Global Studies (GLOB1-GC)

The demise of the Soviet Union and its empire, the legacy of colonialism, resurgent nationalism and new non-state actors have given rise to a period of complexity and rapid change in international relations. The academic debate reflects this uncertainty, with contending theories about what constitutes power in the post cold war environment, how to identify the basic units of international affairs, the nature of globalization, the utility and legitimacy of the use of force, the dynamics of the balance of power, the nature of threats to peace and stability, and the role of international institutions. This course will examine alternative theories and frameworks for understanding post cold war developments, and test these theories against emergent reality. How, for example, do these contending theories explain the origins and consequences of terrorism and other global threats? What importance do they assign to the persistence of poverty and global inequality; to internal ethno/religious conflict and political instability; to 'globalization and its discontents'? How do these theories assess the potential and implications of renewed great power conflict? How do they address the problem of U.S. hegemony and the reaction of others (states and non-states) to this new reality?

Peace is a difficult-to-define concept, one that often finds itself framed as the absence of something else: of violence, of conflict, of inequality or oppression. Yet, scholars and policymakers are attempting to develop theories and practices that aim to build and sustain peace – not simply the absence of war, but in the mold of what Johan Galtung defines as “positive peace,” characterized not only by a lack of physical violence, but also by the presence of harmonious relationships, equality and mutual interdependence. Conflict itself is not the primary problem making modern society less peaceful than it might be; rather, the use of violence to engage in many different conflicts stands as the main barrier to higher levels of peacefulness. This course will explore contemporary methods for peacemaking and peacebuilding as responses to real and potential deadly conflicts, particularly in a modern world in which the state no longer stands as the principal structure embodying the collective aspirations of the individual. There will be an emphasis not only on addressing conflict through high-level diplomacy – often thought of as peacemaking – but also through peacebuilding – a set of highly interdependent and contextual social, economic and political practices often led by civil society or private-sector actors who aim to establish conditions in which political, social, economic and identity-based conflicts can result in constructive change rather than violence. The course will serve as a practical platform for students to explore how peacebuilding could be utilized as a mechanism to address recent global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and worldwide racial inequality.

This course will examine the problems poor countries face in today?s interdependent world and the strategies proposed to deal with them, beginning with an analysis of the ways in which the global trading system and the international financial system operate. It will then review the factors affecting the flow of investment capital to developing countries, either as official development assistance or as private investment, with particular attention to the roles of the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, transnational corporations and governments of both developed and developing countries. Next, it will consider the requirements for sustainable development and the role of non-governmental organizations as well as inter-governmental organizations and national governments, particularly in matters affecting the environment and human rights. The course will conclude with proposals for reform, based on a comparison of the experiences of selected developing countries and of different approaches to governance of the international trading and financial systems.

This course provides an introduction to international political economy - the interaction of economics and politics, of markets and government, in the international arena. The course has three fundamental premises: first, economic factors play an important role in international relations; second, the world economy is becoming increasingly integrated and interdependent; third, political institutions and policies have a significant impact on the world economy. The goal of the course is to give students a better understanding of the world economy, the nature of international economic issues, the roles of international economic institutions and multinational enterprises, and the policy challenges of economic interdependence. The first part of the course is intended to provide an interdisciplinary analytical framework for the subject incorporating political science, economics, and recent history. The remaining parts of the course use this analytical framework to examine contemporary issues of international economic relations. These issues are organized under the headings of globalization, economic development, and managing economic interdependence.

This course will provide the global studies student with an introductory understanding of the role of public international law in international affairs. Each session will focus on an important aspect of the discipline and will reveal how and why international law affects world affairs in such a profound way. Among the questions addressed are: How are disputes between states settled and what mechanism does international law provide for their resolution? What are the sources of international law? Who is bound by it? How is it interpreted? When may a state apply its own laws extraterritorially? The course will examine key international legal institutions such as the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) as well as core substantive areas including: use of force, law of the sea, law of territory, human rights, and the global environment. Discussions emphasize the importance of international law in history and in current international relations.

Gathering around causes that inspire them, private citizens have brought real changes to international affairs, from the Geneva Conventions to affordable AIDS medications, women's rights and the ban on land mines. This course will begin with a history of such non-governmental organizations and of their relations with the United Nations, governments and donors. It will discuss their achievements and their limitations in humanitarian aid, human rights and conflict resolution, development and democracy, the environment, and other areas. The class will examine the methods NGOs choose, from global advocacy to grassroots service, as they set out to change the world.

In countries around the world, individuals play a key role in deciding which officials and parties get elected, whether conflict occurs or not, how marginalized groups are treated, which policies become law, whether the environment is protected, whether socioeconomic inequalities are addressed, and even whether movements and extremist groups achieve political power. A deeper understanding of global affairs, therefore, requires understanding why citizens around the world think and behave as they do. In this course, we will approach these crucial topics from the perspective of group identities, attitudes and actions. The insights gleaned from this course can not only help clarify various issues in global affairs, but also point toward ways of effecting real change. Students will also gain additional skills in evaluating and critiquing scholarly research.

Latin American regional democracies confront myriad challenges, from U.S. military intervention in Colombia to populism in Venezuela and renewed demands for military accountability in the southern cone. Recent market-oriented policies and globalization have generated economic growth and tamed inflation at the cost of income inequality, environmental stresses, and vulnerability to foreign shocks. University strikes in Mexico, a landless movement in Brazil, and labor organizers on the U.S.-Mexican border challenge the neo-liberal agenda. This class explores key regional trends with a focus on Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and Argentina.

This course focuses on the changing realities of modern Europe. The continent?s main democratic political systems, as well as the European Union, are critically examined. The course reveals how the enlargement of the European Union is creating a supranational political and economic framework from the Atlantic to the Baltic to the Mediterranean, with tremendous economic power but still-nascent political unity and foreign-policy clout. Finally, the course examines the process of democratic change and consolidation in post-communist Europe, including both successful and unsuccessful examples. Two crucial countries straddling Europe and Asia - Turkey and Russia - are examined in depth.

The HIV-AIDS pandemic, wars, civil strife and famine, marginalization in the world economy - most of what one hears from Africa is negative. What is the role of the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organizations such as the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the Economic Community of West African States in dealing with the challenges confronting contemporary Africa? What are these organizations as well as NGOs and civil society doing in the efforts towards conflict prevention and resolution and in the search for sustainable development? This course takes an inside view of the current situation in each major region of the continent, addressing the numerous conflicts which beset it as well as examining the political, economic and social factors which can lead to its revival.

Scholars spend their lives becoming experts on Japan or Siberia or China or India or Iran or Turkey - and much else in between. From Ankara to Shanghai and Novosibirsk to Djakarta, Asia has long been a geographical concept with uneven trans-regional interconnections. This class dissects all these countries in some detail and examines the extent of the interconnections among the societies on the continent called Asia. The course seeks to help students understand how Asia, with half the world's population, is likely to collide or collaborate with the US and Europe in the context of a global economy and shrinking planet.

This course examines the changing landscape of a region critical to global stability. We examine the political, socio-economic, and cultural aspects of the Arab world, Iran, Israel, and Turkey and their far-ranging transformation. Topics include the role played by various ideologies in shaping the evolution of the Middle East since the advent of modernization, the origins, development, and impact of the Palestinian-Israeli struggle, post-Cold War regional dynamics, and the struggle between Islamists and secularists. We review the domestic structures and regional roles of such local powers as Egypt, Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey. Issues such as civil society, demography, resources, the media, and globalization provide guidance in projecting the direction of change. We assess the role of outsiders, whether sovereign states or international institutions, and their contributions to the region's adjustments. Emphasis is placed upon current events and their relationship to the recent history of the Middle East.

The region of Central Asia is a fabulous mosaic. Its complex history, vast landscape, diverse ethnic, linguistic and religious populations, and contemporary geopolitical importance make it an area of the world that is both complex and critical to understand and appreciate. The region of Central Asia in the context of this course refers to the five states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. The region is especially important at this juncture in history due to its rich natural resource base, fragile political and economic situation following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the region?s location in relation to its closest neighbors, Russia and China. Since 1991, many governments, non-governmental organizations and investors have actively tried to engage the region through international development assistance around the support for democratic institution building and most critically, in and around the direction of energy supply and security. The year 1991 was pivotal in that it officially severed the relationship between Moscow and the republics that comprised what was the Soviet Union. Since then, the region is engaged in a difficult process of transition, renewal, and redefinition. It is vital in this connection to consider the ?historical residue? in Central Asia, where centuries of migrations, colonization, and war have created a unique ethnic, religious and cultural mix of peoples and ideologies. This special seminar introduces students to the region of Central Asia with a brief historical overview and a look at each of the five states, and then moves towards developing a more in-depth look at the energy sector with specific attention to the energy rich Caspian and its key player, Kazakhstan. The geopolitical positioning of the region, and the engagement of three great powers, China, the United States and Russia, is also examined.

Afghanistan lies at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East—an area whose key geopolitical, strategic and economic significance dates back two millennia and has made Afghanistan repeatedly the object of the schemes and stratagems of the great powers as well as the graveyard of these empires. Once again, Afghanistan is a contestant in this “Great Game.” Against the backdrop of the scheduled 2014 withdrawal of American troops and the big question that dominates policy debates “What is the future of Afghanistan? Collapse, Compromise or Conflict?” this seminar explores the most important historical, domestic, international, geopolitical and economic dynamics, actors and interests that shape—and have shaped—the politics of Afghanistan and the neighboring “-stans.”

The concerns of national and international security have evolved considerably since the days of the Cold War. While states are still concerned with traditional threats such as military aggression from other states, emerging issues present different, yet no less compelling, challenges to security. These new challenges include terrorism, civil war, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, disinformation and narrative warfare, cyberconflict and cybersecurity, organized crime, fragile states, environmental catastrophes and climate change, and major public health crises such as COVID, Ebola, and HIV/AIDS. This course explores how security policy issues are identified and addressed at the national and international level. How prepared are states, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector meet new security challenges? Are classic doctrines of deterrence still applicable? To what extent can technology be relied upon as a tool to address current security needs? And what new security threats are likely to emerge in the future?

International actors often apply different methodologies to assess conflicts. These methodologies help them determine the best ways to address a conflict and maximize their opportunities to prevent or alleviate crises. This course examines how international actors including the World Bank, UN agencies, bilateral donors and NGOs, analyze conflict and the interaction between conflict dynamics and their own engagement in a given country or region. The class will explore how analytical frameworks can be used to assess the impact of development, humanitarian and peacebuilding programs or projects on existing conflict factors and dynamics. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the concept of conflict assessment, its development and implementation; exploring different approaches to conflict assessment, including an examination of different implicit assumptions and theories of conflict; analyzing specific conflict case studies and identifying real and potential third party responses.

