The Major | International Security and Conflict Resolution | International Security and Conflict Resolution | Arts & Letters | S

The Major | International Security and Conflict Resolution | International Security and Conflict Resolution | Arts & Letters | SDSU
The Major
The International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) major at San Diego State
University is an innovative, interdisciplinary program designed to provide students
with a sophisticated understanding of the political, moral, socio-economic, and cultural
dimensions of challenges to global and human security. ISCOR exposes students to a
multiplicity of ideological, regional, and cultural perspectives. During the course
of their studies, students will attain a comprehensive and multifaceted understanding
of global affairs and the many challenges to building a more peaceful, just and ecologically
sustainable global order. In addition, ISCOR students will develop a rich appreciation
of both increased global interconnections and enduring diversity in cultural practices,
political systems, and economic systems. Overall, students will sharpen their skills
in research and critical reasoning and get set on the path of developing expertise
on specific global issues. Upon graduation, ISCOR students tend to be well positioned
for more advanced studies or for embarking upon careers in positions related to global
affairs.
The ISCOR program features three areas of emphasis: (1) Conflict in the Global System;
(2) Justice in the Global System; and (3) Environment in the Global System. The requirements
for completing the program, including the specialization, are listed below.
Preparation for the Major (15 units)
All ISCOR majors are required to take a series of five lower division undergraduate
courses as preparation for the major. These consist of ISCOR 200 and a choice of one
class from each of the four groups listed below:
Group 1 (3 units)
Choose one of the following:
History 100: World History
History 101: World History
Group 2 (3 units)
Choose one of the following:
English and Comparative Literature 270: Introduction to Comparative Literature
Religious Studies 101: World Religions
Group 3 (3 units)
Choose one of the following:
Economics 201: Statistical Methods
Political Science 201: Elementary Statistics for Political Science
Psychology 280: Statistical Methods in Psychology
Sociology 201: Elementary Social Statistics
Statistics 119: Elementary Statistics for Business
Statistics 250: Statistical Principles and Practices
Group 4 (3 units)
Choose one of the following:
Political Science 101: Introduction to American Politics in Global Perspective
Political Science 103: Introduction to Comparative Politics
Political Science 104: Introduction to Global Politics
Major Requirements (36 units)
Mandatory Courses for All
All students must take the following four classes (12 units)
ISCOR 300: Global Systems
ISCOR 301: Conflict and Conflict Resolution
ISCOR 310: Our Global Future: Environment, Climate and the Prospects of Survival
Political Science 375: International Relations: Theory and Practice
Other Courses
Two Additional Courses (6 units), choose two of the following
ISCOR 320: International Security in the Nuclear Age
ISCOR 324: Politics of Global Resistance and Solidarity: Students specializing in
Justice in the Global System must select this one.
ISCOR 421: Alternative Dispute Resolution: Theory and International Applications
POL S 479: National Security Policy
Capstone
Capstone Course (3 units), choose one of the following:
ISCOR 495: Internship -
Download a list of possible internship opportunities.
ISCOR 497: Senior Thesis - For further information, see the
sample syllabus
An Advisor-approved 500-level Course from any department: This course must be capped
at no more than 30 students and have extensive writing and interactive discussion
in the classroom.
Noted on your degree evaluation as Internship.
Specializations
All students also have to complete five additional courses in their specialization.
See below for  approved elective courses for the specialization.
Conflict in the Global System
This specialization is concerned with exploring the causes, nature, consequences,
management, and resolution of conflict. It will consider the psychology, sociology,
economics, politics and history of cooperation, conflict and conflict resolution.
It will address issues of war and peace, nationalism, civil war, terrorism, human
rights, and ethnic hostility as they impact international security.
