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Welcome to the Diplomacy and International Relations program at
Dar Al-Hekma University. Our program launched in 2018, was the first program in Saudi Arabia specifically designed for women. Our interdisciplinary program offers courses in history, economics, and international relations, preparing students for careers in diplomacy and international relations. Through rigorous coursework and practical applications, our program equips students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in these dynamic fieldS.
Program Mission
Graduating professionals with knowledge, skills, and values in the multi-disciplinary field of International Relations within an academic environment that encourages scientific research and community engagement.
Program Goals
- Prepare highly competent and skilled women who can effectively engage in policy-making in the international system.
- Contribute to the regional and international discourse on diplomacy and international relations through research and presentations in the field.
- Promote awareness of global current events in the field of diplomacy and international relations amongst all.
Why Choose this Bachelor Program at Dar Al-Hekma University?
- The Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations (BADIR) program at Dar Al-Hekma University is the first and only undergraduate program in the Kingdom for women wishing to study international relations.
- The curriculum is entirely in English, providing students the opportunity to study in a global language used by international organizations and global networks.
- The BADIR curriculum combines theory with practice and is designed to provide students with the tools for understanding and analyzing the complex interactions among global actors.
- Students learn about theories of international relations, global politics, international law, culture, migration, environmental sustainability, and economics. They also develop practical skills through courses on economic analysis, negotiation, and policy analysis.
- Students acquire outstanding critical thinking and writing skills that allow them to analyze and assess current global events and to create policy recommendations.
- Students have the option to engage directly at the international level by taking part in a yearly trip abroad during the spring break. These study trips focus on introducing students to cultures, institutions, and economies different from theirs.
Graduate Attributes
- Knowledgeable of the broad conceptual and theoretical aspects of international relations.
- Informed of factors influencing the policy-making process.
- Persuasive communicators orally and in writing.
- Able to work independently and collaboratively.
- Capable of making effective decisions.
- Able to solve problems, think critically, and build strong evidence-based arguments.
- Capable of producing international relations-related research.
Admission Requirements
Programs
| Linguaskill Score
| Required Certificate Percentage
| Qudurat Test Score
| Othe Admission Requirement
|
|---|
Bachelor of Arts in Diplomacy
and International Relations
| 162
| 80%
| 65%
| None
|
For further details about admissions, click here
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, graduates will be able to:
Knowledge
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts, and essential features of the international state system.
- Develop an understanding of the impact of socio-economic, cultural, religious, and ethnic factors in policymaking.
Skills
- Use oral and written communication skills and critical thinking and problem-solving skills to assess scholarly work and public policy.
- Conduct an autonomous and/or collaborative research project that reflects an understanding of central theories and concepts of international relations (IR).
- Utilize various technological tools to improve the research process and outcome.
Values
- Demonstrate integrity in the selection and use of academic sources and in the work place.
Plan of Study
| Year One |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| HIST 1301 | Contemporary World History | 3 | BECO 1201 | Principles of Microeconomics
| 2 |
| INTR 1301 | Introduction to International Relations | 3 | LGLS 1301 | Introduction to law | 3 |
| MATH 1301 | College Algebra | 3 | POLI 1301 | Introduction to Comparative Politics | 3
|
| ARAB XXXX | Arabic | 3 | COMM 1302 | Communication Skills II | 3
|
| EMOI 1201 | Emotional Intelligence | 2 | ICTC 1301 |
Information Communication Technology
| 3 |
|---|
| COMM 1301 | Communication Skills I
| 3
| ISLS XXXX
|
Islamic Studies
|
3
|
|---|
|
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
|---|
| Year Two |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
| Credit Hours |
|---|
BECO 2301
|
| Principles of Macroeconomics
|
| 3
| STAT 2301
| Elementary Statistics
| 3
|
|---|
| HIST 2301 | History of the Modern Middle East | 3 | INTR 2303 | International Organizations | | 3
|
|---|
| INTR 2301 | Causes of Modern War
| 3
| INTR 2304 | Diplomacy and Statecraft | | 3 |
|---|
| INTR 2302 | International Law | 3
| INTR 2305 | Culture, Society and Political Power | | 3
|
|---|
| ARAB XXXX | Arabic Studies | 3 | ISLS XXXX | Islamic Studies | | 3
|
|---|
|
|
| XXXX XXXX | Required General Elective | | 3
|
|---|
|
|
