Are you interested in international events and trends? Can you envision a career in global affairs, international business, or law? Have you imagined working for a multinational corporation or an international non-profit institution? The IR program is a good place for you to start.
IR equips majors and minors with the tools they need to understand global and international trends. Our students seek to understand issues of global importance, including development, the environment, security, human rights, migration, and the interconnections between governance, economics, power, and identity.
Our curriculum includes a strong interdisciplinary core, enhanced by a flexible set of electives that allow you to configure your studies to meet your own interests.
Please explore our website and contact our Program Director, Professor Heather Tafel, (tafelh@gvsu.edu) for additional information.
March 30, 2026 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Join us for a broad, quick survey of various “strongmen” that came to power more-or-less democratically throughout the past century, then subverted democracy and became autocrats. There...
April 3, 2026 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Drop-in Days of Service are on-campus opportunities for students to "drop in" and complete service projects for service hours. Click here for additional information
April 3, 2026 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Join or Die is a documentary based on the research of political scientist Robert Putnam, exploring the critical role community participation plays in strengthening democracy and improving collective...
April 8, 2026 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Come join us on the 30th Annual Student Scholars Day in the Kirkhof Center Lobby to explore opportunities for summer internships and post-graduation work and service. Tabling in the main Kirkhof Center...
April 15, 2026 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Join us for a presentation and training from members of Wedgwood's Manasseh Project and learn about how they fight against the sexual exploitation of young men and women in West...
Olivia Robach (PLS and IR double major) earned a scholarship to join student scholars from around the US to attend the annual conference of the World Affairs Council in Washington, DC in November 2025.
Dec 3, 2025
IR alum Kyla Ozinga is starting law school at Case Western
Sep 16, 2025
PLS, IR and Human Rights alum Taylor Bessinger is attending the University of Illinois College of Law
Sep 12, 2025
Professor Polly Diven received the 2025 Hillman-Orr Award from the World Affairs Council of West Michigan.
Jun 23, 2025
Social Security Administration, Chicago
Chargeback Analyst and Specialist at Super.com in Quebec, Canada
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
Entrepreneur Founds Copywriting Business
2016 Graduate Working and Living in Brussels
