Intelligence and Security Studies Degree

This course examines the African continent to expose the implications of democratization, ethnicity, and development. It will analyze various democratization projects occurring throughout the continent; consider the development of African political thought; domestic and party politics within various countries; and consider the complex consequences to war and conflict in Africa today. Finally, theoretical, empirical and philosophical debates about international relations, foreign aid, grassroots activism and radicalism will be investigated, to provide greater depth and subtlety to the more commonly examined issues of economic development.

This course examines Asia from the perspectives of democracy, political economy, and human rights. It will assess how political and economic factors in the region impact not only individual states, but also transnational relations with other regions like North America and the European Union. How the region’s ongoing economic and political transformation influences governance will be examined. How power interplays with other states on issues pertaining to conflict and human rights will be important. Finally, the course will look at all of these issues from a theoretical and philosophical perspective, asking if culture impacts some of the variations.

This course examines the Greater Middle East (from Morocco to Iran) to expose the issues of democratization, gender relations, and political/economic reform. The material reviews various democratization projects occurring throughout the region, comparing and contrasting strengths and weaknesses, while drawing general conclusions about democracy in the Middle East writ large. The complex and evolving role of women in this process, from the political, economic, and cultural perspectives, is emphasized and used to ascertain future potential trajectories. Theoretical and philosophical debates about Islam, democracy, and civil liberties are investigated.

This course defines, analyzes, and compares foreign policies across the globe. The materials review internal and external factors that influence and complicate the formation of foreign policy as well as consider the various norms and theories that exist about foreign policy construction within the global environment. Finally, numerous case studies are examined in terms of divergence and variety across states and regions. This course is designed to make students familiar with the foreign-policy thinking of countries that are both allied with and adversarial to the United States.

Disinformation is false information created to deliberately mislead an audience; its purpose is to support its perpetrator’s goals through deception. This course examines several types of disinformation, including “fake news;” how it overlaps with propaganda and misinformation but is also unique; how and why disinformation works; its incentives and consequences (some of which are unintentional); several historical examples of disinformation (including who perpetrated them and why); some sophisticated techniques used in creating disinformation; and how the individual and also society can guard against disinformation but may never completely eliminate it.

This course examines hard and soft power as concepts, theories, and consequential implications in global politics. It will estimate the applications of diplomatic and military strength and the proper context and applicability of each in given complex foreign dilemmas.

This course examines strategic deterrence across various case studies – individual states, various crucial regions, and the larger global context. It will assess how states work within their own regions, to impact not only other states but also transnational relations with major powers. The evolution of deterrence as a concept, both in the classical strategic environment and in the new modern context, will be important. Constraining deterrence and/or utilizing it through diplomacy will also be examined and considered. Finally the course will look at deterrence from a future strategy perspective, asking if there are new variations and differentiations that can be foreseen and addressed.