Comparative and Regional Studies

The Comparative and Regional Studies field encompasses courses that either address broad themes using a comparative lens or delve deeply into a specific country or region. The field is multidisciplinary with an emphasis on history and politics. Rather than operating at the level of the international system, the field focuses on the internal dynamics of states within particular regional and global contexts.

The required courses for the field are divided into three tiers: core, thematic, and regional. Students are required to take at least one course from tier 1 (core), at least one course from tier 2 (thematic), and the remaining courses from tier 3 (regional) for a total of 4 courses for the MALD and 5 courses for the MGA.

Research Centers

Henry J. Leir Institute

The Russia and Eurasia Program

The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies

Field Requirements

MALD and MIB: 4 courses in field of study 

MGA: 5 courses in field of study 

Tracks in the regions of Europe, Latin America, Middle East, or Pacific Asia require 4 additional courses.

Total Credits Required

MALD and MIB: 12.0 credits 

MGA: 15.0 credits plus Practicum

  • DHP H205 The Historian’s Art and Current Affairs 

    DHP H250 Global Decolonization

    DHP P201 Comparative Politics

  • DHP D207 Religion and Conflict in International Relations: Policymaking Assumptions, Analysis and Design  

    DHP D211 Politics of Statecraft

    DHP D227M Small States Asymmetry and Influence

    DHP D231 Gender and Human Security in Transitional States and Societies

    DHP D238 Current Issues in Global Immigration Policy 

    DHP D285 The Global Rise of Populism: Europe and Beyond 

    DHP D286 From Authoritarian Regimes to Illiberal Democracies 

    DHP H210 Coronavirus as Contemporary History: Pandemics, Power, and Policymaking 

    DHP H246 Revolutions: Theories and History

    DHP P213 Religion and Politics

    DHP P219 Political Economy of Development  

    DHP P221 Memory Politics: Trust, Justice, and Redress 

    DHP P243 Internal Conflicts and War in the 21st Century

    DHP P246M Civil Resistance

    DHP P247 Civil-Military Relations 

    DHP P260 Islam and the West

    DHP P263 Civil Wars: Theory and Policy 

    EIB B232 Work and Employment Relations in the 21st Century 

    EIB B244M Financial Inclusion and the Informal Economy  

    EIB E244 Political Economy of Reform, Growth, Equity

    ILO L212 Nationalism, Self-Determination and Minority Rights 

    ILO L250 Law and Development

    ILO L253 Comparative Constitutional Law

  • DHP D224 Negotiation and Mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Past Lessons and Future Opportunities

    DHP D263 The Arabs and their Neighbors 

    DHP D265 The Globalization of Central Eurasia: Energy, Politics, and Culture 

    DHP D271 International Relations of the U.S. and East Asia: 1945 to the Present 

    DHP D280 U.S.-EU Relations in the 21st Century: A multidisciplinary Analysis of Transatlantic Affairs 

    DHP D282M Contemporary Russian Foreign Policy 

    DHP D283 U.S.-European Relations Since the Fall of the Berlin Wall 

    DHP D284 Europe in Changing World Order 

    DHP H203 U.S. Foreign Policy, 1898 to Present

    DHP H252 Russian Foreign Policy from Peter the Great to Putin 

    DHP H261 War and Society in the Middle East in Historical Perspective 

    DHP H266M Contemporary Middle East 

    DHP H271 Foreign Relations of Modern China, 1644 to the Present  

    DHP H275 South Asia and the World

    DHP P261 Democratization in the Middle East: Theory and Practice  

    DHP P262 Contemporary South Asia  

    DHP P266M The Islamic World 

    DHP P268 Islam and Politics: Religion and Power in World Affairs 

    DHP P272 International Relations and Contemporary History: Case Studies from China's Frontiers 

    DHP P274 Politics of the Korean Peninsula: Foreign and Inter-Korean Relations 

    DHP P275 North Korean State and Society 

    DHP P279M Identity Politics of East Asia

    DHP P280 Eurasia: Geopolitics, Religion, and Security  

    DHP P284 Africa's Global Politics

    DHP P287M Political Economy and Business of the European Union  

    DHP P290 Migration and Transnationalism in Latin America 

    DHP P298 Conflict in Africa 

    EIB B269 China and International Business

    EIB B277M Business and Political Economy in Latin America I

    EIB B278M Business and Political Economy in Latin America II

  • One skills course is required for the MGA. MALD and MIB students may not use these courses as a field elective unless otherwise indicated above.

    DHP D208M Research Methods and Scholarship

    DHP D218 Influencing Policy and the Global Debate: Writing Analysis and Opinion 

    DHP D220 Processes of International Negotiation

    DHP D225 Conflict Resolution Practice 

    DHP D243M Overview of Survey Methods 

    DHP D245M Working in Difficult Research Environments with Vulnerable Populations: Advanced Field Research Methods

    DHP D258 Introduction to Data Science for Global Applications

    DHP P203 Analytic Frameworks for International Public Policy Decisions 

    DHP P207 GIS for International Applications

    DHP P225 Design, Monitoring and Evaluation of Peacebuilding and Development Programming 

    DHP P234 The Arts of Communication 

    DHP P250 Environmental Problem Solving 

    DHP P289 Advanced Geospatial Modeling

    EIB B205 Data Analysis and Statistical Methods 

    EIB B206 Data Analysis and Statistical Methods for Business

    EIB B262 Marketing Research and Analysis 

    EIB B291 Leadership Building Teams, Organizations, and Shaping Your Path 

    EIB E210M Quantitative Methods

    EIB E213 Econometrics 

    EIB E214 International Economic Policy Analysis 

    EIB E247 Econometric Impact Evaluation for Development

    ILO L215 Ethics in the Practice of Foreign Affairs

  • A practicum is required for MGA students.

  • In conjunction with completing the field requirements, students have the option to achieve depth in one of the following regional tracks: Europe, Latin America, Middle East, or Pacific Asia. There are three additional requirements for depth. First, students must take additional course in the field (for a total of 5 for the MALD and 6 for the MGA). Second, they must take at least 3 courses with 75% regional content. Third, they must pass a language exam (or otherwise demonstrate proficiency) in one of the regional languages.