Graduate Courses

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
5:00 PM - 8:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 112

Credits:

3

This class seeks to provide an overview of Arab civil-military relations (CMR) and their implications in state-building, regional political dynamic, and national identities. It will discuss key CMR scholarship theoretical concepts and applies them to different cases, from the most prominent ones (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Mauritania, Sudan, Yemen) to the less politically influential, though critical to the regime survival (Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, GCC states). Comparative CMR analyses with African, Latin American and Asian countries will be used to enhance our understanding of the specific nature of CMR within the Arab context. The course will highlight the reactions and behavior of Arab militaries to the challenges of 2010-11 mass-popular uprisings. It will investigate their role in the post-authoritarian era. It will discuss whether or not they will be prone to endure reform through democratic security governance, which implies substantial transformation of CMR as well as the security sector (including domestic security apparatuses), mainly through oversight mechanisms and legitimate democratic control, among others.

This class provides a comprehensive overview of Arab civil-military relations (CMR) and their implications in state-building, national identities, and regional political dynamics. It will discuss key CMR scholarship theoretical concepts and applies them to different cases, from the most prominent ones (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen) to the less politically influential, though critical to the regime survival (Tunisia, Morocco, GCC states). Cross regional comparative CMR analyses (i.e., Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia) will be used to enhance our understanding of the specific nature of CMR within the Arab context. The course will shed light on the responses of Arab militaries to the challenges they faced during the 2010-11 mass-popular uprisings. It will investigate their role in the post-authoritarian era and the region’s struggle for democracy.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
5:00 PM - 8:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 112

Credits:

3

This class seeks to provide an overview of Arab civil-military relations (CMR) and their implications in state-building, regional political dynamic, and national identities. It will discuss key CMR scholarship theoretical concepts and applies them to different cases, from the most prominent ones (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Mauritania, Sudan, Yemen) to the less politically influential, though critical to the regime survival (Tunisia, Morocco, Lebanon, GCC states). Comparative CMR analyses with African, Latin American and Asian countries will be used to enhance our understanding of the specific nature of CMR within the Arab context. The course will highlight the reactions and behavior of Arab militaries to the challenges of 2010-11 mass-popular uprisings. It will investigate their role in the post-authoritarian era. It will discuss whether or not they will be prone to endure reform through democratic security governance, which implies substantial transformation of CMR as well as the security sector (including domestic security apparatuses), mainly through oversight mechanisms and legitimate democratic control, among others.

This class provides a comprehensive overview of Arab civil-military relations (CMR) and their implications in state-building, national identities, and regional political dynamics. It will discuss key CMR scholarship theoretical concepts and applies them to different cases, from the most prominent ones (Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen) to the less politically influential, though critical to the regime survival (Tunisia, Morocco, GCC states). Cross regional comparative CMR analyses (i.e., Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia) will be used to enhance our understanding of the specific nature of CMR within the Arab context. The course will shed light on the responses of Arab militaries to the challenges they faced during the 2010-11 mass-popular uprisings. It will investigate their role in the post-authoritarian era and the region’s struggle for democracy.

Date & Time:

Jun 3 to Jul 5, 2019
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 206

Credits:

3

The important and long-standing interplay between politics and film is the focus of this course. Three general questions characterize this examination. First, what ideological, chronological, or cultural differences mark different films focusing on a common political object, such as the American Dream or war? What accounts for these differences? Second, how political is an individual movie? How expansive should the definition of political content be? Third, how effective is the specific genre in conveying the intended political message? Are propaganda films really more effective than the indirect messages found in mainstream blockbusters? We begin with a general overview of the film-politics relationship and a brief discussion of the various perspectives and theories that illuminate the connection. Next, we look at the most obvious political films: the propaganda movies Triumph of the Will and Birth of a Nation. Next we look at the documentary genre through a contemporary production Paragraph 175 and a classic, Wiseman’s Titicut Follies. A discussion of political satire follows, focused on Chaplin’s Great Dictator and South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. The next section delves into Hollywood’s image of America and American politics. The first two films revolve around the presentation of the American Dream, exemplified by Citizen Kane, and Forrest Gump, movies separated by 50 years. Then we look at the more focused theme of the image of Washington politics through Capra’s classic Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Wag the Dog. On a different note, we discuss one of the most unexpectedly political films, Dangerous Liaisons, a study in political personality, power maximization and unadulterated competition. The last section thematizes war and genocide. In contrast to typical heroic representations of WWII, we look at a Japanese animated feature, Grave of the Fireflies, which reveals a substantially different cultural and political sensibility, as well as the Oscar-winning glimpse of Hitler’s last days, Downfall. For the Cold War we will analyze The Manchurian Candidate and From Russia with Love. Next comes The Deer Hunter, a masterpiece that best captures the pervasive malaise of the Vietnam War period, both at home and at the front. The final films delve into an historical theme with great contemporary political and ethical relevance: the Holocaust as depicted in Spielberg’s Schindler’s List and Holland’s Europa, Europa.

