Groups & Concentrations

Cluster courses

RCST cluster courses are designed to expose students to the major methodological and theoretical approaches in at least two academic disciplines, in order to provide them with the necessary tools for meaningful analysis of issues in their region(s) of choice.

Cluster 1: Sociology/Anthropology

This cluster contains courses in sociological methods, social science statistics, anthropological fieldwork, ethnography and cultural analysis.

Cluster 2: Politics, Int'l Affairs, and History

This cluster includes courses in historical interpretation, research methods, and theoretical approaches to comparative politics and international relations.

Cluster 3: Economics and Demography

This cluster introduces students to economic theory, statistics, and demographic analysis.

Cluster 4: Literature, Art, and Women's Studies

This cluster contains courses on cultural analysis and social theory in addition to theory-and-method-centered courses in art history and women's studies.

Cluster 5: Transregional Methods and Theories

This cluster allows students to gain experience with approaches to comparative and transregional studies in a variety of disciplines.

Region-specific courses

Region-specific courses are drawn from the social sciences, arts and humanities. The many area studies programs in the School of Foreign Service contribute interdisciplinary courses focused on issues of regional importance.

Language courses

While familiarity with a relevant language is a crucial aspect of the RCST major, language courses are usually taken as electives to complement the major program. Regional Studies majors may, by petition, substitute up to two courses in the study of a non-western language for two of their eight region-specific courses.