Directed reading and research for credit, providing an opportunity for qualified students to pursue the study of particular problems within the discipline of Diplomacy, History, and Politics under the personal guidance of a member of faculty. The course may be assigned to a Field of Study according to the topic selected. By consent of the professor and petition.
Noncredit directed reading and research in preparation for PhD comprehensive examination or dissertation research and writing on the subjects within this division. By consent of the professor.
Diplomacy is one of the very constitutive "orders" of the international system, a mainstay of civilization itself. This course examines classical diplomacy and its evolution in the West, the "integration" of regional diplomatic cultures through the League of Nations and United Nations, the establishment of foreign ministries and bilateral embassies, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961), the professionalization of diplomatic services, "summit" diplomacy and the use of special envoys, diplomatic ceremony and protocol, the nuances of diplomatic language, public diplomacy and social media, educational exchanges and intercultural dialogues, engagement with non-state actors, and the question of the future of formal diplomacy in a networked global society.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
This course is grounded in the key proposition of critical theory: that the categories and ideas we use to make sense of the world can and should be situated historically and within power relations. Drawing on a number of post-World War II theorists from traditions that might be described as postmodern, post-Marxist, feminist or postcolonial, the course challenges the concepts that frame analysis of contemporary international relations issues. The course is structured around five key themes: refugees, trauma and truth-telling, violence as a productive force, new forms of empire, and ecological ruins. Exploration of each theme will be guided by a series of theoretical texts, alongside narrative forms (memoir and film) and more empirically grounded studies. Students are expected to bring insights from their research interests and their previous work experience to deepen the exchange between theoretical and narrative texts, and practical issues. The course is designed to increase students’ confidence and ability to weave theoretical issues and approaches into their analyses of contemporary issues; and to stimulate an ethical discussion of how we conceptualize and engage with complex contemporary global issues.
The course is designed to immerse students in the substance and dynamics of US foreign policy decision-making. The class will examine factors contributing to specific international crises, and will debate the real-time choices that faced US government officials who had to address them. Students will develop an understanding of the dynamics of the crises studied; acquire knowledge of the options considered by US decision-makers in framing their policy responses; be exposed to the domestic and international political environment and pressures under which US policymakers made their decisions; and study the interaction between politics and law in US foreign policy making.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
This seminar will be a study in depth of the theory and practice of United States public diplomacy. By means of lectures, readings, class discussion, and research papers, students will explore issues of current relevance, including: public diplomacy's challenges in dealing with foreign criticism of the United States; terrorism and radicalism issues; structural and management issues including the role of the Pentagon; the role of the private sector; creative uses of modern information technology; and personnel issues. Special attention will be given to understanding the challenges facing public diplomacy professionals doing their jobs at embassies abroad.
Over 90% of international trade is carried by sea – the lifeblood of globalization. The world's oceans also present a myriad of opportunities and challenges in international affairs, such as territorial disputes, opening Arctic sea routes, piracy, terrorism, strained fisheries, mineral and energy extraction, marine disasters, whaling, maritime security and technological advances in maritime domain awareness. The course will explore these issues and other maritime topics based on individual student interests. Course format is lecture and discussion. Writing and speaking skills receive considerable attention. No prerequisites other than a lively curiosity.
U.S. Diplomatic Tradecraft is a 1.5 credit half-semester course designed to help students build the skills needed to succeed in modern diplomacy, including:
The focus of the course will be the U.S. Foreign Service, but students from other countries are welcome, as is their input and comparison on practices in their own countries’ diplomatic corps.
The course will begin with a general overview of the history, structure, and culture of the State Department. The course will then move into learning and practicing the skills of a Foreign Service Officer, beginning with a writing and editing seminar. Students will be given regular short-term writing assignments. In class, students will analyze case studies and participate in role-plays, including an Embassy Modified Country Team and meeting with foreign diplomats.
The course will be taught by Ann Hardman, the current State Department Fellow at The Fletcher School.
This course explores the role of religion in the generation and resolution of conflict in contemporary international relations. Literatures on conventional and revisionist approaches to religion in international relations are considered, in order to identify conceptual and theoretical frameworks shaping policy responses to religion in world affairs. Case studies of religion as conflict-generator and conflict-resolver in international relations will consider: empirical evidence versus perceptions of religion as a conflict/peace variable; domestic and transnational religious actors as conflict-generators and peacebuilders; differentiation of religion, other identity factors, and material factors, in conflict and peace; and, religious actors as stakeholders in sustainable peacebuilding
Description coming soon.
This module explores the nature of leadership in the international context. Drawing upon academic literature and case studies of influential leaders, the class introduces the various models of leadership and the diverse functions of a leader across a range of international environments and organizations. The basic goals of the course are three fold: 1) to enable students to understand the nature of leadership across different sectors in different international settings; 2) to give students the tools to analyze various leadership situations and problems; and 3) to help students develop leadership skills in light of their own leadership ideas and ambitions. A key premise of this class is that leadership is an exercise in negotiation, a task of influencing other persons to act in desired ways for the benefit of an organization or group. The act of leadership on the global stage – in multilateral organizations, multinational corporations, international non-profits, and diplomatic posts – is particularly complex, and it requires an appreciation of different concepts and cultures of leadership. A key aim of this module, then, is to understand how leaders exercise influence inside and outside their organizations, particularly within the international environment. . A student's final evaluation in the course will be based on a paper of not more than 3000 words (65%) and participation in class sessions (35%). The course has no required pre- requisites, although a basic knowledge of negotiation theory and practice is recommended.
It is easy to develop explanations for foreign policy decision-making; it is quite another thing to act as the policymaker. What are the available tools of influence that an international actor can use to influence other actors in the world? When are these tools likely to work? The goal of this course is to offer an introduction into the world of policymaking and statecraft. Topics include using coercion and inducement; intervening in the domestic politics of another country; the nature of public and private diplomacy; and case studies of notable policy successes and failures from the past.
Foreign policy is not immune from public debate, political gridlock, or human frailties. Building on The Art and Science of Statecraft, this course examines the political environment in which foreign policy is crafted and implemented. Topics include the role of public opinion, interest groups, bureaucracies, think tanks, and experts in the formulation of policy. Case studies of notable successes and failures of the policy process will be discussed. There will also be frequent in-class exercises in the various arts associated with the promotion of policy. Open to students who have completed D210.
This course will offer a practical and in-depth analysis of the complex issues and skills needed to engage in humanitarian work in field settings. Through presentations offered by the faculty of the Humanitarian Studies Initiative and guest speakers who are experts in their topic areas, students will gain familiarity with the primary frameworks in the humanitarian field (human rights, livelihoods, Sphere standards, international humanitarian law) and will focus on practical issues that arise in the field, such as rapid assessments, application of minimum standards for humanitarian response, and operational approaches to relations with the military in humanitarian settings. Each student will be part of a team representing an international humanitarian non-governmental organization. Topics covered: Humanitarian response community and history; International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law; Sphere standards and sectoral applications (shelter, water and sanitation, food security, health); Civil-military relations, media skills, logistics, and budgeting; Monitoring and evaluation, accountability, and livelihoods; Personal security, mental health, stress, and teamwork; and Humanitarian technology. IMPORTANT TO NOTE: These topics will provide the foundational knowledge and skills needed to perform successfully during a three-day intensive field simulation of a humanitarian crisis that usually takes place at the end of April/early May. There is a $300 fee to cover camping gear hire, food, and other equipment costs. This course is cross-listed with The Fletcher School (D213) and enrollment is limited to 15 Friedman students and to 15 Fletcher students. Priority enrollment for Friedman is given to: 1) FPAN students pursuing the Humanitarian Assistance Specialization, 2) MAHA students 3) Graduating and Second-Year students, 4) First-Year students. Pre-requisite: Graduate standing or instructor consent.
The growing use of social media in political movements and the notoriety of the Snowden revelations and the NSA's big-data network-tracking abilities have fueled a fast-growing interest in understanding social networks of all types. Participants in this course will examine the evolution of the study of networks and will learn how to analyze an array of social, organizational, and professional networks—including their own. Individual and team assignments will further students' understanding of the concepts, as well as demonstrate the power of a ‘networked' class. The final deliverables will include blog postings and a debate on the importance and future of both social networks and enabling technologies.
This course, a continuation of D216m, will be a seminar covering how to do a complete Social Network Analysis (SNA) project of their own choosing, Students can do either a stand-alone SNA project, either individually or in groups, or an individual project as part of their MALD/MIB capstone project or doctoral dissertation. Initial sessions will introduce the major concepts and techniques of designing and completing a successful SNA, from data collection through analysis. Subsequent sessions will be shaped by the actual projects themselves, with individuals and teams sharing their progress. Open to students who have completed D216m or a graduate-level course in SNA approved by the instructor.
Informing and influencing the course of public affairs requires an ability to write clearly, explain accurately and be convincing. It also requires an understanding of your audience, including its cultural values and how to reach it through social media. Whether you choose to go into government, the non-profit sector, business or the news media itself, you will have to master these skills for success in the public arena, be it to lead or to affect policies. In this course, we will study how to write analysis, which generally attempts to address questions of why or how or to explain something, and opinion, which focuses more what should be done. Opinion can include value judgments, but you must back both analysis and opinion with facts. You also must provide context and be complete, weighing contradictory but relevant information. You will be asked in the first class to submit a theme, region or country on which throughout the course you will write disciplined, well-written essays of 800 to 1,200 words. Your pieces must have some relevance to public policy today, but can focus on economic, legal, historical, military, business or political matters.
This course explores the processes, rather than specific substantive issues, of international negotiation. Using exercises and simulations, it examines the nature of conflict in the international arena; the special characteristics of negotiation in the international setting; negotiation dynamics; the roles of culture, power, and psychological processes; and the strategy and tactics of international negotiation. Special problems of multilateral negotiation, and the follow-up and implementation of negotiated agreements are also examined. Four sections with a maximum of 30 students each. Students enroll in section 1. After the registration period ends, the Registrar will assign students to one of the four sections.
Mediation is one of many international intervention approaches to prevent, resolve, or recover from political violence. It is practiced by individuals, international and transnational organizations, small and large states, and in bilateral or multilateral contexts. This seminar focuses on the ways in which mediators in the international arena carry out their third-party roles. Topics to be covered include: gaining entry; developing a strategy; gaining and using leverage; and managing complexity. The seminar relies on detailed, extensive case study analysis to understand how international mediators operate in real-time, complex environments. Open to students who have completed D220 or equivalent.
This course explores practical mediation skills and techniques to resolve or mitigate armed conflict, ranging from initial outreach to warring parties to successfully managing a mediated process of dialogue. The course introduces international mediation and then explores how to: analyze armed conflict and design a process; build trust with and between the parties; discern and manage biases and emotions; use empathy to better understand, anticipate and influence the parties; and manage the process effectively, including through facilitating interest-based talks, managing spoilers and exploiting leverage. The course will involve facilitated discussions, group work, structured exercises and simulations.
This course offers an overview of theories of conflict and approaches to conflict resolution. It surveys theories of conflict that originate in various disciplines including sociology, political science, international relations, social psychology, and law. It presents multiple levels of analysis to explain both inter-state and intra-state conflicts. It also reviews approaches that seek to settle and to transform the relationships of disputing parties. This course will provide an in- depth and a critical look at leading theories of conflict and conflict resolution and will explore some of the major theoretical debates in the field.
This course integrates negotiation and conflict resolution theory, international negotiation and mediation practice, and area studies within the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Students will serve as active participants in their own learning by examining their ideas with people who have participated in negotiations or mediation in various rounds of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or senior scholars who have studied this conflict. The first half of the course will explore the Israeli and Palestinian narratives and will review the conflict's historical developments since 1948. It will also review briefly main concepts and theories of negotiation, mediation, and conflict resolution. The second half relies heavily on high- ranking guest speakers from the U.S., Israel, and the Palestinian territories in an effort to give students formal and informal opportunities to interact with professionals who have had first-hand experience negotiating or mediating in this conflict.
