INTLR-BA - International Relations (BA)

If you complete the minimum 35 primary and secondary pathway units, the remaining five units can be selected from any IR specialization course (pre-approved or petitioned).

The International Relations Honors Program offers qualified IR students the opportunity to conduct a significant independent research project under faculty guidance. You may choose a faculty thesis advisor from throughout the university. The program will equip you with the professional “tools” to conduct independent research, analyze the findings, and write a final research thesis. Successfully completing an IR Honors thesis project requires a high degree of initiative, dedication, and a significant investment of time and energy.

The program is interdisciplinary and enables you to undertake various research projects. Previous students have written theses on international political economy, international security, regional integration, human rights, domestic issues in foreign countries, international education, and regional issues. (This list is by no means exhaustive.)

Prerequisites:

• A declared International Relations major with a minimum 3.5 overall grade point average

• Successful experience writing a research paper

• An Honors Thesis proposal

• A thesis advisor

• IR Program approval

Advisor(s):

• Your thesis advisor must be a Stanford Academic Council faculty member. (The IR Office can confirm Academic Council status.)

• Your thesis advisor is responsible for assigning your grade for INTNLREL 198 (see below). 

Requirements:

• In spring quarter of your junior year, you will take the INTNLREL 200A: IR Honors Field Research course, which is mandatory for all IR Honors students (3 units).  

• In autumn quarter of your senior year, you will enroll in INTNLREL 200B: IR Honors Seminar, which will focus on analyzing research findings and initial steps in writing the thesis (3 units). At the end of the quarter, you should expect to have 1-2 chapters of your thesis submitted in draft form.

• In winter quarter of your senior year, you will take INTNLREL 200C: IR Honors Thesis Writing, in which you will continue to write your honors thesis and present your research (1 unit). You will also receive feedback on your work from Honors cohort members and provide feedback on their work.

• Over the autumn, winter, and spring quarters of your senior year, you will enroll in 8-15 units of INTNLREL 198: Senior Thesis with your Thesis Advisor. Students must enroll in at least one INTNLREL 198 unit each quarter as long as they are enrolled at Stanford University. Unit enrollment will be monitored (Note: INTNLREL 200A/B/C do not count within these 8-15 units).

• Present your thesis findings at the IR Honors Conference in the spring quarter of your senior year (usually in mid-May).

• Complete 15-22 total honors units (200A/B/C and 198). Honors units are taken above and beyond the IR major 70-unit requirement. Note: 200B can satisfy your IR WIM and SEM/COL requirements.

Grading:

• You must receive at least a B+ in INTNLREL 198: Senior Thesis to graduate with honors. If you are making satisfactory progress on your thesis, you will receive an N grade for INTNLREL 198 in the autumn and winter quarters and a final letter grade for spring quarter, which will be retroactively assigned to autumn and winter quarters. 

• You must receive at least a B in INTNLREL 200A, INTNLREL 200B, and INTNLREL 200C.

Other Policies:

• You may count up to 5 units of IR Honors coursework as capstone units toward your minimum required 75 total major units.

• If you are not making satisfactory progress with your thesis or otherwise fulfilling the IR Honors thesis program requirements, you may be removed from the program.  

• There is no fixed length for your Honors Thesis, but most IR Honors Theses are between 70-100 pages, plus notes and bibliography.  

• If you conduct interview or survey research, you must contact the Human Subjects Protocol Panel at http://humansubjects.stanford.edu.

• If you have completed all your IR degree requirements, you may register as Permit for Services Only (PSO) in the spring quarter of your senior year while completing your thesis (international students cannot register for PSO status).