INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

1.0 TEACHING AND RESEARCH

1.1 Mission and emphases of the department

The multidisciplinary International Relations (IR) Program is part of the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, a school of public affairs with a long and distinguished tradition of commitment to integrative education. The IR Program links the Maxwell School's long-standing interest in contemporary global problems with scholarly approaches to solving them. The IR Program regards theory and practice with equal seriousness and affords students and faculty access to the resources of all the Maxwell School's departments and policy research centers, including the Global Affairs Institute, the Program for the Analysis and Resolution of Conflicts, and the South Asia Center. The Maxwell School has been designated as an EU Center by the Delegation of the European Commission to the United States and as a National Resource Center for European Studies by the U.S. Department of Education. Both centers are housed in the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs. The International Relations Program attracts highly qualified students from around the world and a wide variety of educational, economic, and cultural backgrounds.

1.2 Faculty research

A brief description of individual faculty member's specific research interests is available at the departmental website, http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/ir/faculty.asp

1.3 Graduate program

The International Relations Program offers a professional Masters degree that prepares students for leadership in public and international affairs. The Program emphasizes integrative interdisciplinary social science perspectives, and practical and collaborative experiences. M.A. students select a topic of international concern and a geographic area of interest. Courses are then chosen to develop expertise about the topic and region. Completion of 39 credits of course work and a master's paper are required for the M.A. degree. Proficiency in a second language equivalent to at least two years of university-level study must be demonstrated before completing the program. A flexible 30 credit option is available for mid-career professionals who have significant relevant experience.

1.4 Undergraduate program

The International Relations Undergraduate Program, which is housed in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University, is multi-disciplinary and includes a wide variety of fields of study: Political Science, Economics, History, Geography, Anthropology, Sociology, and other disciplines are germane. Indeed the Syracuse program is more eclectic than those at many other institutions, recognizing that cultural studies such as fine arts and literature can in some instances be as important in the understanding of other societies as history or geography. Study abroad opportunities are offered by the Division of International Programs Abroad (DIPA) and a Maxwell-Washington International Relations Semester is also available. Requirements for the major include 33 credits in international relations plus demonstrated proficiency in a major second language. Working with the program's Director of Undergraduate Studies, students choose from a variety of topical approaches (e.g., political, economic, inter-cultural, etc.) and can concentrate on a geographic area of interest.

2.0 SUBJECT DESCRIPTION AND GUIDELINES back to top

2.1 Subject definition

International Relations at Syracuse University is exemplified by a multidisciplinary approach to the study of global problems, with an emphasis on theory as well as practice. The aim of the collection in International Relations is to support current and anticipated needs for instruction and research within the International Relations department. In this regard, the building of a useful collection of information through the selection of appropriate monographs, serials, periodicals, conference proceedings, statistical datasets, audiovisual media and other published information is designed to meet current needs of students and faculty, as well as anticipate growth and change within the International Relations field and department.
Several important subject selector "balancing" criteria are crucial to accomplishing such collection development, given the faculty research interests stated above, acquisitions funds available during a given fiscal period, the high volume of publication in the field and the department's stated commitment to a multidisciplinary approach. As pertains to selection and preservation of library resources, among the more important of these include the need to strike a balance between:

• Selecting new resources to meet current needs while also insuring that access to previously selected resources endures.
  
• Support of research and teaching interests of new faculty - while also continuing to support long-standing research needs of more senior faculty in the department.
  
• The acquisition of resources published in the U.S. while also developing a collection that supports resources that offer non-U.S. perspectives.
  
• The acquisition of resources useful to advanced international relations researchers (i.e., graduate students and faculty) while also developing a collection appropriate for undergraduates majoring (or minoring) in this subject area. This is an especially important factor for this department given a strong focus on undergraduate education.
  
• The acquisition of a body of resources that address major international relations research questions from a broad array of ideological, geopolitical, sociopolitical, socioeconomic, ethnic, gender, national and other viewpoints.
  
• The acquisition of resources in traditional print form as well as those offered via newer, electronic, audiovisual and web-based formats, albeit with a pronounced trend toward digital formats for journal publications in the IR field.
  
• The acquisition of resources that embody various methodologies, styles of subject matter treatment and organizational format (for instance, this includes but is not necessarily limited to: selection of primary as well as secondary literature, case studies, single author works as well as collections by multiple authors, government documents resources and statistical compilations, qualitative as well as quantitative methodologies, historical treatment as well as current research, journalistic sources for current domestic and international news reports, theoretical essays as well as more strictly social scientific reports, and appropriate selection of tertiary reference sources such as relevant encyclopedic works, indexes, bibliographies, scholarly literature reviews, web portals (free and fee-based) and online databases).

2.2 Subject scope

Subject Emphasis Includes:
*see also, faculty research interests-1.2


African International Relations
Ancient History
Arms Control
Chinese History
Comparative Law
Comparative Political Economy
Comparative Urbanization
Conflict Resolution
Cultural Studies
Development Administration
Diplomatic History
Discourse Analysis
European History
Foreign Policy Decision Making
Global Climate Politics
Globalization
IGOs/NGOs
Intercultural Communication
International Business
International Economics
International Human Rights
International Law
International Negotiation
International Peacekeeping
International Trade Policy
Latin American Studies
Middle East Studies
National Security Studies
Nationalism & Ethnic Conflict
Pacific Rim Political Economy
Socio-Linguistics
Transition Economies
Urban and Political Geography

3.0 SPECIAL INFORMATION NEEDS AND RESOURCES back to top

3.1 Special information needs of those working in this subject area

General:
Include, but not necessarily limited to: Interest in primary sources (e.g., "Digital National Security Archive" database), interest in web-based delivery of academic journals and statistical datasets, interest in access to appropriate tertiary indexes relevant to the field (e.g., PAIS, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, etc.).

