International Affairs Courses
Int 501 Global Governance (4)
This course examines the organization of world politics in the context of globalization and provides an overview of international organizations, such as the United Nations, and regional organizations, such as the European Union. The course reviews the historical evolution of the international system and the basic concepts of international relations. It then examines international cooperation beyond the confines of formal organizational structures with particular emphasis on international regimes, institutions and norms that govern state practices in particular issue areas - from trade and weapons proliferation to the environment and refugees. The course also examines transnational relations of non-state actors such as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational corporations as well as transgovernmental relations of sub-national governments and government agencies that shape policymaking at a global level.
Int 502 Economics for Global Affairs (4)
This course will examine applied intermediate microeconomics and macro-economics in cross-national settings. This course is designed for students without an economic background. Students who pass a microeconomics and macro-economics placement examination may take a more advanced economics class as a substitute. Prerequisite: Completion or concurrent enrollment in RINT 503 Quantitative Approaches to International Affairs.
Int 503 Quantitative Approaches to International Affairs (4)
This course provides an introduction to quantitative methods and computer-based tools for planning, policy analysis, and decision-making. This course will provide students with useful tools for engaging in empirical research and help students understand literature that uses quantitative methods. Students will learn how to think about theoretical problems in terms of statistical models - hypothesis testing, OLS regression models, and some extensions. The class is designed to support the core economic courses in the program and in particular the Global Economic Policy concentration.
Int 504 International Economics (4)
This course introduces students to the principles, policies, and practices of international trade and finance that are fundamental for understanding international economic relations and the global economy. The course will also examine microeconomic applications in political economic analysis of international trade and finance. Prerequisites: Completion or concurrent enrollment in RINT 503 Quantitative Approaches to International Affairs; completion or placing out of RINT 502 Economics for Global Affairs.
Int 505 Global Security (4)
This course introduces students to the basic concepts and issues of security in the contemporary world. After briefly reviewing the historical development of war, the course examines deterrence, alliances, collective security, conventional war, and the nuclear revolution. The course then analyzes emerging transnational threats such as terrorism, the challenges of the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the tensions between economic globalization and the imperatives of homeland security and the technological changes giving rise to new weaponry such as military robotics as well as the prospects of cyber warfare.
Int 506 (Pad 661) International and Comparative Public Management (4)
This course focuses on tensions and trade-offs between important values in public administration and the institutional foundations of public service in cross-national political, bureaucratic, and legal settings. It examines management within the administrative structures, international organizations and agencies of the UN system and the foreign ministries of UN member states as well as functional agencies of national governments and sub-national governments (e.g. provinces and cities) engaged in trans-governmental relations. Major topics include dimensions of the public sector, characteristics of institutional settings, environmental context, and functions, roles, behaviors, and structures.
Int 511 International Law (4)
This course is an introduction to international public law in its political context. It examines the role of law in the functioning of the international system of states, including operation of international organizations and activities of non-state actors and individuals. It also includes an examination of the theory, development, and practice of international law, the interplay between law and politics, and the content and process of international legislation and authoritative decisions. It will introduce students to the International Court of Justice, the international law governing the use of force, the laws of war (international humanitarian law or the law of armed conflict), and the development of international criminal courts.
Int 512 Human Rights (4)
This course examines the legal, political, and social dimensions of the modern human rights movement and its implications for international affairs. It provides both an introduction to basic human rights philosophy, principles, instruments, and institutions, and an overview of several current issues and debates in the field. The course also seeks to analyze the ways in which allegations of human rights violations are dealt with and to expose some of the limitations in the architecture of the international system. Case studies will be used to illustrate contemporary debates regarding hierarchy among rights, conflicts between individual rights and societal priorities, human rights in single-party states, rights and transitions to democracy, amnesty for human rights violations, and the linkage between human rights and other national interests.
Int 542 (Pad 558, Ehc 558) Intelligence & US National Security Policymaking (4)
This seminar examines the role of intelligence in the formulation and implementation of US foreign policy. Through critical analysis and case studies, students will develop techniques to increase intelligence’s contribution to policy deliberations while ensuring that it does not prescribe policy. The course will assess the most appropriate role for the CIA and the Intelligence Community in supporting this executive branch process. After an overview of the CIA, its functions, structure, and capabilities. We review the US foreign policy process, key players, and institutional bias. The bulk of the course is devoted to a series of mock intelligence and policy meetings on the Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq crises to critically analyze the CIA’s proper role in supporting the policy process.
Int 543 (Pad 554, Pos 554, Ehc 554) Political Violence, Insurgency and Terrorism (4)
This course examines the relationships among, and differences between the following activities in the international political system: political violence, insurgency, and terrorism. The course will include a consideration of the causes of these activities, their effects on national and international politics, and an evaluation of governmental responses to them.
Int 584 (Pos 584) American Foreign Policy Formulation and Implementation (4)
A study of the foreign policy making and diplomacy of the United States, the objectives and formulation of policy goals and procedures and the domestic constraints on U.S. statecraft.
Int 599 Selected Topics in International Affairs (4)
Topics in International Affairs will be selected for detailed examination. Topics may vary from semester to semester. May be repeated for credit if content varies.
