International Studies

Ranked as one of the top 10 "Best Value" international studies programs in the nation (College Factual), Ohio Wesleyan's distinctive International Studies major focuses on experience and connections. You have many opportunities to gain real-world experience through internships and research projects in Washington, D.C., and locations around the world. Just as important, you have daily international opportunities on campus – meeting international policy experts and scholars, Skyping with leaders at NATO and other international organizations, interacting with OWU alumni at the height of federal agencies, and living on a campus with fellow students from around the world.

About the Major

The cross-disciplinary nature of OWU's International Studies major provides you with a holistic understanding of global issues and interactions. And the setting in a national liberal arts university means you can work closely with a faculty mentors to develop a major and deeply explore research projects that fit your interests and goals.

In the major, you can pursue general international studies or concentrate on a specific region - Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America, or Middle East. The core curriculum covers global issues, international economics, and international politics, and you're encouraged to study at least one foreign language and spend at least one semester studying or interning abroad. You'll cap off your major with an integrative senior seminar to help tie everything together.

Related Minors

Think Big

We emphasize intellectual curiosity, creativity, initiative, and synthesis. OWU provides many research opportunities for you to explore an existing problem or process—or perhaps to develop a totally new avenue of exploration. You can work with a faculty mentor and apply for grant funding.

You can present your research at the Spring Student Symposium and at other conferences.

Research Resources Research & Independent Study

Arab Spring Uprisings

Cierra Cresanto '17 presented research on why some regimes fell during the Arab Spring.

Watch the Video

Studying Terrorism in France

Mariama Goodwin '17 traveled to Paris to study terrorism from multiple angles.

Go Global

OWU offers a wide variety of ways for you to journey to a distant land and immerse yourself in another culture.

From your first year on campus, you can get off campus with Travel-Learning Courses, a key part of The OWU Connection. You can also spend a semester at an overseas university or apply for OWU grants for shorter research projects around the world.

Travel-Learning Courses Study Abroad

Leaders Across Borders

Students joined an OWU-created program in Northern Ireland on leadership and culture.

European Union

Erica Shah '16 studied how the EU thrives amid cultural, economic, & political diversity.

Tanzania

Lizzy Wynne '16 studied Tanzania's medical systems, cultures, and women's development.

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Development in Dubai

Iftekhar Showpnil '13 and others studied Dubai's development and globalization impacts.

Get Real

Every OWU student has a variety opportunities to connect classroom learning with real-world experience. You can take on an internship, or work with a professor to create a unique project - and get OWU funding to help carry it out.

Many International Studies majors take advantage of OWU's Wesleyan in Washington internship program, where you work for a semester in a setting that aligns with your goals.

Internship Opportunities Theory-to-Practice Grants

Wesleyan in Washington

Kyle Wilgus '22 interned at the U.S. State Department's Bureau of International Security.

Summer in the Senate

Jessica Sanford '17 interned as a political coordinator at the NRSC in Washington, D.C.

Brookings Institution

Emily Feldmesser '16 interned at The Brookings Institution, a public policy think tank.

Senate News Conference

Luke Waters '15 interned at the Center for American Progress and spoke with senators.

International Development

Memme Onwudiwe '15 interned at Development Finance International, Inc. in Bethesda, MD.

Theory to Practice in Vietnam

Carly Zelenski '15 interned with East Meets West Foundation, evaluating water in Vietnam.

Highlights

Wesleyan in Washington

You can intern and learn where the political action is. Through the Wesleyan in Washington program, you will live and work in Washington, D.C. Recently, students have interned at The Brookings Institution, one of the world's foremost think tanks; the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan educational institute; and the National Archives.

More information

Global Lifestyle

During your time at Ohio Wesleyan, you can apply to live in one of OWU's Small Living Units, such as Citizens of the World House, which serves as a meeting place for students with international interests. And you can join globally focused clubs and activities, like Model UN.

Campus Opportunities

Lecture Series

OWU brings international policy experts to campus through both the Eddy and Corinne Lyman Lecture Series.

More information

Global Studies Institute

OWU's Global Studies Institute brings together scholars from across the university to explore ideas and real-world issues that span national boundaries and professional disciplines. The institute also coordinates the Global Scholars Program, in which a number of high-achieving students take special classes, receive funds for global projects, complete a faculty-supervised thesis, and graduate with a global certificate.

More information

Graduate Outcomes

Courtney Durham '12

Courtney Durham '12 leads the Pew Charitable Trusts' engagement in the United Nations negotiations on climate change. She also supports efforts to strengthen climate considerations in Pew's conservation projects.

Leadership in International Labor Issues

International Studies major Rebekah Smith graduated in 2012 then earned a master's degree from Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. Today, she is the executive director at Labor Mobility Partnerships in Washington, D.C.

Defense Policy Advisor

Kristen Hajduk '05, who majored in International Studies and English, received a master's degree from the University of Chicago and now serves as Policy Advisor for Special Operations and Unconventional Warfare at the Office of the Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon.

Graduate Study

Our majors have gone on to graduate study at prestigious universities such as Harvard Law School, Columbia University of International Affairs, the Johns Hopkins Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, and similar school programs at Berkeley, Denver, American, Georgetown, and Michigan universities.