This course examines the dramatic escalation of ethnic conflict in the post-Cold War era. We begin with a thorough analysis of the factors behind ethnic conflicts, including history, culture, attitudes, leadership, outside influences, and the ethnic group's point of view. In our search for resolutions, we explore new approaches to ethnic conflicts using Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, East Timor, the Sudan, Palestinians, and Kurds as case studies. We conclude by advancing new ideas about the roles that the UN and the U.S. can play in resolving existing conflicts and preventing new ones from escalating beyond control.

This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of how nations and other international actors go about achieving their objectives through the give-and-take of the negotiation process. First, we will focus on the theory and principles of effective international negotiation, using a number of case studies 9including the Arab-Israeli conflict, UN-Iraq negotiations over inspections and the Kyoto conference on climate change) in which negotiation has been used in recent years. The course will examine the role that different mindsets and cultures play in negotiation and will also pay special attention to the importance of developing the negotiating process and attaining mutual benefit from it. Finally, we will review the effective exercise of negotiation to handle issues before they become problems and problems before they become violent conflicts.

Public diplomacy can be described as official efforts aimed at conveying information about government positions and policies to engender public support. The events of September 11 and its aftermath have given rise to new directions in public diplomacy that have placed powerful information and imaging campaigns at the forefront of international affairs. This includes the use of, and influence upon, public diplomacy by non-state actors. This course will examine the new realities, methodologies and technologies that drive public diplomacy in the early part of the 21st Century and the challenges to its effective implementation. The course employs current and historical readings, film and other multimedia.

Washington's need to manage foreign policy issues arises from America's far-flung concerns abroad, which impinge on U.S. security, economic, commercial, political, military, and ecological interests. Many federal bureaucracies are involved in solving problems, as well as Congress, the media, universities, non-governmental organizations, and the public. This course studies relevant institutions, their procedures, and their interactions in seeking solutions. We examine several recent cases of decision making, and discuss how major pending challenges in the Middle East, East Asia and elsewhere may be addressed.

"Crucially, the research methods that are employed to answer one’s question determine the accuracy of the answer one obtains. Thus, a course like this is concerned less with what we know, and more with how we know it. The goals of this course, therefore, are to introduce students to the research process and the different types of research methods available to answer critical questions about global affairs. Students will learn about both qualitative and quantitative methods and will cover the advantages and disadvantages to different types of data collection and analysis. Further, this course will enhance students’ ability to analyze arguments, evaluate evidence, and convey key ideas and research findings effectively. By the end of this course, students should be able to design a research project, define and measure key social science phenomena, formulate hypotheses, design tests of their hypotheses through qualitative and/or quantitative methods, and effectively present their research designs. In addition, students will learn how to deconstruct scholarly research into its fundamental components (e.g., the author’s research question, variables, hypotheses, sample, research method, etc.) and, as such, become more critical readers of published work and sharper researchers and thinkers. "

America's current global predominance constitutes, for the first time, a unipolar system with far-reaching political, economic, and security implications. Can the U.S. maintain its supremacy for the foreseeable future? Consider sources of U.S. strength, examine how varied and durable they are, and discuss how resources can be channeled to conduct a more coherent and visionary foreign policy. Attempt to answer an even larger question: How should America deal with other significant powers, such as Russia, China, India, and Japan - not only to thwart any attempt to check or diminish its primacy, but to lead with moral authority?

Rapid change, complexity, and uncertainty characterize the unfolding international system. Theoretical tools designed to help us interpret events, prescribe policies and anticipate trends are essential intellectual equipment. They can also become part of the problem, creating a false sense of confidence in how we understand global dynamics. Can we calibrate our actions to a desired effect? When at the service of great power, an exaggerated sense of understanding and control can produce massive unintended consequences. Policy is constantly playing catch up, scrambling to right itself in the aftermath of the latest shock. This course accepts uncertainty and surprise as givens, and then proceeds to build alternate scenarios around emerging forces for change and potential `wild card? events. The purpose is not prediction, but a fuller understanding of global dynamics, and of plausible international systems that might emerge. In doing so, we will address theories, sources, indicators and consequences of change, and interactively build alternate future scenarios with students, other interested faculty and outside experts.

This course picks up from where the course "The Future of International Relations: Forces for Change and Alternative Scenarios" course ends. Students will be taught how to compose drivers and scenarios in a step-by-step process involving guided practice sessions. This course is an intensive structural exploration of forecasting and scenario work—how to think like a good forecaster; how to craft scenarios; and how to understand the current science of futures forecasting. The course is split into 2 basic sections, the first being a review of current work on futures forecasting, methodological history and the basics of computational prediction (first 2 weekends) and the second focused on case-specific scenario development and application of methodologies.

War, as Trotsky reminds us, is a great locomotive of history. It brings into sharp relief the interplay between social forces, political ambitions, and technological capability. Wars of the past have expanded and ended empires; given rise to revolutions and repression; been built on—and in turn, unleashed—scientific and engineering marvels. In this course, we will trace some of that history; that is, we will explore the history of the future of war by looking at several themes: intent, power, technology, capability, agency, violence, culture, identity, ethics, and uncertainty.

This course examines the interrelationships between mass media (print and broadcast journalism) and politics in America and abroad. Journalism has both a symbiotic and an adversarial relationship with the political world that it covers. It uses and is used by politicians and their spin-doctors. By exploring the current and historic conflicts between journalists and politicians, students will be made aware of domestic and international U.S. policies and the relationships between Washington and foreign capitals, the United Nations, and regional conflicts. Course topics cover such themes as using and being used by news sources; journalistic ethics and ethical considerations in the setting of the news agenda; yellow journalism; implications of corporate ownership of media; First Amendment issues such as libel, privacy, prior restraint against publishing the news, protection of sources, the right to gather news, and national security; how governments control and spin the news; the changing role of the foreign correspondent; changes in the U.S. at war; broadcast regulations, including the Fairness Doctrine and the questions of equal time and access; the implications of "negative" journalism; the growing role and impact of technological change on newsgathering; and journalism's impact on the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections.

Never before has the world experienced the pollution of the information environment to the breadth and scope that we are experiencing today. Between the rise of authoritarian populists and the pervasive adoption of online behavior modification platforms, we risk the return of a technologically-enabled myth-based society that threatens to undo progress we can trace all the way back to the Enlightenment itself. This course will help the student become aware and make sense of the world of deliberate information manipulation, or disinformation, that has created such historical threats. It will educate them on the motivations behind such actors, from State-level actors to grassroots ones, and help them understand the modern internet-enabled tools available to them. Finally, it will help them identify policy, regulatory, diplomatic, and technological interventions that can help stem the pollution of and help protect our future information environment.

Nuclear, Biological, Chemical, and Radiological weapons, collectively designated as Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), coupled with their delivery systems, continue to pose the greatest existential threat to humanity and the world. As long as they exist, there is every likelihood that they will be used either deliberately, by accident, or by miscalculation. Any WMD use would be catastrophic in human, political, economic, ecological, and moral terms. COVID-19, though not a weapon, has shown the devastating risks of a potential biological attack. Of all WMD, nuclear weapons, which were invented and used in 1945, pose the greatest danger. The ongoing tensions over North Korea's weapons and Iran's potential breakout capability along with the nuclear and missile programs of China, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia and the United States highlights this peril. All proliferation, arms control, and disarmament issues have global dimensions in an increasingly interconnected world. At the same time, the security and insecurity perceptions that stimulate proliferation also have regional, bilateral, and domestic dimensions. Additionally, sub-state and non-state actors have an increasing role in WMD proliferation and disarmament. Elaborate multilateral, regional, bilateral, and ad-hoc arrangements and institutions have been created to address the challenges posed by WMD. Yet, despite a few notable successes, efforts to either disarm or prevent further proliferation, particularly of nuclear weapons, have stalled.

Developing countries are under increasing pressure ? from inside as well as from outside ? to move toward democracy. Opposition parties organize even where it is illegal or risky. Human rights activists and journalists challenge dictators. Citizen groups demand government accountability and the inclusion of the poor, minority groups and women in politics. Western governments, the World Bank and civil society organizations push for reform. This class will examine the efforts to build democracy and the obstacles to that work in select countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. We will discuss countries that have achieved considerable success in building democratic structures, others where the search for better government has become entangled in conflict, and still others where democratic movements are just beginning.

When societies get organized, so too do their criminals. Likewise, the globalization of the ‘upperworld’ has been mirrored by the transnationalization of the underworld. The smallest drug-dealing street gang, whether it appreciates it or not, is part of a global criminal market with an estimated annual turnover of a trillion dollars. This global underworld not only reflects the legitimate world—taking advantages of new opportunities or reacting to the ebb and flow of power and economic development—but, it also influences it, from perpetuating markets in weapons which arm insurgents and terrorists around the world to facilitating migration and undermining government control of territories, borders, and economies. Global crime is not an organized global conspiracy, nor is it a random collection of maladjusted thugs, frauds and psychopaths. It is a complex array of competing, cooperating, stable, fragmenting, local and multinational organizations. It is also powerful, and growing. This course will adopt a deliberately broad perspective, covering thematic issues as well as a wide range of criminal organizations and cultures, from the Sicilian Mafia and its transplanted North American cousins to the emerging threats of the present day, such as the criminalized state of North Korea and the entrenched power of the ‘mafia’ in modern Russia. Above all, it will explore the impact of transnational crime on our world, and the responses necessary to control it.

Intelligence refers to the process of gathering and analyzing difficult-to-obtain information. Accurate intelligence is essential for any government to formulate and implement strategy with regards to counterterrorism, counterinsurgency and foreign policy. This course will introduce students to the diverse methods employed by the United States government for collecting, processing, analyzing and disseminating intelligence in the 21st century. Students will examine the individual organizations comprising America?s national intelligence community and identify the historical successes, failures and the future challenges that each agency faces in fulfilling their respective missions. This course will help students to develop an informed appreciation of the capabilities and limitations of intelligence and of the US national intelligence community in particular.

The emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), new technological advances, and a recent “backlash to globalization” have all contributed to a rise in violent homegrown extremism, lone actor incidents, and coordinated recruitment and attack efforts by Islamist and far-right terrorist groups in Europe and the United States. How should democratic societies respond to the threat posed by terrorism? This course will examine the ways in which democracies seek to combat and prevent violent extremism domestically, both in the short and long term. We will explore different initiatives undertaken to counter terrorism historically and in the present day, evaluate their effectiveness, and propose innovative solutions. Students will also learn about the reasons why sustained campaigns of terrorism emerge in democracies and what conditions are necessary for terrorism to thrive in relatively free societies.

