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Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology Courses

About Course Numbers:

Each Carnegie Mellon course number begins with a two-digit prefix that designates the department offering the course (i.e., 76-xxx courses are offered by the Department of English). Although each department maintains its own course numbering practices, typically, the first digit after the prefix indicates the class level: xx-1xx courses are freshmen-level, xx-2xx courses are sophomore level, etc. Depending on the department, xx-6xx courses may be either undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level, and xx-7xx courses and higher are graduate-level. Consult the Schedule of Classes each semester for course offerings and for any necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites.

84-104 Decision Processes in American Political Institutions
Fall: 9 units
This is an interdisciplinary introduction to the study of politics and government in the United States. It familiarizes the student with the basic structures and processes of American government, but moves beyond the purely descriptive into the realm of the analytical. The main theoretical tools are spatial models of political decision-making, and models of collective action problems. The position taken in this course is that understanding American philosophical ideas about authority, power, and freedom is as central to demystifying the U.S. form of democracy as is understanding how decision-making institutions function. Thus, on one side, this course looks at how American political thought is infused into political institutions and society. On the other side, it investigates institutional arrangements using rationalistic theories. In addition, scientific writings at the intersection of psychology and economics are used to probe the possibility of gaining explanatory leverage on U.S. politics from the perspective of behavioral decision-making theories.
84-110 The Economics of Politics, Policy, and Technology
Spring: 9 units
This course provides a broad introduction to economic analysis for political scientists. The first part of the course will cover the principles of microeconomics and game theory as the foundational tools for economic and policy analysis. The next segment of the course will apply these tools to build an understanding of macroeconomics and international finance and trade. The final portion of the course will focus on recent global trade disruptions and policy responses aimed at developing resilient supply chains. The role of technology, innovation, and technology policy will be emphasized across all course topics.
84-120 Introduction to US Constitutional Law
Spring: 9 units
This course provides an introduction to the United States Constitution and the principles of constitutional law. Using landmark Supreme Court cases that have shaped the development of constitutional law in the United States, students will gain familiarity with legal arguments and understand historical, political, social, and moral dimensions of the American constitutional structure. The course will explore the structure of the Constitution, the powers of the federal government, and the relationship between the federal government and the states. The course will also cover the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment, including the protections afforded by these amendments and the ways in which they have been interpreted by the Supreme Court. Throughout the course, students will engage with key constitutional concepts, including federalism, separation of powers, and individual rights.
84-198 Research Training
Fall and Spring
This course is part of a set of 100-level courses offered by Dietrich College departments as independent studies for second-semester freshmen, and first- or second-semester sophomores, in the College. In general, these courses are designed to give students some real research experience through work on a faculty project or lab in ways that might stimulate and nurture subsequent interest in research participation. Faculty and students devise a personal and regularized meeting and task schedule. Each Research Training course is worth 9 units, which generally means a minimum for students of about 9 work-hours per week. These courses are offered only as electives; i.e., they cannot be applied toward a college or major requirement, although the units do count toward graduation as elective units. Additional details (including a roster and descriptions of Research Training Courses available in any given semester) are available in the Academic Advisory Center. Restrictions: for Dietrich College students only; only for second-semester freshmen, or first- or second-semester sophomores; minimum cumulative QPA of 3.0 (at the time of registration) required for approved entry; additional prerequisites (e.g., language proficiency) may arise out of the particular demands of the research project in question.
84-200 Security War Game Simulation
Spring: 6 units
This course is a seven-week national security simulation run in coordination with Valens Global in which students will have an assigned role as a state or non-state actor and work within teams to develop policy responses to a security crisis that changes and develops over time, in response to team moves and other factors. The simulation changes each year but generally involves great power competition, directly and through non-state actor proxies. Participants will need to gain an understanding of the facts through a complex information environment that is polluted with misinformation that allows actors to engage in manipulation and deception. Students will learn how to analyze national security problems, develop and analyze options, advocate for their position, negotiate, and work within a team, as well as with other teams.
84-215 Tomorrow's Professionals
Fall and Spring: 3 units
Professionalism is the cornerstone of a healthy and productive workplace. It is a defining component of success, but it is not innate. Rather, professionalism is taught and learned. It should be practiced deliberately and developed over time and with experience. It is a specific skill set that positions individuals for success. This seminar is designed to facilitate students' deliberate thinking about professionalism, so that they can begin to practice it, building their unique brands, ensuring excellence in their internships and thus future careers. Throughout the seminar, we will discuss professional conduct, leadership, and strategies for success. We will discuss real-time workplace challenges, and problem-solve as a group to develop meaningful resolutions. Professionalism is a lifelong skill. The goal of this seminar is to provide students with the necessary tools to begin building their professional careers. Given the right tool set, it will catapult a career forward and open doors indefinitely.
84-226 International Relations
Fall: 9 units
This course introduces students to the discipline of international relations (IR) and enables students to examine the causes of war and peace, the role of international institutions and non-state actors in world politics, and the forces that shape international political economy. The course introduces key concepts in world politics like power and order, reviews the modern history of IR from colonialism to today, and surveys a broad range of IR theories and analytical tools that help explain global politics and aid in foreign policy analysis. Finally, students engage in contemporary policy debates about world politics - from the War in Ukraine to the rise of China to the future of globalization - and grapple with ethical issues related to foreign policy decision-making. Students who previously completed 84-326 Theories of International Relations are not eligible to take this course.
84-250 Writing for Political Science and Policy
Spring: 9 units
Writing and briefing are essential skills in the policy discipline. This course will equip students with the tools necessary to enter professional policy-related domains. We will use a workshop format that promotes classroom discussions, small group work and practical exercises simulating real world experiences. The workshop format is intended to emphasize communication, writing effectiveness and leadership, as well as to increase students' comfort levels with both receiving, applying, discussing and delivering constructive feedback and criticism. It is also intended to make this class fun and engaging, creating a safe and welcoming environment for students to reflect on their own work, and their colleagues'. During the course, students will write a policy memo, an op-ed, and a National Security Memo, (as well as some smaller additional writing assignments) as well as deliver multiple professional-style briefings for a variety of audiences. This is a writing intensive course, with a heavy emphasis on professional briefing and presenting. As such, students should expect to write and brief... a lot! This workshop-based model allows students to incorporate and give feedback in real time. The intent is that students will develop the skills necessary to enter future professional environments and hit the ground running. Students will work within small groups and with the professor to identify a topic Area of Interest (AOR) that will be the basis for most of their course work- allowing students to focus on an area in which they would like to develop subject matter expertise (SME), as well as one they find interesting and stimulating.
