IAFF 6186-26: International Security
Wednesdays, 5:10-7:00pm
Elliott School Room 314
This course provides a big-picture survey of international security, focusing on current and emerging security issues in the 21st century. It examines a broad range of traditional and non-traditional security problems from an array of traditional and non-traditional perspectives.
The course begins with an overview of key concepts, theories, and approaches in the field of international security. It then examines inter-state, intra-state, and transnational security problems, with the understanding that many security problems cut across these categories. Analyses of important security topics (great-power relations, arms racing and arms control, crisis management, civil wars, terrorism and crime, among others) are combined with reviews of regional developments. The final section of the course examines non-military issues (population trends; development; climate change; cyber, IT, and AI) that have major security implications, as well as the role of international organizations in promoting international security. The important interconnections between gender and security are discussed at multiple junctures throughout the semester. The course concludes with a look to the future.
After completing this course, students will be able to: (1) analyze important approaches, concepts, and theories in the field of international security; (2) draw on these analytical frameworks to explain current and emerging international security issues; (3) assess the debates that scholars, policymakers, and citizens have in international security discussions; and (4) develop informed, cogent arguments and pragmatic policy recommendations with respect to current and emerging international security issues.
