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Melissa Racca
Professor Jizi
UWRT 1104-015
9 November 2016
Annotated Bibliography
APSIA. The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs, n.d.
Web. 08 Nov. 2016.
The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs is
a collection of the top international relations graduate programs from
around the world. They promote the improvement of graduate
education in the field and help connect students with graduate
programs and employers with graduates. Their website has many tools
to aid prospective IR graduate students from a comprehensive
directory of member programs to a quiz to help students decide what
program would be best for them. They also provide resources such as
an international career guide and job and internship postings.
APSIA is a great resource for anyone looking to enter the field of
international relations. To get started, I took their short quiz which
asked about my interests and what I hope to get out of an international
affairs career. It produced a list of programs that might align with my
desires. They were mostly programs in international
relations/affairs/politics, which was expected. But there were also a few
programs I had never heard of such as global journalism and

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international communications. They also gave the option to view

suggestions specific to just one interest such as working for an NGO.
This filter produced mostly programs in public policy. APSIA is a great
organization that provides students with invaluable resources from the
time they begin looking at graduate programs until they secure a job in
their desired field and even beyond. Whether the graduate school I
choose is a part of APSIA or a similar organization is something I will
strongly consider in my search.
APSIA was founded in 1989 by the deans and directors of some
of the top international affairs schools. It is a well-known and highly
respected organization in the international affairs graduate circuit.
They have collaborated with dozens of schools and hold their members
to high standards to ensure students are receiving a quality education
and will be adequately prepared to enter the field.
Cressey, Laura E., Barrett J. Helmer, and Jennifer E. Steffensen, eds. Careers
in International Affairs. 9th ed. Washington, DC: Georgetown UP, 2014.
Print.
The 9th edition of Careers in International Affairs was edited by
Laura Cressey, Barrett Helmer, and Jennifer Steffensen. It aims to guide
those interested in international careers by offering advice on
everything from academics and internships to interview techniques to
potential employers. It outlines various sectors of the international job
market which include but are not limited to: the US government,

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international organizations, non-governmental organization, and

media. Important updates to reflect the growing importance of
technology and media are also included. The final chapter provides
brief profiles of over 250 employers across all the sectors mentioned
throughout the book.
This text is already proving itself invaluable as it has made me
reevaluate my current path and given me specific areas to focus on
and research further as I move forward. In addition to several sectors
and organizations I have already explored, it has opened my eyes to
many other career paths I was not previously aware of or necessarily
considering. It also provides great tips on internships, networking, and
academic trajectory. There are so many paths to take and so many
places you can ultimately end up in such a broad field and this text
does a great job of streamlining a great deal of information and making
the process of reaching your goals seem less daunting.
Careers in International Affairs has been informing those looking
to pursue international careers for years as it is in its 9th iteration. This
most recent edition, published in 2014 by the Georgetown University
Press, was edited by Laura Cressey who currently works for the US
Department of State as a Foreign Affairs Officer. At the time this was
written, she was the internship and career coordinator for the Master of
Science in Foreign Service program at Georgetown University. Cressey
was assisted by Helmer and Steffensen, both graduates of the MSFS

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program. The text also features dozens of essays from professionals

working in each of the sectors that are outlined.
International Relations: An Introduction. YouTube, uploaded by London
School of Economics and Political Science, 20 Oct. 2014. Web. 8 Nov.
2016.
International Relations: An Introduction is a video put together
by the London School of Economics and Political Science in which
professors from the International Relations Department examine how
the discipline is studied. They give a brief overview of various aspects
of the field including what one would study in an international relations
program as well as major themes. One professor states that there are
two kinds of people who enter this field: those who want to understand
why things happen for purely intellectual reasons, and those who want
to understand how the world works so that they can make it better.
This was a very informative video and it did a great job of
summarizing such a broad field. It reaffirmed my desire to pursue a
career in international relations as I resonated with the reasons the
video gives as to why someone would choose this field. As the one
professor stated, it offers those who follow this path a chance for
intellectual inquiry and/or to make to world a better place. Although, I
dont necessarily agree that the two reasons are mutually exclusive. I
have no doubt that this field will employ my strengths and love of
learning, but being able to apply the theories I learn to practical

