Our series about our majors — our programs, as described by our students and recent alumni — continues with International Relations.
When and why did you choose the International Relations major?
Soraya Kaiser ’24: My majors have stayed the same since I applied at Bethel. I primarily wanted to study journalism, but my AP Human Geography class in high school was super interesting. I loved how everything in that class seemed to be connected, and it inspired me to add my second major of International Relations.
Karina Nelson ’24: IR was a huge part of why I chose Bethel, and that hasn’t changed at all!
Rachel Gibbs ’20: Nope, I started as a Nursing major. Made the decision to drop out of the nursing program and switched to International Relations.
International Relations is a multidisciplinary major. Why did you pick IR rather than majoring in Political Science, History, Business, Economics, or another of the individual fields included in the IR major?
Annessa Ihde ’24: My decision was based on both personal interest and practicality. My passion for the Spanish language as well as traveling initially drew me to International Relations. I stuck with IR rather than Political Science because I didn’t want to just focus on American politics. As someone who is interested in a lot of different fields (I also have a writing minor), I wanted to choose the path that would expose me to a wide variety of classes and disciplines. Since I don’t know exactly what career I want to pursue, I also wanted to broaden my options through a multidisciplinary major.
Hannah Flanders ’25: I’ve always had a passion for other cultures and different places around the world. My grandparents were missionaries in Japan. Growing up, I understood the importance of Matthew 28:19, and I believe an IR major can help with accomplishing this.
Karina: In true Humanities student style, I really enjoy seeing the overlap between disciplines. In real life, you’ll never be completely isolated — political theory overlaps with business, economics, history… you can’t get one without all the others.
Tell us about a particular highlight of the IR major in your experience of it.
Annessa: A class discussion in Politics of Terrorism. Dr. Moore connected the tension between two of Jesus’ disciples, Simon the Zealot and Matthew (who used to work as a Roman tax collector), to the rising political tension within Christianity today. This moment stands out to me as a reminder that engaging in modern political and international issues as a Christ-follower should be rooted in the ways that Jesus approached and loved people. We should not shy away from hard conversations or retreat to spaces where we’re only surrounded by like-minded people. As Dr. Moore shared with us, Jesus brought Simon the Zealot, who belonged to a radical group that fought against Roman control, and Matthew, who worked for the Roman empire, together through his message of love and hope. I appreciate how the HiPPos professors are willing to tackle these conversations and push students to engage.
Engaging in modern political and international issues as a Christ-follower should be rooted in the ways that Jesus approached and loved people. We should not shy away from hard conversations or retreat to spaces where we’re only surrounded by like-minded people.
Annessa Ihde ’24
Soraya: Right now I am in three classes for my IR major: Modern Middle East, Intro to IR, and The Cold War. These classes fit together so well that sometimes I reference readings from a one class to help illustrate my points in a different class. This is really fun for me and illustrates the interdisciplinary nature of the IR major.
Hannah: In History and Politics of Sports, our class did a simulation of the US Senate deciding whether or not to boycott the 2022 Olympics. I got to embody a representative of China, and pretending to have views vastly different from my own and successfully arguing for them was fun and exciting.
What’s one important way that you’ve grown — intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, etc. — as a result of majoring in International Relations?
Karina: I’ve grown intellectually and professionally through my IR major both with the classes I’ve taken and the internships I’ve applied for because of my interest in the IR field. I’ve learned how to look at issues from different perspectives and apply what I’ve learned in each class both to other classes and subjects and (more importantly) to real life.
Rachel: My study abroad experience changed me in so many ways. It opened my eyes to a new culture, way of life, and experience that I am forever grateful for.
Soraya: Because of my IR classes I have a lot of context when learning about current events. This is extremely helpful intellectually just to understand what is going on, but it also has allowed me to discuss current events with nuance and empathy.
Taking IR classes has allowed me to discuss current events with nuance and empathy.
Soraya Kaiser ’24
If you were to talk to a prospective student considering IR, what advice would you give her?
Annessa: International Relations is a great major to pair with something else. It’s more flexible than other majors and introduces you to a lot of different fields (economics, history, political science, etc.).
Karina: If you’re interested in politics but also are fascinated by other countries and cultures, this is the major for you!
Hannah: Focus on creating connections with the faculty. They’re great people and genuinely care about you as a person. They want you to succeed both academically and spiritually.
If you’re an alum… what’s something you’ve come to appreciate about the International Relations major — or maybe understand more fully — now that you’ve been away from Bethel?
Rachel: I’ve learned that a degree of any kind is valuable, even if you don’t immediately go into that field. I currently work for a company that does fundraising for elementary schools, which has no direct correlation to international relations, but it is still beneficial to have had a college experience and degree.
A degree of any kind is valuable, even if you don’t immediately go into that field.
Rachel Gibbs ’20
To learn more about the International Relations major, click here or see the catalog page below:
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