84-252 Briefing in the Policy World
Fall: 6 units
Briefing is a critical skill for the policy world as it is the most direct and formal means of communication with the policy and or decision maker. One successful brief can fast-track a career, identify you as a subject-matter-expert, and open dialogue with customers- helping build important relationships in the policy world. Briefing is a combination of presentation, flexibility and the projection of confidence- and is developed through experience. Briefing in the Policy World will equip students with the skills and confidence to excel in this realm.
84-266 Research Design for Political Science
Fall: 9 units
This course develops foundational skills in causal inference and research design in political science. It prepares students to read, interpret, and critique research effectively, and helps them begin the process of learning how to conduct original empirical research in political science. Students will learn how to formulate research questions, generate hypotheses, and design appropriate tests of those hypotheses. They will also gain exposure to different qualitative and quantitative analytical methods in the field, including case studies, surveys, interviews, process tracing, counterfactuals, regressions, and experiments.
Prerequisite: 36-200
84-267 Data Science for Political Science
Spring: 9 units
This course develops foundational skills in data science and quantitative analysis. The course provides students with hands-on experience in using and analyzing data to answer questions in international relations and political science. Students will learn how to wrangle, clean, or create data to test hypotheses, and how to summarize and visualize data effectively. They will also learn the fundamentals of applied bivariate and multivariate regression analysis, including model specification, estimation, and overall fit assessment, as well as the assumptions of regression analysis and their implications.
Prerequisite: 36-200
84-274 An Introduction to Technology and War
Fall: 9 units
"Advancements" in military technology over time have enabled countries to kill quickly, with pinpoint precision, and on a massive scale from thousands of miles away. Today, emerging technologies also empower state and non-state actors to use lethal force via remote control and may even allow machines to kill autonomously. While once the purview of science fiction, lethal autonomous weapons systems-sometimes referred to as killer robots-are becoming a reality. This course will trace developments in military technology from the gunpowder revolution in the 15th century and the nuclear revolution in the 20th century to emerging technologies like drones and artificial intelligence in the 21st century. Each class will focus on-in roughly chronological order-a different military innovation, and will use that innovation to analyze a different major political science theory or debate. In particular, we will assess the development, spread, effectiveness, and morality of military innovations and address critical questions for scholarship and policy. By the end of the course, students will have a grasp of the history of military innovation and many of the key debates and theories in this field.
84-275 Comparative Politics
Spring: 9 units
This course is an introduction to the subfield of Political Science called Comparative Politics. In this subfield we use comparative methods to study and compare domestic politics across countries. In this course, we aim to learn about how political systems differ, discuss why they differ and explore the consequences of such variation. The course is divided into four sections. In the first part, we will examine the main theories and methods used to conduct research in the subfield, and discuss the development and consolidation of the modern state. In the second section, we will examine political regimes, including variation among democracies and nondemocracies. In the third unit, we will study some of the countries' central political institutions. We will compare political systems (presidentialism, semipresidentialism, and parliamentarism) and examine legislatures, electoral systems, and political parties. In the final segment, we will scrutinize political mobilization and conflict. We will discuss interest groups, nationalism, social movements, protests, populism, clientelism, revolutions, civil wars, terrorism, and globalization. The participation of students is central for the success of this course. You are encouraged to share your thoughts and doubts via Canvas, participate in small-group discussions each week, and participate in one group presentation that will demand you to apply the concepts and methods discussed in the course to other countries.
84-280 Popcorn and Politics: American Foreign Policy at the Movies
Fall: 10 units
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how many words are moving pictures- that is, movies- worth? The stories captured in movies shape our ideas about the world, our sense of right and wrong, and our hopes and dreams. They can also teach us about international politics and have, historically, had tangible effects on government policy. This course will analyze key events and debates related to American foreign policy specifically and international relations more generally through the lens of film. From war dramas and science-fiction movies to anime and comedies, we will explore the lessons film can teach us about the causes of war, role of morality in international politics, and foreign policy decision-making. Each week we will focus on a different key American foreign policy event or period in history and pair it with a relevant film. By the end of this course, students will have a greater understanding of history, key debates and theories related to American foreign policy, and film.
84-303 International Human Rights
Intermittent: 6 units
This mini-course surveys the causes of human rights violations around the world and the internal and external forces that combat them. The course begins by asking how political scientists conceptualize and measure human rights; we also review the origins and evolution of the international human rights movement and debates over whether human rights are (or should be) universal. In week 3, we survey the correlates of human rights abuses and review what progress has been made towards global forecast models of genocide, politicide, and mass killing. The core of the class in weeks 4-6 examines domestic and international forces and actors that attempt to promote human rights and assesses the efficacy of international NGOs and IGOs, international law, diplomacy and sanctions, and informal pressures of socialization and emulation The course concludes by reviewing current human rights challenges in the United States and future of human rights globally. By the end of this course, you should come away with an appreciation for the ongoing struggle to achieve the global aspirations of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
84-304 In the News: Analysis of Current US National Security Priorities
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This discussion-based course will examine the headlines in international relations, defense, national security, and homeland security. We will follow major news stories, breaking down media coverage to go deeper, conducting our own unique analysis as a group but also individually, contextualizing issues within the broader global context using the U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS), U.S. National Defense Strategy (NDS), and the U.S. Annual Threat Assessment (ATA) to anchor discussions. Students will study the NSS, NDS and the ATA closely- and learn how to look at U.S. national security priorities through this lens. Students will have the opportunity to lead discussions on breaking news stories, but also to draw upon prior past headlines which still dominate the news cycle or have wider implications for international relations and issues in national security. The goal of this course is to understand U.S. national security priorities, encourage students to think deliberately and deeply about U.S. national security priorities and to contextualize those events in the broader international relations and security context.