|
|---|
| Total Credit Hours |
15
|
Total Credit Hours | |
18 |
|---|
| Year Three |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
BECO 3301
| International Macroeconomics | 3
| IRRM 3301 | Research Methodology | 3 |
| POLI 3301 | Politics, Culture, and Environmental Sustainability | 3
| INTR 3303
| International Trade | 3
|
| INTR 3301 | Processes of International Negotiation | 3 | INTR 3304 | Globalization and Social Change
| 3
|
| INTR 3302 | Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia
| 3
| XX XXXX | Major Elective | 3
|
| XXXX XXXX | Free Elective | 3 | ENTR 3301 | Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking | 3
|
| BBBF 1101 | Basic Body and Brain Fitness | 1
| ENTR 3301
| Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking | 3 |
| MUSC 1201 | Art and Design | 2
|
|
Total Credit Hours |
16 |
Total Credit Hours |
17 |
| Year Four |
|---|
|
Semester – Fall |
Semester – Spring |
|---|
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
Course Code |
Course Title |
Credit Hours |
| INTR 4201 | Senior Thesis Research and Writing 1 | 2
| INTR 4202 | Senior Thesis Research and Writing 2 | 2 |
| INTR 4301 | Political Economy in Comparative Perspective
| 3 | INTR 4303 | Internship | 3 |
| INTR 4302 | Migration, Refugees and Citizenship in a Globalized World | 3
| XXXX XXXX | Major Elective | 3 |
| XX XXXX | Major Elective | 3 | ISLS XXXX | Islamic Studies | 2 |
| XXXX XXXX | Free Elective | 3 | XXXX XXXX | Required General Elective
| 3 |
| LOGC 1201 | Logic and Problem Solving
| 2
|
|
|
|
|
Total Credit Hours |
16 |
Total Credit Hours |
13 |
Career Prospects
The program equips students with the necessary skills that qualify them for a variety of career paths/jobs in the job market including, but not limited to:
- Foreign service officer
- Ministry employee
- Civil servant
- Analyst for intergovernmental organization
- Administrator at non-profit organization
- Researcher
- Development aid worker
- International business women
- University professor (following graduate studies)
- Community volunteer
Course Descriptions
First Year, First Semester
Course Code & Title: INTR 1301 Introduction to International Relations
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course is a broad introduction to the study of international relations (IR). It acquaints students with major theories that explain the behavior of international actors in preparation for upper-level courses. The course focuses on the nature of the international system, including conflict and cooperation among states, origins of international institutions, and the interaction of domestic and international politics.
Course Code & Title: HIST 1301 Contemporary World History
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course presents an overview of important events that have shaped the twentieth century and examines them from a global perspective. The subject matter includes social, cultural and intellectual aspects of society as well as the political narrative and focuses on the lives of ordinary people as well as those of the decision makers and leaders. The course is organized both thematically and chronologically with the concept of global interrelatedness as its central theme.
Course Code & Title: MATH 1301 College Algebra
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course provides a broad-based foundation in algebra which emphasizes important concepts and skills covering the concepts of algebra. It emphasizes on polynomials, solving equations (linear and nonlinear) and inequalities, exploration of functions and their graphs, exponential and logarithmic concepts and equations, as well as other topics. The course uses real-life applications reflecting the concepts in the course. Technology is integrated into this course by using a graphing calculator.
First Year, Second Semester
Course Code & Title: BECO 1201 Principles of Microeconomics
Semester Credit Hours: 2 (2,0)
Prerequisite course: MATH 1301 College Algebra
Course Description: This course introduces the basic economic concepts related to individual decision makers in the economy: households, businesses and governments. It focuses on the definition of economic problems and market systems and addresses factors of production and public expenditures issues. The course analyzes consumer and firm behaviors in different market structures.
Course Code & Title: LGLS 1301 Introduction to Law
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course introduces the constitutive elements of a legal system, the nature and methods of law, and the general theory of law and the theory of rights. It focuses on thinking, speaking, and writing clearly. The course also explores the concept, classification and subjects of rights as well as the legal reasoning and analysis. The course emphasizes the concept and scope of application and interpretation of law in general including Islamic Law.
Course Code & Title: POLI 1301 Introduction to Comparative Politics
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course introduces the core analytical approaches and foundational concepts of comparative politics, focusing on the origins, dynamics, and prospects of different political systems. The course teaches students how to comparatively analyze political ideologies as
they apply to different political systems.
