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Required Core Courses

(New Students should refer solely to the new curriculum for their course requirements)

Analytical Skills for Global Affairs GLOB1-GC 3035

International Relations in the Post Cold War Era GLOB1-GC 1000

International Political Economy GLOB1-GC 1030

International Law GLOB1-GC 1040

Global Civil Society GLOB1-GC 1050

Regional Courses

Vietnam and ASEAN at the Vortex of Geopolitics and the World Economy in the 21st Century GLOB1-GC 1140

From the Mughals to Modernity: India’s Democracy and Its Discontents GLOB1-GC 1060

Inside Latin America GLOB1-GC 1100

Europe in the 21st Century GLOB1-GC 1105

Inside Africa Today GLOB1-GC 1110

Asia Today:An Introduction GLOB1-GC 1115

The Middle East: National Security, Politics, and Society GLOB1-GC 1135

 

 

View Full Course List

MSGA Course List

A Comprehensive list of MSGA courses with the concentrations they fulfill is now available. This list does indicate when courses are likely to run, but please note the information is subject to change. We cannot guarantee which courses will run in future semesters.

Courses by Concentration

(these listings reflect the new concentrations as of Fall 2011. Old concentration listings are available here)

International Relations (IR)
This concentration approaches the study of global affairs from the vantage point of politics. These courses explore topics such as the analysis of conflict and means of avoiding and resolving strife through negotiation; the role of the media in shaping policies; the challenges of maintaining security without jeopardizing democracy; the new role of the U.S. as the single superpower and the consequent impact internationally; and the elements that go into foreign policy formulation. Ample use is made of case studies and analyses of current issues and problems.

Transnational Security (TS)
The Transnational Security concentration focuses on cross-border threats and sources of international instability. Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the global security agenda expanded in breadth and rose in prominence. This concentration introduces students to this agenda by combining the study of more traditional issues such as the use of military force, weapons of mass destruction, and disarmament with more contemporary issues like terrorism, organized crime, and human security scourges. In conveying the substance of such issues, the courses in this concentration place great emphasis in helping students develop skills for service in the public sector.

Private Sector (PS)
The Private Sector concentration provides a broad introduction to international business and finance, as well as in-depth examinations of such emerging issues as corporate power and social responsibility. Attention is paid to the challenges of economic globalization and interdependence, the issues and problems associated with economic growth, and the relationship between economic growth and human development.

Human Rights & International Law (IL)
International law and its enforcement, transitional justice, human rights, laws of war, protection of the environment, national reconstruction, and international organizations all play an increasingly important role in the discourse of international affairs. The concentration not only provides an exploration of international law and basic human rights standards, as well as the women’s human rights movement and environmental and human rights, it also provides opportunities to develop skills in human rights research and advocacy.

Development And Humanitarian Assistance (HR)
What can be done about the massive disparities in wealth, development and opportunity between and within the countries of the world? Among the issues explored by the International Development and Humanitarian Assistance concentration are global poverty, the state and civil society in development, foreign aid, the role of gender in poverty alleviation, the principles and politics of humanitarian assistance and intervention including those aimed at refugees and internally displaced persons.

Environment/Energy Policy (EE)
These courses reflect the increasing importance of energy in the formulation of foreign policy among countries the world over. Among the issues examined are: affordable supplies for sustainable economic growth, safeguards against supply disruptions, securing a sound environment, lessening dependence on fossil fuels, oil as a source of great wealth and hindrance to economic diversification, the Gulf’s strategic importance, and the correlations between energy interests and foreign policy.

Peacebuilding (PB)
How can peace be built and maintained in chaotic times? The challenge of constructing peace demands a broad set of interdisciplinary skills and approaches that reach beyond those utilized historically in narrow attempts to resolve or manage conflicts. This concentration consists of courses that critically examine emerging concepts such as positive peace and conflict transformation against more traditional realist paradigms. Courses focus on the relational aspects of peace and the centrality of process in its emergence, as well as the practical skills involved. Through an emphasis on critical thinking and analysis, students learn how to apply important skills and strategies in the pursuit of peace through the work of governments, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs, and the private sector.

 

Course List

THE CORE COURSES

GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations in the Post Cold War Era
Core
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?

Sample Syllabus (Mazzucelli)
Sample Syllabus (Maier)
Sample Syllabus (Oppenheimer)
Sample Syllabus (Levitt)
Sample Syllabus (Chang)

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GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
Core
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.

Sample Syllabus (Zindar)
Sample Syllabus (Shaw)
Sample Syllabus (Johnson)
Sample Syllabus (Oppenheimer)

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GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
Core
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.

Sample Syllabus (Sabatello)
Sample Syllabus (Trahan)
Sample Syllabus (Maier)

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GLOB1-GC 1050 Global Civil Society
Core
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.

