International Studies
Office: Anna & John J. Sie International Relations Complex
Mail Code: 2201 S. Gaylord St., Denver, CO 80210
Phone: 303-871-2544
Email: issta@du.edu
Web Site: https://korbel.du.edu/academics-degrees/graduate-degrees
Degree Programs
Doctor Of Philosophy in International Studies
The PhD degree is designed as a four to six-year program provided the student a) enters with a closely related master’s degree and b) is able to devote full-time study during the entire period. The student working toward this degree must earn a grade average of 3.5 or higher for a minimum of 90 hours of graduate credit. A maximum of 45 course credits can be transferred into the program from another university, while a maximum of 60 course credits can be transferred in from a Korbel MA. The precise number of course credits that can be transferred in will be decided by the PhD program director to ensure that each student takes a sufficient number of Korbel courses to back up their studies for the Korbel PhD. Students select two of the three fields available: Comparative Politics, International Relations, and Political Theory. In addition, each student must meet the core curriculum and field training, methodology, and foreign language requirements, pass written and oral comprehensive field exams, file an approved prospectus, and successfully write and defend a dissertation.
Master of Arts in Global Economic Affairs
The Global Economic Affairs (GEA) program provides students with a multi-disciplinary, policy-focused examination of the global economy. Emphasis is on political economy, not on the narrow field of economics as standardly taught in economics textbooks. The GEA program is fully accessible to students who did not study economics as undergraduates. Courses within this degree focus on the complex changes underway in the global economy, including the emerging patterns of finance, trade, and investment flows and their effect on national economies; the effect of globalization on state capacity, policy autonomy, and national economic conditions; the relationship between economic, political, and social outcomes of policy choices; corporate governance, competition, and corporate social responsibility; and the politics of economic policy choices at the national and international levels, within multilateral agreements and organizations. All students within this degree receive training in advanced statistical methods, including econometrics. Students also select from a diverse collection of qualitative and quantitative skills courses.
This degree is intended for students looking to pursue a diverse range of careers:
- As international economic analysts for public sector agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, the International Trade Administration, Ministries of Finance, crime and security agencies such as the FBI, and state and municipal government,
- As analysts for multilateral institutions and organizations, such as the World Bank, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the World Trade Organization, United Nations agencies, the African Development Bank, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development,
- As researchers and analysts within non-governmental organizations, such as Oxfam, Action Aid, Accion, and Water for People,
- As private sector economic policy consultants, political risk or international project analysts, ethical supply chain experts, and international project managers.
Master of Arts in Global Environmental Sustainability
A defining issue of the 21st century will be international challenges posed by a changing environment, population growth, and increased demands on our food, water, and energy resources. Given the complexity and magnitude of these challenges, we need innovative approaches to meeting needs while promoting just and equitable development and a sustainable path for future generations. The Korbel School is poised to assume a position of leadership in research, teaching, and outreach around issues related to our changing climate and global environment. The Global Environmental Sustainability (GES) MA will stimulate, facilitate, and coordinate these activities in a sustaining manner. Our location in the Front Range puts us at the center of practical discussions about water, agriculture, and energy (both conventional and renewable). Our strength comes in taking a human-focused approach to understanding the consequences of global change for human well-being.
Master of Arts in International Development
The MA in International Development focuses on development theory, policy-oriented decision-making and analysis, politics of institutions, and in-demand practical skills. The program prepares students for careers in government, multilateral and bilateral development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Development graduates also enter relevant doctoral programs.
The program reflects an approach to development that emphasizes not only economic issues but also the importance and interrelatedness of sustainable economic and human development, human rights, and environmental sustainability. We emphasize the diversity of needs, desires, opportunities, and constraints experienced by individuals of differing socioeconomic classes, ethnicities, and genders, as well as differences among nations and regions.
Students gain analytical skills that address not only policy issues, but also the logics and workings of diverse institutions that create, negotiate, and implement development policy. Students also engage the many power differentials that profoundly influence processes central to sustainable development. These power differentials exist not only among nations, but also among public- and private-sector partners within development programs; between development practitioners and their intended beneficiaries; and among those intended beneficiaries. Thus, we also engage with actors and processes across levels from the most macro-level international institutions and initiatives to the most micro-level agendas and actions taken by communities, firms, movements, and individuals.
