Core Classes
International Relations in the Post Cold War Era – GLOB1-GC 1000
The demise of the Soviet Union and its empire, the legacy of colonialism, resurgent nation-alism and new non-state actors have given rise to a period of complexity and rapid change in international relations. The academic debate reflects this uncertainty, with contending theories about what constitutes power in the post cold war environment, how to identify the basic units of international affairs, the nature of globalization, the utility and legitimacy of the use of force, the dynamics of the balance of power, the nature of threats to peace and stability, and the role of international institutions. This course will examine alternative theories and frameworks for understanding post cold war developments, and test these theories against emergent reality. How, for example, do these contending theories explain the origins and consequences of terrorism and other global threats? What importance do they assign to the persistence of poverty and global inequality; to internal ethno/religious conflict and political instability; to ‘globalization and its discontents’? How do these theories assess the potential and implications of renewed great power conflict? How do they address the problem of U.S. hegemony and the reaction of others (states and non-states) to this new reality?
International Political Economy – GLOB1-GC 1030
This course provides an introduction to international political economy—the interaction of economics and politics, of markets and government, in the international arena. The course has 3 fundamental premises: first, economic factors play an important role in international relations; 2nd, the world economy is becoming increasingly integrated and interdependent; 3rd, political institutions and policies have a significant impact on the world economy. The goal of the course is to give students a better understanding of the world economy, the nature of international economic issues, the roles of international economic institutions and multinational enterprises, and the policy challenges of economic interdependence. The first part of the course is intended to provide an interdisciplinary analytical framework for the subject incorporating political science, economics, and recent history. The remaining parts of the course use this analytical framework to examine contemporary issues of international economic relations. These issues are organized under the headings of globalization, economic development, and managing economic interdependence.
International Law – GLOB1-GC 1040
This course will provide the global studies student with an introductory understanding of the role of public international law in international affairs. Each session will focus on an important aspect of the discipline and will reveal how and why international law affects world affairs in such a profound way. Among the questions addressed are: How are disputes between states settled and what mechanism does international law provide for their resolution? What are the sources of international law? Who is bound by it? How is it interpreted? When may a state apply its own laws extraterritorially? The course will examine key international legal institutions such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) as well as core substantive areas including: use of force, law of the sea, law of territory, human rights, and the global environment. Discussions emphasize the importance of international law in history and in current international relations.
Analytic Skills for Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 3035
The study of global affairs requires more than just interest, passion or even intelligence. It also demands that students develop a range of crucial skills to better evaluate information. In addition, students of global affairs must become capable of utilizing social-scientific principles as a means of obtaining accurate, evidence-based answers to the questions they care about. The goals of this course, therefore, are to introduce students to the research process and the different types of research methods available to answer critical questions about global affairs. Students will learn about both qualitative and quantitative research methods, as well as the advantages and disadvantages to different types of data collection and analysis. Further, this course will enhance students’ ability to analyze arguments, evaluate sources and evidence, and effectively convey key ideas and research findings. In so doing, this course aims to empower students to become both better consumers and better producers of knowledge.
Concentration
Peacemaking and Peacebuilding (required for Peacebuilding conc.) – GLOB1-GC 1010
Peace is a difficult-to-define concept, one that often finds itself framed as the absence of something else: of violence, of conflict, of inequality or oppression. Yet, increasingly, scholars and policymakers are attempting to develop theories and practices that aim to “build peace” – not just as the absence of war, but in the mold of what Johan Galtung defines as “positive peace,” characterized not only by a lack of physical violence, but also by the presence of harmonious relationships, equality and mutual interdependence. Conflict itself is not the primary problem making modern society less peaceful than it might be; rather, the use of violence of all kinds to engage in many different conflicts stands as the main barrier to peace. This course will explore contemporary methods for peacemaking and peacebuilding as responses to real and potential international deadly conflicts, particularly in a post-September 11 world in which the state is being challenged as the principal structure embodying the collective aspirations of the individual. There will be an emphasis not only on addressing conflict through high-level diplomacy – often thought of as peacemaking – but also through the lens of what the international community increasingly understands as peacebuilding – a set of highly interdependent social, economic and political approaches to interstate and intrastate conflict. Peacebuilding goes well beyond state-sanctioned diplomatic efforts. It includes informal diplomacy and a wide range of formal and informal activities led by civil society or private-sector actors who aim to prevent, contain or end violent conflicts, and seek to establish conditions in which political, social, economic and identity-based conflicts are less likely to result in violence and more likely to produce constructive change. The course will serve as a platform for students to learn about these different methods, and to consider the potential effectiveness and limitations of each one.
Developing Countries in the Global Economy (required for Dev. conc.) – GLOB1-GC 1020
This course will examine the problems poor countries face in today’s interdependent world and the strategies proposed to deal with them, beginning with an analysis of the ways in which the global trading system and the international financial system operate. It will then review the factors affecting the flow of investment capital to developing countries, either as official development assistance or as private investment, with particular attention to the roles of the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, transnational corporations and governments of both developed and developing countries. Next, it will consider the requirements for sustainable development and the role of NGOs as well as inter-governmental organizations and national governments, particularly in matters affecting the environment and human rights. The course will conclude with proposals for reform, based on a comparison of the experiences of selected developing countries and of different approaches to governance of the international trading and financial systems.
Global Civil Society – GLOB1-GC 1050
This course examines both the conceptual and practical foundations of global civil society. A history of global civil society will be studied by examining the evolution of NGOs and domestic and international social movements. The readings and in-class course materials provide an opportunity to critically examine the discourse of global civil society and what it means for our 21st century world. The course offers a history of such NGOs and of their relations with the United Nations, governments, and donors. Our examination will focus on the achievements and limitations of civil society in humanitarian aid, human rights, development and democracy, the environment, and other areas. The class will examine the methods from which NGOs choose, from global advocacy to grassroots service and collaboration with the public and private sectors. Gathering around causes that inspire them, private citizens have brought real changes to international affairs, and this course will use a multidisciplinary lens from which to understand the shifting power of civil society.
Transnational Security (required for Trans. Sec. conc.) – GLOB1-GC 2000
The concerns of national and international security have evolved considerably since the days of the Cold War. While states are still concerned with traditional threats such as military aggression from other states, emerging issues present different, yet no less compelling, challenges to security. These new challenges include terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, failed states, environmental catastrophes and major public health crises such as HIV/AIDS. This course explores how security policy issues are addressed at the national and international level. How prepared are agencies and organizations to meet newer security challenges? Are classic doctrines of deterrence still applicable? To what extent can technology be relied upon, as a tool to address current security needs.
Conflict Assessment: Theory and Practice – GLOB1-GC 2005
International actors often apply different methodologies to assess conflicts. These methodologies help them determine the best ways to address a conflict and maximize their opportunities to prevent or alleviate crises. This course examines how international actors including the World Bank, UN agencies, bilateral donors and NGOs, analyze conflict and the interaction between conflict dynamics and their own engagement in a given country or region. The class will explore how analytical frameworks can be used to assess the impact of development, humanitarian and peacebuilding programs or projects on existing conflict factors and dynamics. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the concept of conflict assessment, its development and implementation; exploring different approaches to conflict assessment, including an examination of different implicit assumptions and theories of conflict; analyzing specific conflict case studies and identifying real and potential 3rd party responses.
Ethnic Conflicts – GLOB1-GC 2010
This course examines the dramatic escalation of ethnic conflict in the post-Cold War era. We begin with a thorough analysis of the factors behind ethnic conflicts, including history, culture, attitudes, leadership, outside influences, and the ethnic group’s point of view. In our search for resolutions, we explore new approaches to ethnic conflicts using Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, East Timor, the Sudan, Palestinians, and Kurds as case studies. We conclude by advancing new ideas about the roles that the UN and the U.S. can play in resolving existing conflicts and preventing new ones from escalating beyond control.
Critical Analysis for Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2015
Global affairs professionals are called upon to write in a variety of forms beyond the classic academic research paper. Skills in research, analysis and writing are prized throughout the field; attaining those skills is vital for career advancement. This course is designed to introduce students to a wide array of forms, to further their analytic skills and to train them to polish their writing. The emphasis will be on writing and rewriting both in class workshops and in graded assignments. In class, we will review research goals, methods and ethics and apply them to professional global affairs writing. We will deconstruct various forms of professional writing in order to understand the structure and purpose of each type. We also will discuss the elements of non-fiction composition, including credit to sources, grammar, word choice, punctuation, spelling and other essentials. Each student will prepare three writing assignments and one oral presentation. The written work will give students a chance to write in diverse forms such as policy briefs, executive summaries, grant proposals, backgrounders, advocacy campaigns, speeches and journalistic articles. In all formats, the class will emphasize critical analysis, thorough research and well-honed writing. To achieve those aims, students will write draft versions of each project that will be discussed in workshops during class and critiqued by the instructor; the student will then revise them. Both substance and style will be considered in grading the final versions.
International Negotiation: Cases and Lessons – GLOB1-GC 2020
This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of how nations and other international actors go about achieving their objectives through the give-and-take of the negotiation process. First, we will focus on the theory and principles of effective international negotiation, using a number of case studies 9including the Arab-Israeli conflict, UN-Iraq negotiations over inspections and the Kyoto conference on climate change) in which negotiation has been used in recent years. The course will examine the role that different mindsets and cultures play in negotiation and will also pay special attention to the importance of developing the negotiating process and attaining mutual benefit from it. Finally, we will review the effective exercise of negotiation to handle issues before they become problems and problems before they become violent conflicts.
Public Diplomacy – GLOB1-GC 2025
Public diplomacy can be described as official efforts aimed at conveying information about government positions and policies to engender public support. The events of September 11 and its aftermath have given rise to new directions in public diplomacy that have placed powerful information and imaging campaigns at the forefront of international affairs. This includes the use of, and influence upon, public diplomacy by non-state actors. This course will examine the new realities, methodologies and technologies that drive public diplomacy in the early part of the 21st Century and the challenges to its effective implementation. The course employs current and historical readings, film and other multimedia.
Machinery and Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy Decision Making – GLOB1-GC 2030
Washington’s need to manage foreign policy issues arises from America’s far-flung concerns abroad, which impinge on U.S. security, economic, commercial, political, military, and ecological interests. Many federal bureaucracies are involved in solving problems, as well as Congress, the media, universities, NGOs, and the public. This course studies relevant institutions, their procedures, and their interactions in seeking solutions. We examine several recent cases of decision making, and discuss how major pending challenges in the Middle East, East Asia and elsewhere may be addressed.
Ethics in International Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2035
Updated description for Spring 2021: Ethics and (In)Justice(s) in International Affairs
Should moral considerations play a role in international politics? It is a question that most of us would instinctively answer “yes.” But once we consider specific issues, the answer becomes more complicated. For instance, what is a “just” war? Can war ever be “just?” Is violent resistance to oppression a moral right? Is killing (innocent) civilians ever justified? Or torture? Under what circumstances do ‘we’ have a right—or even a moral duty—to intervene in the domestic affairs of another state? Is the promotion of democracy a new form of imperialism? Where do human rights come from? Are they universal or may they be circumscribed by culture and religion? Should “culture” ever be allowed to limit the right of a woman to health care, education or control over her own body? And who creates these “rules” anyway? Do Angelina Jolie or Bono do more harm than good with their celebrity humanitarianism? Is slum tourism just another form of voyeuristic poverty porn or does it serve as a catalyst for urban regeneration? How can we measure the social impact on communities, positive and negative, of mass sports events, such as the Olympics? Is biodiversity protection in Africa just another form of colonialism? Most importantly, how have racism, sexism and colonialism been generating, solidifying, and enforcing global injustices, and what are ways to un-think–and dismantle–these global structures of inequality and oppression to create a more just and equitable world? A key feature of our seminar will be the centering of perspectives on ethics and (in)justice from thinkers and advocates from all over the world.
The Role of the U.S. in World Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2040
America’s current global predominance constitutes, for the first time, a unipolar system with far-reaching political, economic, and security implications. Can the U.S. maintain its supremacy for the foreseeable future? Consider sources of U.S. strength, examine how varied and durable they are, and discuss how resources can be channeled to conduct a more coherent and visionary foreign policy. Attempt to answer an even larger question: How should America deal with other significant powers, such as Russia, China, India, and Japan – not only to thwart any attempt to check or diminish its primacy, but to lead with moral authority?
The Future of International Relations: Forces for Change and Alternate Scenarios. (required for IR Futures conc.) – GLOB1-GC 2045
Rapid change, complexity, and uncertainty characterize the unfolding international system. Theoretical tools designed to help us interpret events, prescribe policies and anticipate trends are essential intellectual equipment. They can also become part of the problem, creating a false sense of confidence in how we understand global dynamics. Can we calibrate our actions to a desired effect? When at the service of great power, an exaggerated sense of understanding and control can produce massive unintended consequences. Policy is constantly playing catch up, scrambling to right itself in the aftermath of the latest shock. This course accepts uncertainty and surprise as givens, and then proceeds to build alternate scenarios around emerging forces for change and potential ‘wild card’ events. The purpose is not prediction, but a fuller understanding of global dynamics, and of plausible international systems that might emerge. In doing so, we will address theories, sources, indicators and consequences of change, and interactively build alternate future scenarios with students, other interested faculty and outside experts.