Sample Syllabus (Rexhepi, 2012)
Sample Syllabus (Kissane, 2012)
Sample Syllabus (Borst, 2011)

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GLOB1-GC 3035 Analytical Skills for Global Affairs
The study of global affairs requires more than just interest, passion or even intelligence. It also demands that students master and develop a range of crucial skills that will allow them to gather information, quickly and effectively assess data and opinion, understand how these sources may be biased or open to misinterpretation, and then marshal and present convincing arguments on paper in a range of forms. This course is divided into 2 separate units, Writing for Global Affairs and Quantitative Methods. The former covers the basics of research and formulating a research question, plagiarism and derivation, the different forms of writing (a memo, a research paper, etc) and the actual art of constructing and writing a piece. The latter accustoms students to handling data and familiarizes them with some of the basic statistical techniques used in policy analysis, in order that they may become intelligent consumers and producers of analyses.

Sample Syllabus (Writing/Research Section)
Sample Syllabus (Writing/Research Section)
Sample Syllabus (Quantitative Section)
Sample Syllabus (Quantitative Section)

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REGIONAL STUDY COURSES

GLOB1-GC 1060 From the Mughals to Modernity: India’s Democracy and Its Discontents
Regional
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1100 Inside Latin America
Regional
Latin American regional democracies confront myriad challenges, from U.S. military intervention in Colombia to populism in Venezuela and renewed demands for military accountability in the southern cone. Recent market-oriented policies and globalization have generated economic growth and tamed inflation at the cost of income inequality, environmental stresses, and vulnerability to foreign shocks. University strikes in Mexico, a landless movement in Brazil, and labor organizers on the U.S.-Mexican border challenge the neoliberal agenda. This class explores key regional trends with a focus on Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1105 Europe in the 21st Century
Regional
This course focuses on the changing realities of modern Europe. The continent’s main democratic political systems, as well as the European Union, are critically examined. The course reveals how the enlargement of the European Union is creating a supranational political and economic framework from the Atlantic to the Baltic to the Mediterranean, with tremendous economic power but still-nascent political unity and foreign-policy clout. Finally, the course examines the process of democratic change and consolidation in post-communist Europe, including both successful and unsuccessful examples. The 2 crucial countries straddling Europe and Asia—Turkey and Russia—are examined in depth.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1110 Inside Africa Today
Regional
Wars, civil strife, famine, the HIV-AIDS pandemic, and marginalization in the world economy—most of what 1hears from Africa is negative. What is the role of the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations such as the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States in dealing with the challenges confronting contemporary Africa? What are these organizations as well as NGOs and civil society doing in the efforts towards conflict prevention and resolution and in the search for sustainable development? This course takes an inside view of the current situation in each major region of the continent, addressing the numerous conflicts which beset it as well as examining the political, economic and social factors which can lead to its revival.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1115 Asia Today: An Introduction
Regional
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1125 Transformations in Central Asia: A Global Context
Regional
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.

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GLOB1-GC 1130 Russia and the World
Regional
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1135 The Middle East: National Security, Politics, and Society
Regional
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1140 Vietnam and ASEAN at the Vortex of Geopolitics and the World Economy in the 21st Century
Regional Course - 3 credits

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.

Sample Syllabus

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CONCENTRATION COURSES

GLOB1-GC 1010 Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 1020 Developing Countries in the Global Economy
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2000 Transnational Security  
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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?

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2005 Conflict Assessment: Theory and Practice
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2010 Ethnic Conflicts
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2015 Critical Analysis for Global Affairs
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
In an increasingly complex and fast-paced policy environment, international affairs professionals must have the ability to quickly and succinctly analyze information. This course is designed to provide global affairs students with an understanding of the world of think tanks and policy institutes, as well as the fundamentals of policy-relevant thinking, policy framing, and advocacy. Using a set of real-world case studies, this course will equip students with skills vital for presenting an argument in a cogent manner and for influencing decision-makers. Course content is structured to develop fundamental skills applicable for a wide variety of professional careers, including policy analysis, work in think tanks, as well as public interest and international development organizations. Given the premium placed on the ability to communicate persuasively with the written word, this course will place special emphasis on developing writing skills; students will be asked to compose their own policy memos and op-eds as part of the course.

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GLOB1-GC 2020 International Negotiation: Cases and Lessons
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations & GLOB1-GC 1010 Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
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.

 

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GLOB1-GC 2025 Public Diplomacy
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2030 Machinery and Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy Decision Making
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2035 Ethics in International Affairs
This course will explore one of the most exciting questions in international relations: Should moral considerations play a role in the conduct of foreign affairs? It is a question that most people would instinctively answer “yes.” But once specific issues are considered, the answer becomes more complicated. For instance, what is a “just” war? Can war ever be just and is the current Iraq war a “just war?” Under what circumstances do we have a right or a duty to intervene in the affairs of another state? Is the killing of civilians justified under any circumstances? Can terrorist acts ever serve moral ends? What about torture? Where do human rights come from? Are they universal or circumscribed by culture and religion? These are just a few of the questions we will discuss on the basis of classic texts and thought-provoking documentaries. At the end of this course students will have a good understanding of the fundamental ideas regarding ethics in international affairs as well as how they apply to key issues driving current international politics.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2040 The Role of the U.S. in World Affairs
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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?