Date & Time:

Jul 8 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
3:15 PM - 5:15 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Car Barn 170

Credits:

3

This course engages four major themes in “Third World” Politics. For historical perspective on current concerns we begin with the literature on colonialism and the state. The second part of the course addresses democracy and democratization. The third part of the course explores persistent authoritarianism in the Middle East and North Africa in light of the concepts, theories, and propositions in the democratization literature. Part four turns to socioeconomic development in the Third World. The major focus is on the role of the state in Late Developers. In conclusion, we turn to student research on the Politics of the Third World.

This course has been renumbered, effective Fal 2014. A student who has earned credit in GOVT 404 Third World Politics in a prior term should not enroll and cannot earn credit in this class.

Date & Time:

Jul 8 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
10:45 AM - 12:45 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Maguire 103

Credits:

3

Many people have the intuition that distributive justice requires a presumption in favor of equality in the distribution of economic goods. Others disagree, and insist that the link between justice and equality has been much exaggerated. But even those who share the intuition often disagree about the sort of equality that is required. This seminar explores these debates, with particular attention to the work of such theorists as Hayek, Rawls, Frankfurt, Nozick, Dworkin, and G.A. Cohen.

This course has been renumbred, effective Fall 2014. A student who has earned credit in GOVT 448 Negotiating Middle East Peace in a prior term should not enroll and cannot earn credit in this class.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Jun 14, 2019
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Intercultural Center 209A

Credits:

3

This course offers a comprehensive theoretical and empirical overview of the politics of regime transitions and democratic consolidation in developing states. The focus will be on the challenge of moving beyond processes of negotiation and “pact making” in transitioning systems to consolidating democratic institutions, laws, rules, processes and norms. The first section of the class will address different arenas through which dynamics of consolidation typically unfold, including the rebuilding of legislatures, electoral systems and political parties, private sector market reforms, the restructuring of security sectors, and the shift from transitional to sustained justice and judicial independence. Topics such as corruption, peace building in divided societies, and the role of international institutions in supporting consolidation will also be explored. In the second section of the class students will consider a range of cases drawn from different regions including Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Cases of both successful and failed consolidation will be included in order to help identify policy choices, contexts and sequences that advance or undercut democratic consolidation. Section Three of the course will consist of producing a class paper based on the readings and field trip. This will include class presentation of key research questions and findings. To enhance the students’ understanding of the theory and practice of democratic consolidation students will spend one week in Tunisia. In the wake of the 2011 Arab political uprisings, Tunisia was the only country that experienced an actual transition from autocracy to democracy. 2014 marked the end of the transition period and the beginning of democratic consolidation, a process that is still unfolding today. In conjunction with the “Tunis Exchange” (see below) over a period of six days, students will meet with a diverse range of actors: political leaders from government, the parties and the parliament, NGO social activists, scholars, security reform experts, journalists, business leaders, American embassy officials and representatives from international assistance groups based in Tunisia. These meetings will not be limited to the capital Tunis. Students will undertake a two day trip to a rural town, where they will meet with governmental leaders, business people, and social activists who are grappling with a range of developmental challenges.

This is an embedded study abroad course with required travel to Tunis June 9-16, 2019. The course fee covers lodging, daily breakfast, and a program fee. Please note that other meals, passport and visa fees, airline baggage fees, or transportation to or from the airport are not included.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Jun 14, 2019
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Intercultural Center 209A

Credits:

3

This course offers a comprehensive theoretical and empirical overview of the politics of regime transitions and democratic consolidation in developing states. The focus will be on the challenge of moving beyond processes of negotiation and “pact making” in transitioning systems to consolidating democratic institutions, laws, rules, processes and norms. The first section of the class will address different arenas through which dynamics of consolidation typically unfold, including the rebuilding of legislatures, electoral systems and political parties, private sector market reforms, the restructuring of security sectors, and the shift from transitional to sustained justice and judicial independence. Topics such as corruption, peace building in divided societies, and the role of international institutions in supporting consolidation will also be explored. In the second section of the class students will consider a range of cases drawn from different regions including Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Cases of both successful and failed consolidation will be included in order to help identify policy choices, contexts and sequences that advance or undercut democratic consolidation. Section Three of the course will consist of producing a class paper based on the readings and field trip. This will include class presentation of key research questions and findings. To enhance the students’ understanding of the theory and practice of democratic consolidation students will spend one week in Tunisia. In the wake of the 2011 Arab political uprisings, Tunisia was the only country that experienced an actual transition from autocracy to democracy. 2014 marked the end of the transition period and the beginning of democratic consolidation, a process that is still unfolding today. In conjunction with the “Tunis Exchange” (see below) over a period of six days, students will meet with a diverse range of actors: political leaders from government, the parties and the parliament, NGO social activists, scholars, security reform experts, journalists, business leaders, American embassy officials and representatives from international assistance groups based in Tunisia. These meetings will not be limited to the capital Tunis. Students will undertake a two day trip to a rural town, where they will meet with governmental leaders, business people, and social activists who are grappling with a range of developmental challenges.