Strategic Foresight for International Relations – GLOB1-GC 2046
This course picks up from where the course “The Future of International Relations: Forces for Change and Alternative Scenarios” course ends. Students will be taught how to compose drivers and scenarios in a step-by-step process involving guided practice sessions. This course is an intensive structural exploration of forecasting and scenario work—how to think like a good forecaster; how to craft scenarios; and how to understand the current science of futures forecasting. The course is split into 2 basic sections, the first being a review of current work on futures forecasting, methodological history and the basics of computational prediction (first 2 weekends) and the second focused on case-specific scenario development and application of methodologies.
The Media and Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2050
This course examines the interrelationships between mass media (print and broadcast journalism) and politics in America and abroad. Journalism has both a symbiotic and an adversarial relationship with the political world that it covers. It uses and is used by politicians and their spin-doctors. By exploring the current and historic conflicts between journalists and politicians, students will be made aware of domestic and international U.S. policies and the relationships between Washington and foreign capitals, the United Nations, and regional conflicts. Course topics cover such themes as using and being used by news sources; journalistic ethics and ethical considerations in the setting of the news agenda; yellow journalism; implications of corporate ownership of media; First Amendment issues such as libel, privacy, prior restraint against publishing the news, protection of sources, the right to gather news, and national security; how governments control and spin the news; the changing role of the foreign correspondent; changes in the U.S. at war; broadcast regulations, including the Fairness Doctrine and the questions of equal time and access; the implications of “negative” journalism; the growing role and impact of technological change on newsgathering; and journalism’s impact on the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections.
Arms Control, Non-Proliferation, and Disarmament of Weapons of Mass Destruction – GLOB1-GC 2055
Nuclear weapons continue to pose the greatest threat to humanity and the planetary environment. As long as they continue to exist; possession of them will proliferate, they will, at some time be used, whether as the result of accident, miscalculation or decision, and any use would be catastrophic in human, political, ecological and, moral terms. These facts have been broadly recognized since shortly after the creation and then, use of them, in 1945. Following almost a decade, in which nuclear disarmament has been stalled, it is now widely recognized that action must be urgently renewed to rid the world of the unique danger posed by nuclear weapons. This course will: Examine the origin of nuclear weapons, their subsequent development, doctrines of their purported utility and possible use, their relationship to notions of security and state prestige, steps taken to control them and limit the dangers they pose, their cost, the obstacles to their elimination, and, ways in which elimination can be safely achieved. The course will also examine and assess the likelihood of success of current proposals for the elimination of nuclear weapons and for the maintenance of security in a world without nuclear weapons, and in which non- state actors continue to threaten security.
Democratic Transitions: Setbacks and Successes – GLOB1-GC 2060
Developing countries are under increasing pressure – from inside as well as from outside – to move toward democracy. Opposition parties organize even where it is illegal or risky. Human rights activists and journalists challenge dictators. Citizen groups demand government accountability and the inclusion of the poor, minority groups and women in politics. Western governments, the World Bank and civil society organizations push for reform. This class will examine the efforts to build democracy and the obstacles to that work in select countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. We will discuss countries that have achieved considerable success in building democratic structures, others where the search for better government has become entangled in conflict, and still others where democratic movements are just beginning.
Transnational Crime – GLOB1-GC 2065
When societies get organized, so too do their criminals. Likewise, the globalization of the ‘upperworld’ has been mirrored by the transnationalization of the underworld. The smallest drug-dealing street gang, whether it appreciates it or not, is part of a global criminal market with an estimated annual turnover of a trillion dollars. This global underworld not only reflects the legitimate world—taking advantages of new opportunities or reacting to the ebb and flow of power and economic development—but, it also influences it, from perpetuating markets in weapons which arm insurgents and terrorists around the world to facilitating migration and undermining government control of territories, borders, and economies. Global crime is not an organized global conspiracy, nor is it a random collection of maladjusted thugs, frauds and psychopaths. It is a complex array of competing, cooperating, stable, fragmenting, local and multinational organizations. It is also powerful, and growing. This course will adopt a deliberately broad perspective, covering thematic issues as well as a wide range of criminal organizations and cultures, from the Sicilian Mafia and its transplanted North American cousins to the emerging threats of the present day, such as the criminalized state of North Korea and the entrenched power of the ‘mafia’ in modern Russia. Above all, it will explore the impact of transnational crime on our world, and the responses necessary to control it.
Intelligence and Counterintelligence – GLOB1-GC 2070
Intelligence refers to the process of gathering and analyzing difficult-to-obtain information. Accurate intelligence is essential for any government to formulate and implement strategy with regards to counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and foreign policy. This course will introduce students to the diverse methods employed by the United States government for collecting, processing, analyzing and disseminating intelligence in the 21st century. Students will examine the individual organizations comprising America’s national intelligence community and identify the historical successes, failures and the future challenges that each agency faces in fulfilling their respective missions. This course will help students to develop an informed appreciation of the capabilities and limitations of intelligence and of the US national intelligence community in particular.
Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security – GLOB1-GC 2075
The attacks of September 11, 2001, have brought the issue of transnational terrorism to the forefront of the global agenda. As such, countering terrorism and protecting national homelands has become a new priority for governments. This course explores how terrorists can be countered and how their impact can be minimized. Some of the key questions that this course deals with include: What exactly is counter-terrorism? What is entailed in homeland security? How can governments and societies effectively deter and, if necessary, combat terrorism? What alternatives are available to the international community for combating transnational terrorism? What are the trade offs and costs societies might be asked to incur in order to wage a war on terrorism and/or protect their homelands? How have recent wars on terror fared? How does terrorism end?
Transnational Terrorism – GLOB1-GC 2080
The attacks of September 11, 2001, have brought the issue of transnational terrorism to the forefront of the global agenda. Terrorism, however, is hardly a new phenomenon. The employment of terrorist tactics for purposes of achieving social or political goals dates back at least several centuries. This course explores what terrorism is and how it has evolved. Some of the key questions that this course deals with include: What exactly is terrorism? What kinds of actors employ terrorist tactics? What are the most common terrorist strategies and tactics? How has terrorism evolved since the end of the Cold War? How much of a threat is terrorism? What are the new threats posed by terrorists in the current era? What role do societal factors, such as the media and public opinion, play in dealing with terrorism? How can governments and societies effectively deter and, if necessary, combat terrorism? What alternatives are available to the international community for combating transnational terrorism? What are the tradeoffs and costs societies might be asked to incur in order to wage a war on terrorism? How have recent wars on terror fared? How does terrorism end?
The United States in the World Economy – GLOB1-GC 2085
This course combines a variety of approaches from history, sociology and economics in the study of the political economy of the United States and its unique position in the world economy. While tracing the historical development of the US in the world economy, the course will examine major events and forces that have shaped the global political economy from the late 19th century to the present day. Particular attention will be paid to the long-term development trends of the US/world economy, the growth of institutions and markets, industrialization/deindustrialization, internationalization of production and finance, and the impact of governmental economic policies. In this context, we will discuss the historical roots of US hegemony and its structural impact on the global economy. Finally, we will try to reach some general conclusions about the current condition and prospects for the US position in the world economy.
Peacebuilding and Development – GLOB1-GC 2090
Amartya Sen defines development as “a process of expanding the real freedoms that people enjoy” and of diminishing their “un-freedoms” such as lack of access to income, markets, healthcare, education and effective institutions for the maintenance of peace and security. Peacebuilding, meanwhile, aims to improve, restore and foster mutually beneficial relationships that enable individuals, groups, communities, nations and states to approach each other constructively even in moments of great conflict or tension. The objective is to achieve substantial gains for all parties rather than the destruction and loss that often results for all parties in violence and war. This course will focus on 2 central questions: would pursuit of the freedoms Sen describes be more successful if it took maximum advantage of positive relationships, sought to improve damaged relationships and created constructive relationships where none exist? In addition, is it possible that development can only have the truly desired effect of increasing freedoms if it occurs within a framework of constructive collaboration that can help ensure that gains in freedoms are sustainable and contribute to lasting peace? As part of this inquiry into the intersection of peacebuilding and development, it will be necessary to examine particular approaches to both development and peacebuilding. In particular, it will be necessary to investigate tensions that exist between traditional top-down vs. bottom-up models. It will be necessary to devote attention to the roles and relationships of international non-governmental organizations – as well as other international organizations and governments – and indigenous civil society organizations in so-called zones of conflict. The course will highlight linkages and inconsistencies between theory and practice in both peacebuilding and development. Students will be challenged to consider the relative importance of international and local actors and to draw conclusions about the most appropriate ways they can work together in pursuit of sustainable peace and development.
Global Climate Change – “Human Security in the Climate Crisis” – GLOB1-GC 2095
Human security addresses several categories of concern: economic security, food security, health security, environmental security, personal security, community security, and political security. All of these are impacted by the present global climate crisis.
The UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a wide and diverse range of other expert bodies have recognized the major threats to human security in the climatic conditions we face in the world today. This course will examine the science on climate change, the scope of the international response to date, and the negative physical impacts now and alarming prospects for much worse in some scenarios, then explore a range of concerns in how the climate crisis is impeding development, causing disasters, triggering migration, and how environmental change is endangering the security of states and their populations, including how it exacerbates political and military tensions, and may even cause economic collapse under certain conditions.
Political Economy of Development – GLOB1-GC 2100
This course examines the various issues and problems associated with economic growth and development from both classical and Marxist perspectives. We look at case studies from East Asia and Latin America; explore the challenges posed by economies in transition in central and eastern Europe; and consider the experience of industrial countries with specific reference to their less developed regions. In particular, the course tries to define the conditions that allow for economic growth and seeks to understand the relationship between economic growth and human development.
Economic Security: Challenges, Prescriptions, and Opportunities in the Post 9/11 Era – GLOB1-GC 2105
Traditional concepts of security have focused on politico-military strength as a means of power projection in international relations with little emphasis on economics and other variables. Many pundits, however are challenging this traditional notion by highlighting such disparate but inter-related factors such as economics, ideology, demography, culture, and geography. Can a superpower remain one in the face of severe structural economic balances? What are the potential symmetrical and asymmetrical threats to national and global economic vitality? This course not only aims to highlight and better explain the economic drivers behind national security but to examine these drivers and their impact on national security in a more holistic and integrated fashion. In this debate, traditional concepts of national security are being challenged and re-defined. This course weaves economic assumptions and underpinnings into the fabric of national security aiming to provoke analysis, thought, and discourse regarding the impact of the global economy on national security and national security on the geo-economy.
The Multinational Corporation: Economic, Political, and Managerial Perspectives – GLOB1-GC 2110
There are over 60,000 multinational corporations (MNCs). They are the most significant force behind globalization. Whether as customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators, employees, shareholders, or citizens, we are directly affected by their output of products, services, and ideas. Moreover, through trading and investing, MNCs are dramatically compressing our notions of time and space. This course examines the economic dimensions of MNCs’ behavior, their interaction with national and local governments and communities, and the ways they organize to operate effectively across borders. Through case studies, students explore issues such as: MNCs and protectionism; environment and labor relations; control of strategic natural and technological resources; and transborder mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.
The Use of Force and the “Global War on Terror” – GLOB1-GC 2115
This course introduces some of the key challenges the U.S. has faced in responding to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and analyzes the U.S.’s response from a legal framework. We will cover basic principles on the use of force, and then apply them to examining the legal foundations for the coalition interventions in Iraq (2003) and Afghanistan. We will discuss whether the situation should be understood as a “Global War on Terror” (“GWOT”) or something else. We will discuss some of the difficult issues as to the conduct of the “war”—including the responsibilities of an occupying power, permissible targets, means of targeting, the scope of the “field of battle,” and legal issues related to conducting counterinsurgency operations. We will cover the various options for U.S. terrorism trials—military commissions, federal court trials or whether new “national security courts” should be created. We will discuss the newly codified “crime of aggression,” as well as the international terrorism conventions. Another focus will be the use of “enhanced interrogation” techniques and “extraordinary renditions,” and the extent to which there has been an accounting, or should be an accounting, by the U.S. as to such practices. Finally, we will examine the domestic and international ramification of “GWOT,” and ultimately the effectiveness of the U.S.’s strategy, as well as what alternative options might have been pursued. Throughout the course, we will consider a broad range of academic, military and government perspectives on the above topics, and a broad diversity of viewpoints is encouraged.
Clean Technology: Developments, Trends, and Opportunities – GLOB1-GC 2125
The world is in a transition to cleaner and smarter consumption and production. This is being driven by a number of important factors including the looming threat of climate change; the favorable economics; a desire by nations for food, energy and natural resource independence and security; the urge to escape from the massive burden of water and air pollution many societies still experience; and rapidly evolving technology. Sustainable development is no longer a dream. It is fast becoming a global reality.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, and Purpose-driven Leadership in the 21st Century – GLOB1-GC 2130
In today’s fast-changing world, the roles of business, government, and civil society actors are being redefined. Significant challenges related to climate change, inequality, populism, and technology necessitate private sector organizations to rethink their responsibilities and approaches, which provides opportunities as well as challenges. Businesses increasingly realize the importance of integrating social and environmental impact to (re-)gain legitimacy, to attract employees and customers, and to survive. The course will cover questions such as: How can organizations integrate profit and purpose, at scale? How do companies become part of tackling societal challenges, for example, related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How do we measure social and environmental ‘impact’? What is the role of impact investing? How do multi-stakeholder partnerships evolve that integrate local communities? How do organizations cope with the unexpected/cultivate serendipity? We will discuss the capacity of organizations to play an effective role in tackling society’s most pressing challenges, integrating concepts such as corporate social responsibility, shared value, triple bottom line, social innovation, among others. Senior executives and policymakers will be engaged as guest speakers and mentors. Learning will be interactive, and students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant companies and organizations.