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GLOB1-GC 2045 The Future of International Relations: Forces for Change and Alternate Scenarios
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2050 The Media and Global Affairs
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2055 Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2060 Democratic Transitions: Setbacks and Successes
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2065 Transnational Crime
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2070 Intelligence and Counterintelligence
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2075 Counter-Terrorism and Homeland Security
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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 tradeoffs 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?

 

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GLOB1-GC 2080 Transnational Terrorism
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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?

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GLOB1-GC 2085 The United States in the World Economy
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations & GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2090 Peacebuilding and Development
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations & GLOB1-GC 1010 Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
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? and; 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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2095 Global Climate Change
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
The science on global warming is broad, deep, and unequivocal. The impacts are already severe and our present trajectory, if it isn’t changed substantially, will lead to even more dire consequences. Many national governments and industries have obstructed progress on addressing the issue. Many others though have been rising to meet the challenge. There is a growing consciousness about climate change and a number of important developments and trends give clear indications that we can and very well may successfully confront the crisis. This course will look at the science, history, economics, policy and politics of global climate change, as well as our options for the future.

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GLOB1-GC 2100 Political Economy of Development
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2105 Economic Security: Challenges, Prescriptions and Opportunities in the Post 9/11-Era
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations & GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2110 The Multinational Corporation: Economic, Political, and Managerial Perspectives
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2115 The Use of Force and International Law since 9/11
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2120 Introduction to International Business and Finance
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
This course provides an introduction to international business and finance and the policy challenges of economic globalization and interdependence. It examines current issues of trade policy, exchange-rate regimes, international economic strategies of developed and developing countries, regional economic integration, multinational corporate management, exporting, importing, foreign direct investment, capital markets, and international financial flows.

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GLOB1-GC 2125 Clean Technology:  Developments, Trends, and Opportunities
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’s fast becoming a global reality.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2130 Corporate Social Responsibility
“Ninety percent of global businesses believe that Corporate Social Responsibility is a priority” (The Economist, 2008). However, a recent IBM study of global business leaders found that 76% of the business leaders surveyed admitted they don’t understand their customers’ expectations well (a McKinsey study of customers in 3/08 further validated this finding). This course explores: the global trends of business awareness of customer and employee involvement, the definitions models and metrics of CSR (the triple bottom line and focus on environment, social and governance issues), the influence of socially responsible investing (SRI), and the blurred global boundaries between corporations, nonprofits and governments. The course uses a multidisciplinary approach. Guest participants from corporations and nonprofits will highlight key points through practical examples. Learning will be interactive and require your participation. You will be expected to hand in 4 short papers and participate in a final team project.

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GLOB1-GC 2135 Networks As Capacities for Peace
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. 

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GLOB1-GC 2140 American Trade Politics and the World Trade System
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
This course examines current issues in the political economy of international trade in the U.S. and the world.  Topics include: the politics of open or “free” trade vs. protectionism; tariffs and non-tariff trade barriers; “unfair” trade; trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property; the World Trade Organization; regional arrangements such as NAFTA and the European Union; U.S.-Japan trade relations; trade embargoes and other economic sanctions; and environmental and human rights issues in trade policy.

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GLOB1-GC 2145 Economics for Global Affairs
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.  

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2150 Globalization and Its Impacts
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations & GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
Few developments have aroused as much political passion in recent years as the liberalization of global markets, generally termed “globalization.” This course explores the benefits, risks and drawbacks of economic globalization from the standpoints of both the developing and developed worlds. In evaluating the mixed blessings of globalization, the course will examine: the trend of increased flows of goods, services, capital and people across borders; the evolving impact of information and communications technology, such as the Internet, as well as other forms of high-speed communications; the effects of cheaper and growing transport; the increasing importance of NGOs; growing worldwide socio-political activities; the phenomenon of almost frontier-less private sector business and industrial dealings like outsourcing; and the growing need for global attention to climatic, ecological, and health concerns.

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GLOB1-GC 2155 Post-Conflict Policies for Peace Consolidation: A Case Study Approach
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1010 Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2160 Global Corporate Ethics, Compliance and Governance: A Hands-on Approach
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2165 Build Your Own NGO: Organizational Development for Global Affairs Professionals
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.  

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GLOB1-GC 2170 International Banking
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2175 Politics and Policies of the EU and European Integration
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2180 Emerging Markets
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
This course provides students with an in depth understanding of development in emerging market countries in Latin America and Asia. Topics will include governance, economics, political models and trade as well as discussion of historical, social trends, religion and demographics. The course will compare and contrast the various regions and how they have managed their economic growth, as well as the most recent economic and political crises. Students will have the opportunity to assess and analyze the divergent actions of governments and international financial organizations in the various countries. Course concludes with case studies of specific country pairings in Latin America and Asia.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2190 Global Public Health
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2195 Building Democracies
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.

Sample Syllabus (Ipp)

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GLOB1-GC 2200 Critical Environmental Issues: Legal and Policy Perspectives
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
Global climate change has emerged as one of the most serious challenges of the modern era. Even so, it is but one of several key environmental issues that the world faces today. These problems are often mutually reinforcing and include transboundary pollution; loss of eco-systems, habitats and biodiversity to excessive development; destructive agricultural and fishing practices and improper management of migratory and endangered species. To complicate matters, these problems are often viewed very differently by developing and developed states. From the Stockholm Conference of 1972 to the debates of “post-Kyoto Protocol,” this course explores the evolution of the legal and policy frameworks that have been developed to address these critical environmental issues. The emerging role of non-states actors, including NGOs, indigenous groups and other stakeholders are examined together with traditional institutions in the environmental discourse.