This seminar focuses on three crucial aspects of conflict resolution practice: conducting a conflict assessment; facilitating discussions and consensus building processes in the context of intergroup conflict; and designing and conducting effective dialogues between contending identity groups. The seminar will emphasize the applied aspects of these processes and will use demonstrations, films, exercises, and guest lecturers. It will culminate with organizing and conducting a problem-solving workshop under the leadership of the instructor. Open to students who have completed D223.
This multi-disciplinary course covers a broad range of subjects, including the evolution of the international humanitarian system, the political economy of conflicts and humanitarian aid, analytical and normative frameworks for humanitarian action, and a variety of programmatic topics. By the end of this course you will be aware of the historical, legal, social, political and moral context of both the causes and responses to complex humanitarian emergencies, and have a working knowledge of the principles and standards for performing humanitarian response to complex humanitarian emergencies. This course is cross-listed with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
This course uses gender as a key analytical tool to examine states and societies transitioning from large-scale social and political upheaval. It explores key gender dimensions of such transitions and their implications for states, societies and citizens, including those that have moved toward more democratic forms of governance and those that transitioned (or appear to be transitioning) into more authoritarian or fundamentalist regimes. The course balances a population-focused approach (examining the evolving roles, expectations, and norms for men, women, boys and girls) with an analysis of the health, humanitarian, development, security, justice/legal, and governance sectors.
This course examines situations of armed conflict, civilian experiences of these crises, and the international and national humanitarian and military responses to these situations from a gender perspective and highlights the policy and program implications that this perspective presents. Topics include gender analyses of current trends in armed conflict and terrorism; links among war economies, globalization and armed conflict; the manipulation of gender roles to fuel war and violence; gender and livelihoods in crises; masculinities in conflict; sexual and gender-based violence; women's rights in international humanitarian and human rights law; and peacebuilding. Case studies are drawn from recent and current armed conflicts worldwide. This course is cross-listed with the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy.
This course explores the complex relationships among nationality, citizenship, migration, and human rights. The questions animating this course are the degree to which rights are inherent in human identity and the primary factors that define, promote, protect, or violate the rights of people who move. In considering these concerns, the course explores the nature of social and political community, ethics, and political rationality. The teaching begins with an historical review of the emergence of ideas of universal rights and the universalisation of the nation-state. It then discusses international and regional mechanisms outlining the rights of international migrants and questions the presumed importance of law, documentation and nationality in claiming practical rights and protections. The course concludes with an exploration of human rights practice in cities and towns in the United States, Africa, and elsewhere. The final section looks at strategies for claiming, enforcing, or restricting rights and their implications for a broader understanding of rights.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
NUTR 329/D234 is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of leadership actions in extreme contexts and how politics and policy affect the choices leaders make in humanitarian assistance programs. The course also will cover leadership concepts to enable students to extract lessons to begin to develop a personal leadership style, and political frameworks that enable the student to better analyze such influences on humanitarian actions.
This is the introductory research module for Masters and PhD students, and is the foundation for Fletcher’s ‘Research Track.’ This module prepares students to come up with a draft research proposal that will be more fully fleshed out through a detailed exploration of qualitative and survey methods in subsequent modules.
Research Module 1 has the following goals:
- to learn how to conceptualize and write up the design for any research project,
- to provide an overview of qualitative, quantitative, and ‘mixed methods’
- understand case studies from different social science perspectives
- to develop a critical awareness of what constitutes sound empirical research and what does not.
Nowhere are the impacts of human mobility more visible than in the global ‘south,' where movements of people in search of profit, protection, and passage continue to shape political, economic, and social configurations. In an era of globalization and urbanization, such mobility can be simultaneously destabilizing and empowering; challenging socio-economic and political structures in ways resulting in both marginalization and opportunities. This course is designed as an ongoing conversation covering migration dynamics and how we understand how and who controls spaces and the people occupying or moving through them.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
The course will introduce students to the concept of Public Nutrition and examine its central role in complex emergencies. The implications of the Public Nutrition approach for assessment and analysis, policy development, program design and implementation will be examined. This will provide an understanding of; the causes and nutritional outcomes of humanitarian crises and complex emergencies (malnutrition, morbidity and mortality). The course has a field-oriented focus based on a wide range of recent and past food and nutrition crises ranging. The course reviews international response strategies, nutrition programs and relevant policies; and incorporates relevant applied research. The course provides the opportunity for active class participation drawing upon the actual work experience of the students and applying a range of up-to-date case-study materials based on current humanitarian crises.
This is a comparative immigration politics and policy course, with a focus on national immigration policies and the foreign policy, security and development implications of migration. Since 2015 when the migration crisis took hold in Europe, long-standing debates over how to reconcile foreign-policy interests, national security concerns, and the humanitarian and development implications of migration have re-emerged at a global scale. This course takes a comparative perspective to these issues, comparing the experience of the US, EU, other OECD and selected middle- and low-income countries. The first half of the course explores general issues, the second half focuses more closely on specific countries. It is an introductory level course, intended for students with little or no background in comparative policy or global migration, beyond a familiarity with current events expected of any Fletcher student.
The course is an exploration of how forced displacement, which includes trafficking, and other forms of involuntary migration, relates to the broader spectrum of migration stemming from persecution, development, natural disaster, environmental change, and impoverishment. We begin with an analysis of the root causes of migration, then review the international legal framework, and analyze asylum and refugee policies in different national contexts. The course will explore a range of critical issues including current controversies about climate change and migration, urbanization, trafficking, and new approaches to humanitarian assistance and protection. The course focuses on refugee and IDP movements, but adopts a wider perspective so as to address all kinds of global movements.
Drawing upon relevant theories, concepts and frameworks, and using a thematic approach and case studies, this class explores children and childhood, gender, violence, protection and resilience in both development settings and humanitarian crises. After a deep grounding of what constitutes a `child’, `childhood,’ child protection, children’s international rights and resilience, we use gender and intersectional analyses to explore children and nutrition; children, adversity and mental and physical health; child labor and child slaves; children `on the streets’; children and migration, displacement and resettlement; child brides and grooms; children and political violence; child soldiers; and conducting research with children. Throughout the course students will engage in conducting gender and intersectional child protection analyses for both development settings and humanitarian crises.
This course explores the ways in which people are displaced by the destruction of our environment, the role of financial capitalism in that destruction, and the consequences for climate change and global migration. Through the lens of global supply chains, we explore the connections between economic development and global capitalism, environmental impact, human mobility and climate change. Through case studies we explore different supply chains, and the interaction of their links with the environment, migration, and climate change and consequently, human security and justice. The course provides a perspective on the fast-growing body of research on climate change and migration, and explores the associated challenges of human security and environmental justice. The course explores potential policy responses and technological solutions, including positive interventions in supply chains, and ends with a perspective on pandemics response at the national and international level. Participants will gain an exposure to academic and non-academic literature and case studies from different regions. Flexible course assignments will offer students an opportunity to delve deeper into topics of their interest.
After a decade of absence, famine returned with a vengeance in Somalia in 2011, and in 2017-18, there were four countries at imminent risk of famine. While this return highlights the extreme risks of famine, particularly in conflict-affected areas, it also raises again the limited progress made in addressing the underlying causes of severe food insecurity. “Resilience” has been the good word of the decade, but limited progress has been made in building greater resilience among the poorest or most marginalized populations, and the livelihoods of these populations are under more stress now than ever. This class will draw primarily on the international experience of the co-leaders but will attempt to draw on domestic US cases as well. This seminar class will consider new (and some not so new) approaches to this kind of the understanding and analysis of, and response to, food insecurity, hunger and malnutrition among crisis-prone populations.
Students can register for this course as either 3.0 or 1.5 SHUs. Students must register for 3.0 SHUs and then contact FletcherRegistrar@tufts.edu to register for 1.5 to have their enrollment adjusted.
This module builds on Module 1 and expects that students will come to the course with a developed research question and hypotheses to be tested using survey data. This module focuses on how to use survey methods, to explore research questions, test hypotheses, and combine with qualitative data in mixed methods designs. It has four broad goals:
Prerequisites: DHP D235m or equivalent preparation (student will need to test out of DHP D235m).
Introduction to Qualitative Field Research Methods Advanced Field Methods Research: Difficult Research Environments & Vulnerable Populations
This module builds on DHP D235m and expects that students will come to the course with a developed research question that they want to explore using qualitative methods in various field settings. The course is highly practical with short assignments due for nearly every class.
Primary Course Objectives:
• Students develop good observational, interview, note-taking and recording skills
• Students know how to validate/verify information
• Students can classify (code) and analyze qualitative data
• Students develop concrete calls to action — policies, products, and programs
• Students learn to write a policy brief based on their final projects
Pre-requisite: D235m or equivalent preparation (student will need to test out of D235m)
Drawing upon relevant theories, concepts and frameworks, and using a thematic approach and case studies, this class explores conducting research with vulnerable populations in difficult research environments. We will study the ethics of conducting research with violence and conflict affected populations. We will engage with the specific practicalities of the researcher and her/his team members working safely in these difficult environments, and best practices to help ensure the research and researcher do not harm the research subjects or put them at risk. We will explore a variety of means and best practices to carrying out field research with populations on the move such as conflict-migrants and refugees; survivors of gender-based violence and sexual violence in fragile states; children that have experienced violence and depravation; and victims of international war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Pre-requisites: DHP D235m and DhP D244m or equivalent preparation
(Cross-listed w/ENV 182 and BIO 0185) An interdisciplinary examination of the pros and cons of two divergent approaches to meeting the increasing global food demand: organic farming and genetic engineering. Contrasting crops grown in developing and industrialized countries serve as case studies to evaluate: (1) how ecological knowledge makes food production more sustainable; (2) what existing and emerging approaches can, in the face of climate change, contribute to a reliable supply of nutritious food; and (3) the political and economic drivers that shape who has access to these technologies. An important focus is developing communication skills for negotiating stakeholder-specific perspectives (growers, advocacy groups, industry, governmental agencies). Please see departmental website for specific details. Recommendations: Intro Bio or Intro Chemistry or equivalent.
This course begins with the One Health premise that health of humans, animals and the environment are interconnected, and that collaborative, multi-sectoral, transboundary and diplomatic approaches are needed locally, regionally and globally to advance well-being across One Health interfaces.We start with the One Health premise that health of humans, animals and the environment are interconnected, and that collaborative, multi-sectoral, transboundary and diplomatic approaches are needed locally, regionally Global health diplomacy is concerned with how and why global health issues play out in a policy context. In this course we aim to develop skills and understanding required to bring policy and One Health communities together to achieve mutual objectives. globally to advance well-being across One Health interfaces.
With increasing globalization of trade, travel and terrorism, public and individual human health have become topics of global concern, involving sovereign nations, international organizations and the scientific community. Threats from emerging infectious diseases outbreaks exemplify this trend. In contrast to the traditional idea of national security, the field of human security focuses on the individual, rather than state, as the nexus of analysis and takes a multidisciplinary approach through which to analyze the challenges related to community, national and global response to emerging infectious diseases epidemics.
This course will start by examining human security literature and practice as it applies to infectious diseases threats. It will examine factors leading to increasing frequency of outbreaks due to novel pathogens, such as climate change and environmental degradation, and the concept of One Health. It will then look at the intersection between scientific research and related ethical issues, disease surveillance and global biosecurity issues. Further, the course will examine the historical basis for International Health Regulations and other frameworks for modern global health governance as they apply to outbreaks. Lastly, the class will utilize case studies to examine how outbreak preparedness and response have been managed during recent epidemics such as SARS, H1N1, MERS, Ebola and Zika. This course is meant to foster interdisciplinary perspectives by bringing together practitioners from international law, human development, public health and clinical care.
