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International relations : The many benefits of minoring in this global studies course

22 Mar 2021

By Patrick de Kretser The biggest dilemma any Advanced Level (A/L) student will have is picking the subjects they want to focus on for university and beyond. It is not simply a question about picking a major for a field you want to be in and going down that route; it is also a question of picking the right subjects to minor in, which will compliment your major or serve as an impressive extracurricular activity that you can dot down on your resume.  Finding the right subjects to focus on can be hard and no one wants to be in a position where they regret picking a subject midway during a course. Many people in university judge the minors they pick by assessing how many credit points they get with it, but that does not mean students will always pick the right subject to focus on.  With that being said, I thought it was a good idea to share a minor that I picked, which can be minored in at either a university level or studied in an institution elsewhere where you can obtain a diploma or even major in and get a degree as well. As you would have guessed it, that subject is international relations.  Hence, this week, I want to give you my take on what the course is about and why studying it on any level might prove to be extremely useful for your future endeavours. Read this article thoroughly and see whether or not you like the idea of undertaking this course at some point in the future.  Hopefully and with some luck, by the end of this article, I will have supplied you with enough information so that you too can realise the benefits of this multi-layered subject.  To put it simply, international relations (which is also known as international studies or global studies depending on where you are) is the study of politics, economics, and law on a global level. The main emphasis of the course is to focus on current affairs throughout the world, which can range from anything such as a simple social issue to a major political event. There are also other aspects that the course focuses on, such as history and geography. You will find yourself studying many historical events in order to put the pieces together and understand how the current state of affairs in a region or continent came to pass.  If any of you ever took part in a Model United Nations (MUN) conference at some point in school, then you will find that many elements of MUN are present within an international relations classroom. Hence, if MUN is something that you thoroughly enjoyed during school, then international relations should be a no-brainer for you.  There is a somewhat common stereotype that most people that opt to study international relations are students who have aspirations to join either the United Nations (UN), a government service position, or a nongovernmental organisation (NGO). While there are some that study the course for that purpose (although they usually major in it rather than choose it as a minor), there are many people who study the course who pick a variety of majors outside the ones which I have just mentioned.  In fact, the international relations classroom was by far the most diverse classroom I have ever been in when I look at the many different fields that students in the classroom were focusing on for their careers. You can find anything from aspiring lawyers to artists in such a classroom, so there is no set rule that you need to necessarily be interested in joining an organisation like the UN in order to enjoy the course. As I mentioned before, the benefit of studying international relations is the fact that the course is quite a useful opportunity for you to develop skills which will help you with your chosen major. For example, an international relations classroom is normally very discussion-oriented and focuses on classroom engagement between students in order to move forward with the course.  Hence, studying international relations is a must for those who seek to develop their social skills and want a platform so that they can freely express their views and opinions on various topics. In many ways, events such as MUN serve as a training course for those who wish to study international relations later down the line. One of the cardinal rules of studying international relations is that no answer is a wrong answer as long as it is well substantiated and backed up. To put it more simply, the course is a platform in which you can choose to use your voice to serve as the answers you write down during a written exam or a group project. In that regard, I would consider international relations an easier course than most other courses you can minor in, simply because it gives you the freedom of choice. The presence of this rule within international relations is most useful if you want to hone your skills in decision making and conveying your message across in a convincing manner, something which you will need for most courses you choose to major in.  As I also mentioned before, you do not necessarily have to study the course at university. In fact, you do not even have to wait till you get to university to complete a certificate or diploma-level course. I have known many school students who have chosen to study international relations at institutions such as the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) and have opted to do quick three-month or six-month courses.  This is of course another option you can consider if you do not feel like you want to minor in the course at university. Speaking from my own experience, this is probably the best route given that many university students are usually turned away from studying international relations in their respective colleges due to the fact that the course itself does not yield as many credit points. Regardless, both routes are just as useful in my opinion and you can choose to do either depending on what your future plans are.  Finally, the most important benefit of studying international relations is that you are keeping up to speed with a rapidly changing world. Especially when you consider the monumental events which have unfolded in 2020, the importance of keeping up to speed with global affairs is now more paramount than ever before. In an international relations classroom, you will always have a platform to talk about the latest breaking news and learn how governments and organisations around the world will react to it. Suffice it to say, you will never be short of studying material during this course and most of what you learn in the classroom will be beneficial to you either on an academic level or on a personal one. PHOTOS ©️Wikipedia, E-International Relations, DissertationTop, The Financial Express, 


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