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GLOB1-GC 2205 International Criminal Law and Tribunals
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2210 International Dispute Settlement: Methods and Procedures
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
Diplomacy and international law offer the countries of the world a variety of options to resolve their disputes by peaceful means. This course examines these means including: negotiation, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, litigation and the use of international organizations. What are the roles of the United Nations and the World Court? Should they be thought of as methods of last resort for international disputes? How may these various methods be utilized to insure the optimal outcome for the parties? We will look at the evolution of dispute settlement and examine numerous cases, both actual and hypothetical, to explore dispute settlement concepts.

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GLOB1-GC 2215 Transitional Justice in Theory and Practice
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2220 International Trade Law and Policy
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2225 Law and Policy in International Business
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
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.

Sample Syllabus (Reed)

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GLOB1-GC 2230 Contemporary Issues in World Affairs: A Legal Perspective
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law & GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2235 Hard Power: The Uses and Abuses of Military Force
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.

Sample Syllabus (Galeotti)

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GLOB1-GC 2240 International Human Rights: Laws, Mechanisms, and Practices
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law
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.

Sample Syllabus (Cooper)

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GLOB1-GC 2245 National Security Decision Making Processes: Applied Theories
Prerequisite:  GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2250 International Organizations: A focus on Geneva
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law & GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
The number of regional and universal international organizations has skyrocketed in our time - and for good reason. No single institution can deal with the many pressing global issues of our interdependent world. This course provides an analytical overview of intergovernmental organizations at global and regional levels, including the UN system and such non-UN institutions and arrangements as OAS, OAU, OSCE, ASEAN, and others. We examine the structures and processes of these organizations, their size, role, and influence, the issues upon which they focus, and the impact of politics on the realization of their goals.

 

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GLOB1-GC 2255 Human Security: A New Approach to Today’s Global Challenges
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations and GLOB1-GC 1050 Global Civil Society
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.

Sample Syllabus (Musallam)

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GLOB1-GC 2260 Global Empires: From History to the Future
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2265 Environmental Policy
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to a variety of issues in environmental policy with special emphasis on global problems, politics, and policy. A major goal of the course is to foster a theoretical understanding of environmental sustainability the interdependence between the ecological and human systems. Students will be further expected to apply this knowledge to the analysis of various environmental issues that exist in the world today. Key topics to be examined will include sustainable management of soils and water supplies, atmospheric pollution, biodiversity and wildlife ecology, preservation of marine resources, energy and conservation, and political economy of climate change. The course will also provide an overview of current debates in environmental politics and of the different perspectives that inform policy processes, both in the United States and globally.  The course is designed as an interactive seminar in which students will gain knowledge through assigned readings and in-class discussions. Students will be expected to participate in the discussions and to prepare special subjects for oral presentation. The presentations will involve exploring case studies related to significant environmental issues. The collection of outside readings on the particular case and the distribution of policy recommendation to the class are strongly encouraged.

Sample Syllabus (Ivanova)

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GLOB1-GC 2270 Key Foreign Policy Challenges Confronting the United States
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
In this course, we will analyze a series of key foreign policy and diplomatic challenges facing the United States today and for the foreseeable future.  We will begin with an overview of the U.S. foreign policy establishment, the evolution of American diplomacy after September 11, and President Obama’s foreign policy priorities.  We will then look at core challenges falling within the following themes: extremism, nuclear proliferation, emerging powers, select foreign policy issues with complicating domestic political considerations, and U.S. multilateral leadership in an age of globalization.  As we look at particular diplomatic challenges facing America today, we will identify the national security interests at stake, assess current U.S. strategy, and consider alternative policy options.  This course gives students an opportunity to learn about vital issues affecting the United States and international system, consider the pros and cons of strategic responses available to decision-makers, and understand how domestic and international considerations affect the choices facing policymakers.  This course will prepare students for policy analysis and help them to understand and consider the difficult trade-offs often inherent in foreign policy formulation.

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GLOB1-GC 2275 Mediation Skills for Global Affairs
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1010 Peacemaking and Peacebuilding
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.

Sample Syllabus (Heckman)

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GLOB1-GC 2280 Development and Social Change

The concept of 'development' rose to prominence after the late 1940s when many former colonies gained independence and started building their national economies. However, the processes of social modernization and development have unfolded unevenly and with varying success across countries. This course examines the sources, processes, impact, and consequences of development and social change at the national, regional, and global level. One major focus will be on the analysis of the causes of diverging patterns of development between more devel-oped and less developed world regions – a tendency that has become even more pronounced in the course of modernization and globalization. In this context, we will explore the phenomenon of ‘China’s rise’ and critically examine the arguments for an impending hegemonic shift from the Anglo-American heartland towards East Asia.