84-306 Latin American Politics
Spring: 9 units
The world's most unequal region is an area of contrasts. Ethnically diverse, stable and tumultuous, young and old, urban and rural, learned and illiterate, prosperous and poor, independent yet dependent. The disparities that have characterized the region since colonial times have been a permanent source of instability and the cause of numerous political and economic experiments. Social scientists have found much material to study democratic innovations, revolutions, coups, civil wars, military dictatorships, impeachments, populism, clientelism, corruption, import substitution industrialization, neoliberalism, socialism, regime changes, social movements, welfare policies, regional integration, and diversified leadership. The overarching question to be explored in this course is what forces -such as economic, social, and cultural- affect the emergence, development, collapse, reemergence, and consolidation of democracy. To understand the region's present, it is necessary to study path dependence and learn how the worldviews of dominant elites evolved over time. Thus, the course centers in three historical periods. First, we will briefly examine Latin American history from its conquest to the end of World War II (1492-1945). The aim is to uncover the demographic and geographical setting with its economic, social, and political evolution. The second part centers on most of the Cold War period (1947-1978) and its combination of political and economic experiments. The third part covers the last forty years, from the wave of transitions to democracy to current challenges to democratic consolidation. We will also address how Latin America has integrated to globalization and how the relationship with the US and China has experienced fundamental changes since the 1990s.
84-309 American Political Divides and Great Debates
Fall: 9 units
This is a dynamic course that delves into the complexities of political polarization in the United States. This course is designed not only to educate but also to actively engage students in the analysis of some of the most divisive and challenging issues facing the nation today, including the 2nd Amendment, abortion rights, crime, and immigration policy. Throughout the semester, students will engage in a variety of learning activities including critical readings, in-depth discussions, and live debates. These components are structured to encourage a deep understanding of the multifaceted nature of American political divides. Students will be challenged to explore and argue from viewpoints different from their own, fostering a broader perspective and empathy in understanding opposing arguments. This course offers students a platform to deeply engage with the current political climate, understand the roots of American political divides, and develop skills essential for civic engagement and discourse. This course is ideal for students with interests in political science, history, law, social justice, and those looking to gain a deeper understanding of the complex political landscape of the United States and its implications for justice and injustice in society.
84-310 Policy in a Global Economy 1: International Trade and Trade Policy
Spring: 6 units
This course will focus on the economics of international trade; immigration; trade and immigration policy; the politics of trade and immigration; the backlash against globalization; trade and development; trade, sanctions, and national security; and strategies for mitigating the costs and more equally distributing the benefits of international trade. We will also consider the implications of climate change for international trade and trade policy. Student grades will be based on class participation, homework assignments, a midterm, and a final exam.
84-311 Policy in a Global Economy 2: International Macroeconomics and Finance
Spring: 6 units
This course will focus on the rise of international capital and financial flows in the post-war era, international macroeconomic policy with fixed and floating exchange rates, the economics of inflation, currency and financial crises in developed and developing countries, and an analysis of the costs and benefits of Europe's single currency. Student grades will be based on class participation, homework assignments, a midterm, and a final exam.
84-312 Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa
Intermittent: 6 units
The spread and growth of terrorism on the continent of Africa has increased substantially over the last decade; this mini is an introduction to the major terrorism groups that operate in sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout the course, we will examine the nexus of the terrorist threat in sub-Saharan Africa, and subsequent responses from governments, multinational organizations and foreign actors. It is intended to acquaint students with the dynamics of terrorism and counterterrorism efforts in sub-Saharan Africa, and by doing so establish a solid foundation upon which further expertise can be built.
84-313 International Organizations and Law
Intermittent: 6 units
This course provides students with a comprehensive overview of the role and function of international organizations and international law in global affairs. In this course, we will consider the historical development of the international legal system and theories and sources of international law. We will examine the dynamics of key international organizations within the United Nations system, the emergence of regional organizations and their role in global governance, and the relationship between international law and domestic law. Throughout the course, students will be asked to analyze current events through the lens of international law. Students will learn to read and analyze primary legal sources and gain familiarity with current research in the field. By the end of the course, students should be able to assess the record of international institutions in promoting international security, facilitating and regulating the use of emerging technologies, influencing the conduct of war, protecting human rights, and addressing global environmental concerns.
84-317 Defense PPBE in the Age of Emerging Technologies
Intermittent: 6 units
This course offers a comprehensive, strategic inquiry into the Department of Defense Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Policy. Focusing on the critical intersection of emerging technologies and the future of warfare, students will undertake a thorough evaluation of the existing PPBE framework. The course aims to unpack the system's viability, vulnerabilities, and adaptive capacity in a rapidly evolving technological landscape. Students will not only assess how well the PPBE process responds to current challenges but also evaluate its efficacy in proactively preparing the nation and its military for the future of warfare. Through a blend of critical analysis and strategic thinking, this course provides an invaluable perspective on the adaptability of defense planning mechanisms to technological advancements and emerging threats.
84-318 Politics of Developing Nations
Intermittent: 9 units
Be it on our feet, in our grocery bags or in the news, our daily lives connect us to people in the developing world. Despite such an intricate relationship, we tend to know very little about developing nations and their challenges beyond a common stereotype of poverty. What are developing nations? What is their place in the world? What challenges do those nations and their populations face? In this class, we will strive to answer those questions through readings of political science and political economy scholarship and in-class activities and discussions. We will explore the socio-economic and political issues that developing nations face and take special care to practice perspective taking (i.e. we will put ourselves in specific nations' shoes and consider situations from their point of view). We will adopt various lenses (e.g. post colonialism, liberalism, feminism) throughout the semester to inform our understanding of the various positions taken by global actors. By addressing the unequal power balance between developed and developing nations as well as among developing nations, we will enrich our world view and understanding of major global issues, such as development. We will practice those skills in class through discussions and activities (you should expect very little lecturing) and outside of class through guided readings. Your learning in the course will be assessed through various writing assignments (take home exams, a final paper, weekly responses) where you will practice composing arguments based on evidence.