This section is reserved for students not enrolled in the Democracy & Government MA Program. This is an embedded study abroad course with required travel to Tunis June 9-16, 2019. The course fee covers lodging, daily breakfast, and a program fee. Please note that other meals, passport and visa fees, airline baggage fees, or transportation to or from the airport are not included.

Date & Time:

Jul 20 to Jul 21, 2019
Saturday, Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:15 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Intercultural Center 113

Credits:

1

Whether it is for daily project prioritization, country objectives articulation, sector-wide goals, or full-blown organizational change, a coherent strategy is critical. A strategy helps define a clear path to achieving one’s goals, from the practical to the transformative. This short course will cover common approaches to developing and assessing strategy (gap analysis, PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, balanced scorecard, SMART objectives, applied political economy analysis, and so on). During the course, students will develop a mock strategy and an assessment plan for a project or an organization, via hands-on activities that feature different approaches. This course will be particularly relevant to students entering government, the non-profit sector, or the non-governmental sector.

This course meets July 20-21, 10:00am - 4:15pm each day. This section is for MA Democracy & Governance Students

Date & Time:

Jul 20 to Jul 21, 2019
Saturday, Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:15 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Intercultural Center 113

Credits:

1

Whether it is for daily project prioritization, country objectives articulation, sector-wide goals, or full-blown organizational change, a coherent strategy is critical. A strategy helps define a clear path to achieving one’s goals, from the practical to the transformative. This short course will cover common approaches to developing and assessing strategy (gap analysis, PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, balanced scorecard, SMART objectives, applied political economy analysis, and so on). During the course, students will develop a mock strategy and an assessment plan for a project or an organization, via hands-on activities that feature different approaches. This course will be particularly relevant to students entering government, the non-profit sector, or the non-governmental sector.

This course meets July 20-21, 10:00am - 4:15pm each day. This section is open to students outside of the Democracy & Governance Program

Date & Time:

Jun 5 to Jul 12, 2019
Wednesday, Friday
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Car Barn 170

Credits:

3

Vesalius College of Global Affairs, Brussels (Free University of Brussels) and its Executive Course institutional partners and the Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University will be offering an intensive, transatlantic online 2019 summer school course entitled, “Global Peace, Security and Diplomatic Studies: A Transatlantic Perspective.” The course will bring together students from both institutions and will provide unique insights into core issues of peace, security and diplomacy studies at the theoretical and practical level in both the United States and Europe. The course will be jointly conducted by Professor Joachim Koops, Dean of Vesalius College, and Ambassador (ret.) Kenneth Yalowitz, Director of the M.A. Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University with an international faculty of leading scholars and policy-makers from the US and Europe. Capitalizing on the outstanding expertise of both institutions’ scholars, extensive policy networks and the location of both lead institutions in major diplomatic and policy-making hubs on both sides of the Atlantic, the course will enable students to delve into major topics and aspects of dealing with contemporary global peace, security and diplomacy challenges. Furthermore, the course will foster a transatlantic perspective and will encourage students to critically reflect strengths, weaknesses and future prospects of transatlantic relations.

This course meets on Wednesday and Fridays between June 5 and July 12 inclusive from 8:30am to 12:00pm.

Date & Time:

Jun 5 to Jul 12, 2019
Wednesday, Friday
8:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Car Barn 170

Credits:

3

Vesalius College of Global Affairs, Brussels (Free University of Brussels) and its Executive Course institutional partners and the Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University will be offering an intensive, transatlantic online 2019 summer school course entitled, “Global Peace, Security and Diplomatic Studies: A Transatlantic Perspective.” The course will bring together students from both institutions and will provide unique insights into core issues of peace, security and diplomacy studies at the theoretical and practical level in both the United States and Europe. The course will be jointly conducted by Professor Joachim Koops, Dean of Vesalius College, and Ambassador (ret.) Kenneth Yalowitz, Director of the M.A. Conflict Resolution Program at Georgetown University with an international faculty of leading scholars and policy-makers from the US and Europe. Capitalizing on the outstanding expertise of both institutions’ scholars, extensive policy networks and the location of both lead institutions in major diplomatic and policy-making hubs on both sides of the Atlantic, the course will enable students to delve into major topics and aspects of dealing with contemporary global peace, security and diplomacy challenges. Furthermore, the course will foster a transatlantic perspective and will encourage students to critically reflect strengths, weaknesses and future prospects of transatlantic relations.