Networks as Capacities for Peace – GLOB1-GC 2135
This course will explore social network theory in relation to peace and conflict: the idea that social, professional, religious, tribal, family and other types of networks themselves can be exploited strategically in order to build peace. Such networks will be examined primarily through a conflict transformation framework that asserts the necessity of working at the individual, relational and structural levels to achieve positive societal change related to conflict. Utilizing networks for conflict transformation – or, as Adam Curle writes, the “transformation of unpeaceful into peaceful relationships”— occurs as frequently at the highest-level of inter-governmental peacemaking as it does in very small community-level conflict settings. The course will examine relevant theories and apply them to cases. Case studies will be explored that offer concrete examples of networks as peace capacities that have been mobilized in a variety of conflict environments; other case studies will highlight missed opportunities for utilization of networks for conflict transformation. Students will be challenged to consider the applicability of network theory as a cross-cutting approach to the practice of conflict transformation with the desired objective of building sustainable peace. They will learn to consider critically how networks could be better recognized and mobilized in a range of existing international conflicts.
Economics for Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2145
The course will emphasize a real-world understanding of introductory economic principles and the application of the economic doctrines to events, past and present, to enable a clear perceptive on the complex and dynamic global economy. It will thus provide the student a primer on basic economic constructs without the econometric models employed throughout much of contemporary economics. Through an integrated approach employing lecture, text, video, and discussion, students will be exposed to the overarching concepts of contemporary economic thought, national income and output, economic decision making of the firm, distribution of income and income inequality, concepts of economic growth, the role of the state, international trade. This course will provide a solid foundation and introduction to modern economics.
Beyond GDP: New Approaches and Metrics for a Global Economy – GLOB1-GC 2146
Many commonly-used approaches and indicators that aim to describe the strength of an economy – and that serve as a foundation for crafting public policies – have unintended consequences and have caused environmental degradation, economic inequality, and financial meltdowns. Traditional measures of national performance such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP) tend to “measure everything except that which makes life worthwhile.” (R.F. Kennedy), and governments and businesses are increasingly looking for alternative approaches. This course will first analyze traditional approaches and related metrics used for understanding and assessing national well- being, national output, unemployment, inflation, productivity, and trade, among others. Then, we will explore questions such as: What are effective approaches and indicators that can guide corporations and countries in their decision-making? What are economic models that can help us understand a fast-changing world? How did the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) come to anchor government’s policies in the 20th century, and what are its limitations amid a globalizing economy? How is unemployment, productivity, and trade (mis-) calculated? How do financial indicators shape public policy? What are useful and novel approaches and measures that can guide corporations and countries?
The course will cover different approaches (and geographies), including Gross Happiness Product, Circular Economy, Inclusive Growth, Enlightened-Self-Interest Capitalism, etc., and cover “grand challenges” such as climate change and social inequality.
Monitoring and Evaluation for Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2151
This course introduces students to monitoring and evaluation (M&E). It includes how monitoring and evaluation are different, why these are performed, how to design and implement both, barriers to successful implementation, how to identify when monitoring and evaluation are done well, how to use what is learned from monitoring and evaluation to advance program or policy goals, and how to integrate monitoring and evaluation findings into operational structures.
This is an introductory course. In other words, it provides students with an overview of the topics and offers resources and directions for those who wish to learn more. As an overview, introductory course, it is useful to both creators and consumers of monitoring and evaluation results.
The course is not aimed at a particular sector, e.g., government, nongovernmental organization or philanthropy. Nor will it focus on a particular domain, such as economic development, human rights, environment, gender, or the like. Rather, it teaches the tools and frameworks needed to work in any of these areas. Students are invited to use the assignments to explore issue areas and regions of particular interest to them.
Post-Conflict Policies for Peace Consolidation: A Case Study Approach – GLOB1-GC 2155
Approximately 40% of wars return to war within 5 years of peace. In the context of an overall declining war environment globally, recurring wars now constitute a top priority for the international community. Traditional peacemaking approaches have failed to sustain peace primarily because they do not adequately seek to address the factors that led to war. A new recognition is gaining traction around the need to ensure programming and policy-making is done very differently in a post-conflict setting. The concept of “conflict sensitivity” is being used to describe a set of practices that aim to ensure that policies and programs are conducted in a manner that takes the causes of conflict in a given society into consideration, so that they do not reignite or exacerbate existing or past social tensions that have fueled violent conflict. While the notion of “conflict sensitivity” is being increasingly applied at the programmatic level, efforts are needed to understand how it is being, and can be more effectively applied at the policy level, particularly around development and economic policy, but also in areas of democracy and governance, rule of law, education and security.
Global Corporate Ethics, Compliance and Governance: A Hands-on Approach – GLOB1-GC 2160
In a world of growing corporate, governmental and other scandals where, due to the digitization and democratization of information, perpetrators can no longer hide, the trend is toward a global convergence of laws, regulations and practices to prevent corporate and other organizational crimes and unethical behaviors. This course (1) provides an overview of global trends in compliance, business ethics, governance and corporate responsibility, (2) analyzes key crimes and misdemeanors (including corruption, harassment, fraud, cyber-issues, environmental violations, intellectual property, privacy, etc.), and (3) provides a practical, hands-on approach to solving and preventing ethical, compliance and governance crises. Throughout the course, seminar members are exposed to numerous guest speakers (global leaders in the fields of business ethics, compliance and governance) and are part of a fictitious executive team tackling a broad array of ethical dilemmas and challenges.
Build Your Own NGO: Organizational Development for Global Affairs Professionals – GLOB1-GC 2165
This practical, skill-building course will equip students with the information and skills they need to develop, enhance, work in, or better understand international non-profit organizations. It will cover topics such as strategic planning, staff and board management, fundraising, budgeting, marketing and outreach, and quality control.
International Banking – GLOB1-GC 2170
This course is an overview of global banking and provides a framework for students learning about finance and trade in the world markets. Major themes of globalization, interdependence and sovereign risk will be explored, as well as the critical role of project financing in the developing world, funding strategies, currency crises and their contagion across the globe. Students will gain an understanding of global financial players, banks and global NGOs, that either contribute to economic growth and prosperity or interfere and interrupt market efficiencies and wealth creation in developing countries. Topics will include major trends in today’s financial world including industry mergers, effects of international private banking, the growth of Islamic banking, as well as regulatory compliance and money laundering.
Politics and Policies of the EU and European Integration – GLOB1-GC 2175
In this course we will study one of the most exciting topics in contemporary politics: the politics of European integration and supranational governance, and the possible development of a United States of Europe. We will begin by very briefly reviewing the history and theories of (European) integration, the fundamental structure and institutions of the EU, and then move on to explore four key EU policy areas, their successes and current challenges: monetary and trade policy, internal security (immigration, labor migration, integration), the EU as a global actor and the challenges of devising a common foreign and security policy, and, finally, the energy-security policy nexus. We will conclude with a discussion of the current state and the future of transatlantic relations.
The Emerging Markets – GLOB1-GC 2180
Emerging markets are essential drivers of global economic growth and prosperity. This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of policy, development, business, and entrepreneurship in emerging market countries. Using a broad definition of emerging markets, it covers countries across South East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. We focus on the pertinent questions of our time as they relate to these economies: How can inclusive and sustainable growth be fostered over time and at scale? How do these countries manage financial flows, technology, and the balance of market and state? What is the role of (multilateral) institutions in promoting economic development and social change? What are the strategies and innovative approaches (e.g., cultivating serendipity; social innovation) that governments, non-governmental organizations, enterprises, and fourth sector actors adapt to navigate in these contexts? And what can these contexts teach us about novel approaches to economic and human development? Learning will be interactive, and based on leading-edge research, case studies, and engagement with senior executives and policymakers. Students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant companies and organizations operating in emerging markets.
Global Public Health – GLOB1-GC 2190
This course examines the convergence between human rights and public health at the national and international levels. From the origins of health and human rights concerns to the obligations of health professionals in the face of human rights violations; from the vulnerability of economic, social and minority groups within nations to the health consequences of war and violence; and from local and national health-care systems to international health governance, we explore the meaning of “health” and of the “right to the highest attainable standard of health” in historical, cultural and political contexts. Analysis of specific case studies will illuminate the problems, prospects, and potential methods of promoting health to foster human fulfillment. A central goal of the class is to equip students with the capacity to engage critically with the evolving and contested application of tools of human rights in public health promotion and programming.
Building Democracies – GLOB1-GC 2195
For several decades, the international community has assisted developing countries transition to democracy. The collapse of the Soviet Union gave democracy assistance a significant boost in the early 1990s; the attacks of September 11, 2001, propelled democracy promotion further, targeting new regions and infusing a greater sense of urgency into this field. With an increasing focus on fragile and conflict-affected countries, billions of dollars—and thousands of lives—have been spent on democracy assistance. Yet, despite years of experience and enormous resources devoted to the cause, the record on democracy assistance remains checkered. This course will examine the role of Western assistance in developing countries’ transitions to democracy and assess whether current strategies and approaches are meeting expected goals. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of how the international community conceptualizes and delivers democracy assistance, the challenges encountered in this endeavor, and the recent attempts to improve overall success in this field. Cases studies will be drawn from around the world, focusing in particular on West Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.
International Justice – GLOB1-GC 2205
This course examines the international and semi-international institutions established to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The tribunals examined will include the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court, and their predecessors – the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo); The course additionally examines some of the substantive law of the Yugoslav and Rwanda tribunals, particularly, the elements of the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and individual and command responsibility. We will also examine the prospects of justice for serious crimes committed in places such as Iraq, Darfur and Cambodia. Students will be required to take a midterm examination, and to write a major research paper (e.g. 20 pages), based substantially on primary sources, due at the end of the course.
Transitional Justice in Theory and Practice – GLOB1-GC 2215
How do states or societies that have suffered massive human rights abuses deal with the complex legacies of their past as they transition to peace and democracy? What can policymakers or activists do to defuse the bitterness of past conflict or repression and meet rhetorical and political demands for justice? These questions are far from theoretical: a significant and increasing number of countries that have pursued such policies in recent years, ranging from Morocco, East Timor, Sierra Leone and Peru, as well as many others. This course examines the ethical, political, legal, and practical challenges of designing and implementing transitional justice policies. It begins by examining the development of transitional justice as field of political and social activism, including its relationship to political science and international law. It sets out the developing legal framework that supports such activism, as well as the practical constraints and ethical dilemmas that both characterize such contexts and make transitional justice such a complicated field. Policy considerations derived from best practice are also discussed, including techniques for strategy mapping and direct public consultation. The course then examines specific elements of transitional justice strategies in depth. These include, but are not limited to: prosecution of perpetrators, and the growing shift from international-level mechanisms to hybrid and domestic tribunals; truth-seeking, whether conducted as part of official state policy or as a result of unofficial initiatives; the challenges in designing and implementing reparations programs; and complex issues of vetting and institutional reform. Questions related to transitional justice in situations of ongoing conflict will also be explored, as well as the many-sided concept of reconciliation. Readings will cover relevant international standards and methodological/theoretical questions. Real life policy examples from diverse regions will be used throughout the course, and at least 2 will be examined in depth.
International Trade Law and Policy – GLOB1-GC 2220
This course examines the laws regulating international trade in goods and services, focusing primarily on the law of the World Trade Organization and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, as well as the foreign trade laws of the United States. topics include: the institutions and processes of trade policy-making, negotiations, and dispute settlement; tariff and non-tariff barriers; discrimination; regional trade agreements; antidumping, countervailing (anti-subsidy), and safeguard measures; and the relationship of trade rules to intellectual property rights, labor standards, human rights, environmental protection, and competition (antitrust) policy.
Law and Policy in International Business – GLOB1-GC 2225
This course gives global affairs students an understanding of legal and policy issues affecting multinational business enterprises and their transactions and activities. We examine how public international law, international economic institutions such as the WTO and IMF, conflict-of-laws rules (also known as private international law), and national corporate, tax, and regulatory laws in home and host countries combine to create a multidimensional legal environment for international business. Within this legal environment we also examine sales law, intellectual property law, antitrust (competition) law, host-country and international law of foreign investment, labor law, environmental law, and human rights law. For students in the international law concentration, the course offers an introduction to international economic law. For students in the private sector concentration, the course surveys the legal environment of international business.
Corruption and Anti-Corruption – GLOB1-GC 2226
Bribery. Graft. Blat. Clientelism. Guanxi. Mordida. Corruption goes by many names and comes in many forms, from predatory demands for payoffs through to complex and subtle economies of favors. It penetrates political and economic systems, solidifies inequalities, undermines the rule of law, devours development aid, and mobilizes to resist attempts to control it around the world. Nonetheless, reducing corruption is a crucial necessity for good governance, effective long-term economic prosperity, and social equity. Although there is no single ‘silver bullet,’ it is crucial not only to understand the challenge, but to explore the many ways in which people are trying to control corruption. These range from global agreements to grass-roots local initiatives, addressing everything from the culture of bribe-taking and bribe-paying, through to issues of business accountability and transparent government. This course is strongly policy-oriented, and explores not only the forms and impacts of corruption, but past and future responses.
