Political Science: International Security

Theoretical and empirical examination of the security of the international system and the states within it, with particular emphasis on twenty-first century security challenges. Prerequisite: POLS 1500 or POLS 1015.

Prerequisite enforced by the system: POLS 1500 or POLS 1015; Minimum Sophomore standing. PACE students with permission and override.

Why do nations go to war when fighting is costly for everyone involved? Why do the weak sometimes challenge the strong, and why do the weak sometimes win? Can the spread of nuclear weapons be stopped and, equally important, should it be? How will cyber attacks, drones, AI, and quantum computing change the nature of warfare? And, will the effects of climate change make war more likely? If so, how? These are some of the questions we will be addressing this semester as we explore the field of international security. We begin the course by examining theories of conflict, and then apply these theories to specific conflicts, both historical and contemporary, as we evaluate each theory's strengths and weaknesses. The latter half of the semester focuses on current debates and policy dilemmas in the field of international security, including nuclear weapons, asymmetric warfare, terrorism, cyber warfare, and climate security. The goal of this course is to acquaint students with the issues central to the field of international security, as well as to give them a solid theoretical footing from which to assess the policies that practitioners adopt to address these issues. Course goals include the following: 1) Learning how to interpret current events by thinking about how they will play out, and relating them to events of the past; 2) Learning how to evaluate theories, read analytically, and argue persuasively; 3) Learning about dominant theories and current debates in the field of international security, as well as becoming acquainted with both classic and contemporary texts in the field; 4) Increasing students' abilities to make a difference in the world by learning about the causes and consequences of the problems that plague our world.

Lecture/Seminar format. Laptops and electronic devices are not permitted in class. Students should expect to spend roughly 6 hours a week on coursework outside of class.

Grades are based on attendance and participation, quizzes, writing assignments due each class, and a midterm and final.