This course meets on Wednesday and Fridays between June 5 and July 12 inclusive from 8:30am to 12:00pm. This section is open to students not enrolled in the the M.A -Conflict Resolution Program

Date & Time:

Jun 3 to Jul 26, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, St. Marys 120

Credits:

3

This course presents the most important numerical algorithms for solving unconstrained and constrained optimization problems. We will cover the basic theoretical results in optimization theory, and we will describe the structure of several optimization algorithms including: gradient methods, Newton and quasi-Newton methods, conjugate gradient methods, gradient projection methods, penalty methods, interior-point methods, etc. Several representative applications of optimization methods will be described in detail, and the students will be required to solve numerically three such applications.

Open to Math/Stat Graduate Students only.

Date & Time:

Jun 3 to Jul 26, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Reiss 559

Credits:

3

This course covers design and analysis of sample surveys. Sample designs include simple random sampling, systematic, stratified, cluster, double, and multistage sampling. Analytical methods include sample size determination, ratio and regression estimation, imputation for missing data, and nonsampling error adjustment. Restrictions: Must be enrolled in one of the following Levels: MN or MC Graduate Must be enrolled in one of the following Majors: Mathematics and Statistics

Open to Math/Stat Graduate Students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Car Barn 306

Credits:

3

This course examines the dynamics of insurgency (a political-military challenge to the ruling order using an array of asymmetric means, including guerrilla warfare and subversion) and counterinsurgency (the government response). Continuing US involvement in Afghanistan and ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere demonstrate that insurgent conflict continues to challenge US and broader Western interests, but also offers opportunities to the US. This course is intended to acquaint students with the nature of insurgency—its causes, strategies, and dynamics—and the fundamentals and past and contemporary variants of counterinsurgency, and by doing so to establish a solid foundation upon which to further build expertise and analytical capabilities. The course considers a wide range of questions in order to provide students with a deeper understanding of the dynamics of insurgency and the evolution of counterinsurgency doctrine and methods: What is insurgency and how does it differ from terrorism? Why do individuals join, remain in, and leave insurgencies? What strategies and approaches do insurgent leaders select and how have those approaches evolved over time? Are certain insurgent organizational arrangements better than others? Why does insurgency succeed and fail? What is the role of popular and external support in both insurgency and counterinsurgency? How has counterinsurgency evolved and are there counterinsurgency “best practices”? How do the challenges of “small footprint”/indirect counterinsurgency differ from those of large-scale foreign counterinsurgency interventions? What are the appropriate counterinsurgency responses for contemporary insurgencies?

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Car Barn 306

Credits:

3

This course examines the dynamics of insurgency (a political-military challenge to the ruling order using an array of asymmetric means, including guerrilla warfare and subversion) and counterinsurgency (the government response). Continuing US involvement in Afghanistan and ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Syria, and elsewhere demonstrate that insurgent conflict continues to challenge US and broader Western interests, but also offers opportunities to the US. This course is intended to acquaint students with the nature of insurgency—its causes, strategies, and dynamics—and the fundamentals and past and contemporary variants of counterinsurgency, and by doing so to establish a solid foundation upon which to further build expertise and analytical capabilities. The course considers a wide range of questions in order to provide students with a deeper understanding of the dynamics of insurgency and the evolution of counterinsurgency doctrine and methods: What is insurgency and how does it differ from terrorism? Why do individuals join, remain in, and leave insurgencies? What strategies and approaches do insurgent leaders select and how have those approaches evolved over time? Are certain insurgent organizational arrangements better than others? Why does insurgency succeed and fail? What is the role of popular and external support in both insurgency and counterinsurgency? How has counterinsurgency evolved and are there counterinsurgency “best practices”? How do the challenges of “small footprint”/indirect counterinsurgency differ from those of large-scale foreign counterinsurgency interventions? What are the appropriate counterinsurgency responses for contemporary insurgencies?

Section for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 407

Credits:

3

This course will examine conventional military operations from the period of World War I to the present. The course format will consist of a mixture of roughly 50 percent military and 50 percent description of how modern military forces are organized, equipped, and trained for conventional combat operations. Students will develop an understanding of how military forces have evolved during this period as well as how military technology has changed in the past century and how those changes gave influenced the way operations are conducted. While the majority of the course will focus on conventional combat, there will be some reference to so-called “low intensity” operations such as counter insurgency, in so far as those types of operations have had a bearing on how conventional forces prepare for and conduct operations. The course will start with a brief overview of the state of military art and science at the turn of the 20th Century. This will be followed by an overview of 20th Century military campaigns that will continue into the early 21st Century. (posted 10-22-08)

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 407

Credits:

3

This course will examine conventional military operations from the period of World War I to the present. The course format will consist of a mixture of roughly 50 percent military and 50 percent description of how modern military forces are organized, equipped, and trained for conventional combat operations. Students will develop an understanding of how military forces have evolved during this period as well as how military technology has changed in the past century and how those changes gave influenced the way operations are conducted. While the majority of the course will focus on conventional combat, there will be some reference to so-called “low intensity” operations such as counter insurgency, in so far as those types of operations have had a bearing on how conventional forces prepare for and conduct operations. The course will start with a brief overview of the state of military art and science at the turn of the 20th Century. This will be followed by an overview of 20th Century military campaigns that will continue into the early 21st Century. (posted 10-22-08)

This section is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Jun 28, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 407

Credits:

3

This course focuses on the principal security issues and trends in East Asia. It surveys key countries in region, but it also analyzes the major cross-cutting, security-related challenges and opportunities facing the region, including security arrangements, nuclear and conventional weapon proliferation, missile defenses, energy and environmental security, and sociopolitical changes.