International Investigations and Forensic Evidence – GLOB1-GC 2227
Criminalistics is the application of scientific principles and techniques to the identification, collection, analysis, and interpretation of forensic evidence, specifically forensic evidence of both physical and digital nature. Proper evidence handling, including the recognition, collection, preservation, storage and maintenance of the chain of custody, is necessary in a criminal investigation to ensure the admissibility of evidence in a court of law. In international investigations and international courts, the role, importance and presentation of physical and digital evidence in cases varies. This course introduces different forms of forensic evidence, including their relevance in mass atrocities and transnational crimes, such as crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, and global acts of terrorism. Criminal investigations, including the recovery of human remains and forensic evidence, as well as crime scene analysis and reconstruction, are also discussed. Upon examination of methods of investigation, evidence collection and evidence analysis, the course considers the use of such evidence in national and international courts. Furthermore, the course explores the impact of transnational crimes and mass atrocities and the investigations of these illicit acts on global affairs and international peacebuilding efforts.
Contemporary Issues in World Affairs: A Legal Perspective – GLOB1-GC 2230
Can we protect endangered species? Who controls the oceans? How can we deal with terrorists and dictators? Is free trade working? International law addresses all of these issues. In this course we examine several current problems in international relations from a legal perspective. Topics include: environmental protection; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; terrorism; tensions between developed and developing states; access to common resources; and the role of the developing International Criminal Court. Discussions explore the political and legal frameworks from which international problems have arisen and how to address them.
Hard Power: The Uses and Abuses of Military Force – GLOB1-GC 2235
To the military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, “War is a continuation of politics by other means.” To Karl Marx, “The redeeming feature of war is that it puts a nation to the test.” To General William Sherman, “War is hell.” Maybe they are all right. Military force is the final expression of state power and one of its most jealously guarded monopolies. It can be a decisive assertion of a state’s strength or can be the last, counter-productive gesture of a system in decline. This course will explore the national and global politics of the military, just how and why wars and other conflicts are fought and their implications at home, abroad, and for the international system. Through the use of case studies, primary materials and a rolling, interactive scenario which will place them in the role of policy-makers, commanders and observers in an unfolding hypothetical conflict, students will explore why military force is still an integral element in global politics, from international rivalries to the options for peacekeeping and peacemaking.
International Human Rights: Laws, Mechanisms, and Practices (req. for the Human Rights & IL conc.) – GLOB1-GC 2240
International human rights are not vague concepts of justice. They are precisely defined international laws, stemming from a series of international treaties and overseen by a complex of United Nations and other mechanisms. This course provides an introduction to international human rights laws (including special laws for the protection of children, women, racial minorities, and other groups); an explanation of the international procedures for overseeing their protection; and the methods used by NGOs in human rights advocacy. Particular attention is paid to international economic, social, and cultural rights, including the human rights to food, health, housing, education, and work.
National Security Decision Making Processes: Applied – GLOB1-GC 2245
National security issues command a major portion of leaders’ time and efforts and of state resources, in the US and many other countries. The processes by which leaders and states make national security decisions, no less than the merits of the issue, often have major consequences for the policy outcomes achieved, indeed, for history. This seminar focuses on the actual processes by which national security decisions are made, including the individual, domestic, bureaucratic and external factors that influence decision making and implementation. In so doing it also addresses the question of why do so many leaders and countries seem to get it wrong so often. The course provides an extensive survey of the relevant theoretical approaches, focusing on theories that truly help explain why things work the way they do. As such, it is designed for all those with an interest in the primary dimensions of national security decision making processes, but is especially suited for those who wish to see theory at work, including practitioners/future practitioners.
Human Security: A New Approach to Today’s Global Challenges – GLOB1-GC 2255
Governments today are facing a variety of security threats that do not conform to traditional national security concerns. Among these are terrorism, piracy, transnational crime, human trafficking, forced migration, public health pandemics, and humanitarian crises. These security challenges are not constrained by national borders and cannot be easily resolved through unilateral action. Although the traditional role of governments has been to safeguard the people living within their national borders, these threats to stability are raising questions regarding the utility of established security theories, the role of government in public safety, and the effectiveness of international frameworks to achieve solutions. “Human security” offers an alternative to traditional security perspectives, broadening the focus to include the individual as one of its reference points, and providing a new lens for observing and analyzing threats to peace and security. This course examines a variety of security threats from a human security perspective and will encourage students to think beyond established frameworks in order to consider what steps may be needed to effectively safeguard the lives of citizens in the 21st century.
Global Empires: From History to the Future – GLOB1-GC 2260
Empires rise and empires fall, but how far does the very concept of empire have any meaning in today’s networked, globalized world? This reading-intensive advanced course uses the study of a variety of historical empires to explore issues relating to power, hegemony and authority. It considers both the current debate as to whether the USA’s role in the world could be considered ‘imperial’ and wider questions of how ‘empires’ may form and manifest in a variety of new ways in the modern era, from hegemonic hyperpowers such as the USA and confederations such as the European Union to economic hubs and even non-state powers.
Mediation Skills for Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2275
Mediation is one of the most effective processes for addressing conflicts, and seeking meaningful solutions to them in the quest for lasting peace. Mediation has been effective in building peace following destructive interpersonal, inter-community and international conflicts. This course will provide students with an intensive opportunity to learn and practice skills needed in the art of modern mediation. Such skills are increasingly in demand not only at the highest levels of the United Nations and its agencies, and by foreign services of national governments, but also by many international and national non-governmental organizations. Mediation is one of the most universal skill sets needed by diplomats and community development workers alike. The building blocks for practicing complex mediation and facilitation are basic communication skills. However, mediation is often confused with other means of alternative dispute resolution such as arbitration or conciliation. . Mediation is characterized by self-determination of the parties; mediators do not make decisions but rather facilitate the parties to discuss their viewpoints, generate new options and create effective solutions. Mediations are usually conducted confidentially in private settings. Impartial mediators, often working in teams, guide individuals and groups through a series of problem solving steps so they can find their own solutions. Many of the examples and cases will be drawn from different cultures and nationalities.
Explaining Civil Wars – GLOB1-GC 2285
Civil wars are inherently complex and problematic to define. The classical model of civil wars are typically described as large-scale government versus non-state actor conflicts, wars of national liberation, major wars of insurgency, and wars of succession with a battle death threshold of 1,000 deaths per year. However, this description neglects the broader aspect of political and social violence that involves non-state actors in weak, fragile or failed states where government forces may or may not be involved, as well as low-intensity conflicts, and low-level insurgencies with battle deaths below the indicated threshold. Furthermore, civil wars are often classified based on their overarching cleavage. So, some conflicts are labeled as ‘ethnic’ civil wars, whereas others are ‘natural resource’ based. In actuality, the determinants of violence are often multi-faceted and overlapping, ranging from ethnic, religious, economic inequalities, class, social or political exclusion, to competition for scarce natural resources. The more protracted and endemic the conflict, the harder it becomes to ascertain the ‘true’ underlying motives, as power dynamics, interests, and even identities shift or transform over time. It then becomes necessary to disentangle the factors that contribute to explaining the nature, onset, duration and termination of civil wars. This course investigates the competing analytical approaches to the study of civil war in the post Cold War period. It focuses on the dynamics and drivers of civil wars, the rate of recidivism, the reasons why some conflicts last longer than others, the motivations why people join insurgencies, the strategies used by armed factions to sustain conflict, the relationship between arms proliferation and violent conflict, and assesses the mechanisms utilized by international and regional actors to resolve these conflicts. The course is designed to be a multidisciplinary exploration of the broad patterns and contemporary challenges of civil wars. Drawing on a selection of case studies from different regions, this course seeks to examine the policy implications of conflict analysis, as it relates to international security, conflict resolution and peacebuilding interventions.
International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition – GLOB1-GC 2290
This course explores the diverse environments of international business with the aim of providing a deeper understanding of world’s interconnectedness driven by globalization. It provides students with a discriminating awareness of the importance of international organizations and the international monetary system and how both affect international business. Students will explore the complexities and challenges of all the forces affecting international business to include theories of trade and investment, economic and social forces, political, social, legal, and financial forces as well At the center of our study will be the critical examination of how the precepts of international business are defined and implemented within the context of the MNC. We shall thus highlight the many connections that exist between international business and the plurality of disciplines (such as economics, strategic management, public policy, and law) that are the basis of contemporary business practices in the global arena.
Policy Hacking: International Relations By Design – GLOB1-GC 2291
This course teaches students how to apply information design in the presentation of their research. Students wishing to work in fields where they may be either shaping or dictating policy will inevitably confront the need to tailor their approach in a way that accounts for the minimal time decision-makers have. Long, qualitative reports, while still in use, are losing their utility as global events accelerate in speed; decision-makers, confronted with stacks of reports, usually wind up reading none and craft their policy reactively, as opposed to proactively. The best future policy-makers will hold visual language skills in order to package their information in a format that resonates with end-users. This requires an understanding not only of the issues at stake, but of the tools and techniques to present these issues quickly, concisely and memorably. This course is designed to help students take research into a visual framework in order to facilitate better policy planning. It is designed to be offered in tandem with other courses on Futures and Foreign Policy work and is meant to give students a basic working knowledge of how to present complex information in new 21st century formats.
Fundamentals of Corporate Finance – GLOB1-GC 2295
This course will introduce students to the central concepts of modern finance: evaluating a firm’s financial performance to include cash flow analysis and net present value; valuation of financial assets to include the time value of money as well as stock and bond characteristics and cost of capital analysis; and capital budgeting techniques and working capital management. Additionally, efficient market theory, agency theory, and the trade-off between risk and return will be explored. Students will be introduced to both theory and practice however the emphasis will be placed on application in order to assist in a deeper understanding of financial decision making in the multinational firm.
Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: Protection and Practice – GLOB1-GC 2320
Approximately one in every 200 people in the world is a refugee or internally displaced person. Uprooted from homes and communities, and often without government support, refugees look to the international community for protection. This course examines the system created for international refugee protection after World War II, as well as current policy and practice. It also considers the special circumstances and concerns of refugee women, children and adolescents, who account for more than 80% of the world’s refugees. Guest speakers from the International Rescue Committee, Human Rights Watch and other organizations address the class.
Issues in Humanitarian Assistance and Intervention – GLOB1-GC 2330
Humanitarians rush to help starving children, fleeing refugees and others in crisis, but too often what seems like a straightforward solution becomes a dilemma. Aid agencies may be forced to assist combatants in order to gain access to their victims. Food donations may destroy the local economy, making aid a permanent necessity. Warring factions may deliberately cause suffering in order to attract aid, which they then loot. Governments may use humanitarian relief as an excuse not to intervene militarily. This course explores how NGOs and international agencies wrestle with the complex issues that arise in emergency situations.
Philanthropy’s Influence on Global Policy – GLOB1-GC 2335
This course will examine the rising influence of philanthropy in global affairs with an emphasis on policy influence and the way individual and institutional philanthropy seeks to influence and leverage the policies and programs of governments and inter-governmental institutions. From the earliest foundations to the present, private wealth has been used in strategic ways to influence policies aimed at peace and security, global economic development, public health, education, and conservation. After an initial exploration of the tools and strategies that foundations use to shape and influence policymakers and the policy process, students will survey historic and recent case studies of philanthropic impact and evaluate the results. Contemporary trends increasing the global breadth and depth of philanthropy will also be studied to help students better understand the changing role of these rich and increasingly powerful non-state actors in global affairs.
Gender in International Affairs: Sex, Power and Politics (req. for the Global Gender Studies conc.) – GLOB1-GC 2340
In this seminar we will explore one of the most exciting issues in contemporary politics and society: how women have organized, domestically and transnationally, to challenge and undo structures of oppression, exploitation, and subordination as autonomous agents of political, social, economic, legal and cultural change. We will begin by examining, from a theoretical perspective, the role gender plays in the construction of (international) politics and, conversely, how politics serves to construct gender roles and identities. Then, we will explore specific issues and case studies from all over the world: gendered notions of national security, women and sexual minorities in the military, how states seek to advance nationalist goals by controlling women’s bodies, limiting women’s sexual autonomy and access to reproductive services, punishing homosexuality, and the racialized domination of women and women’s bodies; how women self-empower and build their capacities in Muslim countries, specifically Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States; how globalization affects women in the form of migration, sex trafficking and improved economic opportunities, the relationship between gender, globalization, and trafficking, and how African women contribute to peacemaking and nation-building. Key points that we will highlight throughout the seminar are how women protest and resist and how men around the world can and do participate as allies in the struggle for equality, justice, and women’s rights. Please note that throughout the seminar, we will define sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity inclusively, transcending the traditional binary, to mean everybody who identifies as woman, man and LGBTQ.
Children’s Rights: International Norms and Standards – GLOB1-GC 2341
The promotion and protection of the human rights of children is founded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and strengthened by the adoption of international legal instruments and policies, which prescribe measures to ensure that children everywhere enjoy the rights to which they are entitled, and that children are accorded special protection and care. The course will examine the international norms and standards that make up children’s rights from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its three Optional Protocols, to the outcomes of World Summit for Children and a World Fit for Children. The course will also provide an understanding of how children’s rights evolve and progress to take into account the changing international environment, the changing needs of children, and the current issues that children are exposed to by highlighting issues such as, violence against children, children in peace and security, children’s rights in international justice, children and juvenile justice, and children’s rights in international development. Special attention will also be paid to the girl child. And with the world celebrating the 25th anniversary of the CRC, the course will also focus on the implementation and monitoring of children’s rights and ask the question? Is the world a better place for children?
