Exposing some of the lesser-known majors on campus
I’m sure as you read this paper filled with manly sports news, hilarious bar stories, and racy dating advice, the inclination is hardly toward anything of an academic nature. But fear not!
I’m not about to lecture you on the state of your GPA, your 5th-year “extended stay” in the undergrad experience, or how many classes you’ve managed to avoid so far this semester - I’ll leave that to your mom.
Instead, I thought it would be acceptable for just a moment to spread the word to the student body about two of the lesser known majors here at University of Nevada, Reno: international affairs and international business.
If engaging in political discussion is your favorite part of class (even classes such as math or geology), if you think people who speak another language are sexy (even if you can’t understand a word they’re saying), or say that you have a growing addiction for world travel (even if you can’t afford to go anywhere cooler than Tijuana), then the international affairs program might be the escape you are looking for.
“I.A.” majors fall under the broad scope of the College of Liberal Arts and so are obligated to complete liberal arts requirements in addition to marching through the banality of the standard UNR core curriculum.
However, I.A. majors also get to break away from the ordinary hum-drum of the classes that everyone is forced to complete and dive into something like global studies, international relations, diplomacy, culture and geography, in addition to also choosing an area of study specific to their world interests. As if interesting classes were not incentive enough, students who receive a Bachelor of Arts in international affairs can look forward to a diverse array of careers such as foreign ambassador, Peace Corps volunteer or human rights lawyer. That makes international affairs majors unpredictably sexy…
If making a lot of money is appealing to you, even if you currently have a negative balance in your bank account, if you are fascinated by international exchange rates, even though presently the dollar seems engaged in a free fall, if you dream of one day managing a multi-national corporation, even though there’s a good chance the power will go straight to your head, then the international business program might be right up your (Wall) street.
Unlike I.A. majors, “I.B.” majors are considered part of the College of Business Administration and so, even though they must also suffer through the UNR core requirements, they are inclined to take a sufficient amount of business rather than social classes.
Courses in areas such as accounting, communication, economics, marketing and management are all par-for-the course for international business majors in addition to a handful of foreign language and political science classes thrown in to round out the curriculum.
These extra courses make the program intense, but are very efficient in producing lean-mean international money- making machines.
At the end of the day, only you, with some help from your advisor, can decide which major is a good fit for you.
Not everyone is cut out to be an unpredictable I.A. or powerful I.B. major (besides Chuck Norris, of course), and I am sure that there are more things in life than world travel, cultural immersion and foreign exploration - although I am purposely oblivious to what they may be.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled sports page, dating drama, puke-story.
Phillipa Lockwood is a columnist for The Nevada Sagebrush. She can be reached at editor@nevadasagebrush.com.
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