The attacks of September 11, 2001, have brought the issue of transnational terrorism to the forefront of the global agenda. Terrorism, however, is hardly a new phenomenon. The employment of terrorist tactics for purposes of achieving social or political goals dates back at least several centuries. This course explores what terrorism is and how it has evolved. Some of the key questions that this course deals with include: What exactly is terrorism? What kinds of actors employ terrorist tactics? What are the most common terrorist strategies and tactics? How has terrorism evolved since the end of the Cold War? How much of a threat is terrorism? What are the new threats posed by terrorists in the current era? What role do societal factors, such as the media and public opinion, play in dealing with terrorism? How can governments and societies effectively deter and, if necessary, combat terrorism? What alternatives are available to the international community for combating transnational terrorism? What are the tradeoffs and costs societies might be asked to incur in order to wage a war on terrorism? How have recent wars on terror fared? How does terrorism end?

As our entire world is becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent, it is also becoming increasingly volatile and unpredictable. Social, economic and political challenges occur with unprecedented scope and scale; presenting many promising potentials, coupled with overwhelming vulnerabilities and uncertainties. In the early 1970s, the term wicked problem entered the social science lexicon to describe a specific type of problem: one that is difficult to grasp and define; that is subject to multiple interpretations; and, one that is resistant to resolution. Einstein has often been quoted for saying that a problem can never be solved by the same kind of thinking used to create the problem. In line with this insight, what has emerged in recent decades is a growing recognition that this new type of problem requires new approaches and responses. The tools of Complexity science offer one such approach to wicked problems already used and valued by private and public sectors to better analyze and navigate a range of challenges across many disciplines. Within the international development field broadly, the influence of complexity thinking and approaches have been notably gaining ground amongst a widening audience. Situated in this context, this course will explore the implications of wicked challenges for development assistance and for peacebuilding effectiveness. The course will draw from literature that applies Complexity science to social change broadly and more specifically to conflict, aid and peacebuilding.

Examine the complexities of climate change and its current impact on a global scale. Topics include the potentially alarming repercussions if the climate crisis is not quickly and vigorously addressed, the history of the issue, what mechanisms are in place to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the growing impacts from climate change, how climate change informs economics as well as domestic and international politics, policy debates and the influence of special interests, the role the media plays in addressing issues of climate change, and the political psychology involved.

This course examines the various issues and problems associated with economic growth and development from both classical and Marxist perspectives. We look at case studies from East Asia and Latin America; explore the challenges posed by economies in transition in central and eastern Europe; and consider the experience of industrial countries with specific reference to their less developed regions. In particular, the course tries to define the conditions that allow for economic growth and seeks to understand the relationship between economic growth and human development.

Traditional concepts of security have focused on politico-military strength as a means of power projection in international relations with little emphasis on economics and other variables. Many pundits, however are challenging this traditional notion by highlighting such disparate but inter-related factors as economics, ideology, demography, culture, and geography. Can a superpower remain one in the face of severe structural economic balances? What are the potential symmetrical and asymmetrical threats to national and global economic vitality? This course not only aims to highlight and better explain the economic drivers behind national security but also to examine these drivers and their impact on national security in a more holistic and integrated fashion. In this debate, traditional concepts of national security are being challenged and re-defined. This course weaves economic assumptions and underpinnings into the fabric of national security aiming to provoke analysis, thought, and discourse regarding the impact of the global economy on national security and national security on the geo-economy.

There are over 60,000 multinational corporations (MNCs). They are the most significant force behind globalization. Whether as customers, suppliers, competitors, regulators, employees, shareholders, or citizens, we are directly affected by their output of products, services, and ideas. Moreover, through trading and investing, MNCs are dramatically compressing our notions of time and space. This course examines the economic dimensions of MNCs' behavior, their interaction with national and local governments and communities, and the ways they organize to operate effectively across borders. Through case studies, students explore issues such as: MNCs and protectionism; environment and labor relations; control of strategic natural and technological resources; and transborder mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures.

This course provides an introduction to international business and finance and the policy challenges of economic globalization and interdependence. It examines current issues of trade policy, exchange-rate regimes, international economic strategies of developed and developing countries, regional economic integration, multinational corporate management, exporting, importing, foreign direct investment, capital markets and international financial flows.

In today’s fast-changing world, the roles of business, government, and civil society actors are being redefined. Significant challenges related to climate change, inequality, populism, and technology necessitate private sector organizations to rethink their responsibilities and approaches, which provides opportunities as well as challenges. Businesses increasingly realize the importance of integrating social and environmental impact to (re-)gain legitimacy, to attract employees and customers, and to survive. The course will cover questions such as: How can organizations integrate profit and purpose, at scale? How do companies become part of tackling societal challenges, for example, related to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? How do we measure social and environmental ‘impact’? What is the role of impact investing? How do multi-stakeholder partnerships evolve that integrate local communities? How do organizations cope with the unexpected/cultivate serendipity? We will discuss the capacity of organizations to play an effective role in tackling society’s most pressing challenges, integrating concepts such as corporate social responsibility, shared value, triple bottom line, social innovation, among others. Senior executives and policymakers will be engaged as guest speakers and mentors. Learning will be interactive, and students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant companies and organizations.

Amid globalization, traditional economic measures like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), unemployment, and stock markets leave governments and citizens with a distorted worldview - and a shaky foundation for policy decisions. In the Information Age, aren't there better indicators to manage our country's well-being? This course investigates problems with conventional statistics used for assessing national output, unemployment, inflation, productivity, and trade, among others. Many conventional statistics for crafting public policies have unintended consequences that have led to financial meltdowns, environmental degradation, and economic inequality, among others negative externalities."

This course teaches monitoring, evaluation and learning (ME&L). How do we deliver better interventions and deliver them better? In other words, how do we use ME&L to design stronger, more effective interventions targeted at the real source of the problem, those able to produce greater positive impact? And how do we use ME&L to deliver those interventions better, more effectively, more efficiently, with less waste and more fun? Beyond studying M&E methods (social science research methods), we seek to build ME&L systems. What is good M&E? How is good M&E executed? And, how do we design organizational structures and incentives to foster learning from M&E? In short, how can we use ME&L to craft better interventions and to deliver better services? This is an introductory course. It provides students with an overview of essential topics and offers resources and directions for those who wish to learn more. As an overview, introductory course, it is useful to both creators and consumers of monitoring and evaluation results.

Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) are a large and influential factor in the global economy. As a global footprint MNEs contribute nearly 1/4 of global GDP, 1/3 of global trade and just the top 100 MNE employ over 15 million people worldwide. MNEs, their management and employees face not only the traditional challenges of the domestic environment but must overlay the additional challenges of political risk, different cultures, legal and regulatory systems, and the potential for arbitrary adverse actions by nation-state authorities. Cross-border managers must deal with a wider range of social and cultural differences where home country perspective may not only be inadequate but potentially detrimental to the success of MNE in its new environment. This course takes the student on an excursion beyond our borders to understand the challenges faced by corporations, managers, and leaders as they expand beyond their home borders. We'll look at why they expand, what baggage they carry with them, how cross border investment supports their corporate strategy and if their organizations are ready for such a leap.

In a world of growing corporate, governmental and other scandals where, due to the digitization and democratization of information, perpetrators can no longer hide, the trend is toward a global convergence of laws, regulations and practices to prevent corporate and other organizational crimes and unethical behaviors. This course (1) provides an overview of global trends in compliance, business ethics, governance and corporate responsibility, (2) analyzes key crimes and misdemeanors (including corruption, harassment, fraud, cyber-issues, environmental violations, intellectual property, privacy, etc.), and (3) provides a practical, hands-on approach to solving and preventing ethical, compliance and governance crises. Throughout the course, seminar members are exposed to numerous guest speakers (global leaders in the fields of business ethics, compliance and governance) and are part of a fictitious executive team tackling a broad array of ethical dilemmas and challenges.

This course is an overview of global banking and provides a framework for students learning about finance and trade in the world markets. Major themes of globalization, interdependence and sovereign risk will be explored, as well as the critical role of project financing in the developing world, funding strategies, currency crises and their contagion across the globe. Students will gain an understanding of global financial players, banks and global NGOs, that either contribute to economic growth and prosperity or interfere and interrupt market efficiencies and wealth creation in developing countries. Topics will include major trends in today?s financial world including industry mergers, effects of international private banking, the growth of Islamic banking, as well as regulatory compliance and money laundering.

Emerging markets are essential drivers of global economic growth and prosperity. This course provides students with an in-depth understanding of policy, development, business, and entrepreneurship in emerging market countries. Using a broad definition of emerging markets, it covers countries across South East Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa. We focus on the pertinent questions of our time as they relate to these economies: How can inclusive and sustainable growth be fostered over time and at scale? How do these countries manage financial flows, technology, and the balance of market and state? What is the role of (multilateral) institutions in promoting economic development and social change? What are the strategies and innovative approaches (e.g., cultivating serendipity; social innovation) that governments, non-governmental organizations, enterprises, and fourth sector actors adapt to navigate in these contexts? And what can these contexts teach us about novel approaches to economic and human development? Learning will be interactive, and based on leading-edge research, case studies, and engagement with senior executives and policymakers. Students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant companies and organizations operating in emerging markets.

This course examines the international and semi-international institutions established to prosecute genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. The tribunals examined will include the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court, and their predecessors - the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo). The course additionally examines some of the substantive law of the Yugoslav and Rwanda tribunals, particularly, the elements of the crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and individual and command responsibility. We will also examine the prospects of justice for serious crimes committed in places such as Iraq, Darfur and Cambodia.

This course examines the laws regulating international trade in goods and services, focusing primarily on the law of the World Trade Organization and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, as well as the foreign trade laws of the United States. Topics include: the institutions and processes of trade policy-making, negotiations, and dispute settlement; tariff and non-tariff barriers; discrimination; regional trade agreements; antidumping, countervailing (anti-subsidy), and safeguard measures; and the relationship of trade rules to intellectual property rights, labor standards, human rights, environmental protection, and competition (antitrust) policy.

This course gives global affairs students an understanding of legal and policy issues affecting multinational business enterprises and their transactions and activities. We examine how public international law, international economic institutions such as the WTO and IMF, conflict-of-laws rules (also known as private international law), and national corporate, tax, and regulatory laws in home and host countries combine to create a multidimensional legal environment for international business. Within this legal environment we also examine sales law, intellectual property law, antitrust (competition) law, host-country and international law of foreign investment, labor law, environmental law, and human rights law. For students in the international law concentration, the course offers an introduction to international economic law. For students in the private sector concentration, the course surveys the legal environment of international business.

Bribery. Graft. Blat. Clientelism. Guanxi. Mordida. Corruption goes by many names and comes in many forms, from predatory demands for payoffs through to complex and subtle economies of favors. It penetrates political and economic systems, solidifies inequalities, undermines the rule of law, devours development aid, and mobilizes to resist attempts to control it around the world. Nonetheless, reducing corruption is a crucial necessity for good governance, effective long-term economic prosperity, and social equity. Although there is no single 'silver bullet,' it is crucial not only to understand the challenge, but to explore the many ways in which people are trying to control corruption. These range from global agreements to grass-roots local initiatives, addressing everything from the culture of bribe-taking and bribe-paying, through to issues of business accountability and transparent government. This course is strongly policy-oriented, and explores not only the forms and impacts of corruption, but past and future responses.

