Global Master of Arts Program (GMAP) Courses

 

Modules

 

International Security

This course will examine and assess emerging 21st century international security challenges framed by an understanding of historical events and contending theories. From a broad overview of different types of conflict and warfare, to the emergence of non-violent civil resistance movements and cyber actors, the goal of this course is provide a firm understanding the 21st century international security and conflict environment."

Course faculty: Richard Shultz and Michael Sullivan
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Cyber Policy Analysis & Risk Management

This class will look at cyber policy, risk management, and compliance challenges facing global leaders today, ranging from data breaches and cyber attacks to issues of online speech, censorship, and intermediary liability. It will cover tools for how organizations manage cyber risk, as well as approaches to crafting both public and private sector cybersecurity policies with a particular focus on dealing with an evolving threat landscape and designing realistic, tech-informed policy.

Course faculty: Josephine Wolff
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

The International Legal System

This course provides the basic introduction to international law and the principal system in which it operates – the international legal system.  Topics include the nature and structure of the international legal system, sources of international law, states & other subjects of international law, the law of treaties, and the law of state responsibility.

Course faculty: John Cerone
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Global Economic Governance: Sustainable Trade and Investment

This course focuses on the relationship between globalization in the form of international flows of trade and investment, and sustainability, including climate change, other environmental policy, development, health, and other areas of non-commercial public policy.  It explores the ways in which international law addresses these issues through legislative techniques, including special exceptions as well as integrative rules, through dispute settlement, and through international organizations.  It provides an opportunity to examine forms and strategies of leadership in settings with multiple concerns and multiple horizontal and vertical nodes of authority. 

Course faculty: Joel Trachtman
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Policy Design & Evaluation

This course will examine how policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated.  It should draw on real-world public challenges — such as unemployment, housing, public health and climate change — in order to build skills of framing the values behind policy design decisions, examining the root causes of policy problems, stakeholder engagement, developing policy recommendations based on evidence and analysis, and evaluating policy solutions from diverse stakeholder perspectives.  This course should explore both the theory and practice of the policy process with the level of analysis being at the national level and including comparative analysis in a global context.

Course faculty: Carlos Alvarado Quesada

Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Addressing Global Environmental Challenges

This course focuses on understanding the intersection of complexity theory in addressing global environmental challenges. It will assess and compare the role that leadership can play in solving environmental problems and will explore three of the most pressing environmental challenges: plastics, climate, and water. This course provides an opportunity to learn and apply three types of skills that leaders will use regardless of sector in addressing these and similar challenges.

Course faculty: Kelly Sims Gallagher and Melissa McCracken
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Global Security Governance: International Law and Institutions

This course focuses on the law and practice of global governance institutions in the field of peace and security. It introduces the concept of global governance and the various institutions involved: formal inter-governmental organizations (such as the United Nations); informal inter-governmental institutions (such as the G-20); non-governmental actors (both NGOs and business); and public-private partnerships. The course then turns to selected issue areas: the use force, conflict management, human security, and health security. In each issue area, we look at institutions, law, and practice – painting a picture of how global governance actually functions.

Course faculty: Ian Johnstone
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Global Economy

This course introduces the foundational topics and debates around the rise of globalization. Students will draw on their collective experiences and course materials to examine the impact of globalization as well as state relationships that define globalization such as those with multinational organizations, private sector partners, and international financial actors. The course will focus on skill building around cross-cultural and inter-organizational management.

Course faculty: Bruce Watson
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Political Analysis—International Politics and Diplomacy

This course examines contemporary international politics and diplomacy. We study how different types of states—great powers, regional powers, and small states—attempt to adapt to the changing strategic environment of the twenty-first century. Guiding questions include: How do shifts in the international distribution of power create threats and opportunities for these states? How might domestic political dynamics of these states and the belief systems and perceptions of their leaders shape the types of foreign policies pursued, as well as states’ ability to efficiently adapt to changing international dynamics? Topics include: the new era of great power competition (the United States, China, and Russia), alliance dynamics, the future of international organizations, the intersection of energy and geopolitics, and the emergence of disruptive technologies

Course faculty: Jeffrey Taliaferro
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

 

Residencies

Global Leadership

Global leadership is the process of influencing individuals, groups, and organizations representing diverse cultural, political and institutional systems toward achieving a stated goal. This course utilizes a multi-layered systems approach to explore the theories and empirical evidence related to effective leadership in a global context. Integrating concepts from a broad range of social and behavioral science disciplines, this course will enhance students’ capabilities to lead themselves, teams and organizations in preparing to face the world’s most complex challenges.

Course faculty: Diane Ryan
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Negotiation Strategy and Skills

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; pre-negotiation and the problems of inducing parties to negotiate; negotiation dynamics; the roles of culture and power; and the strategy and tactics of international negotiation. International mediation, arbitration, special problems of multilateral negotiation, and the follow-up and implementation of negotiated agreements are also examined.

Course faculty: Diana Chigas and Eileen Babbitt
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

International Security Simulation (Red Team)

The red team simulation is a scenario driven exercise focused on building better plans through groupthink mitigation, cultural empathy, and alternative future analysis tools and methods. Scenarios come from real world international conflict areas and are developed by subject matter experts in that area.

Course faculty: Richard Shultz and Michael Sullivan
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Policy Lab

Held during the March in-person residency, the workshop examines both high level government or IO policy ideas as well as ground level organizational policies. We also examine business policies in the form of business plans. The workshop takes students through the steps of establishing an evidentiary base or evidence gap, root cause analysis, solution proposals, assumption testing, policy strategy for key stakeholders, and policy communications. The course builds on GMAP classes taught on negotiations, leadership, policy design, and communications. Students will also draw on lessons taught in topical courses as well, depending on the student’s selected policy domain (for example, the environment, the global economy, or international security). By the end of the workshop, students will be equipped to: 1) verbally communicate their policy idea in a final oral presentation, and 2) write either a 2,000-word policy brief or develop a slide deck, depending on the policy audience.

Course faculty: Kimberley Wilson and Melita Sawyer
Credits/Units: 1.5

 

Skill Summits

 

Data-Driven Decision Making in the World of Machine Learning & AI

Data driven equitable decision making is a core competency of strong and sustainable leadership. In this skill summit we will explore traditional methodology for such use of data and its rapid transformation with methodologies from Machine Learning and Artificial image. We will reinforce these ideas with suitable case studies.

Course faculty: Abani Patra
Credits/Units: 0.5

 

Arts of Communication

Students in this course will learn how to speak in public so that what they say will be heard, understood, and acted upon.  The course will address the visual, verbal and vocal aspects of public speaking along with rhetorical elements that make speech persuasive. Students will have the opportunity to practiced public speaking and receive constructive feedback.

Course faculty: Lawrence Quartana
Credits/Units: 0.5