The contemporary challenges arising from global environmental change, such as climate change, land degradation, loss of biodiversity, freshwater scarcity, toxic contamination and energy scarcity, are important issues for scholars from not only the natural and social but also the human sciences. As a result of increasing concerns about global environmental change, over the last decade a new scientific field of research has emerged, the Environmental Humanities (EH). Whereas scholarship on issues of environmental change was formerly dominated by the natural, economic and social sciences — and by technological approaches to problem-solving — this relatively new and rapidly growing field is constituted by the work of scholars from a wide variety of disciplines within the Humanities, including history, literature, philosophy, cultural studies, religion studies, arts, architecture, and linguistics. These scholars are investigating how the human and human agency are to be understood in the age of the Anthropocene –the era in which humans have become a geological force with devastating potential (Croetzen and Stoermer, 2000).
Emergent transdisciplinary fields, such as the environmental humanities and global health, reflect a growing awareness that responses to contemporary environmental dilemmas require the collaborative work of not only diverse scientists, medical practitioners, and engineers, but also more expansive publics, including artists, urban and rural communities, social scientists, and legal fields. Environmental Humanities thus marks an effort to explore and channel the creative synergy that is possible when scholars from the humanities, social sciences, and sciences talk across disciplines about the environment and environmental problems.
Central to our concerns are the unequal access to resources as well as the unequal exposure to risk during a period of widening economic disparity. The readings in this course have been selected to help us discuss questions that span the disciplines and the globe: What does it mean to be human in a time of global environmental change? What should environmental ethics look like? How are political, social, and economic structures—and inequities—intertwined with ecological realities? How has our understanding of the relationship between culture and nature shaped our conservation efforts? How do our concepts of nature and of environmentalism need to change in response to our current situation? Scholars in the environmental humanities ask and seek to answer these questions, and to develop more equitable ecologies.
This course is a survey of Southwest Asian institutional history from the end of World War 1 to 2015. The course is designed for professional students. It examines the complexity of the region, with special emphasis on the impact of modern technical revolutions with special emphasis devoted to the oil industry in Southwest and Central Asia. Topics include Great Power competition in the region; the influence of European and Turko-Muslim cultures on contemporary events, Colonialism, the regional context for the formation of nation states, post WWII Globalization, the regional impact of explosive social change in the Digital era, Fundamentalism, and chaotic conditions at the turn of the 21st century.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
Despite a seemingly brilliant victory in the early days of the post-9/11 era, America's campaign in Afghanistan has become the longest war in US history, with currently no end in sight. Balancing history, theory, and policy this seminar investigates the mechanisms and critical junctures that led to this entanglement. It explores the collision between the US-led coalition's objectives, the lasting legacies of the Cold War and the specificities of Afghanistan' society and regional dynamics. All along, we examine critical junctures, successes, failures, and ambiguities in light of scholarly disputes and policy debates. Themes addressed include the war on terror, South Asia's geopolitics, democratization, state-building, insurgencies, and strategy.
This course examines US policy in South Asia from 1947 to 2018. Intersecting history, theory, and policy, it discusses the evolution of America's strategic rationale over time, the local consequences of its policies, and the regional powers' own counter-strategies. During the first third of the semester, we investigate how Washington integrated the subcontinent to its containment grand strategy against the Soviet Union, and the legacy of the Cold War. Then, we explore how the region's status evolved in the post-Cold War era, following India and Pakistan's acquisition of a nuclear-weapon status, the launching of the war on terror, and China's rising influence. The course delves deeply into the US-India-Pakistan triangle but also covers America's relations with other countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.), its role in the Indian Ocean, its competition with other extra-regional powers, and the role of domestic politics.
With a particular focus on the Arab world and the Levant, this course examines the evolution of nation-states in the Middle East from colonial rule to the present. Themes addressed include the rise of nationalism and pan-Arabism, ideologies of internal unity and regional tensions, Islam as a political force, globalization, reform and radicalism, the Arab revolts, and the search for new alternatives.
This course deals with the human impact of geopolitical and economic changes in Eurasia from the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 to present. Since the supply of energy for the rapid industrialization of large societies in Eurasia is so important, the course will focus on the issues related to the safe production, distribution and consumption of oil, gas and other fuels for the rapid modernization of Eurasian societies. Since this development process is so large as in the case of the industrializations of China and India and the economic recovery of Russia after 1991, political disorder in the center of Eurasia over energy matters can have an impact much larger than a struggle over national boundaries. Evidence for considering a larger framework for understanding the impact of energy struggles in the center of Eurasia is certainly available in the case of the conflict in Syria where the participation of United States and Russian troops as opposing forces is quite clear. It is also possible to link Syrian battles with other military engagements in the region from Yemen to Afghanistan to reinforce an already established strategic importance of the lands between the Suez Canal and the eastern borders of India where the discovery and production of large oil and gas fields have added a new dimension to the political attraction of this region for external powers.
Competition over the distribution of critical energy resources for development of large and small societies in Eurasia produces two additional subjects that are part of Diplomacy 264. The first is the creation of a powerful maritime structure that provides the energy supply for the large Indo/Pacific emerging modern industries in Indian and China. Second, we will note the growth of a new subsection of Indo/Pacific economy that results from the conjunction of the ability of tankers to navigate on a year-round basis the northern Artic routes for tankers carrying Russian fuels to the Northwest Pacific. Here the consumption demands for fuel for Japan, South Korea and Taiwan form the basis of a Northwestern energy hub. The next important event we will examine is the technological innovations associated with the spectacular growth of LNG, and how this energy project stimulates the growth of a new Asia/Pacific economy. The course will end with an analysis of supranational energy issues such as the development of global LNG markets and the innovations central to reducing pollution and handling the problems of climate change.
This course will examine the "Strategic Ellipse", which includes Russia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southwest Asia, the Arabian/Persian Gulf, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean. This crucial region comprises approximately 70% of the world's proven oil and gas reserves. It is also host to some of the world's most pressing security problems. We will analyze the impact of globalization and modernization on the cultures and politics of the countries in this region and their effect on global energy security. This course will provide in-depth knowledge of ethnic and sectarian violence, modern educational change, social and cultural reaction to radical urbanization, creation of a modern legal system, transfer of modern technology, and foreign policies of major state and non-state powers.
An examination of the international relations of the United States and East Asia since the end of World War II, principally U.S. interactions with China, Japan, and Korea, and secondarily, with Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Focus on fundamental concepts and realities of international politics governing interactions between the U.S. and East Asian nations, as well as the major geopolitical issues of the day. Study of the continuing patterns of interaction among the U.S. and East Asian states—the dynamics of wars, ideologies, political, economic, and cultural issues.
The course will explore the origins of transatlantic cooperation and the creation of common European economic and political structures, notably the European Union, and the development of transatlantic security alliances, particularly NATO. It will compare constitutional governance in the differing federal systems of the US and the EU, explore centrifugal forces like Brexit that are testing the sustainability of the EU, and examine the populist and nationalist political movements and neo-authoritarian tendencies that are challenging liberal democracy on both sides of the Atlantic. Areas of economic cooperation and tension will be studied, including the financial crisis, international trade and regulatory affairs, and the failed negotiation of a transatlantic trade and investment partnership. The course will also take up cooperative and conflicting policies of transatlantic partners in addressing security problems of terrorism, failed states, refugees and human rights catastrophes. Finally, it will examine the relationship of Russia, Turkey and countries to the east with evolving transatlantic security, economic and political structures.
This course examines major issues in US-Russian relations, including views on sovereignty, values, and world order; Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia; and nuclear weapons, cyber, and each country's role in the other's domestic politics. The course is video-linked with 15 students from MGIMO, a leading university in Moscow.
The seminar examines U.S.-European relations since a peaceful revolution brought down the Berlin Wall in November 1989. The seminar looks at various common challenges in the period thereafter and how they were dealt with, both from the U.S. and the European perspective: the unification of Germany, Bosnia and Kosovo, the enlargement of NATO, NATO/Russia, 9/11 and the threat of violent extremism, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and nuclear non- proliferation and disarmament, among others. The emphasis is on practical skills rather than theory. Students will practice to write short memos for political leaders and to give very short oral presentations.
In the 21st century, Europe finds itself between an introvert America and a resurgent Russia. This course will analyze European perceptions of Trump’s «America First» doctrine and its impact on policy changes in Europe. In this context we will examine trade issues and policies as well as changes in the European dependence on the Atlantic security structure. PESCO, the European Defense Fund, and the European Army proposals will be discussed. On the other hand, we will discuss the security challenges posed by a resurgent and revisionist Russia. The new Russian assertiveness, as evidenced in Georgia, Ukraine, the Balkans and Syria, and its interference in the domestic politics of Western democracies will be examined.
Description coming soon.
Description coming soon.
This course provides a survey of different tools and techniques for assessing and addressing online risks in an organization including threat modeling, security metrics and budgeting, incident response and remediation, legal compliance, and cyber-insurance. Through case studies of real companies and cybersecurity incidents, students will learn how to identify potential cyber threats to an organization, address related supply chain and procurement risks, develop qualitative and quantitative metrics for assessing cybersecurity, establish a policy for responding to law enforcement requests for data, use international security standards and frameworks, negotiate insurance coverage for cyber risks, and incorporate cloud-based services and other third-party IT vendors into a comprehensive cyber risk management plan for a multinational organization. The organizational risks discussed will include data breaches, online financial fraud, industrial espionage, social engineering, denial-of-service attacks, cloud provider outages, and online extortion. The first part of the class will focus on organizational threat modeling and risk assessment techniques, the second part will look at budgeting and metrics for cybersecurity, the third part will explore techniques for cyber risk sharing, and the fourth part will look at incident response and mitigation.
Computer technology runs modern societies, underlying virtually every activity we do, from how the foods we eat arrive on our table to how we receive and consume information. Because cyber technology has such a profound influence on society, policymakers frequently face decisions on technical issues. Computer Science for Future Presidents is designed to provide students interested in policy, political science, and international relations aspects of cyber technology with an understanding of how these technologies work and the underlying issues of the policy debate. This course will cover Internet architecture and basic networking, the Web, cloud architectures, cryptography, security and privacy, open source systems, AI and machine learning, and other new technologies; it has a heavy emphasis on labs. It assumes no more previous exposure to computer science than a single programming course.
Failure of computer systems within the larger context of complex systems, including the power grid and aviation. Failures of algorithms and protocols, engineering and implementation, systems and applications, people and culture. Attacks, attack recovery, security, privacy, and attribution. Case studies of failures and attacks, including distributed denial of service, Meltdown, Spectre, and spear-phishing attacks. Prerequisites: COMP 13 or consent of instructor.
The history of American foreign relations from the Revolution to the First World War. The transformation of the former colony into a "world power," noting the internal dynamics of this remarkable development, as well as its external causes. The evolution of major U.S. foreign policies—non-entanglement, the Monroe Doctrine, the Open Door, and Dollar Diplomacy—and the relationships of these policies to westward expansion, post-Civil War reconstruction, and industrialization and urbanization. The national debate following the Spanish-American War over "imperialism." The leadership of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and their contrasting ideas of American power, interest, and purpose.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
The history of U.S. foreign relations from the First World War to the present day. Woodrow Wilson and the Versailles Treaty. American responses to the Bolshevik Revolution, European fascism, and Japanese imperialism. The presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Neutrality Laws, and U.S. involvement in the Second World War and major wartime conferences. The postwar "revolution" in American foreign policy—the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and NATO. The conduct of the Cold War and the management of crises in the Caribbean and other regions. The Vietnam conflict, Nixon-Kissinger "Detente," the Carter Doctrine, the Gulf War and "New World Order," 9/11 and the Global War on Terror, the Arab Spring, worldwide financial instability, and the question of America's future global engagement.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
A study of world history over the past 500 years from a salt-water perspective. The course will examine the ocean as avenue, arena, source, and cultural metaphor, analyzing major themes such as the impact of changing technologies and modes of warfare, evolving patterns of trade, and differing cultural perceptions. The format will be lecture, with some discussion.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
This course will examine major themes in United States foreign relations, including isolationism, humanitarianism, and imperialism; the link between domestic politics and foreign policy; and the debate about American exceptionalism. Key topics will include the expansion of US power in the early 20th century; the diplomacy of the World Wars; the Cold War and the construction of the U.S. alliance system; and the challenges to the U.S. backed order.