Criminalistics is the application of scientific principles and techniques to the identification, collection, analysis, and interpretation of forensic evidence, specifically forensic evidence of both physical and digital nature. Proper evidence handling, including the recognition, collection, preservation, storage and maintenance of the chain of custody, is necessary in a criminal investigation to ensure the admissibility of evidence in a court of law. In international investigations and international courts, the role, importance and presentation of physical and digital evidence in cases varies. This course introduces different forms of forensic evidence, including their relevance in mass atrocities and transnational crimes, such as crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, and global acts of terrorism. Criminal investigations, including the recovery of human remains and forensic evidence, as well as crime scene analysis and reconstruction, are also discussed. Upon examination of methods of investigation, evidence collection and evidence analysis, the course considers the use of such evidence in national and international courts. Furthermore, the course explores the impact of transnational crimes and mass atrocities and the investigations of these illicit acts on global affairs and international peace building efforts.

Can we protect endangered species? Who controls the oceans? How can we deal with terrorists and dictators? Is free trade working? International law addresses all of these issues. In this course we examine several current problems in international relations from a legal perspective. Topics include: environmental protection; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; terrorism; tensions between developed and developing states; access to common resources; and the role of the developing International Criminal Court. Discussions explore the political and legal frameworks from which international problems have arisen and how to address them.

Amongst all the chatter about smart power and soft power, it is almost as if the original concept—hard power—was somehow now passé. Whether we like it or not, war remains the reserve currency of global affairs. Leon Trotsky thought it was the locomotive of history. Hedley Bull believed it to be an institution of international society, on par with diplomacy, and international law. Ideally used as a last resort, sometimes used as a first response, war affects the international system, the state, and—most of all—the individual. In this course, we shall explore the ways in which war—the use of military force—is understood and applied around the world. Topics include war, political objectives, and military strategy; coercion, compellence, and deterrence; the ethics and laws of wars; war on land, sea, air, and in space; technology and war; the use of military force by terrorists, insurgents, and proxy forces; and the future of armed conflict.

International human rights are not vague concepts of justice. They are precisely defined international laws, stemming from a series of international treaties and overseen by a complex of United Nations and other mechanisms. This course provides an introduction to international human rights laws (including special laws for the protection of children, women, racial minorities, and other groups); an explanation of the international procedures for overseeing their protection; and the methods used by NGOs in human rights advocacy. Particular attention is paid to international economic, social, and cultural rights, including the human rights to food, health, housing, education, and work.

This seminar examines national security decision-making from both a theoretical perspective and from its execution in practice, focusing in particular on the dynamics and processes by which national security decisions are actually made and implemented, and the range of factors that influence them. The first half of the course reviews the relevant theoretical approaches to foreign policy decision-making and introduces students to the key actors, structures and institutions of U.S. national security policymaking. The second half of the course focuses on practical application and execution, using case studies and in-class simulations of the U.S. interagency process to reveal decision-makers in action – as human beings operating in complex sociological, bureaucratic and (geo)political systems. This course is designed for all those with an interest in the primary dimensions of national security decision making processes, but is especially suited for those who wish to see theory in practice, including future practitioners. Students will develop their knowledge base of national security theory, structures and processes, their policy writing and analytical skills, and their oral presentation and interpersonal skills.

Civil Military Relations is a challenging, and increasingly, topical subject of study. Exactly how civil and military actors relate affects how states apply the use of force in domestic and international affairs. As a subject of inquiry, Civil Military Relations concerns itself with ideas, structures, processes, groups of people, and individuals. It examines the interplay between all of these, as a means of explaining and evaluating how militaries, governments, and societies interact. As such, Civil Military Relations can be seen to underpin a host of other subjects: military effectiveness, the creation and implementation of strategy, and political development. By understanding how these fundamental relations work we may come to a better understanding of how these other fields function, too. The aim of this course is to enable students to engage with the prevailing concepts of civil-military relations, across a range of geographical settings throughout the contemporary period. At the end of the course, students will have developed an in-depth knowledge of the key theories and concepts of Civil-Military Relations and be able to apply them to a variety of analytical settings and contexts. In so doing, students will also have gained a general overview of how those theories have been put in practice in a number of locations around the world.

The number of regional and universal international organizations has skyrocketed in our time - and for good reason. No single institution can deal with the many pressing global issues of our interdependent world. This course provides an analytical overview of inter-governmental organizations at global and regional levels, including the UN system and such non-UN institutions and arrangements as OAS, OAU, OSCE, ASEAN, and others. We examine the structures and processes of these organizations, their size, role, and influence, the issues upon which they focus, and the impact of politics on the realization of their goals

"This course is built on the premise that we do no harm - beginning with ourselves. Peacebuilders and practitioners in humanitarian, human rights, development and peacebuilding fields must recognize the importance of trauma awareness and context sensitivity in working with people and communities impacted by potentially traumatic experiences. To do so, we need a critical foundational trauma literacy and biopsychosocial scaffolding for working within trauma-impacted communities, as well as for recognizing and buffering the potential effects of trauma exposure on ourselves in the field. This integrative, science-based, and practical course offers an interdisciplinary overview of research, science, case studies, and culturally-sensitive approaches supporting trauma-informed fieldwork, and emphasizes the experiential integration of practices with psychological first aid, trauma-informed interventions, trauma-sensitive interviewing, and resilience-building as personal and community resources. A foundational knowledge of stress, trauma, and the “experience-dependent” brain, the impact of trauma on the nervous system and cognition, and the impacts of traumatic stress on people in helping professions can strengthen critical capacities for burnout prevention, expand cognitive flexibility in different contexts, sharpen appraisal and response under stress, and learn skills necessary for self-agency, self and collective care, and efficacy in challenging conditions for personal and professional sustainability."

This course addresses respective needs of crime “victims” and “offenders”, as well as the community, which the formal criminal justice system has most often ignored. Retribution is abandoned in favor of a restorative model based on the needs of victims and offenders, as well as the community, achieved through application of conflict resolution processes.

Grounded in the UN’s goal of eradicating global hunger by the year 2030, this course explores the politics of global food security. While the Green Revolution for several decades managed to limit global hunger despite rapid population growth there are many indications that productivity in the agricultural sector across the world has been stagnating for some time. If agro-technology can no longer the soul solution to the problem of global hunger we have to look to the political arena. This course discusses how politics and policies in their many forms – geopolitics, gender politics, politics of international trade, politics of national security, environmental policies, policies of farm subsidies, policies of nutrition and health, and of famine - impact on food security, food sovereignty, and food justice.

This course teaches students how to apply information design in the presentation of their research. Students wishing to work in fields where they may be either shaping or dictating policy will inevitably confront the need to tailor their approach in a way that accounts for the minimal time decision-makers have. Long, qualitative reports, while still in use, are losing their utility as global events accelerate in speed; decision-makers, confronted with stacks of reports, usually wind up reading none and craft their policy reactively, as opposed to proactively. The best future policy-makers will hold visual language skills in order to package their information in a format that resonates with end-users. This requires an understanding not only of the issues at stake, but of the tools and techniques to present these issues quickly, concisely and memorably. This course is designed to help students take research into a visual framework in order to facilitate better policy planning. It is designed to be offered in tandem with other courses on Futures and Foreign Policy work and is meant to give students a basic working knowledge of how to present complex information in new 21st century formats.

Every field of study whether it is health care, social work, engineering, policymaking, the arts, and even the non-profit world has “problems” that need to be solved. And those problems are “opportunities.” This course will help you convert problems into opportunities through a process that helps you hone your strategy and execution. Entrepreneurship is no longer a domestic field. A small local shoe store, for example, is highly impacted by changes in overseas markets and online competitors. Entrepreneurs globally have made a significant impact as another class of “global actors” influencing political society, civil society and global consumers. Google, Facebook, and Twitter are high profile examples of this where their services have a direct impact in the world. New entrepreneurs must be globally focused in today’s modern world of game changers. This class will empower students with the key process of global innovation and how to turn ideas into sustainable businesses.

The scope for financial crime has widened with the Post-Soviet transition, expansion of European Union and increased integration of financial markets. Money laundering, terrorism financing and tax crime have all changed in both nature and dimension. As new technologies reduce the importance of physical proximity to major onshore financial centers so a new generation of Offshore Financial Centers have emerged. Financial crime affects virtually all areas of public policy and is increasingly transnational. This class provides a deeper analysis of the economic, institutional and political features and addresses both the theoretical and policy issues arising from financial crime and feature a wide variety of case studies, and cover topics such as criminal enterprises, money laundering, the use of new technologies and methods in financial crime, corruption, terrorism, cybercrime and fraud. Taken together, these questions form a must-read collection of works for students majoring in international affairs, law, finance/economics and criminology.

From the mid 19th century victories in Europe of the Anti-Slavery Society to the successful struggles in the 1990's to establish the post of UN High Commissioner for the International Criminal Court, every major human rights and humanitarian victory, including the epic struggles on behalf of Soviet Jewry and against South African apartheid, has been spearheaded by non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This course examines the unique and historic role of NGOs in creating global human rights machinery, educating the public about human rights, and shaming violating governments into abiding by their human rights commitments.

Approximately one in every 200 people in the world is a refugee or internally displaced person. Uprooted from homes and communities, and often without government support, refugees look to the international community for protection. This course examines the system created for international refugee protection after World War II, as well as current policy and practice. It also considers the special circumstances and concerns of refugee women, children and adolescents, who account for more than 80% of the world's refugees. Guest speakers from the International Rescue Committee, Human Rights Watch and other organizations address the class.

Citizenship has been conceptualized as “the right to have rights,” isolating citizenship acquisition as central to modern existence. Citizenship is granted, or denied, by states. A non-citizen is any individual who is not a citizen of the state in which he or she is present. This course examines a range of relationships between states and individuals, and considers the modes and legitimacy of restricting human rights on the basis of non-citizenship. Topics covered sit at the intersection of international law, international human rights, international humanitarian law, humanitarian assistance, international development and international politics. We will debate emerging perspectives on the rights and well-being of non-citizens. In doing so, we will focus on the perversities that arise across various sectors as a result of a fundamental tension between the universal aspirations to deliver human rights and human development for all and the realities of state sovereignty in the fields of border control, immigration and citizenship law. The instructor and guest lecturers are international actors engaging in the fields explored through advocacy, strategic litigation, campaigning, and research and documentation.

