Academics

Syllabi are for course approval and reference only. Students will receive up-to-date syllabi when their courses begin.

Program Schedule/Internship Areas

The Geneva Internship Program offers two tracks: International Relations and Public Health.

The First Six Weeks (Core Phase)

During the first six weeks of the semester students will enroll in one required course (based on their chosen track) and one elective course. Students will also meet with their internship advisor during this period in order to be placed according to ability, professional goals, experience, and availability of local opportunities.

CAS IR 445 Introduction to Public International Law
(Required for International Relations track)
Public international law governs primarily, though not exclusively, the relations between states. The core areas of this law are its subjects; sources (or means of creation of law); the rules governing responsibility for breaches of international obligations, and those relative to dispute settlement. The decentralized structure of the international legal order means that a particular important question is when, and under what conditions, states can safeguard their rights by recourse to the use of force.

The course is taught by lectures, extensive reliance being placed on primary materials (e.g., treaties, resolutions) and on decisions of international courts and tribunals. These can be supplemented by readings, such as those listed below, and drawn mostly from M. Evans (ed.) International Law, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2003. 4 cr. Syllabus

SPH PH 506 Principles of International Health
(Required for Public Health track)
Principles of International Health is designed for students with an interest in the theory and practice of health management in developing countries. There are no prerequisites:  students with a background in international relations, politics, and economics will all find that the course touches on issues relevant to their main field of study. The course is divided into six topics, including nutrition, maternal and child health, and infectious diseases. Policy issues involving research into the causes of illness and the treatment of disease in the developing world will also be discussed.The course will be directed and partly taught by Dr Philip Jenkins,  who has worked on public health issues at the World Health Organization for eighteen years.     

There will also be many specialized guest lectures by international experts from the World Health Organization or other health-care organizations based in Geneva and field-trips to some of these organizations. 4 cr. Syllabus

CAS PO/IR 446 Small States and International Security
This course will describe the value of small states in the international system, focusing predominantly on Switzerland’s contributing role to international peace and security. The course will then widen its scope to describe the major international security issues which define the post Cold War world. Lectures will focus primarily on contemporary global security and the broadening security environment, describing the main actors (states and institutions) and their multilateral and unilateral approaches to security. The course will then provide insights on the new security issues that defy individual government control: climate change, pandemics, migration, terrorism, organized crime and proliferation. All these issues have forced policymakers to find new and innovative approaches to security policy in order to prevent their damaging effects on international stability and security.

The course is aimed at undergraduates in their third or fourth year, with an interest in history, politics, security issues and international relations. There are no prerequisites but background reading is required. 4 cr. Syllabus

Elective Courses

CAS AH 308 From Caesar to Corbusier: The History of Switzerland through its Art and Architecture
Development of the Swiss confederation, from the Roman period to the early twentieth century, through its art and architecture. Major events in Swiss history and how they have shaped the environment of the country and its artistic heritage. Includes main currents of Western art from antiquity to the early twentieth century. 4 cr. Syllabus

Beginning, Intermediate or Advanced French:

CAS FR 113 GN Beginning French 1
The beginners’ course is designed to give basic oral and written language skills. In order to facilitate life in Geneva, it focuses on practical and daily communication in French and provides a stepstone to interacting in French during internship in an international organization. The content of the course reflects all aspects of French-speaking cultures (French and Swiss) and gives the necessary speaking, understanding, reading and writing skills to follow on with the intermediate French course. 4 cr. Syllabus

CAS FR 114 GN Beginning French 2

CAS FR 213 GN Intermediate French 1
This class is for students who have taken one or two semesters of French and are reasonably confident at speaking and reading the language. It will focus on gaining fluency and accuracy in speech and at establishing grammatical rules, especially the use of tenses and modes up to and including the subjunctive and the conditional. Classes will concentrate on aural comprehension and speech, with grammatical exercises as homework and several written assignments increasing in complexity over the 6 weeks of the course. 4 cr. Syllabus

