Program Information

Dr. Jonathan Graubart,
Director

The International Security and Conflict Resolution (ISCOR) major at San Diego State University is an innovative and comprehensive program designed to provide students with a sophisticated understanding of the political, moral, socio-economic, and cultural dimensions to global conflict.  Its interdisciplinary program educates students on the multifaceted dimensions of global conflicts and the variety of top-down and bottom-up efforts to promote peaceful resolution of conflicts and a more just global order. In the course of their studies, ISCOR majors will develop a rich appreciation of both increased global interconnections (sometimes known as globalization) and enduring diversity in cultural practices, political systems, and economic systems. In so doing, students will sharpen their critical skills and refine their analytical and normative understandings of global conflict, in particular, and the global order, more broadly.

The ISCOR program envisions international security as involving more than the traditional focus on military power and the threat or use of force. Thus, it gives great weight to assessing competing perspectives of global justice and delves in-depth into such areas as human rights, the legacy of imperialist relations, diplomacy, the global economy, international law, North-South relations, the environment, and the complex and highly contested politics of terrorism.

The ISCOR program features three areas of emphasis: Justice in the Global System; Cooperation, Conflict and Conflict Resolution; and Environment and Security. Students are required to apply theoretical knowledge learned in the classroom to the real world by way of internships and study abroad. In addition, students are required to study a foreign language and engage in original research outside of the United States.

Ultimately, the success of ISCOR is indicated by the quality and diversity of its student body. The major has grown steadily from its inception in 1995-1996, attracting students from a variety of disciplines and from around the globe. Currently, it is among the largest departments and programs in the university in terms of student enrollment. Students with the ISCOR major have gone on to serve at various levels of government, in international business, and in governmental and nongovernmental organizations. A number of the graduates have enrolled in Masters and Ph.D. programs in universities, such as the London School of Economics, Georgetown University, and the University of Maryland.