The program provides training in key practical skills identified by development employers, including communications, quantitative analysis, program/project-focused management and assessment, qualitative and participatory field research, and cross-sectoral framework development. Through internships, students gain experience in meeting the challenges of development practice while applying these skills and their knowledge of ideas, institutions, and processes that have influenced the course of international development.
Master of Arts in International Human Rights
The MA in International Human Rights provides students with the opportunity to engage with some of today’s most pressing and compelling human rights issues and consider emerging issues and approaches in an academically rigorous and critical way. Students will examine diverse perspectives on the contributions, effectiveness, and relevance of international human rights frameworks, instruments, movements, and institutions. Graduates of the program go on to work on human rights research and documentation, advocacy, and programming including with nonprofits, the UN, government, and the for-profit sector.
Master of Arts in International Security
The International Security curriculum provides education and practical training on issues related to the causes and consequences of foreign policies pursued by states plus the goals of non-state actors to advance their position and status in world political dynamics through violent confrontation and war or through cooperative moves towards peace. The Security Program combines traditional issues (state level threats, sovereignty, armament policies) and foundational theoretic perspectives (realism, liberalism, international law) with emerging twenty-first century problems (e.g. human security, climate change, health pandemics, humanitarian assistance, global governance) with exposure and appreciation for updated research and policy perspectives on contemporary topics to enable students to understand continuities and major shifts in the evolving global system, to foresee new threats, and imagine threat responses.
We focus on developing skill sets: written and oral communications; technical tools (graphic displays, statistical analysis) and clear, logical arguments that are essential for our graduates to be marketable practitioners in the security field—whether working in government, private industry, or the non-profit sector. We expect everyone to keep current in scholarship and policies presented in mainline journals. By completing the Security program, students will have a sufficient sense of basic concepts, theories, and approaches associated with the field with the confidence to apply this knowledge to real-world problems.
Master of Arts in International Studies
The Master of Arts in International Studies combines a broad understanding of the field of international studies with an issue-oriented specialization, skills courses, and opportunities for internships or advanced research. It is the traditional professional international studies curriculum long favored by students pursuing career options in the government, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as those considering a PhD. It is also our most flexible degree, with ample opportunity to tailor a program to fit your specific needs and interests.
Certificates
Certificate of Specialization in Global Environmental Change and Adaptation
Environmental change, driven in large part by human activity, is increasingly identified as posing significant challenges to development and security. While climate change has received the most attention (see, e.g., US DOD, 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review), other changes, e.g. biodiversity loss, ozone depletion, and freshwater use have also been raised as significant issues affecting development and security. These issues have also been tied to questions related to social justice. The Josef Korbel School of International Studies (Korbel) is building a critical mass of scholars, student interest, and activities related to environmental change, development, security, and justice. This certificate seeks to provide opportunities for students to develop substantive expertise around one of the defining challenges of the 21st century: global environmental change and attempts to adapt thereto in sustainable ways that minimize harm to affected communities.
Note: The GECA certificate is not available to students pursuing the MA in Global Environmental Sustainability.
Certificate of Specialization in Global Health Affairs
The Certificate in Global Health Affairs (CGHA) is the first global health program to be based in a school of International Studies. Unlike certificates offered by schools of medicine or public health, which emphasize biomedical approaches to health, CGHA focuses on the social, political, and economic determinants of health as the primary avenues for addressing health inequity. . Combined with a degree, the five-course CGHA sequence prepares students for systematic, evidence-based approaches to a broad range of global health problems relating to development, diplomacy, security, trade, social justice and human rights.
CGHA’s core emphasis lies in building sound decision-making skills in an arena often suffused with inefficiency and blindness to political, social, and cultural context. Our courses address the social determinants of individual and population health, emphasizing short- and long-term effects; the increasing globalization of health; and interactions between health and other key factors such as politics, development, trade, and conflict. Practical courses build skills in epidemiology, research methodology, and program design and evaluation.