Women and Gender in the Middle East and South Asia – GLOB1-GC 2342
In this seminar we will critically examine the current state of women’s rights and activism in the Middle East and South Asia with a particular focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and the Gulf States. Specifically, we will separate the myth of the veiled, oppressed or fanatically religious Muslim Woman from the lived reality of millions of women in this diverse region by exploring how the gendered discourses of power and citizenship, national ideologies, historical legacies, interpretations of religious law and social traditions affect and shape women’s lives in the real world, particularly in matters of family law, participation in the labor market and political process. The picture that will emerge will be a surprisingly complex, nuanced and contradictory one, highlighting the very different political and social realities of women in countries such as Egypt, Iran and the Gulf States. We will pay particular attention to Islamic feminism and political Islam as frames and venues for women’s (self-) empowerment and conclude with an exploration of the contours and effectiveness of women’s resistance, self-empowerment and activism in the region.
The United Nations – GLOB1-GC 2345
The United Nations is a global body with almost 200 member states and an avowed mission to keep peace throughout the world; to develop friendly relations among nations; to help nations improve the lives of the poor and conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy; and to encourage respect for mutual rights and freedoms. Nonetheless, it is often controversial, criticized by some for excessive interventionism, and by some for an inability to act on crucial global challenges. At a time of fast-moving change in the global system, can the UN retain its relevance and significance? The intent of the course is to provide both a practical grasp of how the UN works as well as an understanding of its origins, functions, politics and procedures. Particular attention will be given to the role of the United Nations General Assembly, the Security Council and the Secretary-General in the pursuit of peace, international security and global development. The strengths and weaknesses of the United Nations will be analyzed in light of the significant changes in international relations in the post-Cold War years with emphasis on peace-keeping, human rights, humanitarian intervention, post-conflict peace building, weapons of mass destruction, counter terrorism and reform.
Workshop in Applied Peacebuilding – GLOB1-GC 2350
This will be a practice-oriented course providing an overview of the evolving, professional field of peacebuilding as well as critical review of approaches to working in conflict environments. Students in this course will be required to develop an international peacebuilding project with the intention of implementing it as a summer internship. The instructor will assist students in identifying appropriate internships with international organizations and NGOs. Students returning to the MSGA program in the fall will have the opportunity to report-out to the CGA community about their field experience.
Human Trafficking and People Smuggling – GLOB1-GC 2355
The trade in people and migration, whether knowingly smuggled across borders or trafficked and exploited as human commodities, is a scourge of the modern world. It is one of the globe’s fastest-growing criminal businesses, directly affecting over ten million adults and children worldwide. As well as a source of untold human misery, it intersects a wide range of other concerns, from the treatment of women and children across the globe and the survival of slavery in other forms to posing challenges to national and transnational security. Most countries in the world are source, transit or destination nations for smuggled and trafficked people, and this is a growing problem. Much is being done to deal with it, but to date with limited success. This course will thus address human trafficking and people smuggling not simply as human tragedies, but also as symptoms of wider global challenges, from the imbalance in economic opportunities to the impact of state failure. It will also have a strong policy dimension, assessing existing laws, campaigns and initiatives, from governments, NGOs, international agencies and the private sector alike, and challenging students to develop and advocate for their own proposals for constructive responses.
Women’s Human Rights in Law and Practice – GLOB1-GC 2360
This course aims to familiarize students with women’s human rights in an international context. We will look at feminist critiques of today’s human rights law regime. We will then consider specific human rights issues affecting women, including domestic violence, prostitution and sex trafficking, reproductive rights, health, development, and women in war. Students will gain an understanding of the underlying ethical and legal issues involved, international legal efforts to protect women’s rights, the international and national procedures for insuring their implementation, and methods used by NGOs in advocating for women’s rights.
Structures of Peace: Measurement and Application – GLOB1-GC 2365
Can peace be measured? If so, what tools should be used to measure it? And how might those measurements be utilized? Although peace has stood throughout history as a concept considered worthy of both practical pursuit and philosophical exploration, rarely have efforts been made to quantify peace or its correlates. Recently, however, research from a range of disciplinary perspectives has begun to focus on questions of how to measure peace, how the relative presence or absence of peace might affect particular aspects of society, and how certain economic activities might affect the peacefulness of the world, individual states and regions within states. This course will explore the history of efforts to understand and measure peace and violent conflict – both quantitatively and qualitatively. Students will learn about post-World War II attempts to quantify worldwide violent conflict and more recent research that aims to measure peace and peacefulness as the combined consequence of public policy and private business activity. The course will include a critical investigation of the Global Peace Index, including its methodology. A handful of in-depth country cases will provide students with the opportunity to evaluate the utility of contemporary efforts to measure peacefulness as contributors to improved decision-making for both public policy and private enterprise. The relationship between business and peace will be explored through these cases.
Negotiation and Facilitation – GLOB1-GC 2375
As the level of communication and commerce between different societies and identity groups increases, demand grows for practitioners with specific facilitation skills. Professionals are needed more than ever to negotiate equitable agreements and to facilitate communication that helps to increase understanding between individuals and groups, especially in contentious contexts. International organizations need individuals who can negotiate effectively, facilitate dialogues, and design and lead large-group interventions. Students who successfully complete this course will have strengthened their capacity for successful negotiation, dialogue facilitation, cross-cultural communications and design and implementation of large-group interventions. These skills are crucial for the fields of peacebuilding, international development, humanitarian assistance and human rights in both the public and private sectors, including the foreign service. After completing this course, students will be prepared to engage in basic negotiations, and design and lead one-day dialogue sessions and large group interventions.
Joint Research Seminar in Peacebuilding – GLOB1-GC 2380
This intensive three-week seminar will serve as the platform for development of joint proposals for field research projects in peacebuilding to be conducted in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Each participating student from the Master of Science in Global Affairs program will be paired with a research partner from the University of Duhok’s Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies program. During this seminar, these teams will investigate research design processes and methodologies most often used in contemporary peace research. Students will explore primary and secondary source data collection and data analysis, and both quantitative and qualitative methods including, but not limited to, surveys, interviews and observations. The course will be taught in a workshop style with significant opportunities for students to practice and apply research techniques.
Gender and Development – Policy and Politics – GLOB1-GC 2385
In most countries, developing and developed, there is a considerable gulf between commitments to gender equality in public policy, and gender equality in public and private life, in states, markets and families. Woman’s lack of education, poor health, and lack of independent livelihoods is part of the cycle of underdevelopment and state fragility, and women’s empowerment has therefore been recognized globally as an international priority for peace and development. This course will look at the contemporary gender and development policy field. It will give close attention to the current global policy debate over the post 2015 development framework and the place of gender equality in it (mainstreamed throughout? Or a stand-alone goal?). This will include a practical look at the design of effective universal targets and indicators in the challenging area of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Gender and Migration – GLOB1-GC 2386
According to the United Nations, in 2016, about 244 million people, 3.1% of the world’s population, 48% of whom women, were international migrants. Indeed, the past decades have witnessed what is called the “feminization” of migration. In this seminar, we will, from an interdisciplinary and cross-national perspective, explore the gender(ed) dynamics of globalization and migration, and seek answers to the following questions: What are the causes (“push/pull factors”) and consequences of millions of women striking out in search of survival and better economic opportunity? How do global economic and political agendas shape women’s migration patterns? How does migration affect gender relations, family structure, and the social and economic development in the sending countries, for example, through remittances ($436 billion in 2015) as well as the countries of destination? Is migration a tool of empowerment? How does the rise of populism and the increasing “securitization” of the migration discourse and of migration management, laws, and public policies affect women, for example, in refugee camps, and the context of (re-) settlement and integration policies in the US, the EU and Australia? Which countries have integrated migrants and refugees most effectively and how? What is the relationship between climate change and women’s and men’s (forced) migration? Finally, how have the UN and EU responded to the challenges of migration in all its dimensions? These are a few of the questions we will seek to answer on the basis of current cases studies.
Introduction to Energy Policy – GLOB1-GC 2400
Access to energy sources is a key focus of international affairs. Much of the world’s known reserves of oil are found in a highly volatile region, the Middle East. The use of fossil fuels, in general, is increasingly under attack for being environmentally unfriendly. Countries that attempt to employ nuclear energy face other significant challenges and responsibilities. Disputes over access to energy have led to international crises and even armed conflict in the past. This course surveys the historical, political, economic, legal and environmental factors of energy policy on the international scale.
Energy, Environment and Resource Security – GLOB1-GC 2405
The course seeks to help us understand the importance of energy, environment and resource security in the evolving 21st century including demand for greater energy supplies, and other struggles around resource access and management. The class will examine how the demands of the growing global population will present significant challenges to the United States and international community, which may in turn create opportunities for cooperation. The course is designed to provide students with a basis for better understanding the emergence of energy security and energy diplomacy as critical components in international relations study. The course employs key writings in the areas of energy, the environment, water and other resource management, film, negotiation and guest speakers.
The Geopolitics of Energy – GLOB1-GC 2410
Since the early part of the twentieth century, when the British Empire sought to guarantee its access to Arabian oil, petroleum has profoundly influenced the strategic policy of energy dependent states. This course looks at the most significant geo-political issues, currently and historically, presented by oil exploration, transportation and usage. This course focuses upon 3 main geographic areas: the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea and Alaska.
Authoritarianism, Repression and Corruption – GLOB1-GC 2415
Democracy is not as natural a state as we might like to think. Many countries across the world are authoritarianisms, oligarchies or hybrid regimes in which the structures of democratic governance are distorted in the interests of a dominant elite. This often goes hand in hand with entrenched corruption. Together, these have serious implications for human rights, good governance, international relations, foreign investment and the progress of development. Many of these regimes are inefficient and brittle, but others manage to create relatively stable and even effective political and economic systems – in their own terms. When they fall, the consequences can lead to great steps forward for human rights, democratization and transparency, but they can also be unpredictable and even counter-productive. Drawing on examples around the world, this case-based course explores the causes, forms and implications of authoritarianism and corruption, as well as how and when change can be effected and its immediate and long-term results.
The Economics and Finance of Energy – GLOB1-GC 2420
Energy is a central focus of international economics and finance. The financial markets in North America, Europe and Asia have long been concerned with coal, oil and gas. As with any commodities, their pricing, transportation and insurance are subject to rapid fluctuations reflecting numerous factors. This course examines these factors and includes a discussion of anticipated future trends in demand, consumption, efficiency and safety. How do the recent mergers of major multinational oil companies affect energy economics and finance? The investment opportunities for research and development of alternate energy sources are also considered.
Private Sector Partnerships – GLOB1-GC 2425
There is no one organization that has the full suite of capabilities, relationships or assets to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. The persistence of disease, malnutrition and poverty highlights the need for solutions that are as multi-faceted, systemic and global as the challenges themselves. And in the context of receding public budgets, government has insufficient capacity to address these social issues. Stepping in to fill this gap, the private sector recognizes a reputational and commercial opportunity to partner with government and civil society to provide assets and competencies that no other sector can provide. These cross-sector partnerships take many forms, and have evolved over the last decade having learned from the experience accumulated to date. This course will use case studies to examine a breadth of partnerships, from the traditional to the innovative, in order to surface the gaps, strengths and future potential for private-sector partnerships.
Energy and the Environment – GLOB1-GC 2430
The production and use of energy from fossil fuels, nuclear power and other sources has generated many benefits for our societies. However, the environmental impacts of energy production, industrial activity and transportation have become a fundamental concern of governments, NGOs, and the general public over the past 50 years. Damage to public health and the environment comes in a number of ways including from climate change, acid rain, urban smog, and hazardous wastes, among others. As awareness has grown of the economic, environmental and human cost inherent in many aspects of our modern energy systems, we have applied laws to address these concerns and taken important measures in the private and non-profit sectors.
Sustainable Development – GLOB1-GC 2440
The world’s population is expected to grow to over 9.7 billion by 2050 and to an estimated 11 billion by the end of this century. This growth will impact every imaginable resource: water for drinking, food for eating, energy for heat and electricity, minerals for building, land for farming and sanitation, air for breathing, rare earths for technology, and more.To sustain the projected population growth, food production alone, as one example from above, will have to increase 70 percent by 2050. Corresponding surges in energy and water demand will be equally intensive. Managing those increases, and ensuring that everyone has access to food, water, and energy, while also keeping the climate in balance, won’t be easy. It’ll require a very different modus operandi. At current pace, we’re breaking too many records – from hottest year ever on record to highest greenhouse gas emissions on record. The way we do things, and the way we’ve done things, will have to change. The issue of sustainability, then, should be a priority for any policymaker, which is why 193 member states of the United Nations adopted 17 new Sustainable Development Goals to tackle this very problem. It is now front and center on the global stage.
Global Electricity Markets and Policy – GLOB1-GC 2445
The provision of affordable and reliable electricity is fundamental to economic activity with far-reaching consequences for society, the environment and human welfare. This course provides an introduction to the electric power industry; specifically market structure, economics, regulation, and policy. Varying market structures and regulatory frameworks from across the globe will be addressed and used to highlight alternate policy approaches. Key issues such as energy security, energy efficiency, renewable power and grid modernization (Smart Grid) will be addressed. Additionally, the course will discuss the environmental impacts (including climate change) of electricity production, delivery and consumption and the various regulatory approaches to deal with these and other externalities. Course content will reference engineering, economic, financial, geo-political, environmental and other disciplines however students are not required to have a background in these fields. The objective of the course is to provide students a practical understanding of how the electricity industry operates and enable them to think critically about electricity industry policy.