Humanitarians rush to help starving children, fleeing refugees and others in crisis, but too often what seems like a straightforward solution becomes a dilemma. Aid agencies may be forced to assist combatants in order to gain access to their victims. Food donations may destroy the local economy, making aid a permanent necessity. Warring factions may deliberately cause suffering in order to attract aid, which they then loot. Governments may use humanitarian relief as an excuse not to intervene militarily. This course explores how non-governmental organizations and international agencies wrestle with the complex issues that arise in emergency situations.

In this seminar we will explore the dynamic relationship between gender and international politics, that is, the role gender plays in the construction of (international) politics/policy and, conversely, how (international) politics serves to construct, reinforce, and police gender roles and identities, and the human body is pressed into the service of the nation-state. We will begin by examining, from a theoretical perspective, how gender is constructed. Then, we will explore specific issues and case studies related to core concepts in IR—allegedly universal and gender-neutral—from all over the world that highlight the gendered nature of the international system, including war, security, and peace; women as perpetrators of violence; the debate on women and sexual minorities in the military; how states seek to advance nationalist goals by controlling women’s bodies and using homophobia as a tool to construct a national identity (Russia, Uganda, Jamaica, South Africa); how LGBTQ claims shape international relations; strategies for advancing LGBTQ rights; the gendered character of development policy and women’s leadership in global climate justice; and how globalization affects women—and exploits women’s bodies—in the form of labor migration, the global care chain, sex trafficking, sex tourism, and commercial surrogacy. In the third part, we will highlight some of the many ways in which women self-empower and resist patriarchy through re-claiming public spaces, language, fashion, and practical capacity-building. Prominently, we will feature examples of how women and LGBTQ people are transcending the label of “victim,” have organized, domestically and transnationally, to challenge and undo these structures of oppression, exploitation, and subordination as autonomous agents of political, social, economic, legal and cultural change, as well as how men around the world can and do participate as allies in the struggle for equality and justice. Most important, throughout the seminar, we will critically question—and de-center—the supposed universality of privileged, often Western, understandings of feminist empowerment and disempowerment and read diverse and marginalized voices of black, Latinx, and indigenous feminist scholars and activists. Intersectionality as well as the political economic “benefits” of gender discrimination and GBV for a patriarchal, capitalist system are, I suggest, the key lenses through which to both understand and dismantle gender discrimination, and we will be using them as frameworks for our analysis throughout the course.

The promotion and protection of the human rights of children is founded in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and strengthened by the adoption of international legal instruments and policies, which prescribe measures to ensure that children everywhere enjoy the rights to which they are entitled, and that children are accorded special protection and care. The course will examine the international norms and standards that make up children’s rights from the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and its three Optional Protocols, to the outcomes of World Summit for Children and a World Fit for Children. The course will also provide an understanding of how children’s rights evolve and progress to take into account the changing international environment, the changing needs of children, and the current issues that children are exposed to by highlighting issues such as, violence against children, children in peace and security, children’s rights in international justice, children and juvenile justice, and children’s rights in international development. Special attention will also be paid to the girl child. And with the world celebrating the 25th anniversary of the CRC, the course will also focus on the implementation and monitoring of children’s rights and ask the question, “Is the world a better place for children?

In this seminar we will critically examine the current state of women’s rights and activism in the Middle East and South Asia with a particular focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and the Gulf States. Specifically, we will separate the myth of the veiled, oppressed or fanatically religious “Muslim Woman” from the lived reality of millions of women in this diverse region by exploring how the gendered discourses of power and citizenship, national ideologies, historical legacies, interpretations of religious law and social traditions affect and shape women’s lives in the real world, particularly in matters of family law, participation in the labor market and political process. The picture that will emerge will be a surprisingly complex, nuanced and contradictory one, highlighting the very different political and social realities of women in countries such as Egypt, Iran and the Gulf States. We will pay particular attention to Islamic feminism and political Islam as frames and venues for women’s (self-) empowerment and conclude with an exploration of the contours and effectiveness of women’s resistance, self-empowerment and activism in the region.

In less than three decades, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have transformed themselves from small, oil-rich Gulf monarchies into "global cities," ranking among the most highly developed nations in the world, leading innovators in renewable energy, hubs for international art, media, education, and banking, and at the forefront for women's empowerment in the Gulf States. Faced with finite natural resources and a young population, the Emirati leadership has laid out ambitious plans to transform the country into a vibrant, modern, multicultural knowledge society that seamlessly integrates religion and cultural traditions with high technology. How is this kind of development sustainable, socially, economically and environmentally? How are the Emirates dealing with the inevitable social and environmental transformations and trade-offs such a success story requires? The objective of this course is to explore how the UAE navigate the complicated dynamics of cultural traditions, social change, the post-2015 development agenda, and geo-political imperatives.

"Born out of the ashes of two destructive world wars the United Nations (UN), which boldly pledged “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, has now evolved to address the challenges of globalization, and a host of daunting transnational issues, including climate change, cyber security, diseases & pandemics (such as Covid-19), refugees, and terrorism. In addition, the UN global governance system has to deliver on peace and security operations, facilitate sustainable development goals, protect human rights, women, and refugees, and provide humanitarian aid in complex emergencies, while also engaging civil society, non- governmental organizations and the private sector. The sheer number and complexity of issues that the UN system is called upon to deal with present substantive and procedural challenges to even experienced professionals working in the UN and related organizations. Presently, UN-centered international cooperation has been complicated by countries pursuing “nation first” policies while questioning multilateralism and global governance. This course is designed to provide an introduction to and essential details of the UN’s structure and operations, the major issues, partnerships, and its controversies."

This course will consider the relationship of the modern public corporation, particularly transnational corporations, to fundamental human rights, including both the civil and political (C/P) rights recognized in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and economic, social and cultural (ESC) rights under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The corporation’s purpose and role will be considered from the perspective of shareholders, management and the community at large. We will, in particular, consider what claims the community may legitimately assert with respect to corporate conduct, both in the U.S. and abroad, relating to abuses by host or home-country governments (eg. detention and torture of critics, suppression of speech, corruption) or by the corporation itself (eg. environmental pollution, labor rights, consumer safety), as well as the role of such corporations or their shareholders in undermining democratic institutions or accelerating economic inequality.

"“Groups” are fundamental building blocks for society, commerce, collective action and international engagement. Recent anthropological, archaeological and neuroscience research has affirmed the complex and important relationships between human evolution and cooperative social groups. Groups are powerful. And yet, groups are often battlefields in which competition and destructive conflicts take over and undermine value, relationships and goal achievement. Differences within groups can drive positive change and growth, or it can create polarization, intractability and harm. This course provides an overview of a range of competencies and tools for practitioners interested in helping groups navigate these dilemmas, in order to maximize learning, synergy, value and growth, and minimize destructive conflict. Skilled, reflective professionals are in increasing demand to help groups communicate, engage in dialogue, generate sustainable agreements to increase understanding and catalyze positive outcomes. International organizations, businesses, governments and civil society all need practitioners who can facilitate new forms of dialogue, and design and lead group interventions and learning environments. This course nurtures the creativity of students who want to get involved in such work. The course, grounded in a reflective-practice approach, gives concrete tools and frameworks, from the perspective of seasoned, reflective practitioners.

In most countries, developing and developed, there is a considerable gulf between commitments to gender equality in public policy, and gender equality in public and private life, in states, markets and families. Women’s lack of education, poor health, and lack of independent livelihoods is part of the cycle of underdevelopment and state fragility, and women’s empowerment has therefore been recognized globally as an international priority for peace and development. This course will look at the contemporary gender and development policy field. It will give close attention to the current global policy debate over the post 2015 development framework and the place of gender equality in it (mainstreamed throughout? Or a stand-alone goal?). This will include a practical look at the design of effective universal targets and indicators in the challenging area of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

According to the United Nations, in 2016, about 244 million people, 3.1% of the world’s population, 48% of whom women, were international migrants. Indeed, the past decades have witnessed what is called the “feminization” of migration. In this seminar, we will, from an interdisciplinary and cross-national perspective, explore the gender(ed) dynamics of globalization and migration, and seek answers to the following questions: What are the causes (“push/pull factors”) and consequences of millions of women striking out in search of survival and better economic opportunity? How do global economic and political agendas shape women’s migration patterns? How does migration affect gender relations, family structure, and the social and economic development in the sending countries, for example, through remittances ($436 billion in 2015) as well as the countries of destination? Is migration a tool of empowerment? How does the rise of populism and the increasing “securitization” of the migration discourse and of migration management, laws, and public policies affect women, for example, in refugee camps, and the context of (re-) settlement and integration policies in the US, the EU and Australia? Which countries have integrated migrants and refugees most effectively and how? What is the relationship between climate change and women’s and men’s (forced) migration? Finally, how have the UN and EU responded to the challenges of migration in all its dimensions? These are a few of the questions we will seek to answer on the basis of current cases studies.

‘Good governance’ is central-stage as the essential condition for growth in low-income countries, and for human development as well. A number of the country assistance programs of bilateral and multilateral development agencies are predicated on a minimum set of successful governance reforms including anti-corruption measures and efforts to improve public administration efficiency. ‘Good governance’ was missing from the Millennium Development Goals, and its inclusion in the post-2015 development framework is currently hotly contested, and being used as a bargaining chip by G77 countries in exchange for more relaxed conditions for aid. ‘Good governance’ is the primary focus of efforts to improve the effectiveness of aid in particular in the 19 countries that self-define as fragile and conflict-prone. Definitions of ‘governance’ range from a restricted view focusing on sound management of the economy, and a more expansive one that aims for political liberalization and addresses problems of social inequality. Governance has an important impact on the distribution of resources and public power between women and men. In addition, gendered power relations shape approaches to governance. This course develops an understanding of governance reforms in low-income contexts from a gender-sensitive and feminist political science perspective.

Gender is a well-studied subject; gender shapes our sense of self and dictates appropriate behaviors and interactions. Much attention has been given to how gender shapes larger processes (capitalism, education). However, the study of institutions, systems, and approaches in IR as gendered remains either conspicuously absent or alarmingly incomplete. Because men have been the dominant producers of knowledge over time and across disciplines, there is a false sense that the role of men throughout history has been critically examined, however, this has resulted in an absence of analytical study of men as gendered beings and masculinities as subjects of critical inquiry. This results in partial knowledge and incomplete understandings of geopolitical dynamics. This course examines gender in global politics and provides a needed focus on the unique role of masculinities in IR to inform political systems and institutions, and limit knowledge and strategies between and amongst state and non-state actors.

Access to energy sources is a key focus of international affairs. Much of the world's known reserves of oil are found in a highly volatile region, the Middle East. The use of fossil fuels, in general, is increasingly under attack for being environmentally unfriendly. Countries that attempt to employ nuclear energy face other significant challenges and responsibilities. Disputes over access to energy have led to international crises and even armed conflict in the past. This course surveys the historical, political, economic, legal and environmental factors of energy policy on the international scale.

