The University of Southern California School of International Relations (SIR) is the third-oldest school of

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

in the world. A subdivision within the USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences, the school is known for teaching, and hiring faculty who concentrate in a variety of

worldviews A worldview or world-view or ''Weltanschauung'' is the fundamental cognitive orientation of an individual or society encompassing the whole of the individual's or society's knowledge, culture, and point of view. A worldview can include natural ...

History

The school traces its origins to the early 1920s and then-

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

President

Rufus B. von KleinSmid Rufus Bernhard von KleinSmid (1875 – July 9, 1964), also spelled Kleinsmidt, was the seventh president of the University of Arizona (1914–1921) and the fifth president of the University of Southern California (1921–1947). Life and career ...

who held a strong interest in developing the study of international relations. In 1922, USC hosted the Pan-American Conference on Education that brought together university officials from 22 countries to discuss the importance of international education and cooperation. In 1924, the Los Angeles University of International Relations was founded, to later be renamed the USC School of International Relations (SIR). The founding occurred during the liberal-internationalist reaction to

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

; during this so-called Grotian moment, many in international relations desired to end war, and thought education was the best means to that end. According to the school's website, its founding mission was "to furnish opportunities for the training of statesmen for consular and diplomatic service, of businessmen for commerce and business administration, and of teachers in departments related to world affairs in colleges and universities". The school continued to grow during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

and the Cold War; during the height of the latter, SIR housed the Research Institute on Communist Strategy and Propaganda. It was one of the first schools of international relations in the country to offer a PhD, became a charter member of

The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) is a non-profit educational organization of graduate schools of international affairs, with 40 members and 26 affiliates around the world. Starting as a network of Americ ...

(APSIA), and helped to found the

International Studies Association The International Studies Association (ISA) is a US-based professional association for scholars and practitioners in the field of international studies. Founded in 1959, ISA has been headquartered at the University of Connecticut in Storrs sin ...

(ISA).

Areas of study

For majors entering the school in 2013 or before, concentrations in the following courses were offered, of which international relations majors had to choose two: *International Politics and Security Studies *International Political Economy *Foreign Policy Analysis *Culture, Gender, and Global Society *Regional concentrations: **European Union **Post-Soviet and Eastern Europe **Latin America **The Middle East **The Pacific Rim **Africa For majors entering after 2013, there is no concentration requirement, though they can still choose to pursue one of the above concentrations if they wish.

Director

Since 2016, the Director of SIR has been Wayne Sandholtz. Sandholtz earned his PhD and MA from UC Berkeley. The preceding directors are Robert English (2012-2016), John Odell (2009–12),

Laurie Brand Laurie Ann Brand (born February 25, 1956) is a professor of international relations at the University of Southern California School of International Relations. Professor Brand specializes in the international relations of the Middle East, includ ...

(2006–09), Steven Lamy (2001–06), Jonathan Aronson (1995-2001), Robert Friedheim (1992–95), Thomas J. Biersteker (1991-92), Gerald Bender (1986–91), Michael Fry (1981–86), Jay Savage (1979–81), James N. Rosenau (1976–79), Ross Berkes (1949–76), Claude A. Buss (1935-49), and

(1924–35).https://dornsife.usc.edu/assets/sites/32/docs/USC_Newsletter2014v5finalsmaller.pdf

Faculty

There are currently 24 permanent members of the faculty at the school. All have terminal degrees in their field, and have published numerous working papers, articles, and books.

Affiliated programs and institutions

In order to further the study of international relations, the school has created a number of affiliates:
Center for International Studies
- CIS was established by the School of International Relations to promote advanced research and sustained discussion of theoretical and policy issues in international political and economic affairs. * Center for Active Learning in International Studies - CALIS is a K-12 outreach program sponsored by the East Asian Studies Center (EASC) and the School of International Relations (SIR) *Teaching International Relations Program - TIRP is a community outreach program operated by the School of International Relations *

USC Center on Public Diplomacy The USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) was established in 2003 as a partnership between the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences' School of International Relations at the Universit ...

- The University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy is a joint academic research, teaching and training Center created and run jointly by the USC Annenberg School for Communication and the USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences School of International Relations

References

External links

*
USC Center on Public Diplomacy
{{Coord, 34.021658, -118.284527, type:edu_globe:earth_region:US-CA, display=title School of International Relations Schools of international relations in the United States Educational institutions established in 1924 1924 establishments in California