The following are comments from present and former IR students explaining why they chose to study International Relations. For more information about why IR may be the right program for you, please visit international opportunities, exchanges, and graduate school sites.

Alex Dalton , fourth-year IR Major, minor in Fine Arts

“There's so much about the world I want to learn about! I chose IR because its unique interdisciplinary structure allows me to choose from a variety of courses each year covering the political, economic, and environmental issues that interest me. I'm very interested in current affairs, and IR gives me the flexibility, and the integrated perspective I need to better understand the world around me.”

Evan Revak, third-year IR major

I chose IR because it provided the opportunity to combine many different disciplines into one major. Along with some of the best professors at Mount A, I have really enjoyed having the chance to take classes that involve contemporary international politics and events. IR has proven to be an interesting, engaging, and relevant degree .”

Ciera DeSilva , third-year IR major with a double minor in Spanish and French

"I was very interested in the interdisciplinary approach of the Mount A IR program. While on a Rotary International Exchange in Mexico for my 1st year after high school, I decided on Mount A without ever having been to Atlantic Canada. I love the close knit relationship between professors and students and the variety of clubs and activities that put what I learn into practice. I hope to go on the Strasbourg exchange to understand European perspectives on international issues."

Stefanie Stiles (IR 2004)

"Ohh, you're an...International Relations student? That's nice."

No one quite knows what to make of IR (International Relations) students. The success of the recent ATLIS (Atlantic International Studies) conference held here last weekend seems to indicate that many students at Mount Allison, and throughout the Atlantic provinces, are interested in international affairs. But overall, few people seem to have more than the vaguest idea of what it is we're studying.

I've heard some people lump us together with Commerce students, and others assume we're all very socially conscious, soc/anthro types. Even my family and close friends aren't sure; my grandmother has been asking me about once a month for the past four years what my major is.

When I'm called on to describe what I'm studying, I usually follow "IR", which is virtually an unknown discipline outside of academic circles, with the explanation: "It's mostly history and politics." That's all a casual inquirer really wants to know. But of course, IR is actually much more complex than that. According to the course description in the Academic Calendar, the IR programme "...provides students with a multidisciplinary foundation for understanding the complexities of today's international affairs." It focuses on the many different elements of power, beyond economics and military, such as gender, class, and culture that govern relations between state and non- state actors.

Basically, IR is the bastard son of globalisation and international political study... Like Political Science and its obsession with power, IR students also tend towards academic megalomania-- it reflects the very nature of the study.

I, however, am not a lover of high politics. I believe in "soft power". I dislike convoluted answers, and Religious Studies, English, and Sociology, all contain elements that I find more attractive than most of what IR has to offer. So, why, oh why, did I end up in a programme crammed full of people with NATO screensavers?

The answer is simple-- I took IR for my own good. To me, IR is the cod liver oil of education. Swallowing gooey, viscous concepts like state sovereignty, collective security, and multilateralism may be a difficult task, but it's absolutely necessary. Without fully understanding the theoretical foundations, traditions, and conflicting arguments of IR, one can never form an educated opinion on the world [and the] complexities of global society.

To put it another way, the U.N. charter is not fascinating; the march of liberalism in human history is very much so. Regime theory is not fascinating; but the development of international norms that promise to end the practice of landmine-use is monumental. Radical feminist critiques of the state structure are of no great interest to me directly, here in Canada; but their insights are useful in understanding some aspects of the skewed gender relations that have undoubtedly shaped our world. Because of IR, I will never look at the world in quite the same way, and for that, I am grateful.

IR is not the exclusive preserve of wannabe diplomats, or at the other extreme, radical social activists. It's also not for those with a merely passing interest in international affairs. IR exists for those who want an in-depth exploration of global politics, starting from the inside out, by providing a rough, but workable methodology.

As frustrating as it can sometimes be, I am very glad I chose IR as my major. I may chafe at the tedious minutiae of everyday IR, but I can't imagine ever dropping it for something else. It is the lens through which I see the world.

Monique Allain (IR 2005)

I decided to go into International Relations because it offers such a variety of classes and allows you the ability to chose what area of IR best suits you, whether it be economics, culture, history or something else entirely. It also ties in well with my minor, Environmental Studies. I'm graduating in 2005 and plan to later study environmental law with a focus on international water laws.

Colene Chisolm (IR 2005)

I fell into the IR program with few long-term plans in mind. I saw it as a way to combine my love of languages and politics without the complications of double majors. Little did I realize that the inter-disciplinary nature of this program had so much more in store for me. With such a broad range of core courses, I was exposed to areas like economics and history that I probably wouldn't have taken otherwise. With an honours major in IR and a minor in Japanese studies, I'm set to pursue my new-found love of economics and international relations. In the fall I will be attending Queen's University for a Masters in Public Administration with hopes of a career in public policy.

Constantinos Ragas (IR Dec. 2005)

International Relations at Mount Allison has been the best decision I've made in my academic career. The flexibility of the programme allows me to shape and mold my major to my personal interests, while sill maintaining the most intense course load at Mount Allison. I will be entering my third year in the programme in the fall of 2004, and I cannot say enough about it. The classes are incredibly interesting, especially Dr. Legler's seminar course on the Security Council and Global Governance (IR 4101 in the Academic Calendar). Moreover, reagarding my long term career aspirations in the field of international business, IR at MTA has provided me with the background I need to be a successful candidate for graduate and post graduate studies in international business.

Karla Pooley (IR 2004)

Karla Pooley

When I came to Mount Allison, I had no real idea of what studies I wanted to follow. I had just returned from being an exchange student and I was hoping to eventually have a career in an international field.

I decided on IR because it's so diverse. I like having a variety of courses and I knew I couldn't study "just" History or Political Science. IR at Mt A encompasses international relations theory, history, political science, language, geography and economics, not to mention sociology, anthropology and religious studies. We are able to tailor the programme to our own interests. I specialised in technology and globalisation. Students are also able to take advantage of Mount Allison's international exchanges. I spent my third year abroad in Strasbourg, France, studying about European political institutions.

One of the best parts of IR is the social aspect. It's wonderful to study with like-minded students who come from different backgrounds. I learned to respect other points of view but also to stand up for what I believe. The students are extremely close-knit and Dr. Legler inspires us to learn as much as we can, both inside and outside of class. This year, I will be on a DFAIT internship in Romania. Eventually, I'd like to work for UNESCO.

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