The course seeks to help us understand the importance of energy, environment and resource security in the evolving 21st century including demand for greater energy supplies, and other struggles around resource access and management. The class will examine how the demands of the growing global population will present significant challenges to the United States and international community, which may in turn create opportunities for cooperation. The course is designed to provide students with a basis for better understanding the emergence of energy security and energy diplomacy as critical components in international relations study. The course employs key writings in the areas of energy, the environment, water and other resource management, film, negotiation and guest speakers.

Since the early part of the twentieth century, when the British Empire sought to guarantee its access to Arabian oil, petroleum has profoundly influenced the strategic policy of energy dependent states. This course looks at the most significant geo-political issues, currently and historically, presented by oil exploration, transportation and usage. This course focuses upon three (3) main geographic areas: the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea and Alaska.

Energy is a central focus of international economics and finance. The financial markets in North America, Europe and Asia have long been concerned with coal, oil and gas. As with any commodities, their pricing, transportation and insurance are subject to rapid fluctuations reflecting numerous factors. This course examines these factors and includes a discussion of anticipated future trends in demand, consumption, efficiency and safety. How do the recent mergers of major multinational oil companies affect energy economics and finance? The investment opportunities for research and development of alternate energy sources are also considered.

Fintech is the innovative incorporation of technology into the design and function of financial services, products, and infrastructure. Fintech has always been a part of the advancement and evolution of finance. However, recent technological developments have arrested the attention of a wide cross-section of stakeholders because of their disruptive potential. This course will provide students with a thoughtful, in-depth exploration of these developments. Beginning with a historical background and context, students will gain a technological understanding of the design and functionality of various fintech innovations and their potential use cases. By the end of the course, students will gain the ability to identify and evaluate the potential risks and opportunities presented, and understand the broader business and social implications. Students will also become knowledgeable about the range of potential governmental responses and learn about the various global regulatory and supervisory actions that have been taken to date.

Among the most profound issues raised by modern energy policy is the question of environmental impact. The use of energy in the form of fossil fuels and other sources is coincident with the high standard of living enjoyed by the developed world. However, the enormous cost in terms of environmental damage (global warming, acid rain, photochemical smog, spent fuel disposal, etc.) to Planet Earth demands a serious and dedicated examination of how to sustain our life style through the use of unconventional resources and renewables, nuclear power, and the application of international law and agreements (such as the Montreal and Kyoto Protocols)

One of the most famous definitions of sustainable development is that it 'seeks to meet the needs of the present world without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.' - Brundtland Commission. This course introduces students to the concept of sustainable development, which combines concern for economic progress and the elimination of poverty with awareness of environmental limits. We explore in depth such issues as wealth and poverty, population growth, political economy of food and hunger, the extinction of species, global warming and climatic change, ozone depletion, energy conservation, deforestation, and misuse of technology. We seek to integrate debates about globalization and sustainability by examining the nature of development, the impact of globalization on environment and quality of life, and the role of global and national actors and institutions in either creating sustainability or moving further away from it.

From Ayodhya, to Hebron, to Dar Es Salaam and Dagestan, religiously inspired violence has gripped the world’s attention over the past few decades, both riveting and perplexing the modern imagination. Religion occupies a complex position in the modern political arena. Religious ideologies can be used to legitimize revolution and reform or to justify their suppression. Religious leaders can help inspire citizens to progressive activism, or mobilize opposition to social and political change. Religious movements can galvanize peaceful resistance to oppressive states, or lead violent opposition to them. This course provides students with a framework for thinking about the role of religion in global affairs. The prominence of religious ideologies and religious movements on the world stage is often described as a recent development coinciding with the end of the Cold War. This course will probe that assumption, focusing on how some of the world’s great religious traditions have influenced and been influenced by global political, economic, and social changes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The course will address such topics as: religion and nationalism, religious militancy, global and local religious identities, and the politics of religious synchretism and religious orthodoxy. Particular attention will be paid to the complex and dynamic role of Islam in the modern world.

From joint ventures to acquisitions and divestitures, deal making occurs at all stages of energy’s value chain. Energy transactions are prevalent yet complex. What are the strategic motives for these deals? How do parties allocate risks? How do they design contracts to assure cooperation over multi-year terms? This course will study real transactions, not hypotheticals, and discuss them with actual participants to learn how the energy industry originates and executes deals. The objective is to provide students with an analytical framework to understand the strategic and structural attributes of energy deals.

Hacking for Energy is a semester-long graduate-level course designed to provide students a better understanding of some of the key challenges in creating a cleaner, more efficient energy industry. While in the course, students propose and iterate business and technical solutions to real-world challenges being faced by industry and policy stakeholders in the NYS energy economy. Past Industry Hosts have included Bright Power, Con Edison, GE, IBM, Tesla, and more. Students learn from working together in teams (teams are required), and the course represents a unique and important experiential learning opportunity via the Lean Startup methodology to help identify a solution to one of these key problems and assess the viability of that solution. Students learn about the start-up world, and the course provides exposure to potential employers in the energy industry. To be considered for this course, students must apply in teams through a competitive application process managed by the department.

This course seeks to help students gain a better understanding of the evolving, complex landscape of climate finance which involves many varied sources and institutions, financial instruments, and approaches to fund climate mitigation and adaptation. The course will examine options to overhaul the architecture of development finance to incorporate concepts of climate justice and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and explore how to create new financial products and international funding partnerships to accelerate available funding for green investment and climate resilient development in the developing world. Coursework is designed to provide students with a better understanding of financing tools such as purchasing power agreements (PPA) for renewable energy, green bonds, debt for climate swaps, and blended finance. A special unit on voluntary carbon offsets markets and compulsory carbon pollution allowance markets is designed to help students gain an in-depth knowledge of carbon pricing in practice and an overview of the potential professional pathways in that arena. The course will employ guest lectures, student-led case study investigations, and key readings in the areas of public climate finance, carbon markets, and the role of private sector finance.

This introductory course takes a quantitative approach to better understand the global energy sector. Students will learn to construct basic financial models of renewable and conventional energy projects using Microsoft Excel. The course will focus on key topics in energy finance including: valuation methods, project finance, energy derivatives, financial statement analysis, capital budgeting, and risk analysis. Students will also analyze case studies addressing current energy topics and apply energy modeling using a 'real-world' approach.

This course delivers students a practical view and associated tools for management of energy in individual facilities as well as throughout larger portfolios of facilities or assets. Students will review aspects of the operations involved in the Energy Manager’s role including how energy markets and policies intersect with the facility and portfolio investment and management. Through class lectures, industry articles, site visits, assigned readings, and expert speakers, the course will provide students with the ability to understand how energy policy, markets, and regulation intersect with operational personnel, equipment, budgets, and contracts. Case studies where students assess the success of various theoretical concepts and applications are included.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

Contemporary international diplomacy can be considered as an art, science, craft, practice, institution and process. Topics of discussion in this comprehensive exploration will include the nature and development of diplomacy; diplomatic practice, methods and techniques; types of diplomacy (with special emphasis on multilateral diplomacy); diplomatic privileges and immunities; the role and function of diplomats; the diplomat as foreign affairs professional; and the contribution of diplomacy toward maintaining world order.

Cybersecurity seeks to identify, protect, detect, and defend systems against threats and attacks and includes guidelines, policies, procedures, practices, and measures that are designed to safeguard networks, computer systems, and their data. This course provides a framework for enhancing the cybersecurity posture of private and public critical infrastructure sectors looking in particular at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework, which was implemented pursuant to U.S. Executive Order 13636. This framework provides guidance to public and private critical infrastructure sectors on the ways to identify, protect, detect, respond to, and recover from cybersecurity incidents. This course incorporates these guidelines into a defense- in-depth cybersecurity strategy to protect networks, systems, and data.

Strategic analysis of geopolitical events requires sifting through exponentially increasing arrays of data—a feat no single human brain can achieve. But cognitive computing represents an advance in analytics that simulates some aspects of the way the human brain functions to assist in big data tasks at the scale our 21st century digital society requires. As embodied by Watson, IBM’s celebrated supercomputer, cognitive computing generates both predictive and prescriptive output, facilitating continual processing and analysis of large volumes of unstructured data and content (like social media streams, news reports, polls and feedback forums, etc.). This course will introduce students to the building blocks of cognitive computing: developing a data corpus; processing such data; machine learning; and natural language processing. This course’s unique structure allows students to directly use Watson and its platform of APIs (application programming interfaces) to build their own applications around global issues.

This statistics course offers an introduction to the statistical concepts, terminology, and techniques used in a variety of social science disciplines. Using STATA statistical software, the course provides students with a solid foundation in conducting descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, "cleaning" data, data management, and data visualization. The primary goals of the course are to greatly enhance students' statistical literacy as well as strengthen their skills in becoming more critical consumers and producers of quantitative research.

This course will build directly upon Applied Statistics by further enhancing students’ proficiency with using statistical software to execute linear and non-linear regression models, explore interactions between variables, and graphically display data. Students will also independently collect and analyze data of their choosing, as well as present their findings to their peers.

Geographic information systems (GIS) are frameworks designed for the creation, storage, retrieval, analysis, and visualization of spatial data. GIS is applied across fields as diverse as global studies, urban planning, environmental management, law enforcement, industrial location, and marketing, and for scientific research in many disciplines. This course is a hands-on course which will introduce students to foundational concepts and skills in working with spatial data, including finding and creating data, spatial analysis, and GIS-based map production. Specific global affairs topics will be analyzed using ESRI’s ArcGIS software suite. The course also includes a special focus on a final GIS project on a global affairs issue chosen by the student.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

Water, or more precisely, the lack of clean and abundant supplies has emerged as the next global challenge to human health, prosperity and peace. Although 71% of the globe is covered by water, less than 2% of the world¿s water is fresh, accessible and drinkable, and these resources are by no means equally distributed. The future will see conflicts over access to water, challenges and opportunities relating to efforts to conserve and manage it and its conversion into a crucial economic and political resource.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

This course examines the complex relationship between the Earth¿s rapidly changing environment and the protection of civil/political (C/P) and economic, social and cultural (ESC) human rights, particularly in the developing world. Existing environmental conditions are being exacerbated by climate change in ways that will adversely affect residents of developing countries that are already struggling with highly stressed water, land, air and marine resources. Legal and policy options to confront these environmental challenges (and the related challenge of widespread poverty) will be examined in terms of their implications for both P/C and ESC rights.

This course is designed to develop practical advocacy skills to protect and promote human rights. A focus will be developing an advocacy strategy on a current human rights issue, including the identification of goals and objectives, appropriate advocacy targets, and appropriate methods. Students will explore broad-based human rights campaigns, use of the media, and advocacy with UN bodies, the US government, and the private sector (corporations). Over the course of the semester, students will become familiar with a variety of tools to apply to a human rights issue of their choosing. Case studies will illustrate successful advocacy campaigns on particular issues, such as sexual violence in conflict, keeping human rights offenders off the UN Human Rights Council and access to safe abortion.