Most graduate courses in international relations focus on "cutting edge" research. Without a working knowledge of Thucydides, Kant, or Schelling, citizens and policymakers are unable to place new theoretical propositions into a historical context. This course surveys the history of international relations theory through a close reading of 10-15 classic works in the field. Among the questions that will be addressed: how far has IR theory developed since Thucydides? How closely do theories of international relations mirror the era in which they were written? In what ways are these widely cited works simplified or misstated in the current era?
Through case studies, this course aims to give students the historical powers they need as they go out into the world: empathy, detachment, and relentless skepticism. The course examines the origins of World War I and the analogies the war provoked and provokes, as well as the two paradigms that come up when debating whether or not to go to war: the trouble that flowed from appeasing Nazi Germany and Japan in the run up to World War II, and the disastrous Sicilian expedition embarked on by ancient Athens. The tension between these paradigms is explored through studies of war in Korea, Vietnam, and Iraq. The course will also examine how different readings of history can lead to dramatically different policies; the U.S., Russia, and China tell Cold War history differently and those differences do much to explain their different worldviews. Armed with knowledge of the many endings of the Cold War, the course will also compare the revolutions in Europe in 1989, Ukraine's Orange Revolution, and the Arab Spring.
Description coming soon.
This course examines the evolution of grand strategies over history, with a particular interest for the United States in the 20th and 21st centuries. First, it explores how the craft of grand strategy evolved over time, covering cases such as Greek city-states, the Roman Empire, and the British Empire. Second, it uses the US example to investigate the factors that underpin the formation of grand strategies (geopolitics, ideology, etc.), the domains in which these grand strategies are executed (military, economic, etc.), and their implications for key dimensions of national security (nuclear weapons, intelligence, etc.). Additionally, the course discusses the debates that have divided scholars and US policy-makers in the post-Cold War era. Along the way, it sheds light on the grand strategies of America’s main competitors - China and Russia - and on the distinct declinations of Washington’s grand strategy in key regions of the world.
This course will examine major trends in Russian diplomacy and power projection. It begins by looking at Russian history, including the foreign policy of key tsars such as Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, and Alexander. Then the course turns to the 20th century, including the diplomacy of the early Soviet state, Stalin and World War II, the rise and fall of the Cold War, and post-Soviet Russia.
A century ago, World War I and its settlement shaped the modern Middle East. The end of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of successor states in search of internal ideology and regional influence have characterized the region today. This course addresses the broader topic of struggle and survival during cataclysmic events, such as a world war, with reference to the history of the student's region of interest. It is a research–based class in which students will learn how to better research conflict and how to develop an approach to the study of conflict given the many perspectives of those affected by it. The course will also discuss the ways in which conflict can transform a region.
This course will discuss the evolution of relations between the West and the Middle East as Western powers, who prior had begged for capitulations and other favors from local Middle East rulers, became the direct and indirect 'great powers' of the region, at different times throughout the 20th century. First as outsiders seeking special favors from local dynasts, Westerners evolved as partners who soon rapidly took over power throughout much of the Middle East, along the way turning their war allies effectively into their subjects. How nationalists responded to these changes and how the 20th and early 21st centuries adjusted to the new world order is part of the story. This is a research-based class in which students will learn to better examine how historical conflicts and life under occupation shape identity, and how to develop a thematic approach to viewing identities through a historical lens.
An examination of the American experience in China, Japan, and Korea, from the centuries of sporadic encounter between the two distinctly disparate and seemingly antithetical worlds of Euro-America and Northeast Asia to the aftermath of the end of the Pacific War. Focus on the late nineteenth century, when mutual images begin to take form and the evolving pattern of the unequal relationship during the first half of the twentieth century. Topics include East Asian cultural traditions, Christianity, imperialism, wars, and modernization. Emphasis on ideas, national mythologies, and images.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
This course is a survey of China’s foreign relations from the Qing dynasty to the present. Topics include geography, warfare, diplomacy, trade, cultural exchange, and the connections between past and present. Lectures followed by discussion.
Traditional, behavioral, and post behavioral theories of international relations, and the nature of theory in international relations; the role of normative theory; levels of analysis, structure-agent relationships, and concepts of foreign policy behavior and decision making; utopian/neo-liberal and realist/neo-realist theory, and democratic peace theory; theories of power and its management; theories of integration, cooperation, conflict, war, and geopolitical and ecological/environmental relationships; constructivism; systems theory; regime analysis; the relationship between theory and the international system in the early 21st century; traditional and contemporary paradigms of the international system.
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of comparative politics. The first two weeks of the course will familiarize students with the type of questions that comparative political scientists tackle and the methodological tools that they employ. This week will also concentrate on issues such as concept formation and theory development. The rest of the course will be structured around key research areas in the field of comparative politics such as state formation, nationalism, constitutional structure of states, origins and persistence of political regimes, emergence of political parties and voting, religion and politics, political culture, and political violence.
This module is an in-depth primer on the conceptual underpinnings and the record of implementation of security sector reform (SSR) over the past 20 years. The course begins with a brief overview of the historical and theoretical foundations of the field and frequent debates raised by the community of practitioners as well as critics. The course is organized around the SSR model as defined by Jane Chanaa across four dimensions: political, institutional, societal, and economic. Classes will explore the conceptual definitions, institutions and actors, and lessons learned within each dimension and apply the model to case studies. Students will compare SSR implementation when led by the local government, the United Nations, regional organizations, and/or outside states including the United Kingdom and the United States. The course closes with the students’ assessment of the SSR as a conceptual tool for peace building and prospects for its future evolution in practice.
Introduction to the basic tools of policy analysis and decision-making, providing students with analytic skills to make policy decisions in many types of organizations. The course includes an introduction to public policy objectives, decision-making, and the role of analysis. Students then learn powerful analytic decision-making techniques, including decision trees, Bayes theorem, utility theory, prospect theory, game theory, benefit-cost analysis, and tipping models. Case studies are used to learn the policy analysis tools while applying them to real world policy problems. Cases come from developed and developing countries, and cover many different policy fields. No background in economics or statistics is required.
This seminar examines key issues in national security and global affairs through the lens of gender, placing a specific emphasis on the role of women in peace, war, intelligence, and governance. After grounding gender analysis in international relations theory, the seminar proceeds with three sections. The first section focuses on women in governance. In this section, we focus on women leaders, including those who have served as heads of state (including during times of war), as well as in parliaments around the world. What are some of the stereotypes of women leaders and the challenges they confront in rising to the top? Do women differ from men in such leadership positions? Would state interactions be more peaceful and our lives more secure if women ran the world? The seminar then moves from women in governance to the second broad section: women in warfare. In this section, two characterizations rise to the forefront: women as victims during conflict, including from displacement, sexual violence, and the disruption of everyday life, and then women as combatants during conflict, including in the armed forces, resistance movements, and terrorist organizations. The final section of the seminar examines a range of select topics related to Women and National Security. We explore women as builders of peace through peace accords and post-conflict reconstruction; the experiences of women serving in the Intelligence Services; the day-to-day practical realities confronting women with careers in global affairs; and how men can serve as agents of change for equality.
This course examines national security decision-making from both a theoretical perspective and from its execution in practice. The seminar focuses on how national security decisions are made rather than on the theories of international relations or the substantive content of national security or foreign policies. The course begins with the history of the U.S. National Security Council,current structures, actors, and processes in the U.S. system of national security decision-making. Next, the course examines theoretical models of decision-making including cognitive biases, organizational processes, bureaucratic politics, and how senior leaders often use history and analogies in their decisions. The course also explores the roles of the Departments of State and Defense, the intelligence community, the influence of Congress and the media as well as the prospects for national security reform. Students are asked to analyze historical case studies and current events considering the broad themes covered throughout the semester. Emphasis throughout the course is placed on the national security decision-making system of the United States (and particularly on the Executive Branch), but participants are strongly encouraged to examine the systems andactors of other states and multinational organizations.
Maritime security is a constant fixture in security headlines. Ranging from territorial disputes in the South China Sea to piracy near strategic chokepoints, maritime security challenges are varied and complex. This course seeks to unravel these challenges by examining the basic foundations of maritime security. These include the key technologies and technological trends which affect maritime security, the role of Great Powers, the importance of chokepoints, and future of non-state actors. Students taking this course will emerge with a nuanced understanding of security challenges in the maritime domain and knowledge of maritime terminology used by practitioners in the field.
This course introduces students to the use of geospatial technologies, data, and analysis focusing on applications in the international context. The course gives primary emphasis to the use of geographic information systems (GIS) for data creation, mapping, and analysis. It will also cover the use of global positioning systems (GPS) for field data collection and mapping; cartography for high quality visualization; and the use of map mash-ups and crowd sourcing in the international arena. Final projects are large-format poster info-graphics. More detailed course information is available at: https://wikis.uit.tufts.edu/confluence/display/GISINT/Home.
This course examines core issues in international relations and security policy. It aims to give students a fundamental understanding of physical security and to address the broader dimensions of security and threats to human security in light of the contemporary challenges around the use of force and violence faced by states and citizens. We will investigate whether the nature of violence has changed such that states and citizens have had to reassess how to respond. For example, since the end of the Cold War, the locus of security threats has shifted. No longer is the only and greatest threat to security great powers tilting against one another but now the threat rests in dynamics within and across states by actors with global reach. Saying this, however, does not imply that dynamics between states no longer matter for global security. We live in an unprecedented era in which not only states but also individuals and groups of individuals can do great harm to global peace and security. Just consider the digital revolution and cyber security or transnational networks and jihadists. As we know from research on armed conflict, organized political violence has been declining, particularly interstate war, and trends indicate that people dying from war has also declined. Moreover, events of the past three decades have impressed upon scholars and policy-makers alike that the problem of fragile and failed states and internal war are no longer peripheral issues that can be ignored, as they are often at the center of major shifts in world affairs. Recent events in Syria, South Sudan, Nigeria, Libya, Iraq, and Ukraine demonstrate that fragile states and those states experiencing civil war pose serious threats to international stability through the overflow of violence, the mass migration of refugees, the disruption of trade, and the potential for terrorist network sanctuaries. Never before has the threat environment been so varied and the nature of violence so dispersed. Furthermore, we have come to understand that security is more than just physical and that issues of identity, justice, and societal well-being are core elements of security that also require consideration.
Demography is a critical factor in explaining the stability of states, it is often missed by both policymakers and academics until it is too late. Why is it missed? Policy makers tend to be focused on immediate crises and events, while population change happens over the longer term, in slow motion. Academics tend to favor immediate and direct causal factors in explaining political instability, war and state death. How demography impacts societies and politics is too complex and too messy for contemporary analysis that tends to emphasize the search for causality through formal modeling and statistical methods. This course seeks to remedy these oversights by providing an introduction to key concepts and trends related to the study of populations and what it means to international and states' national security. While demographers ask and answer questions such as ‘how many people, of what kind, and where?' (facts of change); and ‘why did this come about?' (determinants of change), international relations and national security experts need to understand why this matters (consequences of change). The goal is to build an understanding that enables scholars to better inform policy makers, and policy makers to be better prepared to grasp the opportunities and ameliorate the risks that demographic changes present.
