PIA 2303 - SECURITY AND INTELLIGENCE STUDIES

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
Many argue that the 21st century security environment is fundamentally different from and more dangerous than that which existed in previous eras. There is some evidence to suggest that this claim might be true; the security challenges absorbing the majority of states’ time, money, and military efforts since the end of the cold war ’ and especially since 9/11 ’ are notably different from those of the past and, at times, they seem more pervasive. However, it does not necessarily follow that such proximate differences are symptomatic of a deeper shift in the nature of the inherently dangerous international arena. This course explores the nature of the international security environment ’ past and present ’ and considers whether and to what degree the logics for coping with security challenges have changed over time. In doing so, students will be introduced to the arguments and debates in the academic literature on security and intelligence issues and learn to apply them to contemporary challenges. We will spend the first third of the semester examining traditional security studies concepts and issues like war, coercion, effectiveness in nuclear and conventional warfighting, and the effects of regime type on security policies and achievements. The second third will then be dedicated to considering the utility of traditional concepts in understanding the nature of and strategically-preferable responses to security challenges pervasive in the current international arena like asymmetric warfare, nuclear proliferation and missile defense, terrorism, and space and cyber warfare. The last third of the course examines the nuts and bolts of the United States national security apparatus to better understand how theory is (or should be) transformed into policy. We conclude by considering the costs and benefits of different American grand strategies moving forward.
Academic Career: Graduate
Course Component: Lecture
Grade Component: Grad Letter Grade
Course Requirements: Graduate School of Public and International Affairs students only.
Course Attributes: Asian Studies, Global Studies, Russian & East European Studies, West European Studies

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