Georgetown University: School of Foreign Service in Qatar

Studying International Affairs: The SFS-Q Approach

The School of Foreign Service in Qatar prepares students for a variety of careers in international service by providing a four year liberal arts education focused upon the multidisciplinary study of international affairs.

The School strongly believes that complex global issues cannot be understood without understanding the complex interactions of various forces. For instance, the challenges confronting the Middle East today cannot be explained simply by exploring politics. Policy makers also have to consider economic forces and developmental challenges, religious and ethnic divisions across the region, geopolitics and the distribution of natural resources, cultural attitudes towards women, and nationalism. Students cannot hope to understand such a complex situation without mastering the foundational principles in all of the disciplines relevant to international affairs.

 To provide students with the tools that they require in order to explore complex global issues, the School of Foreign Service in Qatar requires all students to complete a multidisciplinary core curriculum during the first two years of study that features the following subjects:

• International Government
• International History
• International Economics
• Political Geography
• Foreign Language
• Theology
• Philosophy
• Literature

 Completion of the core curriculum prepares students for entry into the International Politics major program, a multidisciplinary program that allows students to explore the structure of the international system and how state and non-state actors compete and cooperate with one another. Students customize their program of study by selecting courses in fields including political science, political economy, and diplomatic history. Students not only complete major courses on campus, but have the opportunity to take courses alongside students in the United States in a state of the art distance education facility or to study overseas at one of more than 100 universities.

Interested students may also apply to complete a Certificate in American Studies, a multidisciplinary program that allows students to complement the study of American politics and foreign policy in the International Politics major with courses that look more broadly at the American experience and how it informs political decision making. The structure of the certificate program is designed to provide students with a solid understanding of the historical development of the American people, providing the necessary context for the exploration of cultural and social themes across a variety of disciplines, as well as the advanced study of American political processes and institutions.

• 2008-2009 Academic Calendar
• Fall 2008 Schedule of Classes
• Summer 2008 Classes
• Faculty Listings