All of the following SU Library E-Journal packages include content of potential interest to students and faculty in international relations (a partial list):
Annual Reviews:
Includes link to Annual Review of Political Science.
Blackwell Synergy:
Provides access to 250+ interdisciplinary journals.
JSTOR:
(short for Journal Storage) is an archive of scholarly publications in
mathematics, science, and the social sciences, providing full text articles online.
Oxford University Press:
Provides full text access to over 150 interdisciplinary titles.
Project Muse:
Offers full text of over 100 journals in the humanities and social sciences.

3.2 Special collections or noteworthy resources in the field

SU Library's Media Services Department offers:

Edwin Diamond Political Commercials Collection: The Diamond collection of political commercials range from local through federal government levels. They also range from some of the earliest examples during the Eisenhower campaign to the first Clinton campaign in the early 1990s. See: http://library.syr.edu/information/spcollections/findingaids/archive/diamondvideos.htm

SU Library's Department of Social Sciences & Area Studies Services offers:

The maps and government information collection, which consists of government publications and maps, largely from the Library's U.S. depository program, begun in 1878. The Library currently selects 70% of all documents available to U.S. Depository Libraries. Information includes legislative indexes, international statistical data, New York State depository materials since 1951, Documents from the Council of Europe, United Nations, Great Britain, Canada and Selected items from Onondaga County and the city of Syracuse. The department also contains an extensive collection of maps and atlases and web-based links to numerous additional New York State, Onondaga County and City of Syracuse resources.

Geographic Information Systems:

As part of the maps and government information collection ("MGI"), A GIS/Map Librarian is available to assist researchers with use of mapping applications relevant to international affairs. In particular, these services include access to the Library's G-SIC-"Geographic and Statistical Information Center," a GIS and numeric data services computer lab, located on the 3rd floor of E.S. Bird Library.
Visit the MGI site at: http://library.syr.edu/information/mgi/index.html

Numeric Data Services:

A Numeric Data Services Librarian is available to assist researchers with locating and analyzing data, with data management and analysis, use of statistical software (e.g., SAS, Stata, SPSS), advice on research methods, study design, and questionnaire construction and related consultation. Services also include a web-based menu of data resources (e.g., The University Library offers on-campus and remote access to statistical datasets from the University of Michigan's Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.).
Visit the Numeric Data Services site at http://library.syr.edu/information/mgi/nds/index.html

3.3 Endowment funds or special funding arrangements

Marian N. Friedman Memorial Fund: For the purchase of library resources relating to the subject of human rights politics and administration of human rights issues.

The "Center for European Studies" at the Maxwell School's Daniel Patrick Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs receives U.S. Department of Education monies that include funding for Syracuse University Library acquisitions pertinent to Europe, including the international affairs of that region.

4.0 TYPES OF MATERIALS back to top

4.1 Priorities for types of materials

Priority determined based on preferences expressed by the international relations department, its faculty and students, as well as the judgement of the library subject specialist working in this area and, as necessary, choices made in conjunction with colleagues the Associate University Librarian for Collection Development and the Library's Chief Bibliographer.

4.2 Format

Multiple formats considered. Continuing trend toward web-based resources. Much of the maps and government document information is selected via the library's maps and government documents department, inclusive of that department's government document depository relationship with the U.S. federal government, New York State government and other governments, as well as international organizations.

4.3 Geographical guidelines

All geographies are considered, and, given the wide array of faculty research interests in the department and intrinsic global nature of IR subject matter, there is an emphasis on insuring that geopolitical perspectives of all continents are represented. However, selection of resources in the areas of Latin American Studies, Asian Studies, and African American Studies is often carried out by library subject specialists with collection development responsibility for these specific regions, and not within the international relations fund code. Special consideration is also given to the fact that the Maxwell School has been designated as a European Union Center and a Center for European Studies-meaning that efforts are made to collect resources appropriate to European Union issues. Moreover, the initiation of a College of Arts and Sciences minor program in Middle Eastern Studies means that enhanced collection development efforts pertinent to international relations surrounding the Middle East region also remains an ongoing priority.

4.4 Language guidelines

Primarily English. The evaluation of proposals for expanding collection of non-English language categories involves assessment of the capacity of the Library's staff and non-staff resources for cataloging and otherwise making accessible these items.

4.5 Chronological guidelines

Selected resources tend to be published within, and/or cover subject matter regarding, the18th through 21st century, with general tendency toward current time periods (e.g., last 10-120 years). However, no specific time period is ruled out when collection development decisions are made.

4.6 Historical Coverage

See 4.5

5.0 PRINCIPAL LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CLASSIFICATIONS back to top

J-JF, JL-JQ, JV-JX

6.0 RELATED COLLECTION POLICIES back to top

Africa
Anthropology
Asian Studies
Economics
Education
Geography
History
Latin American Studies
Mass Communication
Political Science
Public Administration
Sociology
Women's Studies