Second Year, First Semester
Course Code & Title: BECO 2301 Principles of Macroeconomics
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite Courses: MATH 1301 College Algebra
Course Description: This course introduces macroeconomic analysis related to economic relationships. It covers national income accounting and determination, business cycles, aggregate demand, aggregate supply, inflation, unemployment, fiscal and monetary policies, money and banking, economic growth and development, and international trade. It focuses on the characteristics of the Saudi business environment in business operations.
Course Code & Title: HIST 2301 History of Modern Middle East
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course examines the major political and socioeconomic forces that have shaped the Middle East with emphasis on the Arab world. The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the redrawing of the map at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 is the core of a central theme of the course which is the relationship between the West and the Middle East. Other themes include the rise of independent states in the post-colonial period; the development of new social and political identities; the transformation of rural societies to urban ones and the effects of change on the lives of ordinary men and women.
Course Code & Title: INTR 2301 Causes of Modern War
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: INTR 1301 Introduction to International Relations; HIST 1301 Contemporary World History
Course Description: This course explores the causes of interstate war, with a focus on preventable causes, by examining the major wars of the modern era. It also introduces theories of war and analyses cases with an eye towards “testing” the prevailing explanations for conflict.
Course Code & Title: INTR 2302 International Law
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: LGLS 1301 Introduction to Law
Course description: This course introduces the role of international law in the field of international relations. The course emphasizes sources of public international law and the legal process at the international level, using cases to illustrate the ways international norms and principles govern interstate relations. The course pays special attention to the relationship between sovereignty, cooperation, and international order.
Second Year, Second Semester
Course Code & Title: BSTA 2301 Elementary Statistics
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: MATH 1301 College Algebra
Course Description: This course gives the students an introduction to some of the basic statistical methods used in practice. It introduces the student to concrete examples of data handling and presents standard techniques for displaying and summarizing data sets. Other topics studied: discrete and continuous random variables, normal curves, statistical inference and hypothesis testing.
Course Code & Title: INTR 2303 International Organizations
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: INTR 1301 Introduction to International Relations, INTR 2302 International Law
Course description: This course introduces the organization of the international community. It analyses a variety of theories of international organizations and assesses the role and impact of international organizations in the international system. The course also examines how and when states organize to tackle issues such as peace and security, governance, and human rights.
Course Code & Title: INTR 2304 Diplomacy and Statecraft
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite courses: INTR 1301 Introduction to International Relations; POLI 1301 Introduction to Comparative Politics
Course descriptions: This course introduces the role of statecraft and diplomacy in managing power and conflict in international politics. The course provides an overview of the basic tenants of diplomacy and the approaches utilized by international actors to manage their domestic and international affairs. The course will examine the power of diplomacy from the Peace of Westphalia until today.
Course Code & Title: INTR 2305 Culture, Society, and Political Power
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: POLI 1301 Introduction to Comparative Politics
Course Description: This course analyses the relationships between the individual and society, focusing on the interactions between culture, politics, and power, both within and among communities. It examines the relationship between the individual, the community and society at large. Additionally, it explores the definition of culture, and examines the role of values, religion, group identity, public symbols, and collective memory in the contestation of power and the shaping of political structures.
Third Year, First Semester
Course Code & Title: BECO 3301 International Macroeconomics
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite courses: BECO 1201 Principles of Microeconomics; BECO 2301 Principles of Macroeconomics
Course description: This course teaches students how to develop the models relating to international macroeconomics introduced in prior courses. It examines national income accounting, money and financial assets, labor markets, inflation, economic growth, monetary and fiscal policy, and financial crises. The course utilizes this analysis to illustrate the ways in which issues in macroeconomics affect the relationship between states and other international actors.
Course Code & Title: POLI 3301 Politics, Culture and Environmental Sustainability
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite courses: INTR 2305 Culture, Society, and Political Power
Course description: This course introduces a broad range of social and cultural factors that can affect environmental sustainability around the world. It focuses on the political ecology of different societies, that is, the relationship between political, economic, and social factors and environmental issues. It also examines how indigenous populations and states have managed their natural surroundings with a focus on human demographics, corruption, and state intervention.
