The International Political Economy (IPE) major prepares students for an increasingly interdependent world through the study of global issues.
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International Political Economy for Current Students
Faculty Spotlight
In September 2015, IPE Professor Pierre Ly was the first exchange scholar for the Puget Sound – Fujian Normal University Faculty Exchange Program, generously supported by the Charles Garnet Trimble Foundation. Pierre's research, co-authored with his wife, Professor Cynthia Howson from the University of Washington Tacoma, explores the development of the Chinese wine industry. Since 2013, Pierre and Cynthia have spent their summers traveling to major Chinese wine regions to meet winemakers, grape growers, merchants and experts.
IPE Alumni Spotlight
IPE alumus Martin Klingbeil, pictured on the right, recently returned from Freetown, Sierra Leone, where he worked on the Sierra Leone Trial to Introduce a Vaccine Against Ebola (STRIVE). As an employee with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Martin helped run the final stretch of the trial. At the end of the trial, he helped stand up the permanent CDC office in Freetown.
In 2017-2018, IPE grad and Watson Fellow Angelica Spearwoman went to Nicaragua, Thailand, India, and Australia to research the cultural, political, and economic structures that influence violence against women. This topic is a deeply personal one for Angelica, who says, “Much of my drive to apply for the Watson is for and about my sister. My own parallel journey of looking at my body, my vulnerability, and my position as a woman has also given me greater insight into the ways in which women are extremely susceptible to violence and oppression.” Learn more about summer opportunities.
Department Field Trips
In Spring 2017, IPE students and faculty toured Thrift Books Warehouse in Auburn, WA. The company CEO gave the group got an exclusive tour of the warehouse, which stores used and rare books collected from across the country. Students got to learn about the company's inner workings, ask the company's representatives many questions, and receive discounts to buy books through Thrift Books' online store.
