IU has come a long way in the last 15 or 20 years. Our program of International Studies started in its present form in 1995 and has since developed very successfully, currently offering almost 20 different courses. Politics is generally perceived as being devoid of morality or ethics and the study of politics is pursued in a very pragmatic manner. Take five experts in Russian politics and you will probably get at least two different predictions as to the future of Russia. We, too, demand of our students objective political analysis, but we maintain that there is good and evil in this world.
Political systems are equally as good or bad.
Democratic regimes do commit their share of mistakes, but they are better in enabling humans to live in freedom and dignity. This gives us an edge which is hard to beat. The disciple of literature at IU is at the core of a learning program designed to educate the Whole person. A University is a community of teachers and students engaged in the study of ideas. Philosophically speaking ideas can fairly well be classified as those dealing with aesthetics, ethics, and metaphysics.