Expand your mind, change the world!
The Department of International Studies focuses on global politics, addressing the urgent challenges of our time, shaped by geopolitical instability, changing global power structures, democratic backsliding, and economic interdependence. The faculty specialize in the areas of international relations and comparative politics. With a major in International Studies, students build critical skills and gain the knowledge needed to find their own path in making a meaningful impact on the world.
Academic Excellence
Through a combination of theoretical diversity, methodological rigor, and empirical breadth, a major in International Studies prepares students to thrive in a globalized economy and multicultural society.
Career Readiness
Our majors excel at experiential learning! They intern in Memphis, in other cities and overseas, study abroad, engage in research, present at academic conferences, publish in peer-reviewed journals, participate in Model United Nations simulations, lead student organizations focused on global politics, and network in Washington, DC.
Impact & Purpose
Our alumni have become leaders in government and public service, education, business and finance, nonprofits, and the legal and policy fields. Our students have also won Fulbright grants, Watson Fellowships, and the Rhodes Scholarship and have joined the Peace Corps.
Community & Support
Student testimonials consistently highlight faculty mentorship, intellectual rigor, and personal transformation. Graduates describe the department as demanding yet deeply supportive, a place where students learn to think critically and lead thoughtfully and compassionately in diverse environments.
Alumni Success
- One-third of our majors attend graduate or law school. Recent graduates have earned advanced degrees from top universities such as Columbia, Georgetown, Harvard, Vanderbilt, Duke, University of North Carolina, Notre Dame, Tulane, and University of Pittsburgh.
- Our majors have also received Fulbright grants, Watson Fellowships, and the Rhodes Scholarship.
- Our alumni work in a variety of exciting fields and live across the U.S. and overseas. Over the last five years, 24.6 percent relocated to Washington, DC; 32.3 percent lived in the Mid-South; and 15.4 percent were abroad. About 40 percent were working in the private sector (business and finance); 16.9 percent contributed to the legal and adjacent fields; 18.5 percent were in education; 13.8 percent worked in government and public service; and 13.8% entered the nonprofit sector.
Explore the World. Shape What Comes Next.
An International Studies major gives you the tools to understand global issues, engage across cultures, and lead with perspective. Through interdisciplinary coursework, study abroad opportunities, and hands-on research, you’ll build the critical thinking and communication skills needed for careers in diplomacy, international business, public policy, nonprofit leadership, and beyond. Your global future starts here.
The Mertie Buckman International Internship Program enables seven to eight students each year to live and work abroad for eight weeks during the summer. Students intern in a country of their choice, such as Colombia, France, Japan, South Africa, or Morocco and work in settings ranging from businesses to human rights organizations. Students gain professional experience, cross-cultural competence, and confidence navigating international work environments.
The Buckman–Mollerup Scholarship supports semester-long study abroad for International Studies majors. Awarded to two to three students annually, the scholarship strengthens equity and reinforces Rhodes’ commitment to inclusive global leadership development by expanding access to study abroad for students who might otherwise be excluded due to cost.
The Washington Connection Program allows around 10 students to explore careers in politics, public policy, and government with the mentorship of faculty and Center for Career and Professional Development staff. Through a week-long experience in Washington, DC, students build professional literacy, alumni connections, and confidence to pursue internships and employment in the nation’s political center. Visits have included the U.S. Department of State, Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, think tanks, and major public and private institutions, such as the Council of Foreign Relations and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The Department of International Studies offers immersive international experiences through Summer Programs overseas.
Model United Nations, a forty-plus-year program at Rhodes, provides applied training in diplomacy, negotiation, and multilateral governance. Over the last five years, 127 students have participated, representing not only International Studies but multiple majors in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Students also gain leadership experience by organizing and running the annual Mid-South Model United Nations (MSMUN) Conference for high school students. This introduces Rhodes as a regional hub for global education to prospective students.
Scholarly excellence is also reinforced through Modus Vivendi, a peer-reviewed student journal published annually since 1995. By reviewing, editing, and publishing original student research, our majors gain core skills needed for graduate school, law school, and careers in public policy and other fields.
Our department supports various student organizations: each year we induct high-achieving students into Sigma Iota Rho, the International Studies Honor Society; the Society of World Affairs Today (SoWat?) raises awareness of global issues and promotes student-faculty engagement outside of class; Rhodes’ chapter of Amnesty International educates the campus community on human rights and advocates for rights protections on a global scale.
We also engage the Memphis community through our annual lecture series titled Challenges in World Politics. Faculty join residents for dinner and then give a free, public lecture on themes related to world politics, while our majors participate by sharing their study-abroad experiences.
Rhodes Department News block
Six graduating seniors’ portraits are being added to Rhodes College’s Hall of Fame on the second floor of Southwestern Hall. The honorees are Jasmine Jeffries, Olivia Mack, Joshua Morris, Ariyana Muesse, Jude Shive, and KK Sowers.
Sophia Cracraft, Lydia Gold, Melate Kebede, and Erin McTigue—members of the Rhodes College Class of 2026—have been selected to receive Fulbright U.S. Student Awards for the 2026-2027 academic year.
Over the course of eight weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Lily Grace Richey '27 didn’t just study global issues; as a Mertie Buckman International International Scholar, she lived them.