Certificate of Specialization in Global Justice
Social justice issues, such as the injustices and inequalities faced by women, LGBTQIA+ communities, racial minorities, indigenous people, and the poor, are more salient than ever. And across the world, people are standing up, asserting their rights, and devising movements to demand change – indeed, 2019 saw more protests across the globe than any other year on record. The Global Justice Certificate places these struggles in both local and global context, aiming to prepare students to support, participate in, and amplify movements from the #StopTheSweeps movement in Denver challenging mistreatment of the unhoused, to campaigns against femicide in Latin America, to global youth-led movements for climate action.
Upon earning a GJC from the Korbel School, graduates will have a knowledge of theories of social change along with an understanding of clear historical examples; they will understand concrete strategies around using media, advocacy, storytelling, fundraising, and strategic visioning for global changemakers; and they will have a toolkit and network to help them launch a career in global social justice organizing and human rights advocacy.
Certificate of Specialization in Homeland Security
This certificate program is offered to currently enrolled Josef Korbel School of International Studies' Master’s students. The Homeland Security Certificate Program is a professional certification program focused on preparing participants to step directly into career opportunities in the local, state, and national homeland security profession. Current alumni are employed at NORTHCOM, FEMA, Colorado Office of Emergency Management, The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), many city/county offices of emergency management as well as a wide range of private section positions. There are also increasing numbers of former students working in international roles and/or roles in home countries beyond the United States. Professional roles include threat assessment, emergency preparedness, response and recovery, and crisis scenario development, testing, and exercise execution and well as the associated policy outcomes.
Certificate of Specialization in Humanitarian Assistance
The humanitarian system comprises international, national, and local entities who work together to alleviate suffering and save lives of people affected by conflict, displacement, and natural disasters. Our certificate in humanitarian assistance provides students with the theoretical and practical underpinnings for humanitarian work that is technically sound, partners with affected communities, responds to diverse needs, and sets the stage for sustainable and inclusive development efforts. Through this certificate, you'll be able to explore your specific interests in the humanitarian field and develop relevant skills, experiences, and professional networks. The certificate offers personalized advising, exclusive networking, and unique experiential learning opportunities including a simulation and the Humanitarian Assistance Applied Research Group. Graduates pursue humanitarian careers abroad and in the U.S. working with international organizations, government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
Certificate of Specialization in Strategic Intelligence
This certificate program is open to all University of Denver Graduate Students. The Strategic Intelligence Certificate is designed to prepare students for careers in the intelligence community and related threat and situational analysis roles in government, consultancies, and the private sector. The emphasis of the certificate is familiarity with the realities, skill sets, and challenges associated with strategic intelligence analysis.
Interdisciplinary Certificates
Interdisciplinary Certificates allow students to gain competence in relevant issue areas by taking approved coursework in another academic unit, as well as course at JKSIS. While these certificates are open to matriculated students pursuing a graduate degree at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are offered jointly, they are administratively based in other units.
Certificate in Global Business and Corporate Social Responsibility
As a joint offering between the Daniels College of Business and the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, the graduate Certificate in Global Business and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at the University of Denver focuses specifically on the challenges and opportunities businesses confront in a globalized and developing world.
Businesses today are aware of increased pressure to behave ethically. Many are unsure how to integrate these goals into their business strategy and engage meaningfully with stakeholders. Likewise, governments, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders recognize the importance of having businesses at the table, but do not always have a clear understanding of how to best engage with the private sector. Both private enterprises and those wishing to affect their behavior are looking for young talent with the capability to navigate this new space.
The certificate curriculum draws from unique course offerings at the Daniels College of Business and the Josef Korbel School of International Studies to provide students with the skills to embrace and navigate the complexity of business and governance issues. The required and elective courses explore the theory and practice related to: economic development, business ethics, CSR strategy, social entrepreneurship, business and human rights, sustainability, impact investing, international business law, financial accounting, managerial accounting, as well as considerations with regards to hard and soft law mechanisms that govern transnational space. Students complete the program with a clear understanding of the complexity of the global business environment, a variety of corporate strategies, best practices and the impact of CSR efforts in particular cases.