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GLOB1-GC 2285 Explaining Civil Wars

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.

Sample Syllabus (Chang)

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GLOB1-GC 2290 International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition

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.

Sample Syllabus (Myers)

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GLOB1-GC 2295 Fundamentals of Corporate Finance

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.

Sample Syllabus (Myers)

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GLOB1-GC 2300 Human Rights Promotion and Practice: The Role of NGOs
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1050 Global Civil Society
From the mid 19th century victories in Europe of the Anti-Slavery Society to the successful struggles in the 1990’s to establish the post of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and The International Criminal Court, every major human rights and humanitarian victory, including the epic struggles on behalf of Soviet Jewry and against South African apartheid, has been spearheaded by NGOs. This course examines the unique and historic role of NGOs in creating global human rights machinery, educating the public about human rights, and shaming violating governments into abiding by their human rights commitments.

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GLOB1-GC 2310 Nongovernmental Organizations in the Developing World: A Regional Perspective
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1050 Global Civil Society
Those interested in working in the non-governmental sector need to familiarize themselves with the diversity and richness of civil society throughout the world. In this course we consider the views of NGO leaders, UN officials, and diplomats from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and East Europe describe the main characteristics of NGOs within their respective regions; the legal parameters governing their activities; their relationships, cooperative or adversarial, with the respective national governments; and the interrelationship between local and international NGOs.

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GLOB1-GC 2320 Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: Protection and Practice
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.

Sample Syllabus (PIerce)

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GLOB1-GC 2330 Issues in Humanitarian Assistance and Intervention
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1050 Global Civil Society
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.

Sample Syllabus (Rudbeck)

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GLOB1-GC 2335 Philanthropy and Global Policy
Even before Bill Gates and Warren Buffet challenged other world billionaires to a “giving pledge” of the majority of their wealth, philanthropy had been growing in prominence and global influence. Around the world, private philanthropy increases each year as more than half the world’s billionaires now come from China, India, Brazil, and Russia. The United States remains the philanthropy superpower, with more than 75,000 grantmaking foundations (more than double the number in 1991) giving away $40 billion each year from assets worth half a trillion dollars.

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.

Sample Syllabus (Haynes)

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GLOB1-GC 2340 International and National Women’s Movements
Recent United Nations conferences and agreements on human rights (1993), population (1994) and women (1995) have been followed by stronger national and international women’s rights initiatives, especially in countries and regions with traditionally less vigorous civil movements, and by increased networking among women’s advocacy NGOs worldwide. This course focuses on the structure and activities of women’s groups and networks working at national and international levels. Lectures address issues salient in women’s movements, such as violence and honor crimes, sexual and reproductive rights and the role of religious fundamentalism.

Sample Syllabus (Kissane)

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GLOB1-GC 2345 The United Nations
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.

Sample Syllabus (Stephanides)

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GLOB1-GC 2350 Workshop in Applied Peacebuilding
Peacebuilding and Human Rights - 3 credits
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2355 Human Trafficking and People Smuggling
Transnational Security, Development & Humanitarian Aid, Human Rights & International Law - 3 credits
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2360 Women's Human Rights Law and Practice
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.

Sample Syllabus (Cooper)

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GLOB1-GC 2365 Structures of Peace
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.

Sample Syllabus (Hill)

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GLOB1-GC 2400 Introduction to Energy Policy
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2405 Energy, Environment and Resource Security
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2410 The Geopolitics of Oil
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2415 AUTHORITARIANISM, REPRESSION AND CORRUPTION
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2420 The Economics and Finance of Energy
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2425 Private Sector Partnerships
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2430 Energy and the Environment
Among the most profound issues raised by modern energy policy is the question of environmental impact. The use of energy in the form of fossil fuels and other sources is coincident with the high standard of living enjoyed by the developed world. However, the enormous cost in terms of environmental damage (global warming, acid rain, photochemical smog, spent fuel disposal, etc.) to Planet Earth demands a serious and dedicated examination of how to sustain our life style through the use of unconventional resources and renewables, nuclear power, and the application of international law and agreements (such as the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols).

Sample Syllabus (Hewitt)

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GLOB1-GC 2440 Sustainable Development
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
One of the most famous definitions of sustainable development is that it “seeks to meet the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”—Brundtland Commission. This course introduces students to the concept of sustainable development, which combines concern for economic progress and the elimination of poverty with awareness of environmental limits. We explore in depth such issues as wealth and poverty, population growth, political economy of food and hunger, the extinction of species, global warming and climatic change, ozone depletion, energy conservation, deforestation, and misuse of technology. We seek to integrate debates about globalization and sustainability by examining the nature of development, the impact of globalization on environment and quality of life, and the role of global and national actors and institutions in either creating sustainability or moving further away from it.

Sample Syllabus (Johnson)

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GLOB1-GC 2445 Global Electricity Markets and Policy
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.

Sample Syllabus (McClelland)

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GLOB1-GC 2450 International Financial Institutions
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 1030 International Political Economy
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2455 Mediation Skills for Global Affairs Practicum
Prerequisite: GLOB1-GC 2275 Mediation Skills for Global Affairs
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.