This course covers the basics of research design and methods in political science. The first part of the course is devoted to developing a research question, constructing testable theories, understanding the advantages of quantitative and qualitative methods, and concept formation. The second part of the course focuses on specific research methods (historical analysis, statistical methods, field research, archival research, and experiments) and their relative strengths and weaknesses. The final section of the course addresses the ways in which scholars combine different methods to study political phenomena. Open to PhD students only or with permission of instructor.
Description coming soon.
The arms industry and trade sits at the intersection of global economics, security, and politics. Access to armaments, whether domestically produced or imported, is necessary for states and armed groups to develop military capability; thus the arms industry and trade is a key instrument of state policy and international relations. At the same time, the arms industry is an economic enterprise, in most countries a private, profit-seeking one. It depends on general national economic, industrial and technological development, and is often seen — debatably — as an important source of industrialization, jobs, and trade. But military spending, including arms acquisition, carries an opportunity cost, and how states choose to allocate limited resources between civilian and military priorities is the outcome of numerous economic, political and security factors.
This course is designed to introduce the students to the study of the relationship between religion and politics. The course will be structured around key research areas in the field such as the conditions under which societies or the institutions that govern them become secularized, the emergence and persistence of the religious-secular divide as a salient political cleavage, the relationship between regime type and religion, the potential implications of religious doctrines for public policy and economic outcomes, the causes of religious violence, as well as the historical and contemporary role of religion in the international sphere.
This course provides a foundation in key theories and frameworks for understanding gender issues across disciplines. Drawing on key texts from the fields of anthropology, philosophy, post-colonial theory, women's and gender studies, feminist theory, international relations, development economics, environmental studies and beyond, students will explore the role of gender and gender relations across the spheres of social, cultural, political, economic and religious life. The course syllabus seeks to capture the diversity of identities and viewpoints that are reflected in theoretical conversations about gender. While many of these debates are commonly discussed with reference to international studies, this course will also wade into the realm of the domestic, exploring how gender theories manifest in reproduction, labor, and peacetime relationships. Discussions will draw out intersectional themes and invite students to reflect on how to apply these theories and approaches to issues of race, social class, and other dimensions of identity and privilege.
The seminar offers an in-depth analysis of selected nuclear issues that today top the U.S. nuclear agenda. The course seeks to explain the genesis and the evolution of these issues and to examine and debate the appropriateness of current policies. The course offers both theoretical and policy perspectives on these issues so as to encourage students to experiment with different theoretical lenses and to familiarize themselves with the constraints and limits of policy formulation in the face of complex and pressing dilemmas.
The goal of this seminar is to introduce students to the process of writing research papers on topics in global political economy (GPE). We will examine how domestic and international politics influence the economic relations between states, and vice versa. The course is intended to introduce students to research design and guide them in selecting a capstone research question and methodology. The course objectives are – 1) introduce seminal theoretical debates and research approaches in global political economy 2) develop skills in critical reading and writing 3) to apply the logic of the scientific method 4) to have students develop a research proposal that can ultimately be the foundation of their capstone thesis.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
What determines the direction, magnitude, governance, and fluctuation of international economic exchange? This course surveys the theories and issue areas of the global political economy, both in the current day and in the past. Different analytical models are presented to explain the variations in economic exchange over time. The issue areas that will be examined include: world trade, monetary orders, global finance, and foreign investment. Current topics that will be covered include: the effects of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the rise of the BRIC economies, the future of the dollar, and the future of global economic governance.
The goal of this course is to introduce students to the social-scientific study of global political economy (GPE). We will critically examine how domestic and international politics influence economic relations between states, and vice versa. The course is organized into three sections. The first section draws the students into the study and broader history of GPE and introduces the theoretical framework(s). The second part of the course focuses on three dominant policy domains: International Trade, Finance and Investment. The remainder of the course covers a selection of contemporary, empirical phenomena that arise as political forces intervene in economic decision-making and/or economic constraints shape political outcomes.
This class offers a survey of some of the key debates and issues in the political economy of development. First, we examine alternative approaches to development and how they have informed policies in developing countries since the 1950s. Second, we compare different patterns of interaction among the state, political parties, interest groups, and civil society and examine how they have affected development outcomes. Third, we address current topics such as the rise of China and India, new approaches to poverty alleviation, and the impact of global financial crises on developing countries.
The study and development of policy related to "genocide" and mass atrocities are highly contested in terms of the universe of cases, key definitions, and thresholds of violence that should trigger action. This course provides an overview of the debates by introducing the key concepts, contexts and policies related to mass atrocities. Beginning with the introduction of the term "genocide," we will explore a range of terminologies and frameworks for defining and explaining mass violence against civilians.
In this course we analyze the relationship between memory and social reconciliation, and the role that theories of truth, justice and redress play in this equation. We begin with WWII, or more precisely its aftermath and the emergence of a series of conventions and covenants establishing human rights as a set of international laws, institutions, and norms. We trace the expansion of, and challenges to, the regime of human rights and international law by focusing on case studies that allow us to analyze war crimes tribunals, truth commissions, the burgeoning field of transitional justice, and local level forms of assessing guilt and administering justice. Our case studies this year include Rwanda, South Africa, Colombia, Guatemala, and Peru.
This course provides an overview of the key concepts, tools, challenges and trade-offs in the field of development aid. Students will gain an understanding of the theoretical and operational underpinnings of the current development aid system and its effects on development organizations, donors, aid workers, and the people the aid is ultimately intended to help. Students will not gain technical knowledge in education, health, infrastructure, etc., but they will learn about cross-cutting issues and approaches that appear in all fields of development cooperation: technical assistance, capacity building, participation, and conditionality among others.
This course provides a theoretical and empirical overview of different types of political violence including interstate wars, civil wars, violence within wars and occupations, mass violence targeting groups (such as genocide and ethnic cleansing), and riots. One-half credit.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
The influence of cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes on the evolution of societies has been shunned by scholars, politicians, and development experts. It is much more common for the experts to cite geographic constraints, insufficient resources, bad policies, or weak institutions. But by avoiding values and culture, they ignore an important part of the explanation why some societies or ethno-religious groups do better than others with respect to democratic governance, social justice, and prosperity. They also ignore the possibility that progress can be accelerated by (1) analyzing cultural strengths and weaknesses, and (2) addressing cultural change as a purposive policy to apply through families, schools, churches, media, leadership, and/or the law.
The influence of cultural values, beliefs, and attitudes on the evolution of societies has been shunned by scholars, politicians, and development experts. It is much more common for the experts to cite geographic constraints, insufficient resources, bad policies, or weak institutions. But by avoiding values and culture, they ignore an important part of the explanation why some societies or ethno-religious groups do better than others with respect to democratic governance, social justice, and prosperity. They also ignore the possibility that progress can be accelerated by (1) analyzing cultural strengths and weaknesses, and (2) addressing cultural change as a purposive policy to apply through families, schools, churches, media, leadership, and/or the law.
Introduction to Design, Monitoring and Evaluation (DME) of Peacebuilding and Development will provide a practical introduction to three of the main elements of the program cycle. Beginning with peacebuilding theories that underpin program design, then discussing monitoring for decision making, learning and accountability, the course ends with program evaluation from the perspective of an implementing actor or donor. The course focuses on the processes related to DME and applies them primarily to peacebuilding/anti-corruption programming, though the processes are applicable across development and humanitarian spheres.
This skills-focused course should be taken by any student wishing to work in the development or peacebuilding field in an implementing or donor agency. The course aims to develop practitioners and donor representatives who are skilled at integrating DME into their work flows to the betterment of their programs. It will not produce an M&E Specialist or professional evaluator. For those interested in more specialized skills, DME acts as the prerequisite for Advanced Evaluation and Learning in International Organizations (DHP P228M). Completion of both DME and Advanced Evaluation is a prerequisite for entry into the evaluation independent study group; called the Evaluation Colloquium.
The course explores core components of the program cycle, beginning with peacebuilding theories that underpin program design and ending with the development of high-quality indicators for monitoring. The core concepts of design and monitoring will be applied primarily to international development and peacebuilding programming. This practical course is intended for students who wish to obtain a strong skill set in Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DME) and work in peacebuilding or international development.
The course provides an in-depth, practical preparation for those seeking to be practitioners or donors in the final stage of the program cycle; evaluation. The core concepts will be applied primarily to international development and peacebuilding programming. This practical course should be taken by any student wishing to work in the development or peacebuilding field. Open to students who have completed P225m. Note: P226m is a prerequisite for P228m. One-half credit.
This seminar is an in-depth and cutting-edge discussion of what development and conflict resolution practitioners currently do together on the ground in conflict situations on all continents. It deals with methodologies (conflict analysis, program development, etc.), issue areas (reconciliation, security sector reform, demobilization, disarmament, and reintegration), and context (political economy of peacebuilding, relations with the military). Open to students who have completed D223, P222 or with permission of the instructor.
This advanced module is key for students who wish to develop the full-package of skills and concepts expected of professionals working in development and peacebuilding. At the end of this class, students will have a working knowledge of the key evaluation designs, approaches and tools; the ability to evaluate existing evaluations for adequacy of the design and quality; a clear picture of the link between evaluation and learning; and an overview of the latest strategies and challenges in creating learning organizations. Introduction to DME is a prerequisite to take this course.
The course focuses on the crucial interface of governance and interests, aiming to explore the role of interest groups in today's political systems. The course tackles the role of interests in governance in everyday, routine politics, as well as in cases of dramatic political change and upheaval. Interest groups are a major channel through which citizens express their views to decision-makers and impact policy. At the same time, interest groups may often help shape and direct the interest they are supposed to represent.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
In international development, donors, policymakers, program implementers, and end-users all have a significant investment in understanding to what extent a program or intervention works, for whom, and why or why not. To answer these questions we turn to evaluation research. This course focuses on the practice of program monitoring and evaluation in resource-limited settings. A central focus in program evaluation is causality: how do we identify the causal effects of a program or intervention and rule out other explanations for observed outcomes? How do we explain the potential influence of setting and context on the outcomes? Students will learn to conceptualize the entire evaluation process from engaging with stakeholders during the initial stages of program development through designing rigorous mixed-methods evaluation studies informed by the real-world challenges. Students will work in teams, choose an existing program or intervention, and design a realistic process and outcome evaluation proposal using a mixture of quantitative and qualitative methods.
The course covers international communication from three perspectives: its governance, its many- dimensional relationship with governments, and policy issues. Students explore different theories and examples of how different types of communication content and technology interact with sovereignty, politics, security, international relations, culture, and development. The course provides the foundations of this field with a structural approach. Topics covered include freedom of speech, global media and international journalism, public diplomacy, propaganda, media in democracies and totalitarian states, media influence on foreign policy, digital divide, intellectual property, privacy, convergence, security, media and political conflict and economic development.
Students will learn the important political and economic characteristics of communication policy and markets, and will practice using basic analytic tools through case studies and examples from different countries to enhance their understanding of communication policy issues. Students will study the general background and trends in communication policy in different parts of the world. This is followed by in-depth exploration of several issues of telecommunications policy, media policy, and policy issues of the Internet and newer technologies. Open to students who have completed either E201 or E211 or the equivalent.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
This course examines the use of armed force in international affairs. You will examine theories of war and bargaining, conflict prevention and termination, post-conflict management, and the role of third parties. You will study civil wars, interstate wars, and insurgencies (including terrorism) as well as different forms of warfare, including conventional, nuclear, information, and cyber warfare. Although we will consider the nature of the state system and the structure of the international order from a historical perspective, special attention will be paid to the post-Cold War era.