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Jun 28, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 407

Credits:

3

This course focuses on the principal security issues and trends in East Asia. It surveys key countries in region, but it also analyzes the major cross-cutting, security-related challenges and opportunities facing the region, including security arrangements, nuclear and conventional weapon proliferation, missile defenses, energy and environmental security, and sociopolitical changes.

This section is for non SEST students only.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Car Barn 301

Credits:

3

SEST 606 – National Security Law - The Law of War in the Age of Terror Course Description This multidisciplinary course examines the relationships between law, policy, and war as they relate to contemporary non-state and unconventional threats. Drawing legal and political science methods, it will equip students with the conceptual and jurisprudential tools necessary to identify the legal basis for U.S. policy and evaluate the legality of various operations. Students will examine international, constitutional, and statutory norms from both a legal and operational perspective. From enhanced interrogations and extraordinary renditions to drone warfare and targeted killings, they will gain a deeper understanding of how war fashions law, and why law seeks to retrain war. Course is classified as U.S. National Security and Terrorism/Substate violence.

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Car Barn 301

Credits:

3

SEST 606 – National Security Law - The Law of War in the Age of Terror Course Description This multidisciplinary course examines the relationships between law, policy, and war as they relate to contemporary non-state and unconventional threats. Drawing legal and political science methods, it will equip students with the conceptual and jurisprudential tools necessary to identify the legal basis for U.S. policy and evaluate the legality of various operations. Students will examine international, constitutional, and statutory norms from both a legal and operational perspective. From enhanced interrogations and extraordinary renditions to drone warfare and targeted killings, they will gain a deeper understanding of how war fashions law, and why law seeks to retrain war. Course is classified as U.S. National Security and Terrorism/Substate violence.

This course is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 409

Credits:

3

Covert action (CA) and counterintelligence (CI) have long been significant instruments of statecraft. However, democracies have often been wary of using them. At times, CA and CI individually or together have made a notable difference, providing competitive advantage to policymakers and saving lives and treasure. When used effectively, these instruments have yielded significant strategic advantage. They also generate controversy particularly owing to issues of their compatibility with democratic values. This seminar will focus on explaining the elements of CA and CI, examining circumstances and conditions that enable both to become more effective tools of strategy and policy, and addressing issues concerning their uses in and by democratic societies, notably the United States. While these statecraft instruments will be examined largely in the U.S. context, the course will also draw on examples of the uses of CA and CI by other countries as well, with the idea that theorists and practitioners can learn from foreign experiences. Key course themes in the examination of CA and CI are four; they address strategy, liberal democracy, the role of analysis, and identifying “best practices” through a lessons-learned approach.

Section for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 409

Credits:

3

Covert action (CA) and counterintelligence (CI) have long been significant instruments of statecraft. However, democracies have often been wary of using them. At times, CA and CI individually or together have made a notable difference, providing competitive advantage to policymakers and saving lives and treasure. When used effectively, these instruments have yielded significant strategic advantage. They also generate controversy particularly owing to issues of their compatibility with democratic values. This seminar will focus on explaining the elements of CA and CI, examining circumstances and conditions that enable both to become more effective tools of strategy and policy, and addressing issues concerning their uses in and by democratic societies, notably the United States. While these statecraft instruments will be examined largely in the U.S. context, the course will also draw on examples of the uses of CA and CI by other countries as well, with the idea that theorists and practitioners can learn from foreign experiences. Key course themes in the examination of CA and CI are four; they address strategy, liberal democracy, the role of analysis, and identifying “best practices” through a lessons-learned approach.

This section for non SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 203

Credits:

