School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies
Department 3197 | A&S 208
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307)-766-6484
Email: sppais@uwyo.edu
It is safe to say that no country lives in a vacuum; every region is interconnected and intertwined with unique problems and complications. International Studies majors recognize these problems and complications as the context from which these regions prosper or struggle; IS majors pick a region of focus and scrutinize it from many perspectives and vantage points. Our majors excel at identifying core problems and resolve to fix them in creative ways. The IS Program has selected four major regions for our Regional Tracks:
Knowledge of the Middle East is crucial to understanding geopolitics. There are many issues in the Middle East that affect us in the U.S. - specifically: refugee flows, extremism, energy security, and alliances. Studying the Middle East (and North Africa as they are commonly paired) allows for study in several fields including: peace & conflict, conflict resolution, diplomacy, history, migration, historical trade, economics, development, disaster response, and energy. Arabic as a second language is also critical to national security; if you know Arabic, the chances of you getting a job at the state department, any security agency, or for a research organization increases.
Asia by far the largest, most populous, most diverse and consequently the most vibrant part of the world. More than half of the world's people live in Asia, and most of that population is young and demanding change. Asia represents a fascinating region of diverse peoples, rapidly growing economies, civil wars, and rising powers. The region hosts complex peoples in complex societies facing complex challenges. The overwhelming majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists live in Asia, totaling three billion people. Asia is home to over a thousand billionaires and some of the world's most expensive real estate, but also some of the world's largest slums and crippling income inequalities. Asia's development policies have lifted hundreds of millions of people out of severe poverty yet it faces more complex development challenges every day.
The birthplace of democracy, fascism, communism and two world wars, Europe is now the petri dish for the world’s most important experiment in peace, the European Union. Can former enemies form a new country, a United State of Europe, and banish the specter of war from the continent? Since World War II, the United States has had deep economic and security relations with most of Europe, especially with regard to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) alliance. In every international operation, the Europeans are America’s closest allies. But how safe is it? Russia regularly threatens to cut off oil and gas to Europeans, is responsible for many cyber-attacks, and even assassinates people all over the continent. Brexit weakens both the EU and NATO. Learn more about this important region!
School of Politics, Public Affairs, and International Studies
Department 3197 | A&S 208
1000 E. University Avenue
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307)-766-6484
Email: sppais@uwyo.edu