This course focuses on the impact of the contemporary information and communications technologies (ICT) on the interaction between individuals, public authorities, businesses and the non-profit sector. How is technology affecting political, social, and economic relationships? How is it affecting development activities such as agriculture, financial services, education, health services, the security of citizens and their ability to participate in democratic institutions? How can the transformative power of technology be maximized to contribute effectively to inclusive socio-economic growth and equality? The course will build on academic literature, technical papers, blogs, and the expertise of policymakers, intellectuals, and practitioners from both hemispheres to discuss the meaning of doing business, doing good, and being citizens in the digital world, as well as issues related to the governance of the digital society. It will further expand students' understanding of the transformative power of technology, the dynamic interactions between the parties mentioned above, the rights, obligation, expectations of each, and will equip them to assess challenges and opportunities to use technology to foster social and economic development.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
Today's leaders must have the ability not only to analyze thoughtfully but also to communicate clearly and persuasively. This full semester course is intended to turn you into a significantly more persuasive and effective public speaker—someone who speaks with the ease, confidence, clarity, and modes of persuasion that are critical in today's corporate, nonprofit, policy, and diplomacy worlds. We will cover a range of speaking scenarios, from podium speeches on values to simulations of a press conference or media interview on camera. The course is intended to help you develop your own personal style by deepening your understanding of the persuasive tools, recommendations, refutations, modes of analysis, and variations in audiences that motivate listeners to turn business, policy and diplomacy ideas into action. The full semester course will take a deeper and wider dive into the world of public speaking relative to the module course, and include sessions on debating, ceremonial speeches, as well as more detailed sessions on facing the camera and press, impromptu speaking, and elevator pitching. Approximately one-half of the course will be devoted to classes that introduce students to strategies of spoken communication and to models of public presentation. The other half will consist of speech delivery sessions in which students will hone their skills in public speaking.
There is a myth that the Internet erases borders. But as Internet companies' ability to place localized ads show, that's false. What's more accurate is that the Internet complicates a nation's ability to control of the flow of information within its borders. (This is not a new challenge for sovereign nations; consider the telegraph.) This fluidity has created great economic opportunity and simplified trans-border access, the latter potentially threatening security and other basic state functions. With bits increasingly controlling the world around us, the Digital Revolution poses a highly disruptive threat. In this course, we'll explore cyber clashes in the civilian sec-tor: from jurisdictional issues and the challenges posed by new technologies to criminal activities and impacts on civil infrastructures. While several of the topics are also covered in International Cyber Conflict:¿An Introduction to Power and Conflict in Cyberspace, DHP P249, the intersection between the two courses will be relatively minimal. Cyber in the Civilian Sector will have a greater focus on technology and, naturally enough, on the civilian, as opposed to national security, side of the house.
This module will provide an introduction to the threats to and protections for privacy in the digital age, examining public and private sector threats, and looking at issues from an international point of view. Topics to be covered include privacy threat models, location tracking and first and third party collection by private parties, government threats to privacy, and privacy protective technologies. No programming background needed, but a willingness and interest to play with digital tools is required.
A so-called 'digital revolution' is beginning to sweep across the developing world. This revolution is creating new innovations in manufacturing, payment systems, agriculture, transport, and other sectors. There is great demand for policymakers and advisors who can design regulation, policies and other rules to effectively regulate these innovations into the 21st century. This course aims to assist students to take a leading role in designing such rules.
Many of these innovations are so new that we cannot copy and paste regulatory solutions from developed countries. Instead, 'new thinking' is required. This course will teach students about different regulatory approaches in relation to these new innovations. Students will learn about regulatory theory and how it interrelates with technology and international development. Students will be better placed to assume leadership roles in the increasingly digitized 21st century world, particularly in developing and emerging economies.
The Global Nuclear Order is changing in dramatic ways. Evolving and emerging military technologies are increasingly undermining nuclear and conventional deterrence. Norms – such as nuclear nonproliferation and nuclear non-use are weakening. Growing geopolitical tensions among nuclear weapons states have prompted all nuclear players to expand and modernize their arsenal and adopt assertive nuclear posture lenient towards a more explicit use of nuclear warheads in warfare. The principle of nuclear deterrence, once the cornerstone of the current nuclear order, is today eroding as new scenarios for “limited nuclear wars” enter into the mainstream policy debate.
This course seeks to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the many dilemmas that a changing nuclear order raise. The course concentrates predominantly on the issues that the United States will have to confront in a nuclear multipolar world. However, we will dedicate a few lectures also to explore potential escalation pathways to nuclear use in regional theaters around the world including Europe, Northeast and South Asia and the Gulf Region.
This core International Security Studies course presents an examination of the role of force as an instrument of statecraft. Topics covered include: 1) military power and the role of force in contemporary world politics; 2) the causes of war and the moral/ethical constraints on armed violence; 3) instruments and purposes of coercion force: military power and strategic non-violent action; 4) national security policy formation and process; 5) the modes and strategies of military power (nuclear, conventional, internal conflict); 6) the structure of the post-Cold War and post-9/11 international security environment.
This course employs case studies to assess enduring principles of war and their role in defending a nation's interests and objectives. The works of three military strategists and four political theorists are examined to develop an analytical framework for assessing the origins, conduct, and termination of war. This framework is employed to analyze six major historical conflicts: the Peloponnesian War; the Wars of Revolutionary and Napoleonic France; the American Civil War; World War I; World War II; the French-Indo- China War/U.S. war in Vietnam.
The 21st-century proliferation setting; alternative approaches to threat reduction; international negotiations and agreements including the Non- Proliferation Treaty; the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Chemical Weapons Convention, the Open Skies Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; approaches to nonproliferation and counterproliferation; issues of homeland security; coping with the effects of weapons of mass destruction; cyber war; technology transfer; the nuclear fuel cycle; the fissile material problem; cooperative security; compliance, verification, and on- site inspection; missile defense; negotiating strategies, styles, objectives, asymmetries, and techniques.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
Instability, conflict, and irregular warfare within states due to burgeoning challenges posed by armed groups have proliferated in number and importance since the Cold War ended. With the spread of globalization, the technological shrinking of the world and interdependence of states and regions, these internal/transnational conflicts have taken new dimensions with far-reaching consequences. This seminar examines their patterns and evolution. Topics include examination of: the global strategic environment which armed groups exploit; the causes of internal/transnational conflict; types of armed groups, their operational patterns and strategies; and six case studies.
This course examines the nature of terrorism; the spectrum of terrorist motivations, strategies, and operations; the socio-political, economic and other factors that can enable terrorist group activities; the unique threat of WMD terrorism; and the internal vulnerabilities of terrorist organizations. Students will examine current and classic research on terrorism, and explore many of the puzzles that remain unanswered. Finally, the course will analyze these critical issues within the context of policies and strategies for responding to the threat of terrorism with increasing sophistication and success.
Consideration of crisis management in theory and practice, drawing from recent and earlier crises; theories of crisis prevention, deterrence; escalation, de-escalation, termination, and post crisis management; decision making; bargaining and negotiation; the role of third-parties; the National Security Act of 1947 and decisional approaches in successive U.S. administrations. Emphasis on theoretical literature, as well as the perspective of actual participants in recent crises and utilization of case studies, including cyber crises. The seminar also includes a major weekend crisis simulation exercise, SIMULEX, with outside participants from the official policy community.
This module is an in-depth conversation about (i) civil resistance – understood as a nonviolent struggle that is planned and waged by ordinary people – and (ii) the power of civil resistance to bring about major political, economic, or social change. This course will address how and why civil resistance movements work, their historical record and outcomes, and the strategy and dynamics of asymmetric conflicts waged by civil resistance movements. Drawing from this basis of understanding, we will look at how knowledge of civil resistance can better inform foreign policy formulations, including external assistance to civil resistance movements.
Although recent conflict environments entered a grey area that is neither war nor peace, the complexity of civil-military relations is not new. In the last two decades, kinetic activity, wider peacekeeping, peace building and state building have been pursued simultaneously. Cyber attacks and targeted killing outside war zones add to the "grey area." This seminar will analyze how international interveners, both civil and military, deal with such complex environments. Approaches will include themes, such as lack of coordination and planning; negotiation at HQ and in the field among civilian agencies, NGOs, and the military. We will examine cases and themes, as well as theory. Prior to taking this course, students should have taken a course in security studies, negotiation, or international law.
This course aims to build students’ understanding of the theory and practice of strategy and grand strategy and their influence on policy. It is a course designed for practitioners in which students are asked to think critically and creatively about today’s geopolitical environment, potential strategies, their implementation and their consequences. The course begins by examining the nature of strategy and how it is defined across the literature. It explores the historic origins and modern foundations of the field, introduces the concepts of power and statecraft, and considers critiques of strategic planning. Next, the course turns to a discussion of strategic art - the assessment, formulation, and implementation of strategy including the use of diplomatic, economic, and military tools of statecraft. The course concludes by considering the influences of culture, national values, and institutions on contemporary cases of strategy in the United States, China, Russia, and the NATO Alliance. Emphasis throughout the course is primarily focused on nation-state behavior but students are strongly encouraged to apply the course frameworks to other actors in the international system including intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, and other non-state actors.
One of the most consequential national security and economic challenges confronting policymakers today is cyber space and the threats that emanate from it. As a domain and instrument of competition and conflict, cyber space enables a range of global actors—including dissidents, terrorist organizations, and states with varying levels of offensive and defensive cyber capabilities—to assert influence, project power, and conduct activities in the increasingly ambiguous gray areas between war and peace. Designed as an introductory course for the national security generalist, this seminar will explore the role of power and conflict in cyber space; examine the various activities that occur in cyber space, including espionage, subversion, sabotage, and the potential for cyber warfare; explore the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and the role of the private sector; and discuss the policies, strategies, and governance structures of key actors that operate within the cyber domain. Underscoring topics throughout the course will be discussions on the role of risk and how policymakers assess threats and adapt to risk in the cyber domain.
The objective of the course is to familiarize students with the global
environmental and resource problems faced by the world today, as well as
various tools and methods available to address and analyze them.
Discussion on environmental and resource problems is structured around
four sections: people, environment and development; the physics of
environment; the global environment agenda; and prominent and emerging
environmental problems. Discussion on tools and methods seeks a balance
between quantitative and qualitative approaches, including economic
analysis tools, data, monitoring and verification, standards and
certificates, stakeholder engagement, and storytelling (discourse).
Emphasis is placed on the approaches and philosophies underlying the
understanding of each of the problems, tools and methods discussed, as
well as their applicability and limitations.
Driven by environmental factors, technology and market conditions, opportunities abound in areas related to conventional and new energy, which is represented by renewables and new technologies. This course examines the role that entrepreneurship, policy and financing taken together play in driving change that impacts traditional energy sources and results new energy opportunities. Energy entrepreneurship and financing together will support and create new infrastructure and require new energy paradigms on both the supply and demand side. The class will meld policy, strategy, finance and entrepreneurship in order to build a coherent framework for integrating conventional and new energy with a focus on both business and the environment. DHP P254 is recommended but not required.
This is a seminar-style course to introduce students to the concept of water security. Water security is a relatively new term in the field of water science and policy, and it is a concept with multiple interpretations. One definition by the Global Water Partnership is “Water Security, at any level from the household to the global, means that every person has access to enough safe water at an affordable cost to lead a clean, healthy, and productive life while ensuring that the natural environment is protected and enhanced.” Since the early 2000s, the term has been used in increasing popularity often as justification or informing technical or policy solutions to the world’s water challenges. How the term is applied in these situations depends on its interpretation, making a solid understanding of the underlying concepts of water security important for decision-makers. Ultimately, water security is a concept that allows us to consider the risks associated with water, such as the risk of a lack of access, risk of poor quality, or risk of flood, and to develop solutions to address these risks, thereby ensuring one’s water security. However, water security is often conflated with the idea of securitization, which has the potential to encourage a securitized approach to water resources management, when interdependence and cooperation are often what is needed to ensure water security for all.