Sample Syllabus (Heckman)

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GLOB1-GC 2460 Nuclear Energy, the Environment and Proliferation
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.

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GLOB1-GC 2470 Contentious Politics
Prerequisite:  GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
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.

Sample Syllabus (Rudbeck)

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GLOB1-GC 2505 - Modern Diplomacy
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.

Sample Syllabus (Stephanides)

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GLOB1-GC 2510 - Cybercrime
The exponential expansion of computer technologies and the internet have spawned a variety of new criminal behaviors and provided criminals with a new environment within which to operate. Cybercrime knows no physical, geographic boundaries as the internet provides criminals with access to people, institutions, and businesses around the globe. The reach of the threat defies conventional notions of jurisdiction of sovereign nations, thus making the targeting of cybercriminals particularly challenging for authorities worldwide. This course seeks to enter into the complex world of cybercrime by exploring its evolution and critically evaluating the foreign and domestic measures enacted to fight cybercrime. It further explores public and private investigations of cybercrimes, the problems associated with the prosecution of cybercriminals, and the efficacy of policing the internet. Some crimes covered in this course include (but are not limited to): the online sale of illicit drugs, online sex trade, cyberprostitution, child pornography, electronic espionage, trade secret theft, hacking, malicious software distribution, and cyberterrorism. Above all, this course focuses on the global legal, economic, and social impact of cybercrime and the international measures needed to combat it.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2525 -Water: Politics, Sustainability and Opportunities
Water, 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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2540 - Human Rights and the Environment
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.

Sample Syllabus (Kass)

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GLOB1-GC 2545 - Human Rights Skills and Advocacy
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 2590 - Waging Non-Violent Conflict: a practical workshop
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.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 3045 - Children and Youth in Conflict, Peacebuilding and Development
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.

Sample Syllabus (Borst)

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GLOB1-GC 3050 - Leveraging Foreign Investment for Development in Poor Countries
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.

Sample Syllabus (Rice)

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GLOB1-GC 3055 - Security Sector Governance and the Rule of Law: theory, norms, and practices
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.

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GLOB1-GC 3060 - Political Risk: A Multi-Dimensional Analysis
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.

Sample Syllabus (Chen)

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GLOBAL FIELD INTENSIVES (GFI)

GLOB1-GC 2185 Chile: Democracy of Institutions and Social Market-Friendly Development
Study Abroad Elective
The Program in Chile will focus on three aspects of the Chilean miracle: democratic consolidation, economic development and poverty reduction. In analyzing the historical, social, economic and political context, we will understand the successes and failures of post Pinochet Chile. Keeping Latin America in the background, and always comparing Chile’s experience with those of other Latin American countries, we will use Chile as a positive—but not perfect—case study of democratic consolidation, economic development and poverty reduction under a market-friendly model with strong democratic institutions. Since democratic restoration in 1990, Chile has built a strong democracy of institutions and checks and balances. When compared with the rest of Latin America, Chile’s democracy is stronger, more institutional and generally more accountable. Because institutions are more important than individual leaders, the endemic threat of populism has been relatively absent. No other country in Latin America has shown such a long and stable process of economic growth and social development. Since 1990, Chile has more than tripled its GDP. Chile’s success in reducing poverty is noteworthy. After taking power in a country where 4 out of every 10 Chileans lived in poverty, 4 successive Concertación governments adopted sensible social spending policies which combined with market-friendly macroeconomic policies brought sustained economic growth. Poverty declined dramatically in the 1990s. Innovative public policy initiatives in health, education and housing have helped reduced poverty, increase competition and improve public services.

Sample Syllabus - Navia

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GLOB1-GC 2250 International Organizations: A focus on Geneva
Prerequisites: GLOB1-GC 1040 International Law & GLOB1-GC 1000 International Relations
The number of regional and universal international organizations has skyrocketed in our time - and for good reason. No single institution can deal with the many pressing global issues of our interdependent world. This course provides an analytical overview of intergovernmental organizations at global and regional levels, including the UN system and such non-UN institutions and arrangements as OAS, OAU, OSCE, ASEAN, and others. We examine the structures and processes of these organizations, their size, role, and influence, the issues upon which they focus, and the impact of politics on the realization of their goals.

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GLOB1-GC 2315 -War Crimes Prosecutions in the Former Yugoslavia:  The Pitfalls and Promise of International Justice
Concentrations: International Law
The field intensive will explore justice and transitional justice mechanisms to respond to the atrocities committed in the wars in the 1990s in the former Yugoslavia. The field component will start in The Hague, Netherlands, observing trials before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We will then fly to Sarajevo (Bosnia) and Belgrade (Serbia) to observer their war crimes prosecutions, and to visit with local NGOs engaged in other documentation, memorialization and reconciliation projects.

