Why I chose IR.

The following are comments from present and former IR students explaining why they chose to study
International Relations. For more information about why IR may be the right program for you, please
visit international opportunities, exchanges, and graduate school sites.
Alex Dalton , fourthyear IR !a"or, minor in Fine Arts
#There$s so much about the world I want to learn about% I chose IR because its uni&ue interdisciplinary
structure allows me to choose from a variety of courses each year covering the political, economic,
and environmental issues that interest me. I$m very interested in current affairs, and IR gives me the
flexibility, and the integrated perspective I need to better understand the world around me.'
(van Reva), thirdyear IR ma"or
I chose IR because it provided the opportunity
to combine many different disciplines into one
ma"or. Along with some of the best professors
at !ount A, I have really en"oyed having the
chance to ta)e classes that involve
contemporary international politics and
events. IR has proven to be an interesting,
engaging, and relevant degree .'
*iera De+ilva , thirdyear IR ma"or with a
double minor in +panish and French
,I was very interested in the interdisciplinary
approach of the !ount A IR program. -hile on
a Rotary International (xchange in !exico for
my .st year after high school, I decided on
!ount A without ever having been to Atlantic
*anada. I love the close )nit relationship between professors and students and the variety of clubs
and activities that put what I learn into practice. I hope to go on the +trasbourg exchange to
understand (uropean perspectives on international issues.,
+tefanie +tiles /IR 01123
,4hh, you$re an...International Relations
student5 That$s nice.,
6o one &uite )nows what to ma)e of IR
/International Relations3 students. The success
of the recent AT7I+ /Atlantic International
+tudies3 conference held here last wee)end
seems to indicate that many students at !ount
Allison, and throughout the Atlantic provinces,
are interested in international affairs. 8ut
overall, few people seem to have more than
the vaguest idea of what it is we$re studying.
I$ve heard some people lump us together with *ommerce students, and others assume we$re all very
socially conscious, soc9anthro types. (ven my family and close friends aren$t sure: my grandmother
has been as)ing me about once a month for the past four years what my ma"or is.
-hen I$m called on to describe what I$m studying, I usually follow ,IR,, which is virtually an un)nown
discipline outside of academic circles, with the explanation; ,It$s mostly history and politics., That$s all
a casual in&uirer really wants to )now. 8ut of course, IR is actually much more complex than that.
According to the course description in the Academic *alendar, the IR programme ,...provides students
with a multidisciplinary foundation for understanding the complexities of today$s international affairs.,
It focuses on the many different elements of power, beyond economics and military, such as gender,
class, and culture that govern relations between state and non state actors.
8asically, IR is the bastard son of globalisation and international political study... 7i)e <olitical +cience
and its obsession with power, IR students also tend towards academic megalomania it reflects the
very nature of the study.
I, however, am not a lover of high politics. I believe in ,soft power,. I disli)e convoluted answers, and
Religious +tudies, (nglish, and +ociology, all contain elements that I find more attractive than most of
what IR has to offer. +o, why, oh why, did I end up in a programme crammed full of people with 6AT4
screensavers5
The answer is simple I too) IR for my own good. To me, IR is the cod liver oil of education.
+wallowing gooey, viscous concepts li)e state sovereignty, collective security, and multilateralism may
be a difficult tas), but it$s absolutely necessary. -ithout fully understanding the theoretical
foundations, traditions, and conflicting arguments of IR, one can never form an educated opinion on
the world =and the> complexities of global society.
To put it another way, the ?.6. charter is not fascinating: the march of liberalism in human history is
very much so. Regime theory is not fascinating: but the development of international norms that
promise to end the practice of landmineuse is monumental. Radical feminist criti&ues of the state
structure are of no great interest to me directly, here in *anada: but their insights are useful in
understanding some aspects of the s)ewed gender relations that have undoubtedly shaped our world.
8ecause of IR, I will never loo) at the world in &uite the same way, and for that, I am grateful.
IR is not the exclusive preserve of wannabe diplomats, or at the other extreme, radical social activists.
It$s also not for those with a merely passing interest in international affairs. IR exists for those who
want an indepth exploration of global politics, starting from the inside out, by providing a rough, but
wor)able methodology.
As frustrating as it can sometimes be, I am very glad I chose IR as my ma"or. I may chafe at the
tedious minutiae of everyday IR, but I can$t imagine ever dropping it for something else. It is the lens
through which I see the world.
!oni&ue Allain /IR 011@3
I decided to go into International Relations because it offers such a variety of classes and allows you
the ability to chose what area of IR best suits you, whether it be economics, culture, history or
something else entirely. It also ties in well with my minor, (nvironmental +tudies. I$m graduating in
011@ and plan to later study environmental law with a focus on international water laws.
*olene *hisolm /IR 011@3
I fell into the IR program with few longterm plans in mind. I saw it as a way to combine my love of
languages and politics without the complications of double ma"ors. 7ittle did I realiAe that the inter
disciplinary nature of this program had so much more in store for me. -ith such a broad range of core
courses, I was exposed to areas li)e economics and history that I probably wouldn$t have ta)en
otherwise. -ith an honours ma"or in IR and a minor in Bapanese studies, I$m set to pursue my new
found love of economics and international relations. In the fall I will be attending Cueen$s ?niversity
for a !asters in <ublic Administration with hopes of a career in public policy.
*onstantinos Ragas /IR Dec. 011@3
International Relations at !ount Allison has been the best decision I$ve made in my academic career.
The flexibility of the programme allows me to shape and mold my ma"or to my personal interests,
while sill maintaining the most intense course load at !ount Allison. I will be entering my third year in
the programme in the fall of 0112, and I cannot say enough about it. The classes are incredibly
interesting, especially Dr. 7egler$s seminar course on the +ecurity *ouncil and Dlobal Dovernance /IR
2.1. in the Academic *alendar3. !oreover, reagarding my long term career aspirations in the field of
international business, IR at !TA has provided me with the bac)ground I need to be a successful
candidate for graduate and post graduate studies in international business.
Earla <ooley /IR 01123
Earla <ooley
-hen I came to !ount Allison, I had no real idea of what studies I wanted to follow. I had "ust
returned from being an exchange student and I was hoping to eventually have a career in an
international field.
I decided on IR because it$s so diverse. I li)e having a variety of courses and I )new I couldn$t study
,"ust, Fistory or <olitical +cience. IR at !t A encompasses international relations theory, history,
political science, language, geography and economics, not to mention sociology, anthropology and
religious studies. -e are able to tailor the programme to our own interests. I specialised in technology
and globalisation. +tudents are also able to ta)e advantage of !ount Allison$s international exchanges.
I spent my third year abroad in +trasbourg, France, studying about (uropean political institutions.
4ne of the best parts of IR is the social aspect. It$s wonderful to study with li)eminded students who
come from different bac)grounds. I learned to respect other points of view but also to stand up for
what I believe. The students are extremely close)nit and Dr. 7egler inspires us to learn as much as
we can, both inside and outside of class. This year, I will be on a DFAIT internship in Romania.
(ventually, I$d li)e to wor) for ?6(+*4.