Faculty at the University of Maryland recently took action towards establishing an international relations program at their school. The University of Maryland currently offers a global studies minor that allows students to get a taste of the world of global politics and relations. However, this was not enough for the U of M faculty, who drafted and presented a proposal to the school’s governing board this week that would expand opportunities to study international relations in the future.
The proposed plan would take advantage of existing infrastructure available in the government and politics majors. This would take the form of a 24-credit concentration made up of classes already available designed to provide an official pathway to international studies. Faculty stated that because the expertise and classes necessary to teach international relations were already available, it is a great opportunity to embrace the program fully.
The proposal is influenced by comments from some students who could not easily pursue a career in international relations through available majors at the U of M. Rosetta Previti, a sophomore currently in an independent studies program mixing politics and East Asian culture says that a program like the one suggested would provide a better support system. The college’s proximity to Washington D.C. attracts many students like Previti, and incorporating a program that specifically covers international relations takes advantage of that while also providing the support system Previti and her fellow students need to stay successful and competitive.
The school’s Senate Executive Committee unanimously voted on Thursday to bring the bill to their meeting at the beginning of October. The proposal will come under review from the Senate and could be the beginning of significant changes to the University of Maryland political studies program.