Core National Security Courses: 15 Credits
Introduction to National Security
This course is situated at the intersection of American politics and international relations, and examines national security policy making and implementation, and the political-domestic and global-interactions that determine grand strategy and security politics in an advanced democracy. Learn about the constitutional authority of the U.S. congress, presidency, and executive agencies (such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Central Intelligence Agency) and how they defend national interests.
National Security Ethics and Diversity
Discover your own ethical type as you learn about issues of moral judgment in public service. Take a closer look at case studies of wrongful obedience, loyal dissent, and whistleblowing; accountability and mitigation; human and ecological interventions in foreign and international affairs; and the benefits of diversity and inclusion in government agencies and nonprofit organizations and businesses with a global reach.
Comparative National Security Analysis
This course focuses on complex factors involved with protecting national interests and security. Learn about the economic, geo-political, sociological, and regional cultural factors that drive nations and non-state actors to seek local and international partnerships and/or initiate and engage in conflict. In addition, you study the role of the military in non-combat humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and evacuation operations as you become familiar with the Diplomatic, Information, Military, and Economic (DIME) framework of national power.
War and Peace After the Cold War
Analyze key actors and trends in international relations during and after the end of the Cold War. Learn how cooperation changed to rivalry by studying the Balkans Wars; Islamic fundamentalism and the War on Terror; competition between Russia, China, and the United States; national response to terrorist threats and global health and climate dilemmas; and the role of the United States in world politics and the global economy. Students choose this course or Order and Disorder in the Middle East and North Africa. Pending approval, another international relations course might satisfy this requirement.
National Security Capstone
This course deepens your knowledge of global politics and national security strategy and policy in the United States. Advanced topics include: modern warfare, urbanization and feral cities, ethical dilemmas with terrorism; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction; international security and full spectrum operations; economics, politics, and the United States national security budget process; foreign policy; and grand strategy. Assignments include discussion posts, position papers, an annotated bibliography, narrated visual presentation, and final paper.