Self Study Report
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Department of International Relations College of Liberal and Creative Arts Seventh Cycle Program Review – Self Study Report May 15, 2018 Revised August 25, 2018 Prepared and assembled by the faculty of the IR Department Mahmood Monshipouri, PhD Chair/Professor International Relations The enclosed self-study was submitted for external review on August 25, 2018 and sent to reviewers on September 17, 2018. 2 Table of Contents Contents I. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... 4 II. Overview of Program ................................................................................................................................ 6 III. Program Indicators ................................................................................................................................... 9 Section 3.1 Program Planning ........................................................................................................................ 9 3.2 Student Learning and Achievement ......................................................................................................... 13 3.3 The Curriculum ........................................................................................................................................ 17 3.3.1 Undergraduate ...................................................................................................................................... 17 3.3.2. Graduate .............................................................................................................................................. 34 3.4. Faculty ..................................................................................................................................................... 67 3.5 Resources ................................................................................................................................................. 82 IV. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................ 88 Appendices .................................................................................................................................................... 90 APPENDIX A: Student Success in the Majors Report ..................................................................................... 91 APPENDIX B: 5th Cycle Memorandum of Understanding ............................................................................... 95 APPENDIX C: 6th Cycle Review CAM recommendations ................................................................................ 97 APPENDIX D: High Failure Classes in IR Department ..................................................................................... 107 APPENDIX E: 2011 GWAR Assessment ........................................................................................................... 108 APPENDIX F: SF Scholars (Blended) BA/MA Pathways ................................................................................... 112 Appendix G: Graduate Program Assessment Report 2012 ............................................................................ 113 Appendix H: Graduate Program Assessment Report 2014 ............................................................................ 117 Appendix I- Graduate Program Assessment RePort 2017 ............................................................................. 125 APPENDIX J: Graduate Student Internship Sites ............................................................................................ 133 Appendix K: Employment Record of Recent Alumni ...................................................................................... 135 Appendix L: Sample Graduate Student Exit Survey ...................................................................................... 138 Appendix M: Academic Program Review Committee Minutes, 10/06/16 ..................................................... 139 Appendix N: Faculty Classes Taught .............................................................................................................. 141 Appendix O: RTP Criteria in the IR DePartment ............................................................................................. 148 Appendix P: IR Faculty CVs ............................................................................................................................. 155 3 4 1. Executive Summary I. To facilitate timely graduation as well as afford students flexible options, the Curriculum Committee advised the department to offer two sections of our capstone undergraduate course, IR 550, during the summer, a change which we expect will lead to improved graduation rates. In light of the university’s changed degree requirements and the greater role of complementary courses in our elective requirements for the IR major, the department decided to eliminate the formal requirement that student choose an individual thematic or regional emphasis within IR, although we continue to advise students to select their electives with the goal of gaining individual expertise in particular regions or topics. II. Our faculty offer courses in theory, as well as specialized regional and issue-specific courses that meet with student diverse needs and preferences. Utilizing the extensive course offerings in the International Relations program and in other departments, students are able, upon advisement and careful consideration, to develop individual areas of specialization within geographical, functional (e.g., international political economy), problem-oriented (e.g., arms control), theoretical/methodological and other categories. Field work may also be part of an area of specialization. The emphasis upon elective courses of study requires that a student consult with an advisor every semester. Both undergraduate and graduate students have opportunities to internships in the Bay area and outside. III. The undergraduate curriculum, which combines a confluence of core, electives, and culminating requirements, as well as GWAR courses and writing across the discipline, emphasizes both the depth and breadth of course offerings. On balance, the curriculum reflects academic rigor, diversity of courses and breadth of expertise. The IR department will continue to excel and demonstrate excellence with continued and renewed resources and support of the LCA College and broader SFSU administration. The IR department is a critical component of undergraduate education at SFSU and, upon reflection, will continue to grow and change in response to the needs of SFSU students and the demands of global society. IV. The Master’s degree program focuses on training our students to be professionals who work in the field of international relations, including government service, the non-profit sector, and international organizations. Our curriculum emphasizes the coordination of theory and data. Many courses in the curriculum study specific areas of the world from diverse theoretical, historical, and contemporary perspectives, emphasizing the dynamic interaction between IR theory and foreign policy, political economy and international security, and non-state and transnational actors. Seminar instruction emphasizes knowledge of core International Relations concepts and theories as well as thematic issues, including—but not limited to—international migration, globalization, international security, international environmental studies, international development, global governance, and human rights. Culminating experiences involve two tracks for graduate students: an academic track, where the 5 culminating experience is a thesis, and a professional track where students undertake an internship experience that culminates in a research paper. For graduate students choosing the professional emphasis, the Department provides resources toward internship opportunities and supervises the preparation of an academic paper based on their internship experiences. V. Members of the faculty cover wide-ranging theoretical areas of scholarship within International Relations, including (1) International Conflict/Security Studies; (2) U.S. Foreign Policy; (3) International Political Economy; (4) International Organizations/ International Law/Human Rights/Environmental Rights; (5) Globalization/ Transnationalism/Migration; (6) Post-Modernism/ Post-Structuralism/Identity Studies/Media Studies. All members of the department contributed to the three main areas of review over the past five years—teaching, scholarship, and service. Still, some imbalances exist. In the area of teaching, an imbalance exists between our lecturers, who teach the larger introductory and other required core classes, and tenure-track faculty who teach most of the elective courses. Some of our faculty teach more graduate classes than others. Some female faculty members carry a larger load in supervisory courses, as well as college and university service. Some faculty members offer a wide variety of courses, requiring significant additional preparation time, while other faculty teach a standard rotation. Some of our faculty regularly receive higher student evaluation scores than others, and the ones that do tend to teach higher enrolled classes and advise a larger number of students. Some of our faculty publish more than others. VI. Across the board, our IR faculty has been engaged in important scholarly work, resulting in peer-reviewed