Facts

Key Allegheny Benefits

• Firm grounding in economic theory, history, and world politics.
• Informed appreciation of the principles, logistics, and dynamics of international relations.
• Knowledge of how economic, political, historical, and cultural factors influence and shape national behaviors and strategies.
• Familiarity with the great texts of political thought.
• An understanding and appreciation of other countries, cultures, and societies.
• Analytical skills needed for careers abroad.
• Excellent foundation for graduate school.
• Critical reading, writing, and thinking skills.
• Proficiency in at least one modern foreign language.

Allegheny Distinctions

• Unique major among colleges similar to Allegheny.
• Senior Projects that prove to employers and graduate schools the ability to tackle multidisciplinary research, to use a foreign language, and to complete an original assignment.
• Breadth of curriculum, ensuring that students learn how to analyze a variety of societies and countries.
• Emphasis on economics and modern languages, providing students with vital knowledge and skills for post-Allegheny job placement.
• Extensive one-on-one interaction with faculty.
• Many opportunities for study abroad.
• Allegheny's team has received the Best Delegation award at the Annual National Model NATO Conference in Washington, D.C. four years in a row 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005

Facilities Strengths

• An extensive network of Intel-based computers with over 200 available in labs for student use.
• All residence hall rooms are wired for free, direct Internet access.
• Pelletier Library is a U.S. Government and Pennsylvania State documents depository (over 250,000 documents).
• New multimedia Language Learning Center, equipped with state-of-the-art computers and video technology.

Student Research and Special Projects

Every Alleghenian completes a Senior Project in his or her major field - a significant piece of original research, designed by each student under the guidance of a faculty advisor, that demonstrates to employers and graduate schools the ability to complete a major assignment, to work independently, to analyze and synthesize information, and to write and speak persuasively. International Studies projects demonstrate students' analytical skills in economics, history, and political science. They also reflect research done in a foreign language; in fact, International Studies majors write a 15-page project summary and conduct a quarter of the project's oral defense in a foreign language.

Recent Senior Projects

• "The Evolution of the Muslim Presence in France"
• "Mao Cult and Contemporary China"
• "An Examination of Globalization in France: Its Effects on Economics, Politics, and Culture"
• "U.S.-U.S.S.R. Grains Negotiations: 1972-1982"
• "Energy Prospects and Policies: The Swedish Example"
• "Tourism in Spain: An Analysis of the Economics and Social Effects"
• "An Analysis of Factors That Fueled the Rise of Greek Nationalism in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century"
• "The Stroessner Years: A Study of Public Policies in the Republic of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989"
• "The Bureaucratic Ideal and the Status of Japan's Security"
• "The Radical Right in Western Europe: Explanations and Observations with a Case Study of Austria and the Freedom Party"
• "Guatemala o Guatepeor?: A Comparison of Coffee and Bananas as Used for Primary Export-Led Growth in Guatemala"
• "Fortress Europe: Creating Trade or Diverting It? The French Perspective"
• "Ethnicity and Religion in Bosnia: Islamic Influence 1990-1995"
• "The Euro and Businesses: An Investigation of How the Euro Will Affect European Corporations With a Specific Emphasis on the Preparations of French Firms"