There is a perception that international politics is a specialized field. There is also a mindset which seems to say that the goings-on of foreign countries and their interactions with us is distant from ordinary life and that there is simply no reason for someone who’s not studying it actively to know about it. This is absolutely untrue. The IR Club wishes to do two things, the first is to illustrate how important international politics is to everyone, regardless of job, education or politics; the second is to create an environment where serious students of international relations and those who are casually interested can discuss and learn about the truth of foreign affairs, national security and international relations. It’s a very exciting field, and we look forward to showing everyone just that.

The International Relations Club is a student organization housed on the Ripon College campus. It is a non-partisan organization meant to bring students, faculty, and the Ripon community together to discuss and be informed of international relations issues. Our activities for campus are varied, including bringing speakers to campus, showing films which are important on an international level and hosting sessions where students can discuss recent events in an open, informed, and most importantly, a non-confrontational setting. Past speakers have included Chuck Downs, the former Senior Defense and Foreign Policy Advisor to the House Policy Committee, and most recently Mr. Richard Allen, President Reagan’s National Security Advisor.

Recently, the International Relations Club has begun to host a series of faculty speeches on a wide variety of topics ranging from history, to psychology, to religion, with the intention of engaging students outside of the classroom. Meetings are held to stimulate discussion and forge relationships between students of various backgrounds. In addition to all this, the members of the International Relations Club work hard to publish a professional-level publication once a semester. The International Relations Review is filled with thoughtful, well-researched & -composed articles written by students from all departments of the college.

The IR club wishes to stress heavily that we are non-partisan. Any person of any political persuasion is strongly encouraged to join us for conversation or debate. Our topics are anything that is internationally-minded and not intentionally abrasive, there are no other requirements.

So if you’re interested in learning more about the wide world we live in, and the affairs that matter to everyone on the globe, rather than in your own town or city, the IR Club is the club for you. We’re informal, friendly and trying to educate each other – join us!

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