Both developed and developing societies rely on a complex network of infrastructure to support economic development, and security. Interruptions, originating from a variety of man-made and/or natural hazards, lead to a variety of significant consequences ranging from insecurity, economic decline and impacts to health services. The complex nature of responding to disasters, whether man-made, natural or terrorism, requires a level of integration and preparedness that can be challenging to attain. Thoughtful preparedness planning leads to more resilient organizations and societies. This course provides students with the skills needed to effectively support disaster recovery and preparedness decision-making across private and public sectors.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

The dynamic nature of global affairs means that sometimes events will arise which are unexpected, cross conventional boundaries, do not fit within existing courses or deserve specific and detailed study. This `special topics¿ course will explore a particular breaking development or theme relating to the concentration in question. As such, it will only be offered occasionally, when circumstances demand. Students taking an Advanced Colloquium, though, can expect not just to grapple with contemporary events but also to engage actively in conversations both outside as well as within the class and play a role in furthering the common understanding of the world around us.

In some cases, students¿ research plans relating to their theses will require additional time, for specialized fieldwork, methodological preparation, negotiating the IRB human subjects approval process or other particular needs. In such cases, this workshop can be taken the semester before the thesis or capstone (or in very rare cases concurrently), with the permission of the program, to accommodate such specific needs.

A position in project management is often the first step for anyone interested in a career in international development. Such a position entails the administration and coordination of various types projects in developing countries and this course will provide students with a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the key concepts and skills essential to effective program development and project management within the context of foreign assistance. It examines all phases of the project cycle - from planning, to implementation, to monitoring and evaluation - to provide students with the techniques and tools used by practitioners in the field.

The inefficient and often unpredictable nature of many international responses to humanitarian emergencies prompted, in 2005, the United Nation¿s Emergency Relief Coordinator to launch a review of the global humanitarian system. Following the recommendations of the review, the cluster approach has emerged as the organizing model for the delivery humanitarian aid to areas devastated by violent conflict and natural disasters. This course examines the background, principles, organization, and effects of the cluster approach. It focuses of how the implementation of the cluster approach has strengthened the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance by clarifying the division of labor among organizations, by defining their roles and responsibilities within the different sectors of the response, and through building partnerships with host governments, local authorities and civil society. While the cluster approach has increased the predictability and accountability of the international response to humanitarian emergencies, the course will discuss a number of cases in which the cluster approach has been applied in order to asses the challenges that still face the international community as it seeks to alleviate the effects of humanitarian emergencies.

This course will examine the contribution of intelligence activities to the economic power of the nation state. It will begin with a general description of the ways in which states lever the economic instrument of national power. It will then move to a discussion of the relationship between intelligence and economic strength, clarifying the important distinctions between economic intelligence, the collection of foreign economic information for use in formulating national security and foreign policy; and economic espionage, the use of national intelligence resources to collect intelligence on non-government entities for commercial or economic benefit. It will then discuss the U.S. intelligence community's focus on economic intelligence, contrasting this approach with the widespread willingness of U.S. adversaries, rivals, and allies to engage in economic espionage. It will cover the various means by which both economic intelligence and economic espionage are executed, discussing both cyber and more traditional methods. It will note the expanding use of intelligence by the private sector both for legal purposes and to conduct industrial espionage against competing firms. Finally, it will examine the evolution of efforts to defend the vulnerable private sector from economic and industrial espionage.

In this course, students will examine in-depth the challenges confronting the United Nations in the 21st century and efforts to address them. These challenges range from complex great power geopolitical contestations; the growing peacekeeping mandates to protect civilians, counter terrorism, and tackle pandemics; to addressing the political, technical, and financial hurdles in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals; to mitigating the climate change crises, including managing natural disasters, and climate refugee flows; and to understanding the potential of emerging technologies (artificial intelligence, drones, cyberspace, revolution in information and telecommunication, social media) with the objective of enhancing global digital cooperation and reducing digital confrontation. Students will study these challenges through a series of in-person lectures, site visits, official briefings, and simulations & exercises to enhance their policy-making skills.

Global Affairs is an uncertain and complex array of issues and actors, of threats, opportunities, and consequences; how those are understood and managed is largely through a lens of risk. Whether one speaks of the stock market, insurance, public health, climate change, international security, technological innovation, or even space travel, the frameworks used to anticipate, plan, and act in these disparate fields definitely relies on some concept of risk. This course prepares students to better appreciate the functions, pros, and cons of risk, ranging from its evolution as a modern concept; methods for assessing and managing risk; and the ethics, politics, governance, and communication of risk. This course is the core requirement for the successful completion of the Global Risk Specialization within the MS Global Affairs degree.

Over the past three decades, billions of people have been lifted from poverty. Yet today, almost two billion individuals—one-third of adults globally—lack access to basic financial services. Billions more, in both developed and emerging markets, rely on sub-optimal financial instruments to manage their daily finances. In short, they have no financial security. At the micro-level, financial exclusion—or the lack of access to formal financial services—has a serious impact on a person’s quality of life, denying them access to the same opportunities, benefits and choices that many of us take for granted. At the macro-level, financial exclusion undermines economic development efforts at the community and country levels. A wide range of public, non-profit and private entities undertake initiatives to deliver financial services to the base of the pyramid, often with mixed results. Nevertheless, financial inclusion is one of the levers with the greatest potential to improve the daily lives of the unbanked and underbanked, while also advancing global economic and social development goals. This course introduces students to a set of tools which can help to address financial inclusion problems, with a focus on the following four skills: Data Analysis–the ability to consume, interpret and manipulate data sets to formulate solutions; Design Thinking–the ability to leverage principles of consumer-centric design to develop products and solutions; Financial Modeling–the ability to employ Excel to build financial models to assess the viability of a business case; and Business Modeling–the ability to apply methodologies and tools to make decisions and formulate strategies that shape business/commercial decisions. Although these skills are useful in the financial inclusion space, they are also widely applicable to a broad set of careers in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

This course examines the work of the United Nations in the maintenance of international peace and security in general, and conflict prevention, peace-making, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding in particular, primarily from the perspective of the role of the Secretary-General and the Secretariat. It builds on students’ knowledge of the organization’s place in the system of international relations and global governance. It will provide a deeper understanding of how the UN functions in the area of peace and security at the operational level, and will include illustrative case studies, and a simulation exercise. It focuses on UN institutional entities and components beyond the intergovernmental bodies (Security Council, General Assembly); the mechanisms and tools they rely upon for preventive diplomacy and peace-making, peacekeeping and peacebuilding; the unique advantages and limitations of the organization; the interlinkages between the peace and security, development and human rights pillars of the organization as well as the evolution of its practices and continuing and emerging trends.

The course, China's Reemergence: The Changing Political, Economic, and Social Landscape, will enable up to twenty graduate students to study and actively engage in the tremendous transitions facing China today. The program features senior academic, policy and professional presenters and affords participants a two-day practicum to shadow municipal, corporate, educational and non-profit leaders shaping modern Shanghai, a global economic, finance, design and arts destination. Understanding the new global order without attempting to understand and account for China is impossible. China is changing rapidly, asserting itself on the world stage, buying itself into Africa and possibly offering the world a new model of development assistance, expanding its spheres of influence and will undoubtedly continue to increase its impact globally. We believe that in order to provide our students with the best possible opportunity to understand China, it is necessary to travel there and engage not only with China?s economic, political and social changes but also to interact with leaders in the different spheres. The program aims to harness transitions facing China today and articulate to students the dynamism and strategic realities and dilemma facing decision-makers today.

The Contemporary Chinese financial system is an exciting topic that deserves in-depth analysis. At the center of our study will be the critical examination of the key components of the Chinese financial system. We shall study the central bank in China. Then the commercial banking systems will be discussed. Policy banks will be part of the framework. We will go over the insurance companies in China. Qualitative tools will be introduced to offer market insights. We emphasize the market approach in our study, incorporating historical and cultural perspectives in our analysis. Our goal will be to develop a thorough understanding of the contemporary Chinese financial system, from both bottom-up market indicators and a top-down political view.

The US and China have one of the most dynamic and codependent relationships in the world. Both countries have strategic areas of cooperation and at the same time, both nations have fundamental disagreements over issues such as intellectual property rights, cyber-hacking, market access etc. This course is designed to provide students an in-depth and practical opportunity to develop their cross-cultural teamwork and negotiating skills while learning about key contemporary issues in U.S.-China relations. This course is focused around a series of simulations in which teams of students take "sides" to negotiate win-win, win-lose, or lose-lose outcomes in a number of the business, economic, and geopolitical disputes between the United States and China that regularly dominate today's headlines.

The course, Cuba in the World - an Intercambio, will engage up to twenty graduate students in a special spring break study trip examining the realities shaping the largest Caribbean island country today. It will focus on post Cold War Cuba from a socio-cultural perspective, with a specific look at the country?s complex and evolving relationship with the US and Latin America. Through a unique collaboration with the Ludwig Foundation Center, Havana - a non governmental organization dedicated to bridging understanding in Cuba and abroad through cultural exchange - students will gain exclusive exposure to an 'inside out' perspective of a country that is most often viewed from the 'outside in.' The seminar will be composed of organized lectures, site visits and meetings at local organizations and educational institutions. Pre departure (New York-based) sessions will focus on preparing students with a contemporary historical context of Cuban inter-American relations in order to inform the socio-cultural conversation during the onsite portion of the course.

Development in the world?s poor countries is one of the great policy debates and moral imperatives of our day. In Ghana, more than a third of the people live in poverty, despite a decade of democratic rule and nearly a quarter century since economic reform began. In this course, we will examine multiple dimensions of development ? economic, political, environmental, social, cultural and regional ? through the example of Ghana. As the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to gain independence from colonial rule, Ghana played a major role in the transformation of the continent. Despite its early promise, the country has endured political upheaval, military rule and economic collapse, as have many in the region. Today, its market liberalization, democratic transition and political leadership put it in the forefront of what many hope will be an African renaissance. These are among the reasons that a case study of Ghana will fortify a broader look at development in Africa. The course will be organized in two segments: three sessions in New York before departure for Accra, and 10 days of talks and field visits in Ghana. Pre-departure sessions will provide students with an overview of development issues, a review of African history and political evolution, and an introduction to Ghana?s history, politics, economy and culture. The sessions will include talks by scholars and practitioners. In Ghana, sessions will go into depth on major dimensions of the country?s development, including political, social and environmental as well as economic. We will learn from talks by political and business leaders, scholars, and representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations. We also will visit development projects and other sites in the field.

