Global Arc

Examination of the causes and economic consequences of international trade in goods and services, investment and migration. Stress on the possibility of aggregate national gains from trade, and the distributional conflicts generated by trade. Analysis of policies regarding these issues from the perspective of economics and political economy. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Prerequisites: WWS 100 or ECO 300 or ECO 310.

Twenty years after the September 11th terrorist attacks, America's national security regime continues to be shaped by an indefinite "War on Terror," notwithstanding the death of Osama Bin Laden, the U.S. military's withdrawal from Afghanistan and Iraq, and the effective defeat of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The laws and policies passed over the past two decades have generated heated debates on how to balance individual rights with national security priorities. This course examines in depth these debates through a survey of select post-9/11 national security laws and policies and their impact on civil liberties.

Military strategy was defined by Clauswitz as the use of battle to achieve the objectives of war. Grand strategy is broader, encompassing the attempted use by political leaders of financial economic, and diplomatic, as well as military, power to achieve their objectives in peacetime and in war. This seminar will examine the theory and practice of grand strategy both to illuminate how relations among city-states, empires, kingdoms and nation states have evolved over the centuries and also to identify some common challenges that have confronted all who seek to make and execute grand strategy, from Pericles to Barack Obama.

This course will review and analyze the foreign policy of the People's Republic of China from 1949 to the present. It will examine Beijing's relations with the Soviet Union, the United States, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Third World during the Cold War, and will discuss the future of Chinese foreign policy in light of the end of the Cold War, changes in the Chinese economy, the post-Tiananmen legitimacy crisis in Beijing, and the continuing rise of Chinese power and influence in Asia and beyond.

Disruption across the globe has place U.S. diplomacy in the spotlight in the spotlight. What are the secrets to the art of diplomacy at the highest levels? What have been the great successes and failures of American statecraft? What is the proper role of the U.S. in the world today?

This course will familiarize students with the practical aspects of policy formulation and implementation that pertain to issues in the Middle East. The primary focus will be on the challenges associated with improving governance at the national and sectoral levels. It will also examine effective national strategies for capacity-building, rehabilitation, and economic development, particularly in the oil-exporting countries in the region.

This course focuses on the causes and consequences of population change and the policy levers used to regulate demographic behavior and outcomes. In addition to basic demographic concepts, measures and data, we will address questions such as: What is the carrying capacity of the planet? Why has fertility declined in some countries but not others? How does population growth influence the environment? What does population aging portend for social security solvency? Can countries regulate international migration? Why does China have so many male births? Is marriage obsolete? Is urban life good or bad for your health?

This course focuses on contextual factors, health actors and processes that are typical of policy development and implementation in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We review health issues/outcomes across the lifespan and implications for health systems strategies, financing, organizational changes, and policy. We analyze political, bureaucratic and other influences on health policymaking, including by government, civil society, private sector, and global health institutions. The course will involve class discussion and lectures, in-class exercises, and review of academic literature and international and governmental reports.

This course will provide students with a basic technical understanding of some of the critical technologies that are relevant to national and global security and will equip students with the skills to better assess the challenge of developing effective policies to manage such technologies. Case studies will inter alia include nuclear weapons and their proliferation, nuclear and radiological terrorism, space weapons, biosecurity and cyberware. Two lectures.

In both wealthy and low and middle income countries, the most disadvantaged people in societies are more likely to be exposed to health threats and more likely to suffer the consequences of those threats. We see evidence and the consequences of health inequities across countries and within them, and across socioeconomic, gender, racial and ethnic groups. In this course, we consider differences in the burden of disease and explore the myriad reasons for these differences. We also examine how the structure of health systems and health services, and the ways these are resources, can exacerbate inequities.