Class Schedule

Political Islamism has been a focus of policy makers in the post- 9/11 era. However, before concrete strategies can be formulated to deal with this concern, the nature and dynamics of Islamist mobilization itself must be understood. To do that, this course will benefit from the knowledge generated through years of study in different parts of the world and in various disciplines in identifying: What is it? What causes it? What motivates an individual to join an Islamist group and possibly use violence? Under what conditions will these groups moderate, and when will they radicalize? Overall this course is designed as a resource for students of political science and international security studies as well as broad audiences in the social sciences seeking to understand the emergence, evolution, and possible futures of what commonly called political Islam.

This course critically explores the new geopolitical configurations in the beginning of 21st century.  It offers analytical tools to investigate the nature of modern international system, to explain the logic of emerging multipolar world, to analyze the role of rising Great Powers and Regional Powers in the modern geopolitical architecture.

This course focuses on the role international organizations (IOs) play in contemporary global politics. IOs have become an increasingly common feature of the political landscape. Institutions shape state behavior in areas such as trade, security, the environment, and human rights.

This class will examine the international arms trade from several perspectives and at different levels of analysis. The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with the literature, questions, and debates about the role that military equipment and technology plays in international relations.

U.S. Immigration policy is vast and complex. Passed at the federal and state level and implemented at the local level, immigration policies have a myriad of consequences- intended and unintended. We will explore the various types of immigration policies, their goals, and consequences with an eye toward evaluating their efficacy. In particular, we will consider immigration policy from the perspective of border flows- who and what flow across our borders and the ability of the U.S. government to control those flows.  We will also consider the historical and political context underpinning immigration policy today as well as explore the feasibility and need for reforms in the future. Together we will question the validity and necessity of national borders while weighing security, humanitarianism, geopolitical relations, terrorism, race, and capitalism, and freedom. 

Latin America is a region that faces multiple political, social, and economic challenges. Some of these are cross-cutting, including the very real problems of crime and violence. In Latin America, crime and violence are common occurrences. They have multiple sources and have wide ranging impact. We will consider the causes of crime and violence, as perpetrated by state and non-state actors, as well as violence toward particular groups. We will also examine how countries address crime and violence and the extent to which reform is possible.

The digital revolution is changing politics. From Barack Obama's use of the Internet to drive his presidential campaign, to the upheaval of the Arab Spring and the emergence of new social movements like #OccupyWallStreet, digital technology is challenging and changing established institutions on a number of fronts. This course introduces students to the history of the Internet and the emerging technologies that are defining the Digital Age. It places emphasis on the role of technology in politics and its implications for democracy and citizen rights. The course will cover a wide range of issues related to governance of the internet, privacy and security, the role of the media and open source development. 

Important departments within the US government pay close attention to global climate change and its implications for foreign policy and national security. Climate change will increasingly shape relations between the US and other countries, such as how to engage with China on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as raise national security issues when key allies, such as Pakistan, struggle to respond to climate change impacts. Professionals engaged with different aspects of foreign policy and national security, the target audience of this master’s program, will increasingly addresses national security issues conditioned by climate change. Thus, students need to be well versed in climate change science, the causes and impacts of human induced climate change, the foreign policy and national security issues raised by climate change, and the different approaches the international community has taken to mitigate the causes and adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Capstone project, in which students develop a portfolio that overviews their academic work in the context of their professional goals. This should be taken as the final course of the ISS M.A. degree.

Capstone project, in which students develop a portfolio that overviews their academic work in the context of their professional goals. This should be taken as the final course of the ISS M.A. degree.

Designed as an introductory course to the field of international security, this course has three main aims: first, to provide an overview of the major theories, concepts, and debates in international security. Second, to lay the foundations for elective ISS classes. Third, to introduce current and future security challenges faced by the U.S. and its allies. The course will tackle questions such as: what is "security" and how should we study and measure it? How have security problems changed over time? What are the causes of war and peace? When should states employ force? And what are the prospects for national and international security in the 21st century.

Policy and strategy development is perhaps the most critical function of the national security apparatus. The results of the policy process provide the blueprint for the array of agencies and departments that execute U.S. national security. Strategy can be narrowly defined in military terms or expanded into grand strategy integrating all of the elements of national power (Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic, Finance, Intelligence, Law Enforcement). A review of classic strategists including Clausewitz and Sun Tzu will build a foundation upon which modern strategists like Mao Tse-Tung and Schelling add insurgency and nuclear game theory. This course will examine the definitions of policy and strategy, survey the structure and players at the top of the U.S. national security system, and provide the analytical tools for strategy development. Finally, the course will examine the strategy behind the Cold War containment of the Soviet Union and contrast it with the War on Terror strategy which has had suboptimal results. Throughout the course, students will work together as an interagency team to develop a strategy that addresses a current U.S. national security issue. Leveraging an understanding of the nature of strategy and the structure of the national security system, students will build practical experience culminating in the presentation of their strategy.

Ultimately, all political phenomena, including issues related to international security, boil down to interactions between humans - usually, groups of humans. As such, people's lay theories and beliefs about how humans think and make decisions in groups significantly affect how they approach political issues, including those related to international security. Research on group psychology offers a means of informing, critically evaluating, and improving these lay theories and beliefs. Decades of research have been done in the fields of social and political psychology on how groups of people interact with one another, why interactions between and within groups often become hostile or counter-productive, and how interactions between and within groups can be adjusted in ways that encourage cooperation and peace. In this course, we will seek to understand, broadly: why do groups sometimes conflict and sometimes cooperate with one another? We will start by broadly reviewing what psychologists have discovered regarding inter- and intra-group behavior. Students will then learn about what small-scale laboratory research has told us about when and why conflict versus cooperation might result from group interactions. Next, we will spend considerable time examining how this research has been applied to understanding a range of international security issues, including war and peace, ethnic conflict, terrorism, genocide, international trade, foreign aid, immigration, and refugees. Assignments will require students to critically evaluate their own as well as others' understandings of how group psychology influences contemporary international security issues and come up with concrete, novel ways in which group psychology might inform efforts to handle international security issues now and in the future.

Capstone project, in which students develop a portfolio that overviews their academic work in the context of their professional goals. This should be taken as the final course of the ISS M.A. degree.