The Certificate of Specialization in International Studies with a concentration in Global Business & Corporate Social Responsibility is administered by the Daniels College of Business.
Certificate in Public Diplomacy
The Graduate Certificate in Public Diplomacy is an interdisciplinary, 24-credit certificate which examines the history, theory, methods, and uses of strategic communication for the purposes of informing, influencing, and establishing dialogue with international publics and stakeholders. Recognizing the central role of mediated communication in international relations today, the certificate is designed to help students acquire a sophisticated understanding of global media and communication processes and the ways in which they are employed by individuals, groups, organizations, and governments to advance their strategic interests. The certificate combines expertise from the Department of Media, Film, and Journalism Studies and the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, providing students with a truly interdisciplinary experience and preparing them to address contemporary international challenges in ways that make an impact. Those earning this Certificate of Specialization will be equipped with conceptual and practical skills that prepare them for careers in the fields of cultural diplomacy, nation branding, public affairs and information, foreign aid, global health and development communication, international strategic communication, and international education.
The Certificate of Specialization in International Studies with a concentration in Public Diplomacy is administered by the Department of Media, Film & Journalism Studies (MFJS) – Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Certificate in Religion and International Affairs
The Certificate in Religion and International Affairs provides graduate students pursuing MA degrees in the Department of Religious Studies (AHSS) or the Josef Korbel School of International Studies with the opportunity to enhance their home program of study with specific expertise in the scholarly and professional field of religion and international affairs. This certificate program emphasizes scholarly and practitioner approaches to understanding the intersections between religion and international affairs in the modern world, providing students with an interdisciplinary approach to contemporary case studies as well as theoretical issues. The program will enable certificate students to develop demonstrable competencies that will help them position themselves for academic policy or non-profit careers.
Interested students from the Religious Studies or the Josef Korbel School of International Studies MA programs will submit an online application consisting of a 500-word personal statement, a CV, undergraduate and graduate transcripts, which will be reviewed by an interdepartmental faculty committee. Applicants must be enrolled graduate students in good standing in the Department of Religious Studies MA program or the Korbel School of International Studies MA program.
The Certificate of Specialization in International Studies with a concentration in Religion & International Affairs is administered by the Department of Religious Studies (RLGS) – Division of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is required. Scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency by the deadline. The institution code for the University of Denver is 4842.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in International Studies
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- GRE or GMAT scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials.
- If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842. The code to submit GMAT scores for this program is MZR-Z3-18.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in Global Economic Affairs
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- GRE or GMAT scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials.
- If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842. The code to submit GMAT scores for this program is MZR-Z3-09.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in Global Environmental Sustainability
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- GRE or GMAT scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials.
If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842. The code to submit GMAT scores for this program is MZR-Z3-36.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in International Human Rights
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- GRE or GMAT scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials.
- If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842. The code to submit GMAT scores for this program is MZR-Z3-23.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in International Development
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- GRE or GMAT scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials.
- If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842. The code to submit GMAT scores for this program is MZR-Z3-23.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Master of Arts in International Security
Degree and GPA Requirements
- Bachelor's degree: All graduate applicants must hold an earned baccalaureate from a regionally accredited college or university or the recognized equivalent from an international institution.
- Grade point average: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for graduate study at the University of Denver is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale or a 2.5 on a 4.0 scale for the last 60 semester credits or 90 quarter credits (approximately two years of work) for the baccalaureate degree. An earned master’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution supersedes the minimum standards for the baccalaureate. For applicants with graduate coursework but who have not earned a master’s degree or higher, the GPA from the graduate work may be used to meet the requirement. The minimum GPA is a cumulative 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for all graduate coursework undertaken.
- Program GPA requirement: The minimum undergraduate GPA for admission consideration for this program is a cumulative 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Standardized Test Scores
- GRE or GMAT scores are optional for admission to this program. Applications submitted without scores will receive full consideration. Every application undergoes a comprehensive evaluation, including a careful review of all application materials.