3

One of the hallmarks of intelligence is that it provides and supports clean, clear thinking. Thinking Critically About Intelligence and Policy will enhance critical thinking, argumentation, and presentation skills, providing tools for School of Foreign Service (SFS) students to evaluate complex challenges and make stronger, more compelling cases for issues they are passionate about. Highly appropriate for future analysts, this course will be useful for any students who aspire to use intelligence or information in decision-making. The goal is to enable students to be thought leaders and—just as importantly—to see when they are being misled. Key elements of a critical approach are asking the right questions, gathering the best data, using proper methods, and ensuring the provided answer is the best answer to the question—all making sense in context. Guiding principles are that more information is not necessarily better, not all information is created equal, and the easiest information to get is rarely the best to use. Also, tools and techniques are important, but the human element— including expertise—is essential. In this spirit, this course will provide students a series of applied analytic tools and techniques of increasing complexity, starting with classical logic and leading to discussion of analysis using large data sets. Tools will include classic analytic methods for top-down deduction, bottom-up induction, and qualitative techniques for determining causality. We will identify limitations of Aristotelian logic, introduce basic principles of probabilistic reasoning, and demonstrate the power of model updating through Bayes’ theorem. Identifying logical fallacies, methodological errors, and holes in data will be emphasized over in-depth application of specific quantitative tools. The class emphasizes rigorous logic, but it is not a math class; no quantitative skill is necessary, and there are no prerequisites. Students will use these tools and techniques in the context of studying intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence, and covert action, with a focus on how decision-makers use these intelligence tools. The course will include some discussion of the place of intelligence in a democratic society, including the issues of intelligence oversight and public debate over intelligence issues. Throughout the course, students will uncover and examine explicit and implicit assumptions about intelligence and policy and will develop ever more rigorous arguments about those assumptions and their implications. Course discussions will draw from case studies on the use of intelligence by the United States and other actors from WWII through the current debates about secrecy and covert influence. The course will include a critical examination of intelligence in the run-up to the September 2001 terrorist attacks and Operation Iraqi Freedom, matters which afford excellent case studies on every facet of intelligence in a policy context. The cou

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 203

Credits:

3

One of the hallmarks of intelligence is that it provides and supports clean, clear thinking. Thinking Critically About Intelligence and Policy will enhance critical thinking, argumentation, and presentation skills, providing tools for School of Foreign Service (SFS) students to evaluate complex challenges and make stronger, more compelling cases for issues they are passionate about. Highly appropriate for future analysts, this course will be useful for any students who aspire to use intelligence or information in decision-making. The goal is to enable students to be thought leaders and—just as importantly—to see when they are being misled. Key elements of a critical approach are asking the right questions, gathering the best data, using proper methods, and ensuring the provided answer is the best answer to the question—all making sense in context. Guiding principles are that more information is not necessarily better, not all information is created equal, and the easiest information to get is rarely the best to use. Also, tools and techniques are important, but the human element— including expertise—is essential. In this spirit, this course will provide students a series of applied analytic tools and techniques of increasing complexity, starting with classical logic and leading to discussion of analysis using large data sets. Tools will include classic analytic methods for top-down deduction, bottom-up induction, and qualitative techniques for determining causality. We will identify limitations of Aristotelian logic, introduce basic principles of probabilistic reasoning, and demonstrate the power of model updating through Bayes’ theorem. Identifying logical fallacies, methodological errors, and holes in data will be emphasized over in-depth application of specific quantitative tools. The class emphasizes rigorous logic, but it is not a math class; no quantitative skill is necessary, and there are no prerequisites. Students will use these tools and techniques in the context of studying intelligence collection, analysis, counterintelligence, and covert action, with a focus on how decision-makers use these intelligence tools. The course will include some discussion of the place of intelligence in a democratic society, including the issues of intelligence oversight and public debate over intelligence issues. Throughout the course, students will uncover and examine explicit and implicit assumptions about intelligence and policy and will develop ever more rigorous arguments about those assumptions and their implications. Course discussions will draw from case studies on the use of intelligence by the United States and other actors from WWII through the current debates about secrecy and covert influence. The course will include a critical examination of intelligence in the run-up to the September 2001 terrorist attacks and Operation Iraqi Freedom, matters which afford excellent case studies on every facet of intelligence in a policy context. The cou

This section is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:10 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 202

Credits:

3

The overarching goal of the course is to improve the students’ understanding of conflict termination, particularly in the context of US national security policy, from a theoretical and a practical perspective. The US has not successfully terminated its protracted involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, and conflict termination is an increasingly important aspect of US national security policy. Crucial issues in this context include how to successfully exploit military victories for political purposes, and how to minimize the military and political losses associated with disengagement from a failed intervention. An overarching theme is to what extent we can identify recurring patterns, whether we can identify “lessons” from different cases, and to what extent “lessons” from one case are applicable to others. While the course has a US focus, it utilizes general theories and concepts that are relevant to conflicts beyond those in which America is/has been involved. Since conflict termination is often not a one-sided affair, the course also examines the conflict termination behavior of other countries and non-state actors. The US is often not in a position to impose its will on the enemy and dictate the terms of peace, and the outcome of wars in which the US is involved is not determined by the US alone. Instead, the outcome is shaped by interaction with other parties, allies as well as enemies. Consequently, their objectives and motivations, capabilities, strategies, and resilience are of crucial importance, and the course examines “the other side” in many cases of conflict termination. Given the prominence that the course gives to general mechanisms of conflict termination, and to the behavior and impact of non-US actors, it is relevant not only to students who focus on US national security policy, but also to those who primarily have other regional and/or functional interests. The course is divided into four parts. The first part examines theoretical approaches to conflict termination and related concepts, as well as their empirical and practical application. The following three parts further apply the theoretical frameworks and concepts to cases of conflict termination, with an emphasis on conflicts in which the US has participated or is participating. The second part covers the time period 1918—1991, the third part covers 1991—2001, and the fourth part covers the period since 2001 and also addresses the future of conflict termination. The course combines methods and approaches from social science and history, which are overlapping and mutually reinforcing. Social science (IR) informs a comparative analysis of cases of conflict termination, focused on whether and to what extent we can make valid generalizations about the dynamics of conflict termination. For example, can we identify the conditions under which a belligerent decides to sue for peace? The historical perspective enhances this comparison by placing the cases in their specific historic

