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Foreign Politics

Available as a minor

The foreign politics minor allows students to examine issues and institutions that shape the global political landscape.

Students may choose to take courses that interest them most, from global political economy to human rights. Special studies in the politics of Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America are offered. Many of our graduates currently work as lobbyists, lawyers, judges, professors and political advisors.

Curriculum & Courses

Sample Course Offerings

POLI 224: Comparative Political Systems: Africa
Student posing by portraits
POLI 231: International Politics 
POLI 247: Theory in International Relations 

Professor teaching to class

Student Experiences

James Owusu eyes a career protecting natural resources in Ghana

Addressing Global Plights Through Foreign Politics

Leah Weinstein smiles for a photo

Leah Weinstein '18 declared a religious studies major and a foreign politics minor by her sophomore year at Roanoke. Professors in those departments "prepare their students to immediately contribute to an ever-changing, global society," says Weinstein. "Each professor brings a set of skills and experiences that make the courses thoughtful and engaging. We live in a harsh, dark world and the classes I took definitely emphasized that, but it also taught me that there are always individuals and organizations who can work justly to change society."

Political Religions

Roanoke students traveled to central Europe to study how Fascism, Marxism and Nazism in the 20th century harnessed human passions in "political religions," leading to totalitarian, murderous regimes.

Students in Slovakia
Multiple locks on a gate in Slovakia
Group of students in Slovakia
Students in a field in Slovakia
Students at a large building in Slovakia holding a Roanoke College banner
Students sitting on a rock ledge in Slovakia
Two students on a balcony in Slovakia

Learn By Doing

We offer many firsthand learning opportunities for our students. 

  • Study Abroad

    Students in Spain

    We offer semester- or year-long international exchanges with more than 50 schools around the world, including Egypt, Israel, Belgium, Chile, Morocco, France, Denmark, Germany, Australia and Japan.

  • Model UN

    Model UN

    Model UN brings together rising young leaders from around the world to step into the role of diplomats who must persuade, lead and build consensus to solve pressing problems. Roanoke has a Model UN Club and ususally goes to several events per year. 

  • Lectures

    Jen Psaki at Roanoke College

    Roanoke's Henry H. Fowler Public Policy Program has hosted speakers ranging from presidents, prime ministers, national commentators, Supreme Court justices, renowned scholars and recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize. Students have the chance to hear firsthand from global leaders and learn about issues facing the world.

  • May Term

    May Term class in Israel

    Roanoke students have the opportunity to travel broadly with faculty and most of our students take advantage of this.  All of our faculty lead month-long trips where they teach and travel with students. 

  • Public Affairs Society

    Public Affairs Society event

    The Public Affairs Society brings together passionate, curious students to consider current events from multiple perspectives. Through discussion groups and campus events, it aims to share ideas and encourage a robust civil discourse.  

Students create Israel Palestine Peace Month

Students posing by flags from different countries
Roanoke College For Peace spray painted on The Rock
Students with a professor
Students with a professor
Front page of The Roanoke Times, headline reading, "students use diversity to form peace effort"
Students holding flags from different countries
Students forming a chain on a stage

Roanoke's special arrangement with international study programs gives our students the opportunity to study at universities across the globe — including Japan, South Korea, the Czech Republic, China, Romania, Morocco, India, Denmark, Israel and more.

Public Affairs Society Encourages Discourse, Critical Thinking

Society members man a booth at a campus event fair

The Public Affairs Society at Roanoke College offers students the unique opportunity to encourage public discourse between the various disciplines of the Public Affairs Department, such as political science, criminal justice and international relations. The organization aims to promote awareness of – and participation in – public issues that affect students in any and every major on campus. It offers students the unique opportunity to encourage and partake in public discourse; something that not every club can offer.

Careers & Outcomes

Our grads have been accepted to top graduate programs.

Logos of colleges with well-known graduate school programs

Foreign Politics grad recruits astronauts for NASA

Anne Roemer smiles for a photo

Anne Roemer's job as manager of astronaut selection for NASA's Johnson Space Center is out of this world. At a job fair, Roemer '97 struck up a conversation with someone who worked at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which led to a job offer from NASA. In 2016-17, she helped select NASA's next 12 astronauts out of a pool of over 18,000 candidates. Roemer credits her experience in the Honors Program at Roanoke with helping her to develop strong verbal and written communication skills that are critical to her work at NASA today.

Faculty

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News

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