- If you choose to submit test scores, you may upload your Test Taker Score Report PDF, which is considered unofficial. Official scores must be received directly from the appropriate testing agency upon admission to the University of Denver. The ETS institution code to submit GRE scores to the University of Denver is 4842. The code to submit GMAT scores for this program is MZR-Z3-80.
English Language Proficiency Test Score Requirements
The minimum TOEFL/IELTS/C1 Advanced/Duolingo English Test score requirements for this degree program are:
- Minimum TOEFL Score (Internet-based test): 95
- Minimum IELTS Score: 7
- Minimum C1 Advanced Score: 185
- Minimum Duolingo English Test Score: 125
English Conditional Admission: No, this program does not offer English Conditional Admission.
Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies
Doctor of Philosophy in International Studies
Degree Requirements
Coursework Requirements
Minimum number of credits required for degree: 90 credit hours
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
International Studies Core coursework requirements (five courses): 1 | 20 | |
International Political Economy | ||
Comparative Politics in the 21st Century | ||
International Politics | ||
Introduction to Political Theory | ||
Contemporary Political Theory | ||
Field Requirement: (Please note that the courses listed below can be substituted with others with the approval of the PhD program director and the field director.) | 24 | |
Comparative Politics (CP) | ||
Comparative Politics in the 21st Century | ||
Comparative Public Policy and Finance | ||
Plus three additional courses or directed studies in Comparative Politics | ||
International Relations (IR/IPE) | ||
International Politics | ||
Theories of Security in World Politics | ||
Int'l Monetary Relations | ||
or INTS 4310 | International Trade | |
Relational Theories of International Relations | ||
Political Theory (PT) | ||
Introduction to Political Theory | ||
Modern Islamic Political Thought | ||
Foundational Ideas in Social Science: Marx and Weber | ||
Democracy and War | ||
Contemporary Political Theory | ||
Professionalization and Methodology (three courses): 2 | 12 | |
Social Science Methods | ||
Philosophy of Social Science 3 | ||
or INTS 4010 | Epistemology | |
Research Design: Ph.D. Prospectus, Substantial Research Paper, and MA Thesis | ||
Independent Study (optional): | ||
Independent Study 4 | ||
Elective requirements (if applicable): | 34 | |
Total Credits | 90 |
- 1
Some of these courses overlap with the field course requirements below.
- 2
Methodology training beyond these required courses is a matter of individual needs and interests, and students should consult their advisor or potential dissertation committee chair and members about available options. Students can choose to take statistics courses at Korbel to develop their skills in quantitative analysis. A limited fund is available to fund students to study at methods courses outside of DU, at, for example, methods summer schools. Awards for this purpose will be made on a competitive basis and only when students and their advisors can prove that such training is vital for completion of the Ph.D. dissertation.
- 3
INTS 4522 Philosophy of Social Science is offered every other year.
- 4
Independent and directed studies provides opportunities for the student to do special work under individual supervision in areas not covered by regular class offerings. Independent studies will likely be related to the research area of the student’s proposed PhD dissertation. Any Ph.D. student that wishes to complete a graduate independent study (INTS 5991) must consult with and obtain approval from an appointed JKSIS faculty member. Ph.D. students are limited to a maximum of 16 credits of independent or directed studies. For more information, contact the Ph.D. Program Director or the Director of Graduate Student Affairs.
Non-coursework Requirements
- Foreign Language Proficiency: Required.
- Field Exam: Students will study one field intensively—Comparative Politics (CP), International Relations (IR/IPE), or Political Theory (PT)—in which their comprehensive exam will be taken. Each field will comprise 5 courses and directed studies.
- Comprehensive Written Exams: PhD candidates must pass one comprehensive exam (in their chosen fields) in order to advance to candidacy. Within three weeks after the written exam, an approximately 1.5 hour oral exam is give. Comprehensive exam committees are comprised of three tenure-line faculty.
- Students cannot progress towards prospectus stage until they successfully pass the exams. A prospectus must have the approval/signatures of all JKSIS committee members.