84-319 Civil-Military Relations
Spring: 9 units
Why do militaries (people with guns) ever obey civilians (people without guns)? Can we have a military strong enough to protect civilians, yet not so strong as to ignore or subvert civilian authority? What is the dividing line between civilian and military spheres of activity? How much influence should civilians have on activities within the military sphere, and how much influence should the military have in the civilian sphere? How does all of this affect a state's ability to both protect itself and project power globally? Examining the theory and practice of civil-military relations in the U.S. and the world, this course explores issues related to civilian control of the military and military professionalism, including coups d'etat, military disobedience, the impact of an all-volunteer vs. conscripted force on both civilian and military decisions, public-private partnerships in the military sphere, the role of military privatization in civil-military relations, and the role of servicemembers in the political life of the community. Relying on the influential texts of Lasswell, Huntington, Feaver, and Finer, the first half of the course aims to elucidate the theory behind basic tensions between the military and civilians. The second half of the course focuses on how theory translates into practice, with a particular focus on case studies of civil-military relations in the U.S. democratic system.
84-322 Nonviolent Conflict and Revolution
Spring: 9 units
How can everyday people promote justice, equality, and democracy? Throughout history, many have looked to armed struggle and revolutionary violence. But over the course of the last century, nonviolent "people power" movements- from Gandhi's salt march to the Arab Spring to Black Lives Matter- have been forces for social and political change. What are the causes, strategies, tactics, dynamics, and consequences of nonviolent conflict, and how do these differ from violent or armed conflict? When and how do unarmed "people power" campaigns topple repressive authoritarian regimes? This course addresses these questions, and, in the process, engages contending theories of power, revolution, and insurgency. The course introduces students to key concepts, theories, strategies, and historical patterns of nonviolent conflict. The class probes the success and failure of nonviolence by analyzing landmark unarmed revolutions.
84-323 War and Peace in the Contemporary Middle East
Spring: 9 units
This course examines the drivers and dynamics of war and peace in the contemporary Middle East. It is structured around a series of key debates about different facets of conflict and violence in the region, such as the causes of rebellion, the reasons resistance groups use terrorism, and the factors that facilitate peace. We will delve into competing arguments about each of these issues, applying the ideas to cases around the region. We will also examine broader regional conflicts like the Arab-Israeli dispute and Sunni-Shia confrontation. We will use a mixture of research articles and books as well as more diverse materials such as war reporting, films, and memoirs in order to create a holistic understanding of these issues.
84-324 The Future of Democracy
Intermittent: 9 units
After the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama famously argued that humanity had reached the "end of history" insofar as liberal democracy had become the last viable form of government. Yet today, illiberal democracies and dictatorships persist, the world has witnessed the return of authoritarian great powers led by China and Russia, and populist movements challenge liberal democracies around the world. What is the future of democracy around the world, and how can we know? This course surveys the causes of historical rise (and fall) of democracy, the methods and pitfalls of democracy promotion, and a variety of challenges to democracy- such as nationalism, polarization, and misinformation. By the end, students will be expected to write an intelligence memo and give an oral presentation on the future of democracy in a particular region or country.
84-325 Contemporary American Foreign Policy
Spring: 9 units
This course provides a survey of American foreign policy since World War I as a means of explaining why American foreign policy looks the way it does today. We will cover topics such as America's perennial battles between isolationism and internationalism, the creation of the US-led world order after 1945, the containment of communism, and anti-terrorism after 9/11. We will cover enduring and global issues like climate change, nuclear non-proliferation, humanitarian intervention, and international economic policy, as well. Further, a main focus of the course is how foreign policy is made - the role each branch of government plays in foreign policy making, the impact of domestic politics and public opinion, and how other countries receive and react to American foreign policy. The course will use both history and data analysis to understand how foreign policy works, how it is made, and its effect both at home and abroad. A good grasp of the 20th century American and world history, and some familiarity with international relations theory are not requirements but will prove helpful. By the end of the semester, students should have acquired a broad understanding of the most important foreign policy events of the last century and have the tools to analyze foreign policy decision-making.
84-328 Military Strategy and Doctrine
Fall: 9 units
This course will survey how the causes, conduct, and termination of warfare have changed over time. While the focus of the course is primarily on major warfare between states, we will also cover the use of military power in civil wars, insurgencies, and proxy wars. The first part of the course addresses why wars occur and what leaders hope to achieve using military power. We will cover the merits and limitations of different explanations for why war occurs and different ethical issues in the use of force, including just war theory and protection of civilians. The second part of the course addresses the sources of warfighting effectiveness, war outcomes, and war termination and will cover a range of material and non-material factors. The final section of the course will cover how recent military, technological, social, and political changes influence what can be achieved through military power and implications for military strategy and doctrine. By the end of the course, students will have general grasp of the major analytic approaches to understanding the occurrence and dynamics of war and will have the tools to think critically about the use of military force.
84-329 Asian Strategies
Fall: 6 units
What are the strategies of leading Asian countries? How do their governments intend to pursue their economic, political, and military goals in the years ahead? What role will technology and information play in advancing their strategic objectives? These questions are the heart of this mini-course, focusing on some of the most problematic and promising regional states: North Korea, South Korea, China, Japan, and India. While all these actors have a rich history, they were born anew within five years after 1945, with the conclusion of the Second World War, the division of the Korean peninsula, the partition and independence of India, and the founding of the People's Republic of China. The course will culminate in a discussion of strategic convergences and the divergences, as well as and the implications of national strategies for regional and global peace and stability.
84-332 Contemporary US Constitutional Law Issues
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This course will explore the recent redefinition of rights by the supreme court on such issues e.g. gun rights, vaccine mandates, reproduction, death penalty, voting, presidential immunity and affirmative action. The theme of the course will focus on different schools of constitutional interpretation and how the constitution can be viewed as a document for a vibrant democracy. A diverse set of speakers will be invited to engage the class in a lively discussion on the issue of the day.
