International Development Studies

Peter Koehn (Professor of Political Science), Advisor

International Development Studies is an interdisciplinary field of study focusing on the interconnected processes of social, political, economic, cultural, and environmental change taking place in poor countries and poorer regions of wealthy countries.  Coursework in the minor emphasizes a global perspective on the process of change and development, critical analysis of the role of internal and external influences on the development process, and applications to local (including Montana) situations and challenges.  The IDS minor takes advantage of existing faculty expertise and courses to offer an interdisciplinary experience for those students interested in either international or domestic development work.  Students minoring in IDS will develop knowledge and skills appropriate for graduate study and for working in non-governmental organizations, international and bilateral government development organizations, the U.S. Peace Corps and other national/international equivalents, and /or community–development groups.

Requirements for a Minor

To earn a minor in International Development Studies the student must successfully complete a minimum of 21 credits (at least 7 upper–division).  Of the 21 credits, 12 must be core courses and 9 must be content courses chosen from the following lists.  Specialized independent study and internship credits can be counted for content credit when approved by the advisor.

Core Courses:

  • RSCN  170   International Environmental Change
  • COMM  251  International and Development Communication
  • SOC  270      Intro to Rural and Environmental Change
  • ANTH 329     Social Change in Non-Western Societies
  • ECON  350   Economic Development
  • SOC  370     Social Change and Global Development
  • SW  323       Women and Social Action in the Americas
  • ECON  450   Advanced Economic Development
  • EVST 487     Globalization, Justice, &  the Environment
  • FOR  424     Community Forestry & Conservation
  • FOR  475     Sociology of Environment & Development
  • PSC  463     Development Administration
  • SW  465       Social Work in a Global Context

Content Courses:

  • ANTH 330    Peoples & Cultures of Africa
  • ANTH 343    Culture and Population
  • ANTH 385    Indigenous Peoples and Global Development
  • BUS 160      Issues in Sustainability (COT)
  • COMM 421  Communication and Nonprofit Organizations
  • COMM 451  Intercultural Communication
  • ECON 100   Introduction  to Political Economy
  • ECON/EVST 440  Environmental Economics
  • EVST 410     Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development (C. America)
  • GEOG101     Intro to Human Geography
  • GEOG 207    Africa
  • GEOG/AS 213  The Middle East
  • GEOG 333    Cultural Ecology
  • GEOG 410    High Asia 
  • GEOG/EVST 425  Human Role in Environmental Change
  • GEOG 434    Food and Famine
  • HIST 287       Modern Latin American History
  • HIST 335       History of International Human Rights
  • PSC 120        Introduction to Comparative Government and Politics
  • PSC 130        International Relations
  • PSC 325        Politics of Latin America
  • PSC 326        Politics of Africa
  • PSC 327        Politics of Mexico
  • PSC 343        Politics of Social Movements
  • PSC 430        Inter-American Affairs
  • PSC 431        Politics of Global Migration
  • SOC/AS 212  SE Asia Culture and Civilizations
  • SOC 322        Sociology of Poverty
  • SOC 346        Rural Sociology
  • SOC 355        Population Problems
  • SW 324          Gender and the Politics of Welfare

Faculty

  • Jill Belsky, Ph.D., Cornell University, 1991 (Professor, Society and Conservation)
  • Jeff Bookwalter, Ph.D., University of Utah, 2000 (Assistant Professor, Economics)
  • Keith Bosak, Ph.D., University of Georgia, 2006 (Assistant Professor of Nature Based Tourism and Recreation)
  • Janet Finn, Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1995 (Professor, Social Work)
  • Paul Haber, Ph.D., Columbia University, 1992 (Professor, Political Science)
  • Sarah Halvorson, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder, 2000 (Associate Professor, Geography)
  • Peter Koehn, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Boulder, 1973 (Professor, Political Science)
  • Kimber Haddix McKay, Ph.D., University of California, Davis, 1998 (Associate Professor, Anthropology)
  • Phyllis B. Ngai, Ed.D., University of Montana, 2004 (Adjunct Assistant Professor, Communication studies)
  • Ranjan Shrestha, PhD. The Ohio State University, 2007 (Assistant Professor, Economics)
  • Steve Siebert, Ph.D., Cornell University, 1990 (Professor, Forest Management)
  • Teresa Sobieszczyk, Ph.D., Cornell University, 2000 (Associate Professor, Sociology)
  • Daniel Spencer, Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary, 1994 (Associate Professor, Environmental Studies)