- Final Dissertation: Prior to submitting the final dissertation for graduation, students must successfully pass an oral defense of the dissertation.
Master of Arts Degrees
Master of Arts in Global Economic Affairs
The Global Economic Affairs (GEA) program provides students with a multi-disciplinary, policy-focused examination of the global economy. Emphasis is on political economy, not on the narrow field of economics as standardly taught in economics textbooks. Courses within this degree focus on the complex changes underway in the global economy, including the emerging patterns of finance, trade, and investment flows and their effect on national economies; the effect of globalization on state capacity, policy autonomy, and national economic conditions; the relationship between economic, political, and social outcomes of policy choices; corporate governance, competition, and corporate social responsibility; and the politics of economic policy choices at the national and international levels, within multilateral agreements and organizations. All students within this degree receive training in advanced statistical methods, including econometrics. Students also select from a diverse collection of qualitative and quantitative skills courses.
Students pursuing the GEA degree are required to pursue a customized specialization that is tied to their intellectual and career aspirations. Students should meet with the degree director to discuss possible specializations that will meet their needs.
This degree is intended for students looking to pursue a diverse range of careers:
- As international economic analysts for public sector agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, the International Trade Administration, Ministries of Finance, crime and security agencies such as the FBI, and state and municipal government;
- As analyst for multilateral institutions and organizations, such as the World Bank, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the World Trade Organization, United Nations agencies, the African Development Bank, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development;
- As researchers and analysts within non-governmental organizations, such as Oxfam, Action Aid, Accion, and Water for People;
- As private sector economic policy consultants, political risk or international project analysts, ethical supply chain experts, and international project managers.
Students who seek a more specialized and technical training in portfolio allocation might consider creating their own “customized, flexible dual degree” with the Daniels College of Business (DCB) that allows them to earn an MS in Finance along with the GEA degree (for more information, see the “Flexible Dual Degree Programs” section of the Graduate Bulletin).
Degree Requirements
Candidates must complete sixty (60) credit hours
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Degree Requirements: | ||
Korbel Core (one course): | 4 | |
Great Issues in International Affairs (offered each Fall quarter; take as early in the program as possible) | ||
Degree Core (three courses): | 12 | |
International Trade 1 | ||
Int'l Monetary Relations 1 | ||
One of the following: | ||
International Political Economy | ||
The Global Economy: Conflict, Crisis and Cooperation 2 | ||
Great Books in Political Economy | ||
Specialization (three courses): | 12 | |
Specializations are sets of three full credit courses (12 credit hours) that a student takes within their degree that are centered on a common topic, region, or degree relevant methods and must be approved by the degree director. Korbel specializations are open specializations, which is to say that they are totally customizable and can be drawn from any and all eligible University of Denver graduate courses. The key is that they must be approved on submission for graduation by a student’s degree director and students are encouraged to engage their degree director early in the process on what are approvable sets of courses. Specializations do not go on transcripts, so it is possible to organize courses into more than one set of three, but for completion of degree requirement purposes, only one specialization is submitted as such on your program statement. Students who participate in a Korbel Certificate will put three of their certificate courses in their specialization and the other three in electives to fit the certificate within the 60 credit hours associated with their degree requirements. For more information on Specializations, see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. | ||
Skills Requirement (12 credits): | 12 | |
Statistics | ||
Econometrics for Decision Making I | ||
A total of 4 more credits (in the form of one 4-credit or two 2-credit skills courses) of INTS or PPOL skills coursework drawn from the Korbel School Skills List. GEA students must take a degree-relevant option and should get pre-approval from their degree director. This list is updated annually and can be found on the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. Students may also utilize graduate level skills courses in other DU departments/schools with pre-approval from their degree director. | ||
You can find more information on skills courses offered at https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/registration. | ||
Internship: Required | ||
Internship (Required, for 0 or 4 credits.) * | ||
Please see the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/internships for more details. | ||
Supporting Courses: | 20 | |
Students will fill out their academic program as needed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 credits with graduate level courses in fields and areas of study related broadly but directly to international studies (public policy) or research/policy areas and/or skills already established in their required coursework. These courses can be from Korbel (INTS or PPOL) and/or other relevant graduate departments/programs associated with the University of Denver or beyond. Courses from beyond Korbel should be pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor. The total number of credits allowed for the degree beyond Korbel cannot be more than 12. | ||
Total Credits | 60 |
- 1
INTS 4310 and INTS 4320 assume some pre-existing economics background. Students considering the GEA program or these specific courses should speak with the GEA degree directors to determine whether additional microeconomics or macroeconomics study (which can be obtained via DU/Korbel in many cases) would be beneficial prior to taking INTS 4310 and 4320.