Graduate Programs

Careers

Majoring in International Studies can prepare you for careers in many international fields. OWU graduates have worked with the State Department in Europe and Africa, the Agency for International Development in the Middle East, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (Asia), and the Peace Corps. A number have worked for advocacy or lobbying groups, such as the Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights or Planetary Citizens. Other graduates have taken positions in major international corporations.

Career Paths

Headlines

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A Look at International Studies

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Guest Speakers— University of Pennsylvania Law School Professor Beth Simmons, a world-renowned authority on international relations and human rights, spoke at OWU in 2017. She discussed “The Future of Human Rights.”

Guest Speakers

University of Pennsylvania Law School Professor Beth Simmons, a world-renowned authority on international relations and human rights, spoke at OWU in 2017. She discussed “The Future of Human Rights.”
Sigma Iota Rho Members— (L-R) Nicolette Riestenberg ’18, Sarah Kennedy ’18, Jenna Chambers ’18, Matthew Pheneger ’18, Thomas Oggier ’19, and Ahmed Hamed ’20. Not pictured, Catherine Kocian ’18.

Sigma Iota Rho Members

(L-R) Nicolette Riestenberg ’18, Sarah Kennedy ’18, Jenna Chambers ’18, Matthew Pheneger ’18, Thomas Oggier ’19, and Ahmed Hamed ’20. Not pictured, Catherine Kocian ’18.
Athens Democracy Forum— Raissa Kanku ’20, an International Studies minor, was one of 23 college students from across the country to participate in the 2017 New York Times Athens Democracy Forum in Athens, Greece, themed “Solutions for a Changing World.” She was one of only four chosen to participate in a panel discussion at a New York Times forum on global democracy.

Athens Democracy Forum

Raissa Kanku ’20, an International Studies minor, was one of 23 college students from across the country to participate in the 2017 New York Times Athens Democracy Forum in Athens, Greece, themed “Solutions for a Changing World.” She was one of only four chosen to participate in a panel discussion at a New York Times forum on global democracy.
Guest Speakers— University of Texas-Austin professor Joshua Busby (right),  at OWU to speak on international climate leadership, was escorted on campus by Jermaine Frazer-Phillips '18.

Guest Speakers

University of Texas-Austin professor Joshua Busby (right),  at OWU to speak on international climate leadership, was escorted on campus by Jermaine Frazer-Phillips '18.
Award Winner— At OWU, Carly Zalenski ’15 participated in mission trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, spent a summer working in Vietnam with the East Meets West Foundation, and gained hands-on experience in nonprofit management and grant-writing at a social service agency in Delaware, Ohio. She received a 2014 Charles J. Ping Student Community Service Award from the Ohio Campus Compact.

Award Winner

At OWU, Carly Zalenski ’15 participated in mission trips to El Salvador and Nicaragua, spent a summer working in Vietnam with the East Meets West Foundation, and gained hands-on experience in nonprofit management and grant-writing at a social service agency in Delaware, Ohio. She received a 2014 Charles J. Ping Student Community Service Award from the Ohio Campus Compact.
Waste Management in South Korea— Politics and Government Professor Ji Young Choi (third from left), staff member/student Don Stevens, and students including Jackson Hotaling ’17, Lucie Olson ’18, Yanira Rhymer ’19, Jessica Sanford ’17, and Shaoyin Sun ’17 traveled to South Korea, where they studied waste management in a country of 50 million people – all squeezed into a land mass the size of Kentucky or Indiana.

Waste Management in South Korea

Politics and Government Professor Ji Young Choi (third from left), staff member/student Don Stevens, and students including Jackson Hotaling ’17, Lucie Olson ’18, Yanira Rhymer ’19, Jessica Sanford ’17, and Shaoyin Sun ’17 traveled to South Korea, where they studied waste management in a country of 50 million people – all squeezed into a land mass the size of Kentucky or Indiana.
Wesleyan in Washington— Emily Feldmesser '16 interning at the Brookings Institute through the Wesleyan in Washington Program.

Wesleyan in Washington

Emily Feldmesser '16 interning at the Brookings Institute through the Wesleyan in Washington Program.
INTS Awards— (L-R) Sarah Kennedy ’18, Jermaine Frazer-Phillips ’18, and Jenna Chambers ’18

INTS Awards

(L-R) Sarah Kennedy ’18, Jermaine Frazer-Phillips ’18, and Jenna Chambers ’18
Corinne Lyman Award for Academic Excellence— (L-R) Corinne Lyman and Sarah Kennedy ’18

Corinne Lyman Award for Academic Excellence

(L-R) Corinne Lyman and Sarah Kennedy ’18
Studying Terrorism in France— International Studies and French double-major Mariama Goodwin ’17 used an OWU grant to travel to Paris to study terrorism from multiple angles.

Studying Terrorism in France

International Studies and French double-major Mariama Goodwin ’17 used an OWU grant to travel to Paris to study terrorism from multiple angles.

Program Contact Info

Location

Elliott Hall 205
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware, OH 43015
P 740-368-3906
E intsweb@owu.edu

Program Contact

Director: James Franklin
Professor in the Department of Politics & Government
Elliott Hall 201
740-368-3934
jcfrankl@owu.edu