91995

BGIA 301 CORE SEMINAR: NGOs IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Jonathan Cristol

. TBA .

TBA

NYC

SSCI

The Core Seminar examines key concepts in the study of international affairs including: states; anarchy; the balance of power; cooperation; and more.  The conceptual, rather than theoretical, approach allows students from all backgrounds to succeed in the class.  The class situates the students' internships in the broader study of international affairs by examining the role of NGOS, IGOs, think-tanks, multi-national corporations, and transnational networks in the international system. Class size: 15

91996

BGIA 310 realism reconsidered: Ethics in international affairs

Joel Rosenthal

. TBA .

TBA

NYC

HUM

Thucydides punctuates his history of the Peloponnesian war with the quote of the Athenian generals, ‘The strong do what they will, the weak do what they must.’ In the twentieth century, this sentiment is echoed by the great realists, Hans Morganthau and Henry Kissinger, who argued that power and interest were the guideposts for foreign policy. What values guide us as we make choices about the use of force, resolving conflict, promoting human rights, encouraging democracy and participating in international organizations. This course will examine competing claims of morality, reason and power in contemporary international relations.  Class size: 15

92000

BGIA 319 ISSUES IN GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH

Kate Bourne

TBA

TBA

NYC

HIST

This course provides a general overview of determinants of health in the developing world and principles within the field of global public health. It will include a review of some current and historical public health problems, such as tuberculosis, malaria, AIDS, small pox, maternal and infant mortality and reproductive health and rights, and the approaches used to understand and address them. Students will also examine the roles of a range of international organizations involved in global public health efforts, including local and international non-governmental organizations, multilateral agencies such as the WHO, UNAIDS, bilateral organizations like the CDC and USAID, governments and donor organizations. The course aims to convey an understanding of the complexity of health problems in developing countries, the impact of health on social and economic development, the contributions of various disciplines and analytical perspectives in decision-making about public health priorities, and the range of players that contribute to developing and implementing the programs to address them. The course will be structured primarily around a series of case studies of public health policies and practices around which there has been controversy or debate about the appropriate course of action. The case studies will include a major focus on HIV/AIDS and sexual and reproductive health, and will examine such issues as quarantine, testing of new technologies on vulnerable populations, commitment of resources to treatment versus prevention, and the influence of conflicting "moralities" on public health program approaches. These debates will examine the tensions that sometimes arise between efforts to ensure public health and safety, while promoting health equity and rights. It will incorporate perspectives of stakeholders in the developing world, as well as scientists, policy makers and activists. The analysis and readings will draw from various disciplines, including epidemiology and medical anthropology. Class size: 15

91998

BGIA 330 WRITING ON INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Andy Nagorski

TBA

TBA

NYC

PART

This course will put a heavy emphasis on reporting, writing and developing the sensibilities needed for success as an international news correspondent. We will focus heavily on the techniques of the craft, always in the context of contemporary world events and the realities of modern English-language media. A series of lecturers, and a visit to one of New York City's great newsrooms, will be included during the semester. This is not a course for purists, but rather a broad look at a varied, complex discipline. We will examine briefly many of the topics an international journalist will confront today. We also will touch upon the broadcast and Internet skills that no journalist who strives to be in interesting places at interesting times can afford to ignore in this modern world. Class size: 15

91999

BGIA 342 POWER, WAR, & TERROR IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Scott Silverstone

TBA

TBA

NYC

SSCI

From the Peloponnesian War among the Greek city-states in the 5th century B.C., to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and America's invasion of Iraq in 2003, power has remained a central feature of world politics, motivating the behavior of states and nonstate actors alike. Yet the character and distribution of power has changed dramatically since the rise of the modern state system in the 17th century. For nearly two decades now, American primacy has defined the global power structure. This fact is an historic anomaly; at no time in history has any one state amassed the degree of military, economic, and political power the United States now enjoys. In fact, contemporary American foreign policy is premised on the assertion that the United States must sustain its primacy against any potential challengers for the indefinite future. This course explores the character of power and war in this era of American hegemony. We will examine the vigorous debates over the objectives of American power, unilateralism versus multilateralism as rival approaches to exercising power, debates over what military power can actually achieve, and the potential for a global backlash against the United States. Among other specific issues this course will address is the rise of China and India and the implications for global security and economic issues; rogue states and nuclear proliferation; the preventive war option to address shifting threats; the political and strategic future of the Middle East; terrorism as an alternative form of the power struggle and as a type of asymmetric warfare waged by nonstate actors; the continuing problem of humanitarian crises, failed states and intervention in the post-9/11 world; and the changing nature of global energy politics as an acute security issue.

Class size: 15

91997

BGIA 354 GRAND STRATEGY FROM SUN TZU TO CLAUSEWITZ

Scott Silverstone

TBA

TBA

NYC

SSCI

The American world system that exists today can be seen as version 2.0 of the liberal capitalist world system first built by Great Britain. Both the British and the American builders of these systems developed a distinct style of strategic thought around the needs of a maritime, global and commercial system. Students will read works by important thinkers in this strategic tradition like Admiral Mahan and Winston Churchill; they will also study the grand strategies of these powers in the series of wars from the War of the Spanish Succession through the Cold War and analyze contemporary American policy in the light of the three centuries of Anglophone world power. Class size: 15