International Financial Institutions – GLOB1-GC 2450
The current global credit crisis has fostered a number of proposals for the creation of a new set of international financial institutions to augment those created at the end of World War II at Bretton Woods, and, hopefully, prevent a repetition of this calamity. The premise for several of these proposals for a “new Bretton Woods” is that the current institutions failed to prevent the current credit crisis and that new ones are needed to regulate a financial world quite different than that of the 1940s. This course will examine the existing set of international financial institutions, the financial systems they were designed to govern, how well they accomplished these tasks, where they may have fallen short and their adequacy to face the challenges of the future. The course will start with the oldest international financial institution, the Bank for International Settlements, established in 1930, and which remains the principal center for international central bank cooperation. The principal Bretton Woods international financial institutions, the World Bank and the IMF will also be covered, as well as the regional development banks such as the Inter American Development Bank, African and Asian Development Banks, and the newest member of the club – the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Finally, the course will examine some of the lessons learned and take a look at some of the currently proposed plans. These are ambitious proposals and likely to be part of the public debate during the period of this course.
Mediation Skills for Global Affairs Practicum – GLOB1-GC 2455
This course is designed for students who have completed Mediation Skills for Global Affairs/GLOB1-GC 2275. It represents an opportunity for these students to put their mediation skills into action in partnership with the New York Peace Institute (formerly the Safe Horizon Mediation Program), one of the largest community dispute resolution organizations globally. The skills gained and strengthened in this course are essential for students who wish to pursue careers in conflict resolution, peacebuilding, consensus-building, and conciliation, whether at the local or international level. Under the guidance of highly experienced mediator instructors, students will meet weekly for three hours for fourteen weeks. Classes may be held at NYU, or at one of the New York Peace Institute’s centers, either in Manhattan or Brooklyn.
Nuclear Energy, the Environment and Proliferation – GLOB1-GC 2460
Nuclear Power is enjoying a global renaissance in response to increasing world electricity consumption and concerns over global warming and climate change. Today, nuclear power provides 70% of the carbon-free electricity generated in the world. Aside from its carbon-free footprint, nuclear power’s growth will be fueled by national requirements for energy security and the economic benefits of stable energy pricing. In the arid sun-belt regions of the world, new reactor technologies will provide an alternative source of power and heat for desalination of water. With global energy consumption projected to increase 160 percent by 2050, an expanding nuclear energy industry will provide the world’s economies a cost-effective solution to base load electricity generation without large new emissions of carbon dioxide. Or will it? This course examines the technology, the international opportunities, and the safety, economic, spent fuel, and proliferation risks that are part of the nuclear energy equation.
Contentious Politics – GLOB1-GC 2470
On any given day, a newspaper reader is likely to come across reports of contentious politics from around the world: protest marches, coups d’état, genocide and ethnic conflict, terrorism, and cyberactivism campaigns. A common feature of these political struggles is the disruptive, non-institutionalized, and episodic nature of political action, as groups of people mobilize to change the rules of the political game that govern the interaction between citizens or between citizens and the state. Contentious politics is a relatively new, interdisciplinary field of study that covers a wide variety of political conflicts ranging from independence struggles and nationalistic movements to revolutions, democratic transitions, terrorism, ethnic conflicts, indigenous movements, and genocide. This course examines the dynamics of contention and how it relates to the development of political institutions. It explores the competing ideas about citizenship, rights, and justice that motivate political struggles between state and society or between groups within a society. As these ideas have evolved through history contentious politics have undergone major changes. The course traces these changes and discusses how the impact of globalization on state sovereignty is fueling the emergence of new contentious issues.
Modern Religious Identities: Competition and Conflict on the World’s Stage – GLOB1-GC 2475
From Ayodhya, to Hebron, to Dar Es Salaam and Dagestan, religiously inspired violence has gripped the world’s attention over the past few decades, both riveting and perplexing the modern imagination. Religion occupies a complex position in the modern political arena. Religious ideologies can be used to legitimize revolution and reform or to justify their suppression. Religious leaders can help inspire citizens to progressive activism, or mobilize opposition to social and political change. Religious movements can galvanize peaceful resistance to oppressive states, or lead violent opposition to them. This course provides students with a framework for thinking about the role of religion in global affairs. The prominence of religious ideologies and religious movements on the world stage is often described as a recent development coinciding with the end of the Cold War. This course will probe that assumption, focusing on how some of the world’s great religious traditions have influenced and been influenced by global political, economic, and social changes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The course will address such topics as: religion and nationalism, religious militancy, global and local religious identities, and the politics of religious synchretism and religious orthodoxy. Particular attention will be paid to the complex and dynamic role of Islam in the modern world.
Energy Deals – GLOB1-GC 2480
From joint ventures to acquisitions and divestitures, deal making occurs at all stages of energy’s value chain. Energy transactions are prevalent yet complex. What are the strategic motives for these deals? How do parties allocate risks? How do they design contracts to assure cooperation over multi-year terms? This course will study real transactions, not hypotheticals, and discuss them with actual participants to learn how the energy industry originates and executes deals. The objective is to provide students with an analytical framework to understand the strategic and structural attributes of energy deals.
Environmental Finance – GLOB1-GC 2485
The discipline of environmental finance refers to the usage of market-based financial instruments to address environmental policy objectives, primarily the control of pollutants, although environmental finance principles are also used for renewable energy, wetlands protection and water usage. Environmental finance is a case study in how policy objectives are achieved through market mechanisms. It is also a case study in how financial markets and actors respond to the inclusion of an economic “externality” (in this case, the cost of pollution) into their decision-making and behavior. This course will teach students how financial markets are used to achieve environmental policy objectives. It will also provide students with an understanding of how market mechanisms and financial markets can be used to address economic “externalities” as a whole, i.e. those economic and social costs and burdens which are real, but not captured under conventional economic decision-making. At the end of the course, students will have a fundamental grasp of the principles of environmental finance, as well as an appreciation of how these principles can be applied to solving other externality objectives.
International Energy Finance – GLOB1-GC 2486
This introductory course takes a quantitative approach to better understand the global energy sector. Students will learn to construct basic financial models of renewable and conventional energy projects using Microsoft Excel. The course will focus on key topics in energy finance including: valuation methods, project finance, energy derivatives, financial statement analysis, capital budgeting, and risk analysis. Students will also analyze case studies addressing current energy topics and apply energy modeling using a ‘real-world’ approach.
Energy Management for Portfolios – Putting Policy Into Practice – GLOB1-GC 2490
This course delivers students a practical view and associated tools for management of energy in individual facilities as well as throughout larger portfolios of facilities or assets. Students will review aspects of the operations involved in the Energy Manager’s role including how energy markets and policies intersect with the facility and portfolio investment and management. Through class lectures, industry articles, site visits, assigned readings, and expert speakers, the course will provide students with the ability to understand how energy policy, markets, and regulation intersect with operational personnel, equipment, budgets, and contracts. Case studies where students assess the success of various theoretical concepts and applications are included.
Advanced Colloquium (International Relations) – GLOB1-GC 2500
Modern Diplomacy- GLOB1-GC 2505
Contemporary international diplomacy can be considered as an art, science, craft, practice, institution and process. Topics of discussion in this comprehensive exploration will include the nature and development of diplomacy; diplomatic practice, methods and techniques; types of diplomacy (with special emphasis on multilateral diplomacy); diplomatic privileges and immunities; the role and function of diplomats; the diplomat as foreign affairs professional; and the contribution of diplomacy toward maintaining world order.
Cyber: Technical, Operational & Strategic Perspectives (listed under Cybersecurity) – GLOB1-GC 2510
This course provides a structured approach for students without a technical background to understand technical, operational and strategic elements of cyberspace across Information Technology (IT) Operational Technology (OT) and Platform Information Technology (PIT) environments. In the first part of the course we will develop a foundational knowledge of computer networking concepts, communications protocols, and cybersecurity methodologies across IT, OT and PIT. Through lectures and readings on current events, students will gain an understanding of how vulnerabilities are exploited by threat actors, and the challenges defenders face in assuring an organization’s core business/mission processes. Throughout the course, students will work in small groups to analyze case studies of cyber breaches to deconstruct and evaluate specific operational impacts of cybersecurity lapses. Students will be equipped with the lexicon, grammar and logic necessary to analyze the full spectrum cyber operations within strategic contexts.
Applied Statistics – GLOB1-GC 2515
This course serves as an introduction to the concepts and techniques used in quantitative research across the social sciences. In addition to learning the fundamentals of descriptive and inferential statistics, students will learn how to use a statistical software package (STATA) for a variety of data-analytic purposes (e.g., inputting, cleaning and summarizing data, creating figures, and performing statistical tests). By the end of the course, students will be better able to critically evaluate quantitative information and will have a stronger foundation for conducting original quantitative analysis.
Advanced Colloquium (Transnational Security) – GLOB1-GC 2520
Water, Politics, Sustainability and Opportunities – GLOB1-GC 2525
Water, Politics, Sustainability and Opportunities, or more precisely, the lack of clean and abundant supplies has emerged as the next global challenge to human health, prosperity and peace. Although 71% of the globe is covered by water, less than 2% of the world’s water is fresh, accessible and drinkable, and these resources are by no means equally distributed. The future will see conflicts over access to water, challenges and opportunities relating to efforts to conserve and manage it and its conversion into a crucial economic and political resource.
Advanced Colloquium (Private Sector) – GLOB1-GC 2530
Advanced Colloquium (Human Rights & International Law) – GLOB1-GC 2535
Climate Change and Human Rights – GLOB1-GC 2540
This course examines the complex relationship between the Earth’s rapidly changing environment and the protection of civil/political (C/P) and economic, social and cultural (ESC) human rights, particularly in the developing world. Existing environmental conditions are being exacerbated by climate change in ways that will adversely affect residents of developing countries that are already struggling with highly stressed water, land, air, and marine resources. Legal and policy options to confront these environmental challenges (and the related challenge of widespread poverty) will be examined in terms of their implications for both P/C and ESC rights.
Human Rights Research and Advocacy – GLOB1-GC 2545
This course is designed to develop practical advocacy skills to protect and promote human rights. A focus will be developing an advocacy strategy on a current human rights issue, including the identification of goals and objectives, appropriate advocacy targets, and appropriate methods. Students will explore broad-based human rights campaigns, use of the media, and advocacy with UN bodies, the US government, and the private sector (corporations). Over the course of the semester, students will become familiar with a variety of tools to apply to a human rights issue of their choosing. Case studies will illustrate successful advocacy campaigns on particular issues, such as sexual violence in conflict, keeping human rights offenders off the UN Human Rights Council and access to safe abortion.
Advanced Colloquium (International Development & Humanitarian Assistance) – GLOB1-GC 2550
Advanced Colloquium (Environmental/Energy Policy) – GLOB1-GC 2555
Advanced Colloquium (Peacebuilding) – GLOB1-GC 2560
Advanced Research Workshop – GLOB1-GC 2565
Field research involves collecting original data in field sites. This course combines presentations from MSGA faculty with a wide range of experience and expertise with practical exercises to workshop individual student thesis/capstone projects. The successful student will both build the skills to conduct field research and hone a particular thesis/capstone project. Readings include published books and articles, as well as transcripts and other samples of field research, to give students the opportunity to consider raw data, coded data, and the “finished” product. Specific topics covered include: the role of theory in field research, designing a thorough proposal for the department and for the University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects (UCAIHS), logistical and planning considerations, local partnerships, a variety of methods to collect data (interviews, surveys, focus groups, observation), analyze data (thematic content analysis, quantitative analysis), and writing up field research (for thesis/capstone and for publication).
Project Management in International Development – GLOB1-GC 2570
Effective project management lies at the heart of successful international development efforts. Across all sectors of development—health, education, governance and others—development practitioners at headquarters and in country offices are responsible for conceptualizing projects, designing proposals, implementing activities, and monitoring and evaluating project impact. They also confront common challenges relating to these tasks. From designing conflict-sensitive projects and building local ownership, to ensuring sustainable programming and demonstrating results, development practitioners are constantly reminded that projects are neither designed nor implemented in a vacuum. The ability to anticipate such challenges and devise ways of minimizing them is critical for effective and impactful programming.
The Cluster Approach: Humanitarian Aid in Praxis – GLOB1-GC 2575
The inefficient and often unpredictable nature of many international responses to humanitarian emergencies prompted, in 2005, the United Nation’s Emergency Relief Coordinator to launch a review of the global humanitarian system. Following the recommendations of the review, the cluster approach has emerged as the organizing model for the delivery humanitarian aid to areas devastated by violent conflict and natural disasters. This course examines the background, principles, organization, and effects of the cluster approach. It focuses of how the implementation of the cluster approach has strengthened the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance by clarifying the division of labor among organizations, by defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors of the response, and through building partnerships with host governments, local authorities and civil society. While the cluster approach has increased the predictability and accountability of the international response to humanitarian emergencies, the course will discuss a number of cases in which the cluster approach has been applied in order to assess the challenges that still face the international community as it seeks to alleviate the effects of humanitarian emergencies.
