International Relations

• CAS IR 584: The United States and Sub-Saharan Africa
  Examines the current and future relationship between sub-Saharan Africa and the United States, moving beyond stereotypes and mythology. The course is organized thematically: Introduction and Contemporary History; Security and Conflict; Economics, Trade, and Development; Human Rights and Democracy.
• CAS IR 585: Problems and Issues in Post-Mao China
  Meets with CAS PO 549. An in-depth examination of politics in post-Mao China, this course focuses on several critical issues, uses various conceptual frameworks to try to understand why the reform process broke down, and examines prospects for the future.
• CAS IR 589: North Atlantic/European Security Issues
  Meets with CAS PO 582. Examination of the post Cold War security environment in the North Atlantic and greater European context. Exploration of threats to security, mechanisms in place and emerging (NATO, CSCE, CFE, WEU), and challenges posed by changes since fall 1989.
• CAS IR 590: Political Economy of Latin America
  (Meets with CAS PO 562.) Historical and contemporary issues in Latin American political economy. Uses case studies and cross-regional comparisons to assess competing explanations. Analyzes the current political and economic situation facing Latin America in its quest for economic growth and development.
• CAS IR 592: Economic Development and International Institutions
  Examines the role of international institutions in economic development. Analyzes how development- related international institutions makes rules and affect national policy choices. Applies those lessons to concrete policy challenges, including possibilities for institutional reform.
• CAS IR 594: Global Environmental Negotiation and Policy
  (Meets with CAS GE 594.) Key concepts, actors, concerns, and issues related to the process of negotiating global environmental policies. Overviews of the international system and environmental problems; an international negotiation simulation; case studies of global agreements on ozone depletion, climate change, desertification, and biodiversity, among others.
• CAS IR 596: Globalization and Contemporary Capitalism in Advanced Industrialized Nations
  Meets with CAS PO 529. Considers the impact of globalization on advanced industrialized nations. Explores global and regional governance of finance, trade, and multinationals. Examines changes in national economic practices in Europe, Asia, and the US, and their effects on jobs, inequality, welfare, and democracy.
• CAS IR 597: Development and Environment in Latin America
  (Meets with CAS GE 597.) Provides an empirically based understanding of the social and environmental aspects of economic development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) for purposes of analyzing the numerous trade and development policies that nations in LAC are currently considering.
• CAS IR 599: Science, Politics, and Climate Change
  Applies a science and technology studies perspective to climate change science and policy. Examines the relationships between scientific and political systems at global, national, and local levels. Also offered as CAS GE 599.
• GRS IR 600: Topics in Global Policy
  Examines contemporary global issues, based on sustained investigation of case studies and practical application of general principles. May be repeated for credit if topics are different. Range of topics include development, public health, human security, governance, and ethics of public policy. Topic for Spring 2019, Section C1: Countering Terrorist Financing. Examines efforts to protect the U.S. and international financial systems from money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as to disrupt terrorist and WMD proliferation networks. Areas of discussion include Iran, Ukraine/Russia sanctions, Gulf/Middle East terrorist finance, and emerging threats.
• GRS IR 601: Fundamentals of International Relations
  Offers a rigorous introduction to the basic concepts of international relations, including analytical approaches, state system and non-state actors, international legal principles, diplomatic practice, and international ethics. Emphasizes history, case study, and practical application. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered GRS IR 701.
• GRS IR 602: Quantitative Analysis for Global Affairs
  Introduces international affairs practitioners to statistical reasoning through hands-on practice using real social, political and policy data. Covers key principles and methods of multivariate statistics for public policy analysis. Addresses interactions between quantitative reasoning, international policy analysis, and decision-making. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course entitled "Research Methods for International Relations Practitioners" that was previously numbered GRS IR 702.
• GRS IR 603: Economics for Global Policy
  Surveys key economic theories, trends, tools, and debates that affect international affairs. Thematic focus includes: stability and growth, global inequality, and global climate change. Covers theory and history, statistical analysis, case studies, and political economy applications.
• GRS IR 604: Negotiation and Diplomacy
  Investigates building blocks and challenges of diplomacy, with special emphasis on negotiation. Addresses history, legal underpinnings, infrastructure, and practice of diplomacy. Provides a foundation in principles and practice of negotiation, with focus on dynamics of diplomatic negotiations, using hands-on exercises.
• GRS IR 605: Global Policy Analysis
  Investigates how public policy is made and implemented at global level, as well as global impacts on local policy. Surveys academic literature and case studies in environment, development, and public health. Ends with team project on real-world policy problem.
• GRS IR 606: Global Economic & Development Policy
  Introduces international affairs practitioners to statistical reasoning through hands-on practice using real social, political and policy data. Covers key principles and methods of multivariate statistics for public policy analysis. Addresses interactions between quantitative reasoning, international policy analysis, and decision making. This course cannot be taken for credit in addition to the course with the same title that was previously numbered GRS IR 704.
• GRS IR 630: Money, Guns, and Power
  (Meets with CAS PO 569.) What is the relationship between money and war? This course explores the relationship between money, guns, and power through the lens of American and European military spending and through larger theoretical conversations on the concept of power.
• GRS IR 653: Forced Migration and Human Trafficking: Virtual Policy Incubator
  Causes and impact of forced migration and human trafficking. Role of conflict and state formation; emergence of international human rights and domestic asylum laws; role of international organizations, private sector and security forces in both combating and enabling human trafficking.
• GRS IR 700: Topics in International Relations
  Examines various aspects of international relations. Topics vary. Topic for Spring 2018, Section A1: Global Health Economics. Examines health issues in developing countries from the standpoint of applied economics. Topics include: (1) relationship between health and economic growth; (2) challenges to improving health; and (3) differences between optimal health decisions from an individual, national and global perspective.
• GRS IR 703: International Security
  Introduces core concepts of international security, including deterrence, balance of power theory, alliance politics, arms races, asymmetric warfare, and non-traditional security concerns such as terrorism. Topics are considered from both a theoretical basis and in historical and contemporary context.

Back to full list of Courses