Approved Courses for Conflict in the Global System (choose five):
AMIND 440 – American Indian History (ES)
ANTH 350 – Cultures Around the Globe
ANTH 442 – Cultures of South America
ANTH 443 – Anthropology of Violence
ANTH 533 – Race, Ethnicity, and Identity
ANTH 582 – Regional Anthropology
ASIAN 421 – Asian History Since 1600 (H) (cross listed with HIST 421)
ASIAN 480 – Asian Leadership Models
CCS 355 -  United States-Mexico International Border (cross listed with LATAM 355)
COMM 371 – Intercultural Communication
CS 301 – Computers and Society (NS)
CJ 570 – Organized Crime in Domestic and International Perspectives
ECON 360 – International Economic Problems
ECON 466 – Economics of Middle East
EUROP 440 – Human Trafficking in Europe (H)
ENV S 302 – Climate Change Solutions (NS)
GEOG 312 – Culture of Worlds
HIST 408 – Modern Europe (H)
HIST 415 – Pre-Contact and Colonial America (H)
HIST 416 – Modern Latin America (H)
HIST 425 – The Vietnam War (H) (cross listed with ASIAN 425)
HIST 474 – The Middle East since 1500 (H)
HIST 486 – World War II
HIST 512A – The Great War: A Turning Point in European History
HIST 512B – Age of Dictatorships and Contemporary Europe
HIST 516 – Imperialism and the Colonial Experience
HIST 518 – Gender and War in 20
th
Century Europe
HIST544B – Modern American Foreign Relations
HIST 553 – History of Slavery in the Americas (cross-listed with LATAM 553)
HIST 558 – Latin America in World Affairs
HIST 567 – China in Revolution
HIST 574 – Arab-Israeli Relations, Past and Present
HIST 580 – Topics in the History of War and Violence
LATAM 320– Culture and Society of Tijuana
LATAM 366 – Latin American Politics (cross listed with POL S 366)
OCEAN 320 – Oceans of Change (NS)
PHIL 340 – Morality of War and Peace (H)
PA 581 – War, the State and Governance: Global Perspectives
POL S 359 – Government and Politics in Russia and Eurasia
POL S 361 – Governments and Politics of Developing Areas
POLS 362 – Government and Politics of East Asia
POL S 363 – Governments and Politics of the Middle East
POL S 364 – Political Change in Modern Africa
POL S 370 – Political Violence
POL S 406 – Democracy and Mass Conflict
POL S 430 – Immigration and Border Politics (cross listed with LATAM 430)
POL S 479 – National Security Policy
POL S 565 – Nations and Nationalism
POL S 577 – Politics of International Law
PSY 353 – Stress, Trauma, and the Psychological Experience of Combat
REL S 379 – Religious Violence and Nonviolence (H)
SOC 433 – Wealth, Status, and Power
SOC 457 – Protests, Reforms, and Revolution
SOC 458 – Nonviolence, Peace, and Social Change
WMNST 310 – Global Cultures and Women’s Lives
WMNST 375 – Sex, Power, and Politics
WMNST 570 – Gender, War, and Peace
Note - (H) means the course fulfills the GE Explorations requirement in Humanities
and an (NS) means it fulfils the GE Explorations requirement in Natural Sciences.
Environment in the Global System
Issues related to the environment and the utilization of energy and natural resources
are important aspects of international security and often are related to cooperation
and conflict between nations and groups within states. The purpose of this specialization
is to provide the student with the necessary background to better understand this
aspect of international security and the management and resolution of conflict.