Asymmetric Warfare, Insurgency & Counter Insurgency – GLOB1-GC 2585
The days of ‘big war’ are not quite over, but increasingly it is the guerrilla, the insurgent, the warlord or the asymmetric warrior who are shaping modern conflicts. The end of the Cold War has seen a shift in the dominant models of military conflicts fought and planned for. Instead of states warring directly with other states, conflicts tend to be domestic and asymmetric, fought by a mix of regular and insurgent armies and often characterized by a chaotic interplay of ethnic, political, economic, religious and personal identities, rivalries and disputes. They also often become complicated by international intervention and the agendas of non-state actors ranging from drug traffickers to multinational corporations. Such conflicts pose distinctive and complex challenges for warfighters and peacemakers alike, often ripping countries apart and impeding efforts to bring aid to suffering populations and uplift struggling economies. Above all, they highlight Clausewitz’s dictum that “war is the continuation of politics by other means.” This is a course focusing on the conduct rather than the causes of such conflicts and explores the operational art of both insurgent and counter-insurgent forces. Using examples including various conflicts in Afghanistan – from the British wars there of the late nineteenth century through the Soviet occupation to US-led operations – as well as Latin America, Africa and the Middle East, it seeks to answer the fundamental questions: who wins, and how?
Waging Non-Violent Conflict: A Practical Workshop – GLOB1-GC 2590
We live in an increasingly globalized and interconnected world. Yet in 2017, basic democratic values and liberties were under threat in many countries that have been considered “stable democracies” for years, including the United States of America. Nonviolent social movements have surged in response to the rise of populism, nationalism and racial intolerance in Europe, Asia and the United States. But how can these movements help to defend democratic institutions and values today? Understanding conflict is a crucial life skill. Unbridled, poorly-managed conflict plays a leading role in most social problems. Yet, suppressed conflict can be equally damaging – enabling dysfunctional, unjust or oppressive social structures to endure. There is growing interest in ‘People Power’ or ‘Nonviolent conflict,’ especially after it has shaken the world in 2011, starting from the Arab Spring though Mediterranean summer, all the way to the Occupy Movement in US and protests in Putin`s Russia. This intensive, practitioner-taught course is devoted to understanding the real nature of nonviolent social change. Students will explore how nonviolent movements are shaping national, regional, and international relations and study the principles and practicalities of non-violent conflict.
Advanced Joint Research Seminar in Peacebuilding – GLOB1-GC 2595
This intensive three-week seminar will enable research teams from the Master of Science in Global Affairs program and the University of Duhok’s Master of Arts in Peace and Conflict Studies program to conduct peacebuilding field research in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The two-person research teams will carry out research projects designed and developed during the Joint Research Seminar in Peacebuilding in August 2012. MSGA students and the instructor will travel to Duhok, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where they will be hosted by the University of Duhok. The research teams will devote the bulk of their field research time to conducting interviews, focus groups, surveys, observations and to collecting documents and other publications needed as data for completion of their projects. Students from both New York University and the University of Duhok will utilize contemporary peace research techniques learned during the prerequisite Joint Research Seminar in Peacebuilding. Once data collection is complete, the research teams will begin data analysis and writing of their final research reports. The NYU students will have one pre-departure session and one wrap-up session in New York. The joint teams will meet for three classroom sessions during the research visit. A professor from the University of Duhok will serve as co-instructor during these sessions. This intensive course will provide practical experience not only with peace research methods, but also with important issues such as researcher identity, working in cross-cultural research teams, the ethics of peace research, data evaluation, informed consent, and the use of interpreters. All research conducted must be cleared through the University Committee on Activities Involving Human Subjects (UCAIHS) before the MSGA students depart for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The Contemporary Chinese Financial System – GLOB1-GC 3001
The Contemporary Chinese financial system is an exciting topic that deserves in-depth analysis. At the center of our study will be the critical examination of the key components of the Chinese financial system. We shall study the central bank in China. Then the commercial banking systems will be discussed. Policy banks will be part of the framework. We will go over the insurance companies in China. Qualitative tools will be introduced to offer market insights. We emphasize the market approach in our study, incorporating historical and cultural perspectives in our analysis. Our goal will be to develop a thorough understanding of the contemporary Chinese financial system, from both bottom-up market indicators and a top-down political view.
Children and Youth in Conflict, Peacebuilding and Development – GLOB1-GC 3045
Child soldiers, student revolutionaries, migrant workers and legions of unemployed youth are but a few of the important roles that young people play in national and international affairs. This course will consider a wide variety of ways in which young people help to shape the future. The course will begin with a discussion of international standards – the Convention on the Rights of the Child, other human rights treaties, humanitarian law and the Millennium Development Goals. We also will discuss the youth bulges that affect many countries, the graying of other societies, the disparities of gender, and cultural definitions of childhood and youth. Next we will turn to the complex positions of young people in societies in conflict – as fighters and casualties, as suicide bombers and drug runners, as perpetrators and victims of sexual violence and human trafficking, and as demonstrators and militias seeking to end or to sustain dictatorships. We will move on to the issues of peace-building that directly involve youth: demobilization and reentry; education, training and jobs for young women and men, and efforts to reconcile ethnic, religious or other groups after conflict. The course will then review the roles that young people can and do play in developing their societies: through their openness to social and economic change, their advancement in education and entrepreneurship, their adoption of better health practices, their engagement in sports, arts and entertainment, and their efforts to establish democracy.
Leveraging Foreign Investment for Development in Poor Countries – GLOB1-GC 3050
The growth of a country’s private sector is the key driver behind consistent, substantive gains in per capita income, reductions in poverty, and improvements in human development. Foreign investors, particularly in developing countries, are critical to building up the private sector by providing access to capital, technology, expertise and global markets. For investors, although fundamental challenges exist, these emerging markets hold a great deal of promise for substantial returns. The respective goals of the public and private sectors – spreading prosperity and increasing profitability – are not mutually exclusive in these markets. Through the readings, lectures, case studies and class discussion, this course will explore the methods, actors, issues and stakeholders involved in foreign investment and in the development of emerging economies and the ways in which they are interdependent.
Security Sector Governance and the Rule of Law: theory, normas and practices – GLOB1-GC 3055
This course follows a deductive pedagogy, moving from the general to the particular. It approaches the issue of contemporary security sector governance through a broad theoretical and historical literature. The first four classes establish a general baseline of primary sources and critical perspectives on security, development, fragility, and drivers of instability. The next six classes begin to drill down into the particulars of present stabilization, reconstruction, and rule of law programs. What do these programs seek to achieve? Who are key actors and stakeholders in modern security sector governance programs? Finally, what are the personnel needs of such initiatives and the institutions they seek to reform? Who are the right people for this kind of work and how does one find them? The final four classes deal with case studies of security sector governance in Liberia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. The ultimate class returns to larger questions by exploring accounts of which programs worked and moving towards an explanation of why these were successful. Students taking this course will engage with scholar-practitioners on the dual task of how best to understand and implement programs seeking to bolster international security. Students will be examined on the basis of a research paper.
Political Risk – GLOB1-GC 3060
Political risk is among the main factors in international economic and trade relationships. It is usually a top concern in any cross-border investment activities and trade flows. The United States recognizes 195 countries around the world. Each one of them may present unique set of political risks and opportunities. Indicators of political risks, including sovereign rating from major rating agencies, market risk premiums, and sovereign credit default swaps, CDS, be thoroughly discussed. We shall study political risk through several cases. Qualitative tools might be introduced to offer market pricing of political risk in our sample countries. Our goal will be to develop a thorough understanding of the art and science of political risk, from both bottom-up market indicators and top-down holistic view.
Country Risk Analysis and Management – GLOB1-GC 3061
This course provides an introduction to country risk – the risk that firms incur in cross-border investment or lending. Country risk is analyzed and managed by multinational corporations, banks, and governments in order to assess and mitigate potential financial loss due to country events. Such events include coups, social unrest, war, and economic shocks including adverse market developments and economic policy changes. The goal of this course is to provide students with the tools necessary to assess country risk and prepare them for jobs that require country risk analysis and management. The class involves lectures and “case study” seminars. Key “clinical” skills will be developed: macroeconomic and balance of payments analysis; domestic and international political risk assessment; analyzing government finances and banking sector risk; knowledge of the extensive resources available on country risk; knowledge of the regulatory environment; and, “case study” skills. Prerequisite: course in International political economy or Intermediate macro or international economics.
Strategic Risk Taking – GLOB1-GC 3062
The world of business, politics, and international affairs exposes us to a number of risks. Following the financial crisis it became apparent the risks we cannot see are the ones we should fear most. Protecting yourself, or profiting, from risk requires being able to see what no one else does. This class will teach you how to do this.
Financial science is the study of how to price and measure risk using statistics. But its most salient lessons and methods apply to other industries from the military to crime. This class will teach the most important lessons from finance and the techniques financial scientists use to measure and then hedge risk. Then we will apply these methods to other areas from crime to cyber to climate change.
There has never been a better time to study risk management. The big data revolution means we can measure risk more accurately than ever before. This approach will only offer a creative, rigorous and innovative way to approach risk. Students will gain a deeper understanding about politics, policy, and a new way to view every day problems and gain the skills to develop innovative risk management.
Impact Investing – GLOB1-GC 3065
Impact investing focuses on generating financial returns while intentionally improving social and environmental conditions. It plays an ever-increasing role in the work of investors, banks, policymakers, foundations, and large corporations that aim to tackle societal and environmental challenges. This course will focus on the ideas and history behind impact investing, as well as the tools and skills needed to understand, evaluate, and measure social and environmental impact. It tackles questions such as: How can we (as policymakers, investors, international organizations, or companies) invest into social and environmental impact? What are emerging platforms and vehicles that facilitate this trend, including B Corporations, social stock exchanges, and social impact bonds? How do (inter-)governmental actors such as USAID, the World Bank, and others collaborate on innovative models? What is the role of related concepts such as micro-finance, Socially Responsible Investing, and alternative resourcing approaches? The course will be based on readings, case studies, interactive guest lectures, and student projects. Impact investors and policymakers will be engaged as guest speakers. Learning will be interactive, and students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant individuals.
Women, Peacemaking and Peacebuilding – GLOB1-GC 3075
That conflict affects women and men, girls and boys in different ways is hardly a major insight, yet security sector analysts and policy-makers continue to have considerable difficulty accepting that this gendered impact of conflict ought to shape international, regional, or local policies aimed at conflict prevention, resolution, or peacebuilding. Even more challenging is the suggestion that gender relations could affect the triggers and causes of conflict or the conduct and the resolution of conflict, or the sustainability of peacebuilding efforts. An immediately obvious consequence is that women and girls figure in popular and policy treatments of conflict mainly as victims, and their various roles as participants in fighting forces, rebuilders and peace leaders, are obscured or ignored. This has resulted in their exclusion from decision-making on peace deals and post-conflict recovery processes including transitional justice and economic recovery. Recovery processes can therefore re-entrench or even strengthen conservative or pre-conflict versions of gender relations and women’s rights. The course will be taught as a weekly seminar for 14 weeks. The entire course will be linked to current policy debates on this issue in international peace and security institutions, notably the United Nation’s Security Council, and the new (since 2005) Peacebuilding Commission, as well as regional and national security institutions including national action plans to institutionalize normative commitments to women’s rights and the women peace and security agenda. The major focus will be women’s role in conflict resolution, reconciliation, and long-term peacebuilding. Peacebuilding is a complex and uncertain process and its success is essential to the prevention of renewed conflict. Topics to be covered will include gender issues in peace processes, conflict-related humanitarian crises, post-conflict policy priorities such as disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, transitional justice and reparations and long-term peacebuilding, Students will be encouraged to analyze the politics of international policy-making in the security field and to simulate policy-advocacy through persuasive argumentation (for instance in Op Eds and briefings). In addition, a class exercise will involve drafting a resolution on women and peacebuilding and simulating a Security Council negotiation over the text.
Gender, Politics and the State in Development- GLOB1-GC 2390
Good governance is central-stage as the essential condition for growth in low-income countries, and for human development as well. A number of the country assistance programs of bilateral and multilateral development agencies are predicated on a minimum set of successful governance reforms including anti-corruption measures and efforts to improve public administration efficiency. Good governance was missing from the Millennium Development Goals, and its inclusion in the post-2015 development framework is currently hotly contested, and being used as a bargaining chip by G77 countries in exchange for more relaxed conditions for aid. Good governance is the primary focus of efforts to improve the effectiveness of aid in particular in the 19 countries that self-define as fragile and conflict-prone. Definitions of governance range from a restricted view focusing on sound management of the economy, and a more expansive one that aims for political liberalization and addresses problems of social inequality. Governance has an important impact on the distribution of resources and public power between women and men. In addition, gendered power relations shape approaches to governance. This course develops an understanding of governance reforms in low-income contexts from a gender-sensitive and feminist political science perspective.
Masculinities and Global Politics – GLOB1-GC 2391
Gender is a well-studied subject; gender shapes our sense of self and dictates appropriate behaviors and interactions. Much attention has been given to how gender shapes larger processes (capitalism, education). However, the study of institutions, systems, and approaches in IR as gendered remains either conspicuously absent or alarmingly incomplete. Because men have been the dominant producers of knowledge over time and across disciplines, there is a false sense that the role of men throughout history has been critically examined, however, this has resulted in an absence of analytical study of men as gendered beings and masculinities as subjects of critical inquiry. This results in partial knowledge and incomplete understandings of geopolitical dynamics. This course examines gender in global politics and provides a needed focus on the unique role of masculinities in IR to inform political systems and institutions, and limit knowledge and strategies between and amongst state and non-state actors.
