Indiana University, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies

Cultural Fluency a Core Focus of International Affairs Degree

A hallmark of a degree from the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University is the focus on cultural fluency: fluency in the multitude of languages, policies, and perspectives across the globe.

Across all of its 45 graduate and PhD programs, Hamilton Lugar School students have the opportunity to combine the study of global governance, policy, processes, and movements with the ability to gain deep language and cultural expertise, focusing on critical regions of the world.

The school leads the United States in Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, with more than 80 languages offered at the school and Indiana University. The prestigious US Department of Education–funded FLAS fellowships carry generous stipends and tuition benefits and support the development of cultural fluency and global expertise in nearly every region, including Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Russia and Central Asia. Graduate students also can improve their language fluency through the school’s Summer Language Workshop.

Popular Hamilton Lugar degrees include master’s and doctoral degrees in international studies, Russian and East European studies, East Asian languages and cultures, Middle Eastern languages and cultures, and languages such as Chinese and Japanese.

To gain cultural fluency, graduate students are strongly encouraged and given ample opportunity to study and intern abroad.

The combination of courses in international affairs, regional studies, languages, and hard skills is a winning formula for the job market, says Shruti Rana, assistant dean for curricular and undergraduate affairs. “This approach prepares our students for success in careers ranging from academia and business to diplomacy and human rights.”

A new, one-year Master of International Affairs (a joint degree from the Hamilton Lugar School and the Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs) offers three concentrations: security, diplomacy, and governance; finance and trade; and global development, environment, and sustainability. Each track is designed to offer students the training and experience needed to pursue competitive careers in the global marketplace.

Training the next generation of leaders committed to global engagement is the central aim of the school, named for former Rep. Lee H. Hamilton and the late Sen. Richard G. Lugar, both Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients and two of the most influential foreign policy voices of their generation.

Contact
https://hls.indiana.edu
[email protected]
812-856-5614