This is a core course restricted to Ford and STPP students only. Registration is by permission only.
In this section of 510, students will analyze the politics that affect foreign policy choices related to international security, broadly defined. We will consider multiple perspectives about the nature of the international system and how this system facilitates cooperation or ignites wars. We will investigate several critical topics related to international security, including great power competition, alliances, and interstate war; civil war and post-conflict reconstruction; technology and nuclear politics; and climate change and advocacy. Overall, the course aims to: 1) ground students with the theoretical knowledge to understand global challenges to cooperation; 2) identify and anticipate significant sources of conflict; 3) deepen students' knowledge of contemporary global security issues; 4) challenge assumptions about global politics and think critically about contemporary security issues from multiple perspectives; 5) encourage creativity and collective problem-solving about international security problems and 6) improve students' written and verbal communication.