Approved Courses for Environment in the Global System (choose five):
AMIND 350 – American Indian Environmental Management
AMIND 440 – American Indian History (ES)
ANTH 353 – Sustainability and Culture (cross listed with SUSTN 353)
ANTH 350 – Cultures Around the Globe
ANTH 365 – Animals, Culture, and the Environment
ANTH 402 – Dynamics of Biocultural Diversity (NS)
ANTH 442 – Cultures of South America
ANTH 504 – Seminar in Harm and Adaptability
ANTH 510 – Environmental and Ecological Anthropology
ANTH 565 – Paradise Lost: The Archaeology and Ethics of Human Environmental Impacts
ANTH 566 – Seminar in Archaeology and Borderlands
ASIAN 320 – Asian Environmental Issues
BIOL 315 – Ecology and Human Impacts on the Environment (NS)
BIOL 324 – Life in the Sea (NS)
BIOL 327 – Conservation of Wildlife (NS)
BIOL 354 – Ecology and the Environment
BIOL 540 – Conservation Ecology
BIOL 542 – Ecological Signaling in the Environment
BIOL 544 – Terrestrial Ecosystems and Climate Change
BRAZ 333 – Amazon is Center of the World (H)
ECON 455 – Environmental Economics
ECON 456 – Economics of Natural Resources
ENGL 305 – Literature and Environment (H)
ENGL 409 – Science Fiction (H)
ENV S 301 – Energy and the Environment (NS)
ENV S 302 – Climate Change Solutions (NS)
GEOG 303 – Severe Weather (NS)
GEOG 341 – Feeding the World
GEOG 342 – Food, Place, and Culture
GEOG 348 – Environment and Development
GEOG 360 – Human Dimensions of Climate Change
GEOG 370 – Conservation Science and Policy
GEOG 375 – Environmental Hydrology
GEOG 409 – Global Climate Change
GEOG 440 – Food Justice (cross listed with POL S 440)
GEOG 454 – Sustainable Cities
GEOG 570 – Environmental Conservation Practice
GEOG 574 – Water Resources
GEOL 305 – Water and the Environment (NS)
HIST 441 – Unnatural Disasters: History of Current Environmental Problems
HIST 584 – Topics in Environmental History
HUM 409 – The Future (H)
LATAM 350 – Globalization and the Americas
OCEAN 320 – Oceans of Change (NS)
PH 304 – Environment and Public Health
PH 362 – International Health
PH 452 – Health Impacts of Climate Change
PHIL 332 – Environmental Ethics (H) (cross listed with SUSTN 332)
PHIL 333 – Ethics-Food (H)
POL S 334 – Politics of the Environment (cross listed with SUSTN 334)
POL S 564 – Political Ecology of Latin America
POL S 577 – Politics of International Law
REL S 376 – Nature, Spirituality, Ecology (H)
SOC 350 – Population and Contemporary Issues
Note - (H) means the course fulfills the GE Explorations requirement in Humanities
and an (NS) means it fulfils the GE Explorations requirement in Natural Sciences.
Justice in the Global System
This specialization explores political, economic, and social issues relating to global
justice. It includes the study of international organizations and law, human rights,
North-South relations, and controversies over distribution of resources. This specialization
enables students to have a richer understanding of the dynamics concerning international
security and conflict resolution. ts for specialization.
Approved Courses for Justice in the Global System (choose five):
AFRAS 320 – Political Economy of African Diaspora
AFRAS 327 – Critical Theories in Africana Studies
AFRAS 423 – Black Nationalism (ES)
AFRAS 455 – Africana Class, Gender, and Sexualities
AFRAS 465 – Africa in Literature and Film
AFRAS 466 – Afrofuturism (ES and H)
AFRAS 470 – Comparative History: Afro-American and African Heritage (ES and H)
AFRAS 471 – Africana History
AFRAS 472 – African Enslavement (H)
AFRAS 473 – Women in Africa
AFRAS 520 – African Civilization I
AFRAS 521 – African Civilization II
AMIND 440 – American Indian History (ES)
AMIND 470 – American Indian World Views and Cosmologies