This course will take a deep dive into the main concepts and theories underlying the term water security. We will use the Web of Water Security (Zeitoun 2011) as a framework for understanding how water relates to climate, energy, food, human, and national securities, plus consider the economics of water and address environmental water needs. This course aims to help students build an understanding of water security as a concept so that they can use it as a tool to evaluate and inform sustainable and equitable water solutions to the global water crisis we are currently facing.
Sustainable development diplomacy course examines how to integrate economic, environmental and social equity goals in foreign policy-making. It discusses the emergence of sustainable development as a concept and international institutions and negotiation processes that facilitate its implementation. Focusing on climate, water and forest diplomacy, we address a range of themes including UN climate negotiations, climate finance, environmental refugees, public-private cooperation, and water governance. The course also analyzes China and BRICS-led approaches to sustainable development and their new banks. It offers insights from practice, trainings in mutual gains negotiations and complex UN multiparty negotiations. Students develop expertise in policy analysis and planning, strategic thinking and feedback management.
This course examines how governments respond to the challenges posed by the complex problem of global climate change and how clean energy policies can help countries achieve multiple goals. The latest science, technological developments, economic assessments of costs and opportunities, the role of the media, domestic and international politics, and innovation are all discussed. Policy instruments for climate mitigation, adaptation, and a clean energy economy are introduced and thoroughly analyzed in a comparative way across most of the major-energy consuming countries. In-class exercises including an international negotiation simulation illuminate course themes. The course introduces and strengthens multidisciplinary policy analysis skills.
Energy affects every dimension of human society and it is crucial for economic prosperity. Energy is at the heart of economic development strategies, national security challenges, and intractable environmental problems. This review course maps how challenges and opportunities differ among countries, exploring basic differences between industrialized and developing countries. The policies of major energy producers and consumers are compared. The focus is on oil and gas, but renewable energy sources are also considered. Topics include: energy and the world economy, the geopolitics of oil and gas, energy markets, energy policy and economic development, climate change, technological change and the future of energy.
Innovation is the main source of economic growth and improvements in productivity, is a key lever for catalyzing development, reducing environmental harm, improving human health and well-being, and enhances national security. This seminar explores the nature of technology, theories and "stylized facts" about innovation processes, and how to think about innovation systems. A major focus is policy for innovation. Topics include national innovation systems, management of risks, global change, actors and institutions, social innovation, private vs. public, education, cross-country comparisons, competitiveness, technology transfer and diffusion, learning and "catch-up", IPR's, and leapfrogging. Case studies are used to understand each topic.
Explores companies' responses to pressure from stockholders, regulatory agencies, community and non-governmental organizations to exercise greater responsibility toward the environment and an increasing spectrum of social issues. Topics included strategy, staffing and organization, decision making, codes of conduct, resources, program development, product responsibility, corporate environmental policies, pollution prevention, trade associations, accident response, response to laws and regulations, corporate social responsibility, international issues, and foreign operations. Note: This course is cross-listed with the School of Arts and Sciences - Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.
This course primarily consists of experiential learning through applied group research projects for clients. Students will spend the bulk of the semester conducting two projects for leading developmentorganizations in teams of two to five. In 2015, the clients were the Overseas Development Institute, the World Bank, and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs. At the beginning of the term, lectures will be conducted on the process conducting rigorous-yet applied research. We will discuss the development of testable hypotheses, the acquisition of appropriate data for hypothesis testing, the art of policy analysis, techniques for effective team research, and writing policy memos that are both technically sound and persuasive. Open to students who have completed at least one of the following courses: DHP P250; EIB B284; DHP P257; DHP P254 ; DHP P255; EIB E243; EIB E247; EIB E213 and/or EIB E246. Students interested in taking this course but who have not taken one of the pre-requisite courses MUST seek permission of the instructor.
This course will address "science diplomacy" as an international, interdisciplinary and inclusive (holistic) field with global relevance to promote cooperation and prevent conflict among nations in our world that is being transformed with advanced technologies. The first formal dialogue between North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Russia about security issues in the Arctic Ocean will be used as a case study, team-taught by the two Co-Directors of this NATO Advanced Research Workshop they convened on Environmental Security in the Arctic Ocean at the University of Cambridge in 2010. The resulting book, which has over 65,000 downloads, will serve as the key text to address the elements of science diplomacy that apply across our civilization: (1) understanding of changes over time and space; (2) instruments for Earth system monitoring and assessment; (3) early warning systems; (4) catalysts of public-policy agendas; (5) features of international legal institutions; (6) sources of invention and commercial enterprise; (7) continuity across generations; (8) and global tool of diplomacy. Overall objective of this course is to consider the contributions of science diplomacy for building common interests among nations so that we can balance economic prosperity, environmental protection and societal well-being – in view of today's urgencies and the needs of future generations – across our world. This course is designed as a seminar for two hours on Thursday mornings and will be co-taught via videoconference by Professor Paul Berkman at The Fletcher School in Boston and by Professor Alexander Vylegzhanin at MGIMO University in Moscow, involving fifteen students on each side. United States and Russian students will learn together in the shared classroom environment and collaborate on projects throughout the semester, leading to a Mock Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting and shared production of a mock ministerial declaration. This holistic course will build on science-diplomacy training delivered by Professor Berkman through the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), national diplomatic academies and international organizations in collaboration with the Science Diplomacy Center at The Fletcher School, which is the first such center in the world in an academic institution.
Going beyond the simplistic notion of a great civilization divide, this course puts the categories ‘Islam' and ‘the West' under the spotlight of historical and comparative analysis. After providing some essential background, the course concentrates on the colonial and postcolonial encounter between Muslim and Western societies and polities with special, but not exclusive reference to the South Asian subcontinent. Organized along historical and thematic lines, the course focuses on the overlapping domains of culture and politics, thought and practice, to elucidate aspects of dialogue, tension, and confrontation between the worlds of Islam and the West.
This course explores foundational theoretical, methodological, and operational questions relevant to understanding democratization in the Middle East. How do we specify regime types; how do we explain the pervasiveness of authoritarian resilience and hybrid regimes, versus democratic, regimes, in the region? How do historical conditions of state-formation and patterns of secular and religious nation-building shape democratization trajectories in the region? How does geopolitics affect democratization in the Middle East? Using comparative cases of Egypt, Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Turkey, and combining seminar-style presentations with visits by democratization policymakers from inside/outside the region, the course gives students a robust introduction to scholar-practitioner issues at the cutting edge of democratization in the Middle East.
Organized along both historical and thematic lines, the course surveys politics, economy, and society in late colonial India and offers a comparative historical analysis of state structures and political processes in post-colonial South Asia, particularly India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Among the themes considered are the reasons for the partition of 1947, the nature of the colonial legacy, the origins of democracy and military authoritarianism, history of development, the shifting balance between central and regional power, the ongoing clash between so-called secular and religiously informed ideologies, and the impact on interstate relations in the subcontinent.
This course introduces students to the analytical and comparative study of large-scale, organized violence within states. Historical and contemporary civil wars will be analyzed from a variety of perspectives, and prominent cases such as former Yugoslavia and contemporary Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Sudan and Syria will be discussed. The course will address the role of resources, grievances, religion, nationalism, interstate dimensions (including refugee flows and repatriation), external intervention, and conflict resolution. The course aims to provide students with solid theoretical and historical foundations, and to highlight the difficult policy dilemmas associated with civil wars. By the end of the course, students will be well prepared to think through policy options in the prevention and resolution of civil wars. Enrollment is open, and there are no prerequisites.
21st century challenges to U.S. intelligence are being influenced by two different security and conflict contexts. The first appeared in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. As peacetime turned into wartime, intelligence institutions were tasked with combating new threats posed by transnational, decentralized and networked armed groups. This had a significant impact on the kinds of intelligence methods and capabilities that were could meet these challenges, which differed from those employed against 20th century state threats. The second context is what has been characterized as the new era of “great-power competition.” For U.S. intelligence agencies this means that states will be the predominant target in years ahead, relegating nonstate armed groups to a secondary concern.
To meet the challenges emanating from each of these security contexts, the U.S. intelligence community (IC) has sought to adapt how intelligence is collected, analyzed, and disseminated, as well as how it is employed as an instrument to help achieve policy objectives. A major theme running through the seminar will be to examine how U.S. intelligence has sought to make the necessary changes to adapt to these different challenges, and the extent to which the practices of the 21st century IC have been and will be affected by dramatic technological changes that may result in a revolution in intelligence affairs (RIA).
This course aims to explain those aspects of the Islamic world—history, politics, economics, society, legal systems, business practices—that are necessary to conduct business or political negotiations in a number of countries. The course will discuss issues of political economy and business of the Islamic world, with a special focus on Islamic networks, business culture, oil, and issues of globalization and governance. Case studies will focus on specific companies and institutions. From a geographic standpoint, the course will focus primarily on Middle Eastern and Persian Gulf countries, although it will also include countries such as Malaysia and Pakistan. For MIB students, this course is one of the regional course options.
The Middle East is home to many diverse peoples, with ancient cultures, in varying stages of development, often in conflict. The primary source of the world's energy, the Mideast is also the locus of the terror-WMD-fundamentalist nexus, threatening regional and international stability. The region's internal sources of unrest and possible upheaval are of great consequence to the international economy and security. The course surveys the national security threats and opportunities facing the region's primary players, from their perspective, and on the strategies they have adopted to deal them. Students draft policy papers to the actual leaders in power.
Islamic ideas and actors play an important part in global politics today. Their impact on political change, international security, and economic and social trends has shaped international relations in recent years. This course will trace the historical evolution of political Islam from both an international relations and a comparative politics perspective. A particular focus will be on the diversity of political Islam and on the religious factor in the "Arab Spring." The course will also look at the role of other religions in contemporary politics.
Since its inception, Israel has confronted nearly unremitting hostility: repeated wars, perpetual hostilities at lower levels, the failed peace processes with the Palestinians and Syria, and even the “cold” peace with Egypt and Jordan. Israel has responded by building up disproportionate national security (NS) capabilities. The course analyses Israel's NS decision making environment, the structures and processes of its NS establishment, basic tenets of Israeli NS strategy and primary issues, such as: US-Israeli relations, Iranian challenge, Hezbollah and Hamas, the peace process, relations with regional countries and the international community. Students draft policy papers to Israeli decision makers on major issues
Provides students with the basics of cyber security and cyberwar necessary to pursue further study or to someday enter the policy community as a practitioner. This course will examine key concepts like deterrence and the impact of cyber on war and peace. The course will provide students with a solid foundation for thinking clearly US national security and cyber conflict, especially with other state actors. Students will be prepared to undertake further study on cyber topics and, perhaps most important, be alert to the many myths associated with the field.
This seminar examines the significance of China's frontiers for Chinese foreign policy, Asian security, and international relations. The course will move geographically, taking students from Vietnam to the South China Sea, by way of the Tibetan plateau, Central Asia, the Mongolian steppe, and the Diaoyu (or Senkaku) islands, to name a few. Students will consider the different forces that come into play in a frontier region, such as ethnicity, trade, boundary disputes, and geography. The course is multidisciplinary: students are encouraged to take advantage of perspectives from history, anthropology, political science, economics, and journalism. Students are expected to produce a 15-30 page research paper. The assignments of an annotated bibliography, a précis, and a rough draft are meant to facilitate the writing process.