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:10 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 202

Credits:

3

The overarching goal of the course is to improve the students’ understanding of conflict termination, particularly in the context of US national security policy, from a theoretical and a practical perspective. The US has not successfully terminated its protracted involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, and conflict termination is an increasingly important aspect of US national security policy. Crucial issues in this context include how to successfully exploit military victories for political purposes, and how to minimize the military and political losses associated with disengagement from a failed intervention. An overarching theme is to what extent we can identify recurring patterns, whether we can identify “lessons” from different cases, and to what extent “lessons” from one case are applicable to others. While the course has a US focus, it utilizes general theories and concepts that are relevant to conflicts beyond those in which America is/has been involved. Since conflict termination is often not a one-sided affair, the course also examines the conflict termination behavior of other countries and non-state actors. The US is often not in a position to impose its will on the enemy and dictate the terms of peace, and the outcome of wars in which the US is involved is not determined by the US alone. Instead, the outcome is shaped by interaction with other parties, allies as well as enemies. Consequently, their objectives and motivations, capabilities, strategies, and resilience are of crucial importance, and the course examines “the other side” in many cases of conflict termination. Given the prominence that the course gives to general mechanisms of conflict termination, and to the behavior and impact of non-US actors, it is relevant not only to students who focus on US national security policy, but also to those who primarily have other regional and/or functional interests. The course is divided into four parts. The first part examines theoretical approaches to conflict termination and related concepts, as well as their empirical and practical application. The following three parts further apply the theoretical frameworks and concepts to cases of conflict termination, with an emphasis on conflicts in which the US has participated or is participating. The second part covers the time period 1918—1991, the third part covers 1991—2001, and the fourth part covers the period since 2001 and also addresses the future of conflict termination. The course combines methods and approaches from social science and history, which are overlapping and mutually reinforcing. Social science (IR) informs a comparative analysis of cases of conflict termination, focused on whether and to what extent we can make valid generalizations about the dynamics of conflict termination. For example, can we identify the conditions under which a belligerent decides to sue for peace? The historical perspective enhances this comparison by placing the cases in their specific historic

This section is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 202

Credits:

3

This course will introduce you to the theory and current practice of managing crisis in the National Security arena. After a brief orientation on the primary structures, actors and theories influencing National Security now, the course will examine in detail how a National leadership team operates and strives to respond and manage a significant crisis event. A theoretical construct will then be proposed and tested during the rest of the course. Using case studies of recent representative crises, students will assess how the primary National Security actors responded, whether the theoretical construct is applicable, and what, if any, lessons were learned. Along the way, students will also survey the record of predicting crises, and conclude with an adapted theoretical framework that can be used when observing or potentially participating in managing a crisis.

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, Intercultural Center 202

Credits:

3

This course will introduce you to the theory and current practice of managing crisis in the National Security arena. After a brief orientation on the primary structures, actors and theories influencing National Security now, the course will examine in detail how a National leadership team operates and strives to respond and manage a significant crisis event. A theoretical construct will then be proposed and tested during the rest of the course. Using case studies of recent representative crises, students will assess how the primary National Security actors responded, whether the theoretical construct is applicable, and what, if any, lessons were learned. Along the way, students will also survey the record of predicting crises, and conclude with an adapted theoretical framework that can be used when observing or potentially participating in managing a crisis.

This section is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Jun 28, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 411

Credits:

3

Modern warfare utilizes advanced weapons systems. This course will examine various weapon systems ranging from electronic warfare, artillery, cruise missiles, aircraft, aircraft launched weapons, ships, submarines, unmanned systems, and strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. In the examination, we will look at capabilities, concepts of operation, and issues surrounding their procurement and use. The course will also involve students working through a crisis scenario utilizing various weapon systems. No pre-existing technical knowledge is assumed nor is any required.

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Jun 28, 2019
Monday, Wednesday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Seminar, White-Gravenor 411

Credits:

3

Modern warfare utilizes advanced weapons systems. This course will examine various weapon systems ranging from electronic warfare, artillery, cruise missiles, aircraft, aircraft launched weapons, ships, submarines, unmanned systems, and strategic and tactical nuclear weapons. In the examination, we will look at capabilities, concepts of operation, and issues surrounding their procurement and use. The course will also involve students working through a crisis scenario utilizing various weapon systems. No pre-existing technical knowledge is assumed nor is any required.