84-336 Implementing Public Policy: From Good Idea To Reality
Spring: 12 units
Good public policy doesn't just "happen." Rather, successful policy is the result of thorough research, careful drafting, and successful navigation within the government or non-government organization whose leadership may ultimately promulgate it. The course begins with a brief review of government and organizational behavior in a bureaucracy, and the identification of a federal agency's current policy system as a framework to which we will turn throughout the term. Study then turns to an overview of legal research skills. Though usually the province of law students and attorneys, such skills will enable students to know when policy may be crafted "from scratch"- or where, when, and how policy must conform to larger governing legal or regulatory structures. Students will then consider a particular sub-specie of public policy, administrative law, which addresses the special circumstance of regulatory agencies and the statutory regimes that create and govern them. The course culminates with students developing and "staffing" a notional policy, modeled on the federal agency policy system studied throughout the term. This course may benefit a range of audiences: students considering government and related policy careers; future business leaders who must set standards for business practices, employee behavior, or operations within the confines of governmental regulations; prospective paralegals and attorneys; or anyone interested in exploring "what the rules are" and why.
84-338 Analysis of US Presidential Powers
Fall and Spring: 6 units
This course will explore the evolution of presidential power and the underlying theories that support the expansion of the executive branch in contemporary politics. Some of the topics that will be covered include - emergency powers, presidential immunity, the "Steel Seizure" case, the pardon power, the Iran-Contra scandal and impeachment. Given that this is an election year having a fuller understanding of the President's potential power is fundamental for the next office holder.
84-339 Seminar in Public Policy Research
Intermittent: 12 units
Public policy has high stakes. The taxes we pay, our access to medical care, the quality and composition of the military- all of these are the direct result of US public policy. Furthermore, public policy often touches on highly contested issues such as private gun ownership or single payer health care. Public policy research then is important, helping inform critical political decisions with evidence-based analysis. This seminar will give students an overview of public policy research concepts, terms, and actors. This will be followed by a case study unit on exemplars of public policy research: the opening of all military occupations to women, and the passage the Affordable Care Act. A third unit will focus on the increasing role of scalable analytics and large datasets. In this unit students will gain an overview of scalable methods (including machine learning applications), the potential of "big data" to transform policy research, but the problems and pitfalls associated with a more algorithmic approach to public policy. These three units will build towards a final research project where students propose their own policy initiative.
84-349 Digital Diplomacy: Cybersecurity Challenges and Global Governance
Spring: 9 units
In an increasingly interconnected world, the realms of cybersecurity and diplomacy are inextricably linked. This course provides a comprehensive examination of how cyber threats and digital technologies impact international relations and global security. Students will explore the strategic, legal, and ethical dimensions of cybersecurity within the context of diplomacy. Key topics include cyber warfare, cyber espionage, the role of international organizations, and the development of global cybersecurity policies and norms. The course will also delve into the challenges of establishing international norms governing behavior in cyberspace, analyzing why consensus is difficult to achieve among diverse nations. Through case studies and expert guest lectures, students will gain practical insights into how nations negotiate, collaborate, and confront challenges in the cyber domain. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to analyze and address complex cybersecurity issues from a diplomatic perspective, fostering a safer and more cooperative international environment.
84-350 A Strategist's Introduction to Artificial Intelligence
Spring: 9 units
How do AI technologies influence politics, governance, and conflict? This course provides an overview of AI technologies, beginning with unpacking the term 'artificial intelligence' itself. Students will examine AI applications and their implications in political and governance contexts. The course begins with a foundational and applied understanding of machine learning, covering core concepts such as unsupervised, supervised, and reinforcement learning, natural language processing, and embodied AI. This course takes an applied approach, based in the public policy literature and does not assume prior knowledge of these concepts. Following this introduction, the course explores the use of AI technologies in various political and public policy scenarios, including surveillance, defense, online information environments, political campaigns, environmental sustainability, and global trade. Students will critically examine how these technologies are deployed, their capabilities and limitations, regulatory issues, and ethical considerations, such as bias and fairness.
84-351 Bias, Objectivity, and the Media's Role in Politics
Fall: 6 units
For decades, the pursuit of objectivity has guided media coverage, with organizations striving to present politics in a neutral, unbiased, and balanced manner. However, this modern development in news coverage has not been without its criticisms. This course offers an exploration of the evolution of news media in the United States, spanning from its foundation to the era of objective journalism and beyond. This information is accompanied by a critical examination of contemporary media dynamics. From filter bubbles and echo chambers to bias and slant, this course will delve into the challenges that underpin the media's coverage of politics. What topics get covered by the news, and who is exposed to this information? Is objective media truly unbiased, and what do choices about newsworthy stories signal regarding power in politics? Throughout the course, we will navigate these questions and more as we strive to understand some of the effects of media on politics.
84-352 Representation and Voting Rights
Spring: 9 units
What does it mean to be represented? Who is represented, who is not? What is the nature of that representation? In practice, does representation result in policy congruence? In this course, we will explore the concept of representation, what it means in theory, and how it works in practice. We will investigate the theoretical underpinnings of representation from a democratic norms' perspective, the legal and constitutional nature of U.S. institutions, and evaluate empirically how well represented the public is. The class will have a central theme of how race and racial attitudes affect representation. Voting rights, the Voting Rights Act, and subsequent court cases will be highlighted. In the United States, legislative elections are held in single-member districts, which require the drawing of district boundaries every decade. Several weeks of the course will be devoted to understanding this process. The course will culminate with a final project in which we will draw electoral maps that could act as alternatives or remedies to maps enacted this decade.
84-354 The American Experiment: Unravelling the US Electoral System
Spring: 6 units
In 2022, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer noted that Americans are participating in a democratic experiment that Thomas Jefferson launched with the Declaration of Independence. The same unique and improbable system outlined by the Framers of the Constitution continues to shape modern politics and guide how we select our political leaders - both positively and negatively. This course will explore the intricacies of the U.S. electoral system and trace its historical evolution. Through this process, students will gain a detailed understanding of the foundations of our current electoral system and the challenges it faces. Students will also be asked to engage thoughtfully with the system's strengths and weaknesses and consider potential reforms. Altogether, this course invites students to unravel the complexities of elections and appreciate their significance in the broader democratic experiment. This course introduces students to cutting-edge research on elections in the United States. There are no formal prerequisites. However, some of the readings are technical and require an openness to the quantitative study of political science. The key ideas and lessons to take from the course will not be about technical issues. Instead, we will focus on substantive and conceptual insights about elections.