CAS FR 214 GN Intermediate French 2
This class is for students who have taken three or four semesters of French. The course is designed to give advanced oral and written language skills in French. It focuses on communicating easily in French as preparation for the internship in an international organization. The content of the course reflects all aspects of French–speaking culture (French and Swiss). 4 cr. Syllabus

CAS FR 313 GN Advanced French 1
Syllabus

CAS FR 314 GN Advanced French 2

CAS PO/IR 446 Switzerland and Small States
This course will describe the value of small states in the international system, focusing predominantly on Switzerland’s contributing role to international peace and security. The course will then widen its scope to describe the major international security issues which define the post Cold War world. Lectures will focus primarily on contemporary global security and the broadening security environment, describing the main actors (states and institutions) and their multilateral and unilateral approaches to security. The course will then provide insights on the new security issues that defy individual government control: climate change, pandemics, migration, terrorism, organized crime and proliferation. All these issues have forced policymakers to find new and innovative approaches to security policy in order to prevent their damaging effects on international stability and security.

The course is aimed at undergraduates in their third or fourth year, with an interest in history, politics, security issues and international relations. There are no prerequisites but background reading is required. 4 cr. Syllabus

The Final Eight Weeks (Internship Phase)

During the final eight weeks students enroll in an internship in one of the many international organizations in Geneva. Students intern full-time, four days per week, and also enroll in one of the following elective courses:

CAS PO/IR 444 The Activities of International Organizations
The proliferation of both the number and types of international institutional arrangements has been accompanied by the development of specialized areas of international law: international criminal law, environmental law and trade law, to name a few. Several types of institutional arrangements, both within and outside the UN system, are examined, as well as their normative, operational and enforcement activities. Introductory lectures provide an overview of the substantive law relevant to the institution considered, thus building on the Introduction to International Law course. The role of non-state actors in their relations with international institutional arrangements is also considered.

Teaching is by a combination of lectures, talks by specialists drawn from the various international institutions located in Geneva and to the greatest extent possible, visits to those institutions. 4 cr. Syllabus

SPH 507 Controversies in International Health
This course introduces students to the international organizations active in the field of public health by examining the international character of health, particularly with the emergence of HIV/AIDS, multinational droughts and famine, humanitarian crisis’, and the threat of infectious pandemics like SARS and Avian Flu.  This course will place an emphasis on issues involved in best coordinating the efforts of agencies involved to achieve the greatest benefit for afflicted people.  Through a series of lectures with international health specialists and structured visits to international aid institutions students will learn about the administration of international health organizations, the international difficulties arising from third party relief work, social determinants of health, healthcare and gender issues, and global pharmaceutical trade.  Ray, 4 cr. Syllabus

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Internship

Most students will be placed in one of the many international political, economic, and humanitarian organizations headquartered in Geneva. Additional internships will be available in the Communications and International Business and Finance.

Please note that while BU International Programs guarantees an internship to program participants, specific placements may not always be available. Likewise, internship placements may be available in academic areas not listed. Certain placements may require fluency in the target language. Placements will be arranged by the program staff, in individual consultation with the student. Please note that only seniors may intern at the World Health Organization.

Internship Areas

Public Health
Study international health and work in research departments and health activism. Past internship placements have included International AIDS Society, the World Health Organization, and the International League Against Cancer.

International Relations
Study international relations and work with an NGO, humanitarian organization, or an inter-governmental organization. Past internship placements have included International Catholic Migration Committee, Centre of Applied Studies in Negotiations, and the World Women Summit Federation.

Internship Courses

CAS PO/IR 455 Internship in International Organizations 4 cr.

Internship courses in other areas are also available, depending on the student's interests and qualifications. The internship will be conducted in English.

The internship course comprises two major components:
• An extensive internship portfolio consisting of daily reports, field research,
   and analysis and conclusion.
• An academic paper on a subject related to the work done at the internship
   (Both the portfolio and paper are graded by BU staff.)

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