Global Financial Crime – GLOB1-GC 2293
The scope for financial crime has widened with the Post-Soviet transition, expansion of European Union and increased integration of financial markets. Money laundering, terrorism financing and tax crime have all changed in both nature and dimension. As new technologies reduce the importance of physical proximity to major onshore financial centers so a new generation of Offshore Financial Centers have emerged. Financial crime affects virtually all areas of public policy and is increasingly transnational. This class provides a deeper analysis of the economic, institutional and political features and addresses both the theoretical and policy issues arising from financial crime and feature a wide variety of case studies, and cover topics such as criminal enterprises, money laundering, the use of new technologies and methods in financial crime, corruption, terrorism, cybercrime and fraud. Taken together, these questions form a must-read collection of works for students majoring in international affairs, law, finance/economics and criminology.
Big Data, Prediction and Global Affairs: How to Use 21st Century Computing – GLOB1-GC 2514
Strategic analysis of geopolitical events requires sifting through exponentially increasing arrays of data—a feat no single human brain can achieve. But cognitive computing represents an advance in analytics that simulates some aspects of the way the human brain functions to assist in big data tasks at the scale our 21st century digital society requires. As embodied by Watson, IBM’s celebrated supercomputer, cognitive computing generates both predictive and prescriptive output, facilitating continual processing and analysis of large volumes of unstructured data and content (like social media streams, news reports, polls and feedback forums, etc.). This course will introduce students to the building blocks of cognitive computing: developing a data corpus; processing such data; machine learning; and natural language processing. This course’s unique structure allows students to directly use Watson and its platform of APIs (application programming interfaces) to build their own applications around global issues.
Hunger and Development: The Poltics of Global Food Security – GLOB1-GC 2281
Grounded in the UN’s goal of eradicating global hunger by the year 2030, this course explores the politics of global food security. While the Green Revolution for several decades managed to limit global hunger despite rapid population growth there are many indications that productivity in the agricultural sector across the world has been stagnating for some time. If agro-technology can no longer the soul solution to the problem of global hunger we have to look to the political arena. This course discusses how politics and policies in their many forms – geopolitics, gender politics, politics of international trade, politics of national security, environmental policies, policies of farm subsidies, policies of nutrition and health, and of famine – impact on food security, food sovereignty, and food justice.
Entrepreneurship in a Globalized World – GLOB1-GC 2292
Every field of study whether it is health care, social work, engineering, policymaking, the arts, and even the non-profit world has “problems” that need to be solved. And those problems are “opportunities.” This course will help you convert problems into opportunities through a process that helps you hone your strategy and execution. Entrepreneurship is no longer a domestic field. A small local shoe store, for example, is highly impacted by changes in overseas markets and online competitors. Entrepreneurs globally have made a significant impact as another class of “global actors” influencing political society, civil society and global consumers. Google, Facebook, and Twitter are high profile examples of this where their services have a direct impact in the world. New entrepreneurs must be globally focused in today’s modern world of game changers. This class will empower students with the key process of global innovation and how to turn ideas into sustainable businesses.
Infrastructure Security and Resilience – GLOB1-GC 2546
Both developed and developing societies rely on a complex network of infrastructure to support economic development, and security. Interruptions, originating from a variety of man-made and/or natural hazards, lead to a variety of significant consequences ranging from insecurity, economic decline and impacts to health services. The complex nature of responding to disasters, whether man-made, natural or terrorism, requires a level of integration and preparedness that can be challenging to attain. Thoughtful preparedness planning leads to more resilient organizations and societies. This course provides students with the skills needed to effectively support disaster recovery and preparedness decision-making across private and public sectors.
Advanced Data Analysis for Global Affairs – GLOB1-GC 2516
This course will build directly upon Applied Statistics by further enhancing students’ proficiency with using statistical software to execute linear and non-linear regression models, perform diagnostic statistical tests, specify interactions between variables, and graphically display results. Students will also independently collect and analyze data of their choosing, as well as present their findings to their peers.
Regional Electives
From the Mughals to Modernity: India’s Democracy and Its Discontents Regional – GLOB1-GC 1060
This course provides an overview of India’s rise in the global system. Topics provide (1) an understanding of the enduring influence of the Mughal Empire, British colonialism, including dilemmas of domination, (2) India’s emergence as a modern nation, particularly its experiences with independence and partition, and the evolution of India’s democratic system. (3) The dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir and the pursuit of nuclear technology are explored given the subcontinent’s emerging role, in contrast to China, as a world power. The voices of Indian colleagues and the use of new technologies to illuminate our understanding of content, particularly in terms of security defined in the domestic, regional and international contexts, figure prominently in our learning about contemporary issues in a pluralistic society. (4) Federal-state relations, the institutional impact and legacy of the Constitution of 1950, (5) recent legal reforms and their significance for direct foreign investment, (6) the role of political parties and the influence of dynasty politics, (7) the changes in the Indian economy since the Singh reforms and the implications for development on the subcontinent, (8), (9), (10) challenges India faces in corruption, health, and infrastructure, (11) key issues related to demographics and regional disparities, (12) the on-going relevance of caste in Indian society, (13) information technology advances, and (14) the significance of the media in state-society relations figure prominently in our analysis and discussions.
Inside Latin America – GLOB1-GC 1100
As the most unequal region in the world, Latin America faces complex challenges to make democracy work. High poverty levels and economic conditions that make the region highly dependent on fluctuations in world markets threaten stability. This course looks at the long-term and short-term challenges to democratic consolidation and economic development in the region and to evolving political and social processes that have taken place in countries. While our main focus is on recent social, economic and political developments, we also look at the historical roots of economic and political instability in the region.
Europe in the 21st Century: Threats from Terrorism to Separatism – GLOB1-GC 1105
What are the fault-lines threatening Europe’s postwar integration? In the age of artificial intelligence, nationalism fuses with ethnicity and religion in response to the Syrian refugee crisis, which creates the conditions for “reciprocal radicalization” across the Continent. Weekly sessions explore the present context of the Far Right’s influence across Europe, the separatist movement in Catalonia, and the impact of Brexit. Russia’s influence on Hungary, a European Union member state rejecting liberal values, and Turkey, a country at the crossroads of continental security, allow discussions to focus on likely scenarios that challenge the 20th century integration narrative. Geopolitical implications for rising powers China and India are drawn. This policy-oriented, interactive seminar, includes practical exercises in conflict resolution as well as specific modules designed in consultation with colleagues at the Women’s Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE), The Data Union, and the United Nations Counterterrorism Executive Directorate (UN CTED), to connect its members through learning, research, and service to internships and professional opportunities in the Middle East, Europe, and the United States.
Inside Africa Today – GLOB1-GC 1110
This course will explore key issues shaping Africa’s future, and the role the world’s most powerful nations will play. Sub-topics include the intensifying economic competition between the US and China as they battle for access to Africa’s vast energy and mineral resources; India and the Middle East’s focus on securing large swaths of agricultural land in order to feed their growing populations; the ongoing political instability in North Africa and the outlook for reform; the implications of growing inequality between Africa’s elites and the millions still living in abject poverty; and the gathering threat of Islamic fundamentalism in and around the Magreb. In the post-Cold War, multi-polar world, Africa is the last place on the planet where global powerhouses can still wield a tremendous amount of influence for their own gain, which will dramatically influence the future of the continent.
Asia Today: An Introduction – GLOB1-GC 1115
Scholars spend their lives becoming experts on Japan or Siberia or China or India or Iran or Turkey – and much else in between. From Ankara to Shanghai and Novosibirsk to Djakarta, Asia has long been a geographical concept with uneven trans-regional interconnections. This class dissects all these countries in some detail and examines the extent of the interconnections among the societies on the continent called Asia. The course seeks to help students understand how Asia, with half the world’s population, is likely to collide or collaborate with the US and Europe in the context of a global economy and shrinking planet.
Transformations in Central Asia – A Global Context – GLOB1-GC 1125
The region of Central Asia is a fabulous mosaic. Its complex history, vast landscape, diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious populations, and contemporary geopolitical importance make it an area of the world that is both complex and critical to understand and appreciate. The region of Central Asia in the context of this course refers to the 5 states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The region is especially important at this juncture in history due to its rich natural resource base, fragile political and economic situation following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the region’s location in relation to its closest neighbors, Russia and China. Since 1991, many governments, NGOs and investors have actively tried to engage the region through international development assistance around the support for democratic institution building and most critically, in and around the direction of energy supply and security. The year 1991 was pivotal in that it officially severed the relationship between Moscow and the republics that comprised what was the Soviet Union. Since then, the region is engaged in a difficult process of transition, renewal, and redefinition. It is vital in this connection to consider the “historical residue” in Central Asia, where centuries of migrations, colonization, and war have created a unique ethnic, religious and cultural mix of peoples and ideologies. This special seminar introduces students to the region of Central Asia with a brief historical overview and a look at each of the 5 states, and then moves towards developing a more in-depth look at the energy sector with specific attention to the energy rich Caspian and its key player, Kazakhstan. The geopolitical positioning of the region, and the engagement of 3 great powers, China, the United States and Russia, is also examined.
Russia and the World – GLOB1-GC 1130
Russia’s history has been one of grandeur and tragedy, triumph and disaster. Mikhail Gorbachev’s efforts to reform the USSR led to its unexpectedly bloodless dissolution, but this merely heralded a new era of chaos as the post-Soviet states sought to redefine themselves, while still dominated by old élites and the legacy of the planned economy. This course will begin briefly by establishing the long- and short-term historical inheritances of contemporary Russia before concentrating first on its political, economic, social, and security situation, then placing it in wider regional and global contexts. It will conclude by exploring possible future trajectories, with students being challenged to develop their own scenarios for the next decade.
The Mideast: National Security, Politics and Society – GLOB1-GC 1135
At the crossroads of 3 continents, the Middle East is home to many diverse peoples, with ancient and proud cultures, in varying stages of political and socio-economic development, often times in conflict. The Middle East, the primary source of the world’s energy resources, is also the primary locus of the terror-WMD-fundamentalist nexus, 1 of the greatest threats today to both regional and international security, and of numerous conflicts. In a state of historic flux, the region’s internal sources of unrest and possible upheaval are of great consequence to the world economy and international security. This graduate seminar surveys the national security challenges facing the region’s primary players (Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria and Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinians, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq), in terms of their respective political, social and economic contexts. Unlike many Middle East courses, which focus on US policy in the region, this seminar takes the regional players’ perspectives as its starting point, focusing on how they perceive their external environments, including the threats and opportunities they face, and on the strategies they have adopted to deal with them, given their domestic constraints. It thus provides an essential vantage point for all those interested in gaining a deeper understanding of this critical region. The course is designed for those with a general interest in the Middle East, especially those interested in current national security issues, students of comparative politics and practitioners/future practitioners, with an interest in “real world” international relations. Students are asked to place themselves in the position of current leaders in the region and to write and present policy papers from their perspective, what these leaders can/might actually be able to do, given their foreign and domestic constraints, not what we might believe to be desirable.
Vietnam and ASEAN at the Vortex of Geopolitics and the World Economy in the 21st Century – GLOB1-GC 1140
As China eclipsed Japan for the spot of the world’s second largest economy and show-cased its military capability and willingness to challenge American dominance in the seas, Vietnam and its ASEAN neighbors suddenly found themselves back into the strategic flash point of the Cold War of old. ASEAN has quickly recovered from the 2008 global crisis and continued to be the fastest growing economic grouping; it is pushing forward as an economic community modeled after Europe. However, several of its members are caught in a conflict among themselves and against China, which is both intractable and potentially explosive. Being militarily most prepared and having opened its economy to world trade and investment and enjoying the fruits of its reforms, Vietnam plays a central role in ASEAN. Its strategic position on the map of East Asia –and on the route of historic military campaigns in the Pacific– has also induced the U.S. to reach out to its former foe. The two countries now exchange cooperation in a wide range of fields, from military matters and a nuclear deal without the much-vaunted uranium non-enrichment pledge, to taking the same side on the Spratly islands dispute. In response, China has voiced indignation and strongly protested Americans’ alleged interference in its self-claimed sphere of influence. In this course, we will examine the histories and policy factors that helped shape and underpin the evolution of ASEAN; the dealings between and among Vietnam and the ASEAN alliance with the two global powers, the U.S. and China; review the current events and policy directions; and examine a framework that may help understand future developments.
The Great Game Redux? The Geopolitics of Afghanistan and Central Asia – GLOB1-GC 1150
Afghanistan lies at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East—an area whose key geopolitical, strategic and economic significance dates back two millennia and has made Afghanistan repeatedly the object of the schemes and stratagems of the great powers as well as the graveyard of these empires. Once again, Afghanistan is a contestant in this “Great Game.” Against the backdrop of the scheduled 2014 withdrawal of American troops and the big question that dominates policy debates “What is the future of Afghanistan? Collapse, Compromise or Conflict?” this seminar explores the most important historical, domestic, international, geopolitical and economic dynamics, actors and interests that shape—and have shaped—the politics of Afghanistan and the neighboring “-stans.”