84-355 Democracy's Data: Analytics and Insights into American Elections
Fall: 9 units
This course offers a unique blend of political science and data analytics, focusing on the American electoral process with a special emphasis on contemporary elections. This course bridges historical electoral outcomes with current political events, highlighting how understanding past elections is key to interpreting the dynamics of present and future elections. This course recognizes a common observation: people often view the next election as the most consequential. However, history tells us that the impact of elections can be profound and long-lasting. From the pivotal election of 1876, which ended Reconstruction and reshaped the country for a century, to the razor-thin margins in the 1960 Kennedy election and the 2000 Bush-Gore contest, American politics have been deeply influenced by electoral outcomes. Throughout the semester, students will delve into data analytics' foundational concepts, focusing on data collection, statistical analysis, and interpretation. These techniques are applied to contemporary election trends, voter behavior, and political campaigning. The course uses historical elections as case studies to illustrate how past events and trends can shed light on current electoral phenomena. The curriculum emphasizes the significance of historical context in shaping our understanding of today's elections. Students will explore how factors such as changing voter demographics, technological advancements in campaigning, and shifts in political ideologies have evolved over time and what they mean for current and future electoral strategies and outcomes.
Prerequisite: 36-200
84-360 CMU/WSP: Internship Seminar
Fall and Spring: 24 units
The internship is the experiential "core" of the Washington Semester Program. Students intern three days per week, for approximately 24-25 hours, in offices from Capitol Hill to the White House and including opportunities in cabinet agencies, nonprofit institutions, museums, advocacy groups, policy think tanks, cultural institutions, and news organizations. Through the internship, students gain professional experience and make long-lasting professional and personal contacts. In addition, students meet once a week with the CMU internship faculty for a seminar to report and reflect on their internship experiences, and address pressing current issues from the perspective of their internship organization. In addition, the weekly seminar typically includes 1-2 CMU alumni from the Washington, DC, area. Their personal and professional experiences become part of the seminar conversation, and they make themselves available to students as ongoing sources of information and advice.
84-362 Diplomacy and Statecraft
Fall: 9 units
Diplomacy and statecraft are the driving forces behind foreign policy and international politics. In the first part of the course, students are introduced to the concepts, theories, and history of diplomacy. Students survey examine key cases and statesmen and women in great power politics from the Congress of Vienna to the present. Finally, the class surveys contemporary diplomatic challenges related to international security, major power relations with Russia and China, human rights and democracy promotion, and non-traditional transnational threats (human trafficking, global climate change). Both in the classroom and in writing, students are encouraged to think, act, and write like diplomats and to appreciate diplomacy as a vocation. Throughout the course, students build skills in foreign policy memo writing, participate in diplomatic role-playing simulations, build cultural intelligence, and connect diplomatic trend lines with today's international headlines.
84-363 Click. Hack. Rule: Understanding the Power & Peril of Cyber Conflict
Fall: 9 units
This course explores the multifaceted landscape of cyber conflict across three distinct layers of the Internet: the cyber-physical layer, the software layer, and the application layer. The course will investigate the strategic use of these Internet layers by governments, both in times of peace and conflict. Topics will include the role of cyber capabilities in international warfare, espionage, coercion, and diplomacy, as well as their application to domestic objectives, such as surveillance and repression. Through a blend of theoretical discussions, case studies, and practical exercises, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of cybersecurity's evolving landscape and its implications for national security and global geopolitics.
84-365 The Politics of Fake News and Misinformation
Spring: 9 units
In this course, we will examine the drivers and dynamics of misinformation, fake news, and related phenomena in social and political life. From wartime "atrocity propaganda" to climate denialism to false claims of election fraud, how can we characterize fake news and misinformation, and why do they often spread so widely? What are the factors that explain why people accept or reject them, and what are their consequences for our political behavior? Finally, how can they be successfully countered and combatted? In this course, we will look at these and other questions, drawing on the fast-growing body of research on the topic from a range of fields including psychology, communications, political science, and computer science. In terms of the course's structure, we will first focus on defining and characterizing fake news and misinformation, and next we will examine their production (why are they created?), consumption (why are they believed?), and consequences (what influence do they have?). Then, we will analyze the threat of misinformation in several important contexts - including COVID-19, climate change, and armed conflict - and finally we will consider research and analysis about how to best counter it. For the final assignment in the course, students will build on what they have learned throughout the semester to write an original research paper applying ideas and arguments from class to a case of fake news or misinformation that is of special interest to them.
84-367 The Politics of Antisemitism
Fall: 9 units
The course examines the phenomenon of antisemitism in contemporary international politics. Antisemitism is an old form of prejudice, but concerns about its growth and consequences are very present in the news today. Meanwhile, the term has also become something of a political football domestically and abroad and has been instrumentalized by different political factions who accuse one another of engaging in it. What is antisemitism and how should we define it? What are the main dynamics and trends in antisemitic attitudes and behaviors in the U.S. and around the world? What fuels these attitudes and behaviors, and what are their chief political consequences? This course aims to engage with these questions in a thoughtful and empirical way by grounding itself in the growing political and social science literature on antisemitism, and bringing a careful social scientific lens to these challenging issues.
84-369 Decision Science for International Relations
Fall: 9 units
Decision Science looks at choices from three interrelated perspectives: analysis, characterizing decision makers' options, in terms of expected effects on outcomes that they value; description, characterizing decision makers' beliefs and preferences; and interventions, helping decision makers to choose among the options available to them or create better ones. The course integrates foundational research in Decision Science with applications to international relations and politics.
Prerequisites: 36-201 or 36-200 or 19-250
84-370 Nuclear Security & Arms Control
Fall: 9 units
This course introduces students to the importance and challenges of implementing safeguards surrounding nuclear energy and arms control. Students will learn the history of nuclear and conventional weapons proliferation, assess the effectiveness of current treaties export control organizations, and evaluate policy challenges related to emerging weapons technologies, particularly drones, cyber weapons and AI.
84-372 Space and National Security
Spring: 9 units
Space systems contribute a great deal to America's security, prosperity, and quality of life. This course examines how space-based services provide critical support to military and intelligence operations and contribute to national security more broadly. The course is designed to investigate several interrelated themes, weaving together relevant aspects of technology, strategy, and policy. The material is approached from both functional and historical perspectives, beginning with the basics of military and intelligence space operations and ending with an examination of the space- and cyber-related technical, strategic, and political challenges facing the nation today and in the foreseeable future.