Course Code & Title: INTR 3301 Processes of International Negotiation
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course description: This course introduces the processes of international negotiations. It examines the theories and their applications in dispute and conflict resolution. The course demonstrates the processes of reaching international consensus and resolving international disputes and conflicts. The course also focuses on the key skills and the abilities to successfully understand and manage competing interests, priorities, normative perspectives, and dynamics within the context of negotiations.
Course Code & Title: INTR 3302 Foreign Policy of Saudi Arabia
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: HIST 2301 History of the Modern Middle East
Course description: This course introduces the principles of foreign policy with a specific focus on the historical development of the foreign policy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This course will examine Saudi Arabia’s past and current foreign policy towards their neighbors and the wider world. The course will also include an overview of the Saudi Arabian perspective on current global affairs by assessing relevant news articles and case studies.
Third Year, Second Semester
Course Code & Title: IRRM 3301 Research Methodology
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: BSTA 2301 Elementary Statistics
Course Description: This course introduces the fundamental tools of research methodology in international relations. It involves comparison between qualitative and quantitative research, hypotheses testing, correlation coefficient and regression analysis. The course also emphasizes formulating and conducting research ideas and structuring a written research proposal as well as an oral presentation.
Course Code & Title: INTR 3303 International Trade
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: BECO 3301 International Macroeconomics
Course description: This course introduces principles relating to international trade, such as comparative advantage, capital flows, migration, and returns to scale. It also discusses at the development of international trade policy, and the impact of the international framework on domestic laws. The course explores the advantages and disadvantages of various trade policies and their wider impact on domestic and international politics.
Course Code & Title: INTR 3304 Globalization and Social Change
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course Description: This course examines theories of globalization and its overall effects on economies and societies throughout the world. The course explores the distribution of economic and political power, the role of multinational businesses in globalization, the movement of people and cultural norms and the intersection of global and local policies. It also highlights the various viewpoints of globalization and the potential models for global reform.
Fourth Year, First Semester
Course Code & Title: INTR 4201 Senior Thesis Research and Writing 1
Semester Credit hours: 2 (2,0)
Prerequisite course: IRRM 3301 Research Methodology
Course description: This course is the first part of a two-semester seminar that supports students in the International Relations program by facilitating their senior thesis research and writing. Students will develop their thesis topics and learn about the methodological, theoretical, and normative challenges of political science and international relations research, along with strategies for dealing with these challenges. After finalizing their research proposal, they will have an opportunity to present it to the class for feedback and consultation. They will also learn about writing a literature review and prepare a literature review as a basis for the rest of their thesis research.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4301 Political Economy in Comparative Perspective
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: POLI 1301 Introduction to Comparative Politics
Course Description: This course examines the relationship between a state’s political context and its policy choices and economic outcomes. It analyses how domestic and international politics influence economic relations between states and vice versa. The state’s role in guaranteeing a free market, devising development strategies and planning the creation and distribution of collective wealth is also discussed. The course also explores what shapes the strategies and actions of political and economic actors and how these strategies translate into political and economic outcomes.
Course Code Title: INTR 4302 Migration, Refugees, and Citizenship in a Globalized World
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: INTR 2305 Culture, Society, and Political Power
Course description: This course analyses the causes and consequences of modern population movements and the state reactions to them, particularly focusing on issues of security, nationality, and ethics. It demonstrates the “push” and “pull” factors that influence the movement of people across national boundaries in search for better employment, living standards and security. It also explains the explosion of persecution and violence in the past few decades resulting in political, economic and social transformations.
Fourth Year, Second Semester
Course Code & Title: INTR 4202 Senior Thesis Research and Writing 2
Semester Credit hours: 2 (2,0)
Prerequisite course: INTR 4201 Senior Thesis Research and Writing 1
Course description: This course is the second part of a two-semester seminar that supports students in the International Relations program by facilitating their senior thesis research and writing. Students will further develop their thesis topics by learning to situate an argument in current theories; gather, analyze, and present evidence; create a storyboard; and develop an appropriate introduction, analysis, and conclusion to their papers. They will also practice giving and receiving feedback to other students. At the end of the semester, each student will have an opportunity to orally present her final thesis.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4303 Internship
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite courses: INTR 4303 Political Economy in Comparative Perspective
Course description: This course provides the opportunity to gain knowledge through actual job experience in the field of international relations. Internships represent job opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from the different courses taught in the program. The course highlights the theoretical underpinnings of international relations and/or international economics in a practical setting.
