Geneva Internship: International Relations Curriculum
Curriculum
The program is divided into two phases:
Week 1–Week 7 (Core Phase)
During the first phase of the program, students take one required core course and one elective course. Students also meet with the program’s internship advisors who will make placements based on a student’s professional goals, experience, work habits, and availability of local placements. The internship onboarding process begins in week 5 of the program.
Required Course
All students take one of the following courses during the first phase of the program.
CAS IR 445/CAS PO 243 Introduction to Public International Law
Prerequisites: at least two classes in international relations, law, or related social science coursework.
Public international law governs primarily, though not exclusively, the relations between states. The core areas of this law are its subjects; sources (or means of creation of law); the rules governing responsibility for breaches of international obligations, and those relative to dispute settlement. The decentralized structure of the international legal order means that a particular important question is when, and under what conditions, states can safeguard their rights by recourse to the use of force. The course is taught by lectures, extensive reliance being placed on primary materials (e.g., treaties, resolutions) and on decisions of international courts and tribunals. These can be supplemented by readings, such as those listed below, and drawn mostly from M. Evans (ed.) International Law, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2018.
Units: 4
CAS IR 418/CAS PO 247 Politics, Nations and Identity in the New Europe: Switzerland and the European Union
This course introduces key political, social, and cultural issues in contemporary Europe and Switzerland, including immigration and integration, conflict and terrorism, and EU-Swiss relations. It also provides students with a foundational understanding of social science methods for operationalizing and investigating sociopolitical questions. The course explores key social science concepts, such as identity and democracy, the emergence of nation-states in Europe, the history and rationale of the European Union (EU), EU security, EU citizenship, and the challenges of EU enlargement. It will also discuss Switzerland’s history, society, politics, and Switzerland-EU relations. Students will engage in hands-on activities and discussions on controversial and pressing topics in contemporary Europe. The class has no prerequisites.
Units: 4
Elective Courses
Students choose one of the following elective courses during the first phase of the program.
CAS AH 308 “From Caesar to Corbusier:” The History of Switzerland Through its Art and Architecture
This course covers the history of Switzerland through its art and architecture, from the Romans to the twentieth century, setting the country’s development in a wider European context and covering the main movements in art and architecture over that period.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Aesthetic Exploration
CAS LF 113 Intensive Beginning French
Intensive French course for beginners.
(If CAS LF 111, 112, or a more advanced college-level course has been completed, this course cannot be taken for credit.)
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS LF 211 Third-semester French
Prerequisite: CAS LF 112 or placement test results
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS LF 212 Fourth-semester French
Prerequisite: CAS LF 211 or placement test results
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS IR 418/CAS PO 247 Politics, Nations and Identity in the New Europe: Switzerland and the European Union
This course introduces key political, social, and cultural issues in contemporary Europe and Switzerland, including immigration and integration, conflict and terrorism, and EU-Swiss relations. It also provides students with a foundational understanding of social science methods for operationalizing and investigating sociopolitical questions. The course explores key social science concepts, such as identity and democracy, the emergence of nation-states in Europe, the history and rationale of the European Union (EU), EU security, EU citizenship, and the challenges of EU enlargement. It will also discuss Switzerland’s history, society, politics, and Switzerland-EU relations. Students will engage in hands-on activities and discussions on controversial and pressing topics in contemporary Europe. The class has no prerequisites.
Units: 4
Week 7–Week 16 (Internship Phase)
During the second phase of the program, students will be placed in full-time internships. Students will be engaged in their internship for approximately 8 hours per day, four days per week. They will also take an academic course one full day each week. Interns will be placed in local IGO’s or NGO’s. Although the common language of these workplaces is English, fluency in other languages will always be an asset. Due to the competitive nature of internship placements in Geneva, students will be interviewed and will need to prepare thoroughly for the internship, which will be academically graded. Upon successful completion of the internship experience, students will receive a Hub requirement in the area Individual in Community from the co-curricular HUB SA 330.
Internship Phase Course & Placements
HUB SA 330Study Abroad Internship
This course is a Non-unit Hub Co-curricular.
Units: 0
BU Hub areas:
Individual in Community
CAS PO 242/CAS IR 444 The Activities of International Organizations
Prerequisite: CAS IR 445
This course aims to critically analyze the influence of international organizations, with a primary emphasis on the United Nations, in shaping global relations and international law. It will explore key principles guiding these organizations, including their legal status, authority, and accountability for breaches of international law. The course will also delve into the realm of international human rights law (IHRL) and use Geneva-based international organizations as an example. It will critically analyze the operations of relevant mechanisms established through charters and treaties, with a special emphasis on the UN Human Rights Council and the Human Rights Committee. Meeting experts and organizing field visits will enhance students’ learning experience by connecting theoretical knowledge with real-world applications through live case studies.
Units: 4
BU Hub areas:
Social Inquiry I
Ethical Reasoning
CAS PO 405/IR 455 Internship in International Organizations
Students work with an NGO, humanitarian organization, or inter-governmental organization. Past internship placements have included DCAF Democratic Control of Armed Forces, Graduate Women International, CHS Alliance, The Gold Standard, UPR Info. Students must submit as series of written assignments regarding their internship experience and professional development.
Units: 4
Please note these are examples of past internship placements only. While BU Study Abroad guarantees an internship to program participants, specific placements vary from term to term and may not always be available. Likewise, internship placements may be available in academic areas not listed.