84-373 Emerging Technologies and International Law
Intermittent: 9 units
This course is a study on the complicated relationship between politics, technology, and international law. While the efficacy of international law is often debated, countries generally depend on it to help regularize the world. Today, however, a proliferation of new technologies - including drones and autonomous weapons systems, cyber threats, hypersonics, space privatization, and more - may profoundly disrupt that world. By surveying historical, contemporary, and horizon technology cases, we will discuss how countries sometimes design technologies to exploit legal loopholes, at other times attempt to engineer against creativity by "future-proofing" or adapting international law to emergent threats, and how equilibrium is restored when these efforts fail. Notwithstanding the relevance of international law for many domains of social activity, the focus of this course will be on the maintenance of international/human security, including arms control, the laws of war, and public international law governing security practices.
84-380 US Grand Strategy
Fall: 9 units
What role should the United States play in the world? Should the U.S. solely protect its own borders or advance democracy, promote human rights, and contain aggressive countries? These are questions that Americans have wrestled with throughout modern U.S. history. In this class, students will learn about those arguments and engage in debate over both the goals of U.S. foreign policy and the means of achieving them. This course will situate current events in the historical context of grand strategy during and after the Cold War, as well as a wider understanding of how countries determine their goals and seek to pursue them through a combination of diplomatic, economic, military, and political means. Students will explore the connection between domestic and foreign affairs and how all these issues relate to current U.S. strategy toward a rising China, an assertive Russia, and so-called "rogue states" like Iran and North Korea. Students should emerge from the class with a better understanding of U.S. grand strategy but also with a greater ability to formulate and communicate their own views on U.S. strategy toward the rest of the world.
84-383 Cyber Policy as National Policy
Spring: 6 units
The decisions nations make in cyberspace have profound implications for both prosperity and sovereignty. The internet is a digital thread tying together peoples. The nature of our participation in this ecosystem is determined by policy makers. Cyber policy mirrors the political ethos of governments. Some nations choose to use cyber as a tool of control and repression, others construct cyber policies as key enablers of innovation and the free exchange of ideas. The translation of traditional policy objectives into a direction for cyber is often problematic. The perpetually liminal state of conflict in cyberspace adds another set of challenges for policy makers. In this course we will explore national cyber policies. We will compare approaches and explore the role of culture. In our analysis we will enumerate the attributes of effective national cyber policy and conduct postmortems on failed policies. We will examine the ethical questions faced by cyber policy makers. Every citizen has a role in cyber policy. This course is intended to prepare future policy makers and create informed citizens.
84-386 The Privatization of Force
Intermittent: 9 units
This course considers different forms of privatized force and security over time and across various strategic contexts, from historical mercenarism up to modern-day private military and security contractors. While going through the historical and modern material chronologically, the course considers the various issues that arise with each form of privatized force, including questions that arise regarding the state's monopoly on violence, legal and humanitarian issues, and civil-military relations. These range from theoretical concerns regarding modern definitions of the state, to practical operational-level concerns pertaining to field coordination issues between the military and private contractors in modern conflicts.
84-387 Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict
Spring: 9 units
This course analyzes the impact of remote systems and the cyber domain on national security. We will study the development of these technologies, how and why they have been used by state and non-state actors in conflict, their impact on the battlefield, and potential future developments. Some of the questions we will explore in this class include: Are drones revolutionizing warfare between states? Does the use of drones by state actors increase or decrease terrorism, and how are terrorist groups utilizing drones to achieve their goals? How does support for retaliation and escalation in response to cyber attacks differ from more traditional, kinetic attacks? How have remote systems and cyber capabilities been utilized in the Russia-Ukraine War?
84-388 Concepts of War and Cyber War
Fall: 6 units
This course examines traditional theories, concepts, and practices in international relations and warfare- conventional, unconventional, and modern- and relates them to the emerging dynamics of cyber war. The principal concepts examined in this course reflect, have shaped, and continue to shape state and non-state actor behaviors and their calculations of how to prepare for and prosecute warfare. These include, among others, conventional and nuclear deterrence, offense-defense dynamics, first strike capabilities, and irregular warfare. The course will focus on theory but will leverage history, military doctrine, and cases to highlight the challenges of integrating cyber war into defense planning and practice. Students will be challenged to consider how the introduction of cyberspace as a warfighting domain- in addition to land, maritime, air, and space- affects the ways that scholars and practitioners- operating with force structures and strategic, operational, and tactical concepts that are decades, if not centuries old- conceive of and practice warfare in the 21st Century. The principal objective of this course is to introduce students to cyber war within the context of traditional, and emerging, concepts of armed and unarmed warfare. This course will focus on two core areas: 1) a discussion of traditional concepts of warfare in the physical domains; and, 2) a discussion of cyber war and its intersection with these traditional concepts.
84-389 Terrorism and Insurgency
Spring: 9 units
This course provides an introduction to terrorism, insurgency, and civil war, covering the causes, dynamics, consequences, and policy responses to these forms of political violence. Insurgent and terrorist groups are some of the most important actors behind security challenges across the world. Definition of these phenomena can be as contentious as the question of which policies are most appropriate to prevent, manage, and resolve the conflicts in which they take part. The course will cover the historical evolution of these forms of violence as well as recent trends. The course will also focus on groups, methods, ideologies, and organizational structures, and will address the effectiveness of different policies over time at preventing and managing these forms of violence, and the role that these policies play in overall national strategy.
84-390 Social Media, Technology, and Conflict
Spring: 9 units
This course will examine the role that social media and technology have had on conflict at multiple levels, both between and within nations. Interconnectedness has expanded dramatically and continues to expand, allowing the formerly disconnectedindividuals with shared political views, states and diaspora populationsto be intimately connected. The Arab Spring uprisings were significantly influenced by the use of cell phones, social media, and text-messaging as organizing tools. Insurgent groups like the Islamic States harnessed the power of social media and emerging technologies, and now extremist groups in the US and Europe are using Twitter, YouTube, Telegram and other social media platforms to their advantage. Information war is a critical factor in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as both sides work to support/exploit kinetic warfare. Social media is used both to recruit for and fund violent extremism, while the internet has become a channel for radicalizing individuals into violent ideologies. Loss of trust in media and institutions, and the proliferation of mis/disinformation, conspiracy theories, and malign information operations over social media has introduced a new dimensions to conflict and relations between individuals, small groups, non-state actors, and nation-states.
