International & Comparative Policy Studies

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the International and Comparative Policy Studies (ICPS) major, students will have developed the skills and knowledge required for successful completion of the major in their home department (anthropology, economics, history, political science, or sociology) as well as a range of analytical skills to study international or comparative policy issues.

For the learning outcomes for the home departments, see:

• Anthropology
• Economics
• History
• Political Science
• Sociology

Additional ICPS learning outcomes:

• Develop skills to study phenomena in the areas of globalization, international relations, comparative policy, and international economic development
• Formulate a significant interdisciplinary research project, develop and pursue an interdisciplinary methodology, and compile and assess a bibliography of relevant secondary works and/or primary resources to support such a project.
• Execute genuinely interdisciplinary work, that is, work that integrates perspectives, techniques or methods across different disciplines

There are three assessment tools for learning in the major at Reed and the level of student achievement in the major area: the major requirements, the junior qualifying examination, and the senior thesis.

• The major requirements fulfill the first learning outcome by including statistics regardless of home department as well as significant coursework (four courses) in a discipline other than their home department and some coursework (two courses) in a third discipline, all of which must include a significant number of designated ICPS courses.
• The ICPS junior qualifying examination consists of passing the home department qual and turning in a thesis proposal to the ICPS Committee, the latter of which fulfills the second learning outcome.
• The senior thesis then fulfills the third requirement, in that students must execute genuinely interdisciplinary work; for examples, see the models under Thesis.