College. Once the Dean has approved, you will be able to complete the CPT request in your OISSS Gateway portal and register for IAPA 1818A under your faculty sponsor’s section. 

For additional information, see the Office of International Student and Scholar Services (OISSS)