In the past decade, Israel has undergone a revolution in its relations with its region. From a state looking West towards Europe and the U.S., and seeing itself as a “villa in the jungle” in its immediate neighborhood, it has developed new, overt relationships with several states in the region, including regional powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, through shared strategic and economic interests. Relationships with Egypt, and to a lesser degree with Jordan, its long-time peace partners, are increasing, including in the wake of the discovery of significant offshore gas deposits, which have fostered energy interdependence with these neighboring states, as well as between them and their other neighbors in the Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus and Greece. Strategically, Israel is in the best strategic position since its inception.

Crucially, the research methods that are employed to answer one’s question determine the accuracy of the answer one obtains. Thus, a course like this is concerned less with what we know, and more with how we know it. The goals of this course, therefore, are to introduce students to the research process and the different types of research methods available to answer critical questions about global affairs. Students will learn about both qualitative and quantitative methods and will cover the advantages and disadvantages to different types of data collection and analysis. Further, this course will enhance students’ ability to analyze arguments, evaluate evidence, and convey key ideas and research findings effectively. By the end of this course, students should be able to design a research project, define and measure key social science phenomena, formulate hypotheses, design tests of their hypotheses through qualitative and/or quantitative methods, and effectively present their research designs. In addition, students will learn how to deconstruct scholarly research into its fundamental components (e.g., the author’s research question, variables, hypotheses, sample, research method, etc.) and, as such, become more critical readers of published work and sharper researchers and thinkers.

Over the past two decades, India has undertaken a series of economic reforms that have spurred to a period of unprecedented economic growth; growth rates averaging 3-6 percent in the years 1975-90 have doubled during the first decade of the new millennium. Driven by the ICT and service sectors, India has become the 4th largest economy in the world (based on ppp) and is frequently referred to as an emerging global power. Yet despite the economic growth of the past 20 years the number of people living in urban slum has increased by more than 20 percent over the past decade and according to the Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index 645 million Indians lived below the poverty line in 2010. Recent estimates by the Indian government based on the daily cost of calories in urban and rural areas suggest that nearly 40% of the Indian population, or 380 million people, live in hunger.

Security, in its many and varied aspects, is a basic good, but one that can apparently only be properly conveyed through a strict adherence to legal norms as well as the consent of the subjects and objects of it. We need law and cooperation for security. How can the international community aid states in their transition from the “rule of the gun” to the “rule of law”? How can the international community aid fragile and failing states in the provision of security while fostering long-term development of the rule of law and security sector reform? What challenges do developed democracies face in implementing the rule of law and what lessons about security sector reform can we learn from these cases that may apply to fragile or failing states? This class will examine why certain policies have failed to promote durable peace or create accountable security forces, including the military and police, and others have been more successful. It will investigate the role of the armed forces and police in different societies, the capacities of international and domestic actors to change those roles and ways in which societies can respond to security threats. It will look at how the security sector can be controlled in a democratic society and how transitional countries can manage this process. In addition to theoretical readings, the course will draw on examples and experiences from around the world including case studies of Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liberia, Northern Ireland, the United States, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

This course provides an introduction to country risk – the risk that firms incur in cross-border investment or lending. Country risk is analyzed and managed by multinational corporations, banks, and governments in order to assess and mitigate potential financial loss due to country events. Such events include coups, social unrest, war, and economic shocks including adverse market developments and economic policy changes. The goal of this course is to provide students with the tools necessary to assess country risk and prepare them for jobs that require country risk analysis and management. The class involves lectures and "case study" seminars. Key “clinical” skills will be developed: macroeconomic and balance of payments analysis; domestic and international political risk assessment; analyzing government finances and banking sector risk; knowledge of the extensive resources available on country risk; knowledge of the regulatory environment; and, “case study” skills.

The world of business, politics, and international affairs exposes us to a number of risks. Following the financial crisis it became apparent the risks we cannot see are the ones we should fear most. Protecting yourself, or profiting, from risk requires being able to see what no one else does. This class will teach you how to do this. Financial science is the study of how to price and measure risk using statistics. But its most salient lessons and methods apply to other industries from the military to crime. This class will teach the most important lessons from finance and the techniques financial scientists use to measure and then hedge risk. Then we will apply these methods to other areas from crime to cyber to climate change. There has never been a better time to study risk management. The big data revolution means we can measure risk more accurately than ever before. This approach will only offer a creative, rigorous and innovative way to approach risk. Students will gain a deeper understanding about politics, policy, and a new way to view every day problems and gain the skills to develop innovative risk management.

Whether it is an extreme weather event, an outbreak of a pandemic disease, an outpouring of migrants, a civil war that threatens to spill over borders, or a genocide, there are times when critical events require the concerted efforts of a range of actors across the global system. Nevertheless, there exists an array of options and possibilities that might occur, ranging from inactivity to comprehensive responses. In some cases, single countries take the lead in responding, in other cases regional neighbors muddle through, and in some it appears that the entire planet is unified in pulling together to address the crisis. Sometimes our responses are adequate, but sadly there are also times when they are not. How that success is measured and how those failures are learned from are not settled matters. With climate change and conflict showing no signs of abating, how the world responds to emergencies is of utmost importance to us all.

Impact investing focuses on generating financial returns while intentionally improving social and environmental conditions. It plays an ever-increasing role in the work of investors, banks, policymakers, foundations, non-profits, and corporations that aim to tackle societal and environmental challenges. An important set of standards for a company’s behavior are ESG (environmental, social, and governance) criteria. This course will focus on the ideas behind impact investing and ESG, and in particular, the tools and skills needed to understand, evaluate, and measure social and environmental impact. It tackles questions such as: How can we (as policymakers, investors, international organizations, or companies) invest into social and environmental impact? What are emerging platforms and vehicles that facilitate this trend, including B Corporations, social stock exchanges, and social impact bonds? How do (inter-)governmental actors such as USAID, the World Bank, and others collaborate on innovative models? What is the role of related concepts such as micro-finance, Socially Responsible Investing, and alternative resourcing approaches? The course will be based on readings, case studies, interactive guest lectures, and student projects. Impact investors, organizational leaders, and policymakers will be engaged as guest speakers. Learning will be interactive, and students will have the opportunity to connect with relevant individuals.

With more than 50 million refugees and IDPs worldwide, the largest number since World War II, there is an unprecedented need for humanitarian assistance. While the current situation is critical and has stretched the international humanitarian system to the breaking point, the global refugee crisis will only worsen over the next decades as climate changes are expected to uproot tens of millions of people, particularly in developing countries. This course explores the current state of the humanitarian aid system, and discusses the strategies and practices involved in relief operations. It revolves around two major issues. One, by focusing on the policies, plans, and structures that the host country, NGOs, and the international community in collaboration have put in place, it seeks to provide students with an understanding of the bureaucratic/administrative side of crisis management. Two, the course aims to give students an insight into the daily lives of refugees/IDPs living in camps/urban settlements, and the experiences of aid workers who seek to alleviate the suffering.

Indescribably horrific crimes were committed in 1994 during the genocide in Rwanda, resulting in approximately 800,000 to 1 million fatalities. Roughly three quarters of the adult male Tutsi population, as well as moderate Hutus, were killed in approximately 100 days. This course will examine the following questions: How does a country rebuild after such horribly devastating atrocities? How does it attempt to achieve justice? And, is reconciliation between perpetrators and victims possible? Through our pre-departure class sessions and our field study on the ground in Rwanda, we will explore the background on the events surrounding the genocide; the trial and domestic traditional mechanisms designed to achieve accountability for the crimes committed; the extent to which each mechanism has achieved justice and/or contributed to reconciliation; the grassroots reconciliation efforts within Rwanda; and the memorialization of the genocide.

Students will have a unique opportunity to conduct a field-based conflict assessment in a UNESCO World Heritage Site - Parque Internacional La Amistad (International Friendship Park) on the border of Panama and Costa Rica. The course not only will help students to gain practical field research experience, but also will enable them to explore conflict-sensitive conservation initiatives. During the field portion of the course, students will interview a diverse range of stakeholders while working as a team to generate and analyze data on which the assessment will be based.

Analysts of cross strait relations between China and Taiwan predict that China’s economic and military prowess will continue to impact Taiwan, while the US’s predominance in the region is expected to decline. Is reunification between Taiwan and Beijing inevitable? Would the US risk going to war over Taiwan? How can and should Taiwanese President Tsai Ying-wen best engage Beijing, while avoiding conflict in the region and preserving vital trade, economic health, and its democratic institutions? This course will examine the tensions in US Foreign policy towards Taiwan since the 1980’s and provide a critical lens by which to analyze cross straits relations. What are the geo-political risks involved, and how do these impact perceptions of investors, trade, and cross border flows? Students will have an opportunity to develop and hone their negotiating skills while gaining a stronger conceptual and analytical framework by which to understand US-Taiwan relations.

Contemporary Cambodia is haunted by its tragic past. The period between 1970 to 1979 saw untold brutality inflicted upon its population. The scars from these traumas persist today. But that is not the entirety of its story. Even as the country struggles to reconcile itself with the past, Cambodia is host to a young, vibrant population, looking for opportunities to provide prosperity and security for its people, and a ruling regime seeking stability and longevity. To achieve anything resembling these goals, Cambodia and Cambodians must confront a panoply of options. This course provides a variety of lenses through which we might better appreciate the dilemmas facing the country and people of Cambodia. While doing so, we will address the themes of power, identity, history, prosperity, security, autonomy, inequality, and contestation.

The Independent Research Study should focus on an issue of interest to the student that directly relates to the student's area of concentration. In cases where the topic rests or touches on more than one field, a teamwork project may be substituted for the independent study. Members of the team will be required to contribute material on the selected topic from the vantage point of their respective concentrations. Students will have latitude in selecting their topic but all topics, whether for individual study or a team undertaking, will need faculty approval and will be conducted under the stewardship of one faculty person. The study may be a traditional research paper of a case study based on primary research, extensive interviews, and profiles of the protagonists, be they individuals or institutions and should reflect high standards of scholarship.

In this course, Consulting Practicum, students are grounded in theory, then asked to apply those theories to specific professional practice areas. CGA Consulting Practicum puts the “applied” notion of student learning to the acid test. Students will not apply their knowledge to an academic assignment, but to real world problems. The goal of consulting is to improve the performance of the organization by analyzing existing organizational issues and challenges and developing plans for improvement. Tasks include but are not limited to: analyzing new markets to enter, examining how to grow market share in a core business, and helping to implement strategic initiatives across business units. The Consulting Practicum will be a 14-week applied course where students will be matched with an organization and charged with completing a specific project determined by the client (company). Case teams will be relatively small and each team will be supported by a faculty supervisor and company mentor. Consulting Practicums can be applied across all eight of CGA’s concentrations. This is meant to be a highly hands-on course with significant client interface, strategic meetings, and includes special consulting workshops for students to enhance the skills necessary to be a successful consulting.