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GLOB1-GC 2325 Vietnam/ASEAN Field Intensive
Concentrations: All
Unlike many of its advanced counterparts, the developing states of ASEAN quickly recovered from the global financial crisis and continue to be the fastest growing economic grouping. Amidst this success story lays Vietnam. After years of limited growth due to ineffective central planning economic policies following the Vietnam War, Vietnam has risen to become an economic and political force. Thanks to the structural reforms in the 1980s to modernize its economy and opening its doors to the global markets, Vietnam has experienced over a decade of breakneck growth. Poised at a critical geopolitical juncture in Southeast Asia, Vietnam has also effectively navigated relations with regional and global players. As evidenced by its stints as chairs of both ASEAN and the UN Security Council, its reputation continues to rise in regional and international forums. Vietnam, however, faces serious challenges, from high inflation, government budget deficits, to a weakening currency. The country will also need to find ways to effectively manage large government projects and address the role of state-owned-enterprises in a growing market-oriented economy. During this field intensive, Vietnam’s rise from a war torn country to a growing presence in the international arena will be evaluated. Economic, political and social challenges will be analyzed to assess its outlook. Students will have the opportunity to meet with multinational corporations, major foreign contractors, NGOs, trade and business associations, and government officials. Visits to major political and cultural sites will also be included, as experiential learning and cultural awareness will be highly encouraged. Vietnam will also be used as lens through which we will study other ASEAN countries and their changing roles on the global stage. The program will address: (1) a brief history of Vietnam, with a particular emphasis on the time period from 1975 to the current period to include Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization; (2) Vietnam’s continuing transition from a planned economy to a socialist market economy and the attendant implications of this transition; (3) Vietnam’s investment in human capital and the postsecondary education framework; and (4) Vietnam’s political, economic, and potential military role in the changing landscape of global governance and emerging regional and global issues.

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GLOB1-GC 3000 China at a Crossroads: Political, Economic and Social Change
Concentrations: IR, TS, PS, HR, PB, IL, EE * with approved research project
This course will enable up to twenty graduate students to travel to China to study and actively engage in the tremendous transitions facing the country today. The program features senior academic, policy, and professional presenters and affords participants a 2-day practicum to shadow municipal, corporate, educational, and nonprofit leaders shaping modern Shanghai.  China is changing rapidly, asserting itself on the world stage, and will undoubtedly continue to increase its impact globally. In order to provide our students with the best possible opportunity to understand China, it is necessary to travel there and engage with leaders in the different spheres. The program aims to harness transitions China faces and articulate to students the dynamism and dilemmas facing decision-makers today.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 3005 Cuba in the World: an Intercambio
Concentrations: IR, PS
The course, Cuba in the World - an Intercambio, will engage up to twenty graduate students in a special spring break study trip examining the realities shaping the largest Caribbean island country today. It will focus on post Cold War Cuba from a socio-cultural perspective, with a specific look at the country’s complex and evolving relationship with the US and Latin America. Through a unique collaboration with the Ludwig Foundation Center, Havana- a non-governmental organization dedicated to bridging understanding in Cuba and abroad through cultural exchange- students will gain exclusive exposure to an “inside out” perspective of a country that is most often viewed from the “outside in.” The seminar will be composed of organized lectures, site visits and meetings at local organizations and educational institutions. Pre departure (New York-based) sessions will focus on preparing students with a contemporary historical context of Cuban inter-American relations in order to inform the socio-cultural conversation during the onsite portion of the course.

Sample Syllabus - Murphy

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GLOB1-GC 3010 Ghana: A Case Study in Development
Concentrations: IR, TS, PS, HR, PB, IL, EE * with approved research project
Development in the world’s poor countries is one of the great policy debates and moral imperatives of our day. In Ghana, more than a 3rd of the people live in poverty, despite a decade of democratic rule and nearly a quarter century since economic reform began. In this course, we will examine multiple dimensions of development - economic, political, environmental, social, cultural and regional - through the example of Ghana. As the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from colonial rule, Ghana played a major role in the transformation of the continent. Despite its early promise, the country has endured political upheaval, military rule and economic collapse, as have many in the region. Today, its market liberalization, democratic transition and political leadership put it in the forefront of what many hope will be an African renaissance. These are among the reasons that a case study of Ghana will fortify a broader look at development in Africa. The course will be organized in 2 segments: six sessions in New York before departure for Accra, and 10 days of talks and field visits in Ghana. Pre-departure sessions will provide students with an overview of development issues, a review of African history and political evolution, and an introduction to Ghana’s history, politics, economy and culture. The sessions will include talks by scholars and practitioners. In Ghana, sessions will go into depth on major dimensions of the country’s development, including political, social and environmental as well as economic. We will learn from talks by political and business leaders, scholars, and representatives of intergovernmental and NGOs. We also will visit development projects and other sites in the field.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 3015 Berlin: A Society in Transition
Concentrations:  IR, TS, PS, HR, PB, IL, EE * with approved research project
This course will introduce students to Berlin, capital of one of Europe’s most important powers and a city in constant flux. Germany endured wrenching changes following World War II and then after the fall of the Berlin Wall, making it a case study in transitions, and it is now seeking its place in Europe, where it acts as a bridge between East and West. It is in Berlin, Germany’s most cosmopolitan city, that these developments can be studied most closely. In Berlin, too, the issues raised across Europe by increasing immigration, particularly from Muslim countries, can be most clearly viewed. Through academic lectures, site visits, meetings with government representatives, NGOs, and other experts, and by pursuing independent projects in Berlin, students will gain a unique perspective on the many factors that are shaping Germany’s role in Europe and the world.  Berlin, once divided by the Berlin Wall, is the only city in Germany that combines a for-  merly West German and a formerly East German half-city, and the problems involved in   integrating 2 very different societies continue to bedevil the city, even 19 years after the   Wall’s fall. In addition, since 1999, Berlin has played host to Germany’s federal government,   as well as an increasing number of non-governmental organizations that help to continue   the city’s long tradition of political activism. With the largest Turkish community outside   of Turkey and a growing number of immigrants, Berlin is also a focal point of Germany’s   attempt to come to terms with its status as a country of immigration, with all the ques-  tions this raises - questions of cultural identity, discrimination and racism, the meaning of   integration and how to achieve it. These modern issues, meanwhile, cannot be seen separately from Germany’s, and especially Berlin’s, earlier history. Berlin was the capital of Nazi Germany, and reminders of this history are everywhere. Only an hour from Berlin is Sachsenhausen, the concentration camp that was the model for other concentration camps, and Berlin itself is filled with memorials to the many victims of the Nazis and museums and educational sites that impressively document that period in German history. This wealth of historical memory holds a 2 fold interest for students: understanding the history itself is crucial to an understanding of present-day Germany and its leading role in Europe; and the way this history has been dealt with is a fascinating study in historical memory and “transitional justice,” a growing field of study that examines the problems of societies emerging from violence or dictatorship. Indeed, Germany’s 2 transformations - first from Nazism to democracy and then from totalitarian communism to democratic capitalism - provides a unique opportunity to compare transitions.