ANTH 333 – Race, Ethnicity, and Identities in the Americas (cross-listed with LATAM
333)
ANTH 350 – Cultures Around the Globe
ANTH 442 – Cultures of South America
ANTH 443 – Anthropology of Violence
ANTH 533 – Race, Ethnicity and Identity
ANTH 566 – Seminar in Archaeology and Borderlands
ASIAN 421 – Asian History Since 1600 (H) (cross-listed with HIST 421)
ASIAN 458 – Asian Traditions (H) (cross-listed with RelS 458)
BRAZ 333 – Amazon is Center of the World (H)
CCS 306 – Mexican Immigration (ES)
CCS 375 – US/Mexico Border History (H)
CCS 380 – US/Mexico Borderlands Folklore (H) (cross listed with LATAM 380)
CCS 405 – Performing Transnational Citizenship
ECON 330 – Comparative Economic Systems
ECON 360 – International Economic Problems
ECON 365 – Economics of Underdeveloped Areas
ECON 381 – Economics of Immigration
ECON 404 – Economic Inequality
ECON 464 – Economic Problems of Latin America
ECON 466 – Economics of Middle East
EUROP 440 – Human Trafficking in Europe (H)
GEN S 340 – Confronting AIDS (NS)
GEN S 480 – Engaged Citizenship and Social Responsibility
GEOG 303 – Severe Weather (NS)
GEOG 341 – Feeding the World
GEOG 342 – Food, Place, and Culture
GEOG 440 – Food Justice (cross listed with POL S 440)
GEOG 454 – Sustainable Cities
HHS 350 – Applied International Health and Human Services
HIST 404 – History of Human Rights
HIST 408 – Modern Europe (H)
HIST 415 – Pre-Contact and Colonial America (H)
HIST 416 – Modern Latin America
HIST 440 – The Holocaust and Western Civilization (H)
HIST 518 – Gender and War in 20
th
Century Europe
HIST 516 – Imperialism and the Colonial Experience
HIST 553 – History of Slavery in the Americas (cross listed with LATAM 553)
HIST 557 – Dictatorships and Human Rights in Latin America
HUM 411 – Understanding Evil (H)
LATAM 320 – Culture and Society of Tijuana
LATAM 350 – Globalization and the Americas
LATAM 366 – Latin American Politics (cross-listed with POL S 366)
LATAM 545 – Latin American City
OCEAN 320 – Oceans of Change (NS)
PH 362 – International Health
PHIL 328 – Philosophy, Racism, and Justice (H)
PHIL 329 – Social Ethics (H)
PHIL 340 – Morality of War and Peace (H)
PHIL 344 – Global Justice (H)
POL S 302 – Modern Political Thought
POL S 334 – Politics of the Environment (cross listed with SUSTN 334)
POLS 380 – Human Rights in a Global Perspective
POL S 406 – Democracy and Mass Society
POL S 430 – Immigration and Border Politics (cross-listed with LATAM 430)
POL S 482 – US-Latin American Relations
POL S 485 – Politics of Globalization
POL S 507 – Marx and Marxism
POL S 565 – Nations and Nationalism
POL S 577 – Politics of International Law
REL S 368 – Religion and Social Justice (H)
REL S 379 – Religious Violence and Nonviolence (H)
SOC 350 – Population and Contemporary Issues
SOC 352 – Global Social Problems
SOC 411 – Police and Society in the Americas
SOC 433 – Wealth, Status, and Power
SOC 447 – Human Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery: A Sociological Perspective
SOC 450 – Social Change
SOC 457 – Protests, Reforms, and Revolution
SOC 458 – Nonviolence, Peace, and Social Change
SOC 537 – Political Sociology
WMNST 310 – Global Cultures and Women’s Lives
WMNST 331 – Women in Asian Society
WMNST 340 – History of Women and Sexuality in Modern Europe
WMNST 375 – Sex, Power, and Politics
WMNST 530 – Women’s Movements and Activism
WMNST 580 – Women, Development, and the Global Economy
WMNST 581 – Women’s Experiences of Migration
Note - (H) means the course fulfills the GE Explorations requirement in Humanities
and an (NS) means it fulfils the GE Explorations requirement in Natural Sciences.
Important Links
Major Worksheet
SDSU Catalog
SDSU Class Schedule