This section is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Car Barn 170

Credits:

3

The art of war and grand strategy is often invoked yet rarely understood, resulting in catastrophe. Too often policy makers, members of congress, academics, think tankers, journalists, pundits and even flag officers discuss strategy but remain ignorant of the topic. Consequently, strategy is frequently confused with tactics, bureaucracy, academic theory and other things — all to ruinous effect — as evidenced in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. This course will teach you how to think strategically and equip you with the core concepts and lexicon of strategy. The course builds on what senior U.S. military officers learn at war colleges, taught by a professor at such an institution. However, we will probe ideas more deeply than what is usually taught at war colleges and civilian institutions. You will also learn universal strategies for the strong, the weak and most things in between. We will examine the ideas of Sun Tzu, Kautilya, Jomini, Clausewitz, Mao, T.E. Lawrence, Galula and other scholar-practitioners. Case studies include the American Revolution, 2006 Lebanon War and warlords in Africa. The course will conclude by contemplating the future of war.

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

Jul 1 to Aug 9, 2019
Tuesday, Thursday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Car Barn 170

Credits:

3

The art of war and grand strategy is often invoked yet rarely understood, resulting in catastrophe. Too often policy makers, members of congress, academics, think tankers, journalists, pundits and even flag officers discuss strategy but remain ignorant of the topic. Consequently, strategy is frequently confused with tactics, bureaucracy, academic theory and other things — all to ruinous effect — as evidenced in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. This course will teach you how to think strategically and equip you with the core concepts and lexicon of strategy. The course builds on what senior U.S. military officers learn at war colleges, taught by a professor at such an institution. However, we will probe ideas more deeply than what is usually taught at war colleges and civilian institutions. You will also learn universal strategies for the strong, the weak and most things in between. We will examine the ideas of Sun Tzu, Kautilya, Jomini, Clausewitz, Mao, T.E. Lawrence, Galula and other scholar-practitioners. Case studies include the American Revolution, 2006 Lebanon War and warlords in Africa. The course will conclude by contemplating the future of war.

This section is for non-SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Intercultural Center 207A

Credits:

3

This course explores Russian security from domestic, regional and international perspectives, including an examination of Russia’s security interests in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Ukraine. For the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians and Americans viewed the country through a prism of relative decline. However, Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine and its meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has shown Russia is to reinsert itself into global affairs and seek to dismantle a world order that has been dominated since 1991 by the United States and its allies. In the eyes of both the West and its immediate neighbors, Russia’s security policy has shifted from a defensive position of holding off encroachments by the West (or China) to a more assertive direction, as indicated by the war with Georgia in August 2008, the annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine since 2014, Russia’s intervention in Syria and Russian attempts to sway public opinion and political processes in Europe, North American, and elsewhere. Is Russia’s quest for “great power status” an end in itself, or a reflection of growing domestic pressures that strain Russian economic and political security? How firm a hold does the Kremlin have on the reins of power, particularly as the Russian economy stumbles under the dual weight of low oil prices and sanctions? How much do Russian internal domestic concerns impact its security strategy and posture in Eurasia, and with the West? How is Russia reacting to emerging threats, such as cyber, organized crime and terrorism/extremism (both at home and abroad).

This section is for SEST students only.

Date & Time:

May 20 to Aug 9, 2019
Monday
6:00 PM - 9:25 PM

Format & Location:

Lecture, Intercultural Center 207A

Credits:

3

This course explores Russian security from domestic, regional and international perspectives, including an examination of Russia’s security interests in the Caucasus, Central Asia and Ukraine. For the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russians and Americans viewed the country through a prism of relative decline. However, Russia’s undeclared war against Ukraine and its meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election has shown Russia is to reinsert itself into global affairs and seek to dismantle a world order that has been dominated since 1991 by the United States and its allies. In the eyes of both the West and its immediate neighbors, Russia’s security policy has shifted from a defensive position of holding off encroachments by the West (or China) to a more assertive direction, as indicated by the war with Georgia in August 2008, the annexation of Crimea and war in Ukraine since 2014, Russia’s intervention in Syria and Russian attempts to sway public opinion and political processes in Europe, North American, and elsewhere. Is Russia’s quest for “great power status” an end in itself, or a reflection of growing domestic pressures that strain Russian economic and political security? How firm a hold does the Kremlin have on the reins of power, particularly as the Russian economy stumbles under the dual weight of low oil prices and sanctions? How much do Russian internal domestic concerns impact its security strategy and posture in Eurasia, and with the West? How is Russia reacting to emerging threats, such as cyber, organized crime and terrorism/extremism (both at home and abroad).

This section is for non-SEST students only.