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GLOB1-GC 3020 South Africa: Challenges of Transformation
Concentrations: IR, TS, PS, HR, PB, IL, EE * with approved research project
The world celebrated South Africa’s swift transition from apartheid to democracy in the 1990s. Nelson Mandela brought wisdom and magnanimity to the office of president. The hearings before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission exposed the cruelty of racism and wrongdoings by all parties. But the fairytale ending collided with high expectations at home and abroad and with deep problems over poverty, inequality, AIDS and crime. In the fifteen years since the end of apartheid, South Africans have struggled to transform their society; this course is designed to explore the political, justice, economic, regional and social challenges they face. We will look at the transformation of the political system, accountability when one party dominates and South Africa’s role on the continent. We will discuss the continuing and sometimes clashing quests for justice and for reconciliation, as well as the country’s current soaring rate of violent crime. We will examine the issues of widespread poverty, economic empowerment and regional economic dominance. And we will explore some of the major social concerns, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the role of women, education shortfalls, land reform and rising immigration.

Sample Syllabus

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GLOB1-GC 3025 The Arab-Israeli Conflict
Concentrations: IR, TS, PB
Pre-departure classes will provide students with an overview of the Arab-Israeli conflict, a review of international relations and negotiations theory, and an in-depth look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  In New York, students will prepare for their individual case studies in the field. In Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank, sessions will go delve into the failures of various peace processes, as illustrated through first-hand accounts by the architects of the processes themselves, as well as primary accounts of various governmental and non-governmental actors on the periphery of the conflict.  The class will visit various NGOs, centers, and government institutions, where students will conduct their own guided field research.

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GLOB1-GC 3030 Comparative Energy Politics
Concentrations: IR, PS, EE
Prerequisites:  Student must have completed one of the following: GLOB1-GC 2410 Geopolitics of Oil, GLOB1-GC 2400 Intro to Energy Policy, or GLOB1-GC 2420 The Economics and Finance of Energy
This advanced level seminar course will provide up to ten graduate students with an opportunity to analyze differences in current global energy policy and the potential for changes to traditional policy procedures. This course aims to give students the opportunity to understand the determinants used by governments in making decisions regarding energy policy. Students will be encouraged to challenge the way they think about energy, specifically the costs and benefits of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon sources and renewable energy sources, such as wind, hydropower, solar and biomass.  Special emphasis will be given to the study of fossil fuels, specifically oil and natural gas and distinct differences between federal and provincial policies across Canada.  More broadly, we aspire to foster engagement of the Center for Global Affairs and broader New York University community in a forward thinking dialogue about the future of U.S.-Canada relations in the energy sector. The students selected for this seminar style course will undertake case studies to clinically analyze the inputs that states use to formulate their individual policies.  A holistic approach will be used to examine differences in energy policy across Canada and the United States.  Individual and sector demand, historical practices, markets, and the general rate of state consumption and openness to renewables will be explored as influential factors to external energy policy.  Scenario work within the course will focus on future possibilities for a U.S. Canadian partnership in energy issues.  In addition to the course and the overall initiative, enrolled students will participate in a 1-week Study Tour to Calgary, Alberta to gain an augmented perspective on energy policy development in Canada.  The study tour will focus on provincial, federal and local perspectives with firsthand experience allowing students the opportunity to realize the enormity and complexity of the oil sands, oil and gas development and environmental policy.  Students will be given the opportunity to meet with industry representatives, academics, local and national level policy makers and think tank representatives.

 

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