84-393 Legislative Decision Making: US Congress
Spring: 9 units
This course analyzes decision-making by the United States Congress. The course examines legislative behavior by focusing on the way Congress is organized (institutional and constitutional structure) and the ways legislators, voters, and various other parties interact (strategic constraints). Students will both learn the legislative process and explore the influence of norms, rules, expectations, incentives and, perhaps most important of all, the power of the electorate in influencing legislative outcomes and policy. Elections, voting decisions, committee assignments, political party power, and intra-branch relations across the Federal government are some of the topics into which we will delve. This course does not require any prior knowledge of the U.S. Congress, and there are no prerequisites for the course.
Prerequisite: 84-104
84-402 Judicial Politics and Behavior
Spring: 9 units
This course is a survey of research and insight into one of the most unique American government institutions: the judiciary. Rather than exclusively reading case law (as one would do in a Constitutional Law class), this course examines court structure, rules of law and, most importantly, judges as actors within an institutional setting. We will focus on how rules, norms, and expectations guide the decisions, actions, and range of options available to judges. Here we will study the nature of judicial decision-making and its antecedents, the organization of the judicial branch and its implications for behavior, and the strategic interactions both within courts and between the courts and the more "political" branches of government. The course will look at state and federal courts within the United States, supplemented with examples from international jurisdictions. Material from law, history, economics, political science, sociology, and psychology will be introduced throughout the semester. Although some of the literature uses empirical and/or game theoretical models, students are not expected to have mastered these tools prior to taking the course.
Prerequisite: 84-104
84-405 The Future of Warfare
Fall: 9 units
Warfare is constantly evolving. In the contemporary conflict environment, the prospect of large-scale conflict between near-peer states is converging rapidly with proxy conflicts and threats typically posed by nonstate and/or irregular actors and tactics. Competition between the United States, Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea is increasingly playing out on the global strategic stage, while hybrid actors and proxy groups continue to wage war in an asymmetric and irregular manner that relies on ambiguity, strategic surprise, innovative uses of technology, and deception. These activities often occur within the so-called "gray zone," an area of neither declared nor undeclared hostilities where U.S. adversaries are gradually allocating resources. This course will examine and historically contextualize various "new" trends in warfare, including the weaponization of AI technologies, increasingly sophisticated cyber and information warfare operations, the development of violent non-state actors with conventional military capabilities, and state support of mercenary forces to achieve strategic gains without attribution.
84-440 Collaborative Research in Political Science
Intermittent
Are you interested in joining an inter-disciplinary, collaborative research team that could eventually lead to publishing a co-authored article in political science? This course invites interested students to join as active participants in one of several ongoing research projects by a faculty member in the Institute of Politics and Strategy. Students will be grouped into small teams of co-authors based on interest and skills. Some students may take the lead with data collection and cleaning, others with writing a literature review or case studies, others still with analyzing and visualizing data. The goal will be to draft a co-authored paper by the end of the semester that may be presented at a conference and, ideally, published in a journal. Students from all backgrounds are welcome, especially those with an interest in politics, history, international relations, or social science applications of statistics, data science, and/or machine learning. SPRING 2023 TOPIC: Technologies of rebellion and the politics of coups, self-coups, assassinations, mass protest, and/or armed insurgency.
84-450 Policy Seminar
Spring: 6 units
The Policy Seminar course takes a critical look at decision making in domestic politics and US foreign policy. It does so through weekly roundtable discussions with a diverse set of thought leaders. Based on intellectually significant essays that students are expected to read in advance of each class, these discussions give students an opportunity to ask probing questions about the three branches of the US government, media, embassies, advocacy groups, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations. This course seeks to help students understand the responsibilities and activities that leaders and decision makers carry out on behalf of their organizations. Students are instructed in how to confidently and respectfully ask critical questions of those shaping policy. The term "roundtabling" is used to describe submitting an issue for critical discussion among relevant stakeholders. Knowing how to direct a roundtable is a significant element in the professional development of anyone interested in taking part in the policy arena, and this course helps students hone this important skill. In requiring students to read important essays related to each class session and then step back from discussions with leaders to write analytical essays, this course teaches students how to develop strong arguments based on solid logic and credible evidence, an essential component in making democracy work.
84-460 Mapping Your Future: Senior Professional Development Seminar
Spring: 6 units
This seniors-only seminar will help prepare students for future careers in international relations, government, politics, and policy. It will build on some of the skills developed in Tomorrows Professionals, though this course is not required. Students will learn how to search and identify opportunities in the policy, security, and strategy fields, how to tighten their applications, and how to best position themselves for these highly competitive positions. In addition, students will develop the tools to increase their own marketability and enhance their job search savviness. This course is designed to aid graduating CMIST seniors in scoping their future and building the necessary infrastructure to work toward their professional goals both in Washington, D.C. and beyond.
84-498 Undergraduate Research
Fall and Spring
Students conduct research under the supervision of a faculty member. Students who wish to engage in research should seek out a faculty member whose interests are appropriate to the research. Prerequisite: Students must also complete an "Independent Study/Research for Credit" form, available from the Deputy Director for Academic Affairs or on the CMIST website. Permission of a faculty sponsor.
84-499 Independent Study
All Semesters
Students conduct independent academic study under the supervision of a faculty member. Students who wish to engage in an independent study should seek out a faculty member whose interests are appropriate to the topic. Students must also complete an "Independent Study/Research for Credit" form, available from the Deputy Director for Academic Affairs or on the CMIST website. Prerequisite: Permission of a faculty sponsor.
84-505 Undergraduate Internship
Fall and Spring
An internship is an approved and monitored work experience than can be related to an academic field of study through active reflection and specific learning goals. Students will be in regular contact with a faculty member, who will assign and evaluate academic work. Internships are available for 3, 6, or 9 units, depending on the type and amount of academic work produced. Students are responsible for finding their own internships and faculty sponsors, although assistance is available through the Deputy Director for Academic Affairs. A CMIST form is required for registration.
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