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situations is also important to me. This video reminded me that I must

look closely at graduate programs and career paths to make sure that
they are in line with these desires.
The London School of Economics and Political Science was
founded in 1895 and is one of the most renowned universities in the
world for the study of social sciences. It is a constituent college of the
University of London. The school has produced dozens of heads of
state and government as well as 18 Nobel Prize winners.
Lieben, Alexandra. "International Career Panel." Audio Blog Post. UCLA Burkle
Center for International Relations Podcasts. UCLA Burkle Center, 15
May 2016. Web. 8 Nov. 2016.
In a podcast sponsored by the UCLA Burkle Center titled
International Career Panel, Alexandra Lieben Moderates a panel of
three women who have worked in various international careers. They
include a former US Ambassador and member of the Council on
Foreign Relations, a media and communications professional who has
worked with embassies and other international organizations, and a
recruiter for the CIA. The three women outline their respective paths to
their international careers and varied backgrounds, as well as offer
advice to those seeking similar occupations. A recurring piece of advice
was to figure out who you are, what interests you, and what you want
out of your potential career.

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The women in this podcast were very inspiring and showed that
there is no set path to an international career. They come from varied
backgrounds and all approached their education differently, but they
have been extremely successful throughout their careers. They also
highlight the fact that there are so many different paths you can take
within the field, and sometimes, like Vilma Martinez, you might end up
in an amazing career you never even imagined. They reminded me
that in order to achieve my goals I first need to know what I want. They
have also held some interesting positions that I had not previously
considered. Like Melissa Martinez, I will have a background in
communications as well as political science upon completion of my
undergraduate degrees. She was able to focus on communications
studies in her International Public Affairs graduate program. As I look
for a masters program, that is a path I should keep in mind.
The UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations is a renowned
program for the study of international relations, U.S. foreign policy, and
global cooperation and conflict. Their International Career Panel is an
annual event hosted by the Burkle Center, and this podcast is of the
most recent panel which was held earlier this year. Alexandra Lieben
is the Deputy Director of the Burkle Center and a UCLA graduate
herself. Vilma Martinez is a lawyer, a former US Ambassador to
Argentina, and member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Melissa
Martinez has many international career credits, among them the

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Deputy Press Attach to the US Embassy in Mexico City. Maya H.

currently works for the CIA.
Sloane, Leigh Morris. "Crafting Your Career in International Affairs." Foreign
Affairs. Council on Foreign Relations, 2013. PDF File. 8 Nov. 2016.
In Crafting Your Career in International Affairs, Leigh Morris
Sloane highlights 20 international relations graduate programs at
renowned universities around the world. She does so through brief
interviews with a faculty member or alumnus from each program. The
responses she elicits with her carefully selected questions highlight
each programs unique offerings and gives readers insight into how
these masters programs prepare students for their future careers. She
offers a diverse selection of programs to aid prospective students in
finding a program that focuses on their specific interests while also
helping them reach their goals.
This article provided great information on a wide range of
masters programs and has given me a good starting point for
choosing one. I was not aware that even though many of these
programs fall under the same broad titles, not all international relations
masters programs are created equally. Each has a different area of
focus and requirements that can lead students down quite different
paths. It really opened my eyes by showing me that just picking a wellknown or respected program would not be in my best interest. The
program I pick will have a huge impact on my career path and future in

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general. I need to focus on finding one that is in line with my specific

interests within the field as well as one with a structure that I think I
will benefit most from.
Crafting Your Career in International Affairs was published in
2013 as a part of Foreign Affairs annual Graduate School Forum in
partnership with the Association of Professional Schools of International
Affairs. Foreign Affairs content is published by the Council on Foreign
Relations, an organization that has been at the forefront of the
discussion of foreign policy and international affairs since its inception
over one hundred years ago, in the form of a bi monthly magazine as
well as daily online articles. The author, Leigh Morris Sloane, was
working for APSIA at the time she wrote this article. She currently
works for the International Institute for Strategic Studies and is a
graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science.