This course is built around two key questions surrounding China's rise: How will China rise? Where will this rise take China? To address these two deceptively simple questions, this course relies on the concept of strategy. In the broadest sense, strategy is the relationship between ends and means. For the purposes of this course, strategy is understood as the nexus between a nation's long-term goals and the various implements of national power—diplomatic, economic, military, and cultural tools—to achieve those objectives. To sharpen the analytical focus, this course focuses primarily on the "hard" dimensions of China's national power, which encompasses such material factors as geography, resources, economic size, and military power.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
An examination of Korea's modern "evolution" as a state and society. Emphasis on Korea's modern political history, from the origins and theory of statecraft in traditional Korea to the major geopolitical issues of the present day. Topics include Korea's relations with the great powers of the North Pacific and the primacy of international relations in the Korean world: from imperialism and Japanese colonialism, partition of the Korean peninsula and the establishment of two separate Koreas, Cold War politics and the Korean War, economic development and political freedom, to inter-Korean relations.
North Korea is the world world's last major hermit society. Since the division of the Korean peninsula in 1945, South Korea has developed into one of the largest trading nations in the world with a vibrant democratic polity, while North Korea has descended into a perpetually aid-dependent state that maintains domestic control through the deification of the ruling family and operation of extensive political prisoner concentration camps. What does the future hold for North Korea? Emphasis on the Kim family continuum, strategy of brinkmanship, human rights, nuclear politics, and the implications of regime preservation or collapse.
This course offers a general introduction to nuclear security. It provides a comprehensive but concise overview of the topic’s main historical, theoretical, and policy dimensions. During the first part of the semester, we will discuss key concepts (fission, deterrence, vertical proliferation, etc.) associated with the post-World War II emergence of nuclear strategy, explore the superpowers’ Cold War competition, and study the emergence of new nuclear-weapon states (Britain, China, etc.). Once these conceptual and historical foundations in place, we will investigate the theoretical debates that have divided scholars on seminal questions such as the causes of proliferation, the effectiveness of the international non-proliferation regime (and of counter-proliferation), the impact of nuclear weapons on state behavior (war/peace, coercion, etc.), and the many constraints and forms of resistance that have emerged over time (norms, disarmament, etc.). During the third section of the course, we will examine the post-Cold War emergence of the “second nuclear age,” with a specific interest for nuclear terrorism, climate change, nuclear safety, and US primacy. Finally, we will probe the nuclear challenges that have (re)emerged in East Asia (China, North Korea), the Middle East (Israel, Iran), Europe (Russia’s nuclear resurgence, NATO’s extended deterrence), and South Asia (India, Pakistan). In each class meeting, we will cover these local nuclear powers’ historical emergence, their current status, and the US response. The conclusion of the course will survey the latest trends, including prospects for disarmament, the Trump Administration’s nuclear policy, and the impact of cyber on command-and-control systems.
This course explores the intersection of geography, religion, and security in the trans-regional, trans-continental space of Eurasia. The course focuses primarily on the relationship between the United States and Russia, and questions whether the US and Russia are engaged in a zero-sum competition in Eurasia. The course has three parts: an introduction to theories of classical and critical geopolitics; an introduction to the origins of Eurasia as a geographic and cultural space, where religion figures prominently in competing geographies of power and identity; and, a review of key cases that give comparative purchased into the religion-security nexus in Eurasia.
Addressing the EU's strengths, as well as its weaknesses and limitations, this course focuses on the domestic impact of EU membership on selected EU member states. The effect of the EU on domestic institutions, processes, political culture, and policies, is examined first at a conceptual level and then through case studies of member states. The dramatic crisis of the Eurozone after 2008 provides a critical case study of the limits of Europeanization. It also encourages us to consider possible scenarios for the future.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
The EU claims to possess capabilities for international engagement in a number of missions and operations: peacekeeping missions, joint disarmament operations, humanitarian and rescue tasks, military assistance, conflict prevention, peace-keeping, and post-conflict stabilization. This course provides an exploration of the EU's capabilities, potential, and limitations as an international actor. An aim of the course is to introduce students to the factors and the conditions associated with the relatively limited role of the EU in international missions and operations and its potential as a ‘normative power.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
Has the European Union (EU) delivered on its promise of a fully integrated economic and political union? How has Europe grown from its modest beginning with the European Coal and Steel Community established in 1951 with only six countries to the European Union, which today encompasses 27 countries? Is the Euro crisis undermining the future of the European Union or will it usher the EU in a fiscal union, which by necessity requires a closer political union? How does this multi- faceted integrative process shape the European business environment? Through class discussion and case studies managerial implications for firms operating in Europe are assessed at the provincial, national, and EU level. No prerequisite. Offered in English (01) and French (02) language sections. For MIB students, this course is one of the regional options.
The course will examine the macroeconomic environment for business in Latin America, as shaped by the recent history of the region’s macro institutions and policies. Among the topics treated, all illustrated with regional case studies, are: inconstant capital inflows and economic volatility; the impact on the private sector of fiscal excess and sovereign default risk; high inflation; real currency appreciation, loss of competitiveness and balance of payments crises; financial system fragility and banking system risk; the resource curse and Dutch disease; vulnerability to adversity abroad. Prior command of basic macroeconomics is desirable, but not required.
This seminar will examine the implications of international migration, migrant remittances, and transnationalism for development and politics in Latin America. The first section addresses alternative theories of migration and reviews global patterns of migration in both sending and receiving countries. The last two sections focus on the impact of international migration and remittances on economic development and politics in sending countries, primarily in Latin America but with some comparative data from other developing countries.
Power is the defining concept in the international relations discipline, and yet there is no consensus about what that concept means. This is a problematic state of affairs. The need for a better conceptual and empirical understanding of power should be obvious. This seminar will confront these conceptual and empirical problems head-on. Through an array of scholarly readings and case studies, we will aim for a better understanding of what power means, its myriad dimensions, how it is perceived over time, and how it is exercised by actors in world politics.
The world has been coming to an end for some time now. Take your pick of catastrophe:terrorism, financial crisis, nuclear war, cyber-collapse, natural disasters, climate change, or, hey, devastating pandemic. It seems as if the 21st century has been replete with world-defining catastrophes and we are barely a fifth of the way through it At the same time, however, it is worth remembering how many times civilization was supposed to come to an end in the past. Parson Malthus predicted a demographic time bomb in the mid nineteenth century. The Club of Rome predicted the depletion of key natural resources in the 1970s. Y2K was supposed to break the Internet on January 1, 2000. Many people embraced the misplaced eschatological beliefs surrounding the Mayan prediction of the end of civilization in December 2012. Even when catastrophes strike, like the Black Death or the 1918/19 influenza pandemic, civilization adapts and overcomes. This course is borne out of the coronavirus pandemic but focused on the larger questions it raises about possible catastrophes and the ability of the world to respond to them. It starts with some theoretical considerations of why societies might not be prepared to cope with looming catastrophic events. These include problems of collective action, time discounting, failures to differentiate risk and uncertainty, normal accidents, bureaucratic politics, millenarian beliefs, and the anarchical structure of international politics. It then considers which kinds of societies and polities are better placed to respond to disasters and catastrophes. The next section considers some of the historical instances in which threats both real and imagined affected the globe, and how they played out. These threats range from pandemics to famines to nuclear catastrophes to overpopulation to cyber collapse. The third section of the course compares and contrasts the global responses to the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 covid-19 pandemic. The fourth section of the course considers the post-coronavirus threats to the world, from climate change to the renewed possibility of great power war. The final section considers the role that fictional narratives play in thinking about catastrophes.
This seminar examines how democratization and market reform have interacted to reshape the state and society in Latin America. The first part of the course provides an historical overview of these processes in ten Latin American countries: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Colombia, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Ecuador. The second part of the course addresses the region's ongoing struggles to deepen democracy in the areas of participation, citizenship, public security, accountability, decentralization, social policy, and civil rights.
The course will deal with interrelated institutional and structural (but not macroeconomic) problems of the Latin region, such as those of labor markets, foreign direct investment, regional economic integration, privatization, infrastructure, industrial policy, pension regimes, inequality and poverty, tax and public spending regimes and fiscal federalism, highlighting throughout the ever controversial role of the state. The analysis will often rely on basic notions of welfare economics (expounded concisely in the initial session). Prior command of basic microeconomics is desirable, but not required.
Human security covers a broad range of issues and practices, but they all share three main analytic components: (1) person-centered, focusing on views of security as defined from the ground up rather than top-down; (2) multi-dimensional, requiring both an interdisciplinary approach and one that integrates all voices and perspectives; and (3) preventive, choosing to look at root causes and early indicators to be pro-active rather than reactive to threat. Human security thus provides a powerful lens through which to analyze all threats to the security of individuals and communities.
In this course, we will review the critical security and feminist security literature that preceded the development of human security. We then cover the core concepts in human security as outlined above: person-centered, multi-dimensional, and preventive. Under each of these themes, we will introduce relevant skills for building analytic competency and draw upon case studies that illustrate how these analytic approaches have been used in practice. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on becoming a "reflective practitioner," with the ability to investigate one's own values and assumptions and incorporate the learning from this inquiry into one's work.
Over the course of human history, most political regimes have been authoritarian. In this seminar, we will begin with the classic reading on authoritarianism (including totalitarian and military regimes) but quickly shift our focus to contemporary regimes that have been variously described as "hybrid," "competitive authoritarian," or "partially democratic." Specific topics include authoritarian institutions, elections in non- democracies, political violence, and the political economy of authoritarian states. Finally, since it is impossible to study authoritarianism in isolation from the vast literature on democratization, we will also consider several prominent theories in this tradition. Prior coursework in democratization is helpful, but it is not a prerequisite for this course.
Not offered AY 2017-2018, 2018-2019.
This course enables students to develop a nuanced understanding of the central issues and debates in human security, and also develop a deeper understanding of various aspects of the predicament facing the people of a crisis-affected, conflict or post-conflict country, and international organizations mandated to help address their problems. Human security privileges the security and well being of humans rather than the state. A field of study in international affairs and international relations, human security focuses on issues at the heart of human rights, humanitarian affairs, conflict studies and mediation, economic development, health and wellbeing. Human security approaches are inter-disciplinary and problem-focused, and seek to understand a problem from the perspective of the people most affected, which requires an anthropological sensibility and an appreciation of different social-cultural framings of problems. Thus, the course itself is problem-focused. It takes five central fields, which human security has drawn from and influenced – human rights, humanitarian studies, feminist and gender studies, mediation and conflict resolution, and development – and uses foundational theories and applications in those fields to bring a human security lens to better understand and address current problems in Latin America. The course is also inter-disciplinary and involves readings in anthropology, political science, law, international relations, security studies, humanitarian studies, public health and trauma, conflict resolution, feminist/gender studies, economics, environmental studies, and history.
During this course, students should gain a deeper understanding of the nature of contemporary violent conflict in Africa. Students will be expected to master the key theoretical approaches to violence in Africa, and to become familiar with a number of important case studies. The focus is on the origins and nature of violence, rather than policy responses and solutions. The course is inter-disciplinary and involves readings in political science, international relations, and social anthropology, while also touching on economics, environmental studies, and history.
Summer study and Internship for Fletcher MALD and MIB students who do not hold U.S. work authorization and who choose to engage in off-campus work or internship experiences in the United States. Experiential learning and application of academic experiences are standard components of a two-year master's level international affairs program. Requirements include successful completion of the Professional Development Program, mandatory attendance at two lectures, the internship and a presentation and Executive Summary at the conclusion of the internship. PhD students in the dissertation phase of their program will be eligible for up to 11 months of curricular practical training provided that they enroll in a .25 credit independent study under the supervision of their dissertation director. The course will be graded and based on a paper submitted by the student based on their internship experiences and the relationship to their PhD research. Students are eligible one time only during their degree program. Available only for F-1 visa holders. Please consult with the Registrar's Office for more information.