Learning Outcomes of the MA in International Affairs

Knowledge and understanding

• LOS 1: Employ critical thinking, analytical tools, and social science methods necessary to understand and analyze complex problems of international affairs in their historical, cultural and political dimensions, and acquire an in-depth knowledge of international relations theories and public policy scholarship.
• LOS 2: Understand and work with quantitative and qualitative data and apply social and political science research methods in academic and professional contexts; interact with the primary sources and experiences offered by the city of Rome.
• LOS 3: Write sophisticated, extensive, and original academic research papers and effectively present problems and independent research on international politics and economics in concise, engaging and lively presentations in diverse academic, professional and multicultural contexts.

Analytical and research skills

• LOS 4: Mastery of the major theoretical literature and contemporary debates in the field of International Relations, including the methodologies and ontologies of major research programs, with an emphasis on the roles that governments, IGOs, IOs, and NGOs play in world politics and on the application of these frameworks to the events of global public policy in the twenty-first century.
• LOS 5: Ability to critically evaluate and assess research data – including formal reports of governments and non-state actors, scholarly research, and media sources  across a range of issue areas, from arms control and security to economic policy – and to demonstrate awareness of the main ways that research can be collected and analyzed in the development of credible academic and policy positions.
• LOS 6: Ability to generate research, to collect and analyze data in cogent and compelling ways, and to present their findings clearly in the form of academic papers, memoranda, and reports, in line with their chosen career trajectory – i.e., either future academic work or as a practitioner of global public policy.

Professional and transferrable skills

• LOS 7: Training in how to continue to learn, to engage with new ideas and changing contexts; ability to engage in peer exchange discussion and collaborative work.
• LOS 8: Attainment of improved observational skills, greater sophistication in researching and presenting policy-briefs, capacity to work under pressure in a team on a policy relevant issue.
• LOS 9: Ability to identify problem-solving strategies for effective project management.
• LOS 10: Ability to engage sympathetically with diverse cultural contexts; ability to work independently.