MAJOR PROGRAM ELECTIVES
Course Code & Title: SOCI 2304 Comparative European Societies
Semester credit hours: 3 (3.0)
Prerequisite Courses: None
Course description: This course introduces European societies. It focuses on similarities and differences among European societies. It examines the foundations of the European Union in shaping Europe, various political and economic models across Europe and contemporary issues. The course covers variations in class structure and inequality between and within European countries.
Course Code & Title: SOCI 2305 Comparative Asian Societies
Semester credit hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite Courses: None
Course description: This course introduces Asian Societies. It focuses on the similarities and differences among Asian societies, including the geography of the region, and various political-
economic models. It also examines the environmental challenges facing the region as well as current and potential conflicts brewing on the continent. The course emphasizes Asian social institutions, and recent economic and political ties to Saudi Arabia.
Course Code & Title: INTL 3305 International Human Rights Law
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite Courses: INTR 2302 International Law
Course description: This course will introduce students to the principles of international law relating to the protection of human rights. It will address the evolution of international human rights and of the legal instruments designed for their protection. It will explore the theoretical underpinnings of the concept of human rights and analyze their meaning and relevance with respect to important issues in the contemporary world. The course will look at the sources, the politics and the procedures for the supervision of obligations under international human rights treaties. It will examine the protection of human rights standards at the domestic level and the human rights implication of globalization.
Course Code & Title: INTL 3306 Human Rights in Today’s World
Semester credit hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite Courses: INTR 2302 International Law
Course description: This course focuses on the practice and experiences of human rights around the world. The course explores the connection among inequality, conflict, poverty, and human rights. Drawing on case studies from around the World, the course addresses the lived experiences of poverty and discrimination, including the rights of minority groups, human trafficking, and refugees. The course emphasizes the impact on human rights when social solidarity falls apart, as well as the role of multinational corporations and civil society when it comes to the violation, protection, and promotion of human right.
Course Code & Title: INTL 4303 European Union Law
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: INTR 2302 International Law
Course Description: This course provides the basic working knowledge of the European Union and its laws and the background that led to the development of the European Union. It explores the institutions of the European Union, their powers and the impact of the European Union laws on relevant case law of its member states particularly with reference to discrimination and equality. The course also focuses on the free movement of goods, persons, establishment and the right to provide services which are commonly termed as the “four freedoms”.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4304 US Diplomacy in the Middle East
Semester Credit Hour: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite Course: INTR 2304 Diplomacy and Statecraft
Course description: This course introduces topics on relations of the United States with the nations of the Middle East from the early 20th century until today. The course focuses on the developments in relations between the Middle East and the United States since the end of
World War II. The course also analyses the United States’ role in shaping the political and economic developments of the region.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4305 Global Environmental Politics
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: INTR 2303 International Organizations
Course description: This course introduces the relationship between global politics and environmental change. It integrates comparative politics concepts relating to governance, non-state actors, and domestic approaches to international law with environmental issues. The course examines the competing priorities of stakeholders at the domestic and international levels and the complexity of addressing environmental challenges related to resource consumption, energy production, biodiversity, and other areas.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4306 The Rise and Fall of Great Powers
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course description: This course examines international and domestic forces that have shaped the grand strategies of great powers in Europe and beyond, starting in the 17th century. It demonstrates the meaning of “power” in the international context. The course then explains current theoretical approaches to understanding how states develop and implement diplomatic, military, and economic strategies.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4307 Policy Approaches to Development Economics
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: BECO 1302 Principles of Microeconomics
Course description: This course teaches students how to practically apply principles of development economics to domestic and international policies. Students begin by discussing approaches to defining and measuring the concept of development. They then learn how to analyze political approaches to increasing development, by evaluating empirical evidence and using the lens of decision-maker at the household, local, country, and international levels. Students also learn about key models of economic growth and how those models have been applied in the study of development economics. As part of the course, students will have the opportunity to evaluate a political policy of their choosing using the tools they have developed.
Course Code & Title: INTR 4308 Information and Society
Semester Credit Hours: 3 (3,0)
Prerequisite course: None
Course description: This course introduces students to current issues arising from the use of the internet, digital networks, algorithms, and other technologies. Specifically, students will examine the ownership of digital information and intellectual property, how the government may use (or misuse) information, security threats arising out of the use of information, the impact of information on development, and strategies for global governance in a digital age.
Students will have the opportunity to research a cutting-edge issue related to the information society and present this research during the last part of the semester.