- 2
INTS 4310 and INTS 4320 are recommended prerequisites for INTS 4370.
Thesis (4 or 8 credits) or Substantial Research Paper (4 credits): Optional Please see the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/home-1 for more details
Note: MA in GEA candidates may enroll in a maximum of 12 credits at the Daniels College of Business. If a student wishes to take more than 12 credits, they must apply, and be accepted, to a graduate degree program at the DCB through the DU flexible dual degree program. No more than 12 credits completed prior to acceptance into such a program may be applied toward a DCB degree. Students currently enrolled in a dual or joint degree program are not impacted by this policy.
To request permission to register for DCB classes, please contact a Graduate Business Advisor at gradbus.advising@du.edu. Students who register without this permission risk disenrollment from the course. All non-DCB students will be registered on a space-available basis.
- *
Internships are required for all of the MA degrees at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are managed through the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Korbel School. For a few categories of students, the Korbel School may grant an exemption from the internship requirement. While students in the following categories are highly encouraged to pursue internships to enhance their professional development, they may petition to be exempted from the internship requirement.
- Students entering Korbel with substantial degree/field relevant professional work experience, typically at least 5 years.
- Students with a confirmed job or job offer in a degree/field relevant sector in which they had been working prior to beginning the Josef Korbel degree.
- Students sponsored by foreign governments whose terms of study discourage do not allow internships.
- Students with truly unique circumstances in which they have met all of the learning objectives of the internship program in a degree/field relevant way, but the experience does not or did not fall within the bounds of the internship program/requirement
Students who would like to petition for their professional experience to satisfy the internship requirement will need to submit a formal request through the Student Affairs Office (see the Portfolio site for details).
Master of Arts in Global Environmental Sustainability
A defining issue of the 21st century will be international challenges posed by a changing environment, population growth, and increased demands on our food, water, and energy resources. Given the complexity and magnitude of these challenges, we need innovative approaches to meeting needs while promoting just and equitable development and a sustainable path for future generations. The Korbel School is poised to assume a position of leadership in research, teaching, and outreach around issues related to our changing climate and global environment. The Global Environmental Sustainability (GES) MA will stimulate, facilitate, and coordinate these activities in a sustaining manner. Our location in the Front Range puts us at the center of practical discussions about water, agriculture, and energy (both conventional and renewable). Our strength comes in taking a human-focused approach to understanding the consequences of global change for human well-being.
Degree Requirements
Candidates must complete sixty (60) credit hours
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Korbel Core (one course): | 4 | |
Great Issues in International Affairs (offered each Fall quarter; to be taken as early in the program as possible) | ||
Degree Core (three courses): | 12 | |
The Environment, The Economy, and Human Well-Being | ||
Global Environmental Governance | ||
Choose one: | ||
Topics in Int'l Studies (Sustainability of Socio-Ecological Systems) | ||
Environmental Security | ||
Skills Courses (12 credits): | 12 | |
A total of 12 credits (in the form of 4-credit or 2-credit skills courses) of INTS or PPOL skills coursework drawn from the Korbel School Skills List. GES students must take degree-relevant options and should get pre-approval from their degree director for all courses. The skills list is updated annually and can be found on the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. Students may also utilize graduate level skills courses in other DU departments/schools with pre-approval of their degree director. | ||
Specialization Area Requirement (12 credits): | 12 | |
Specializations are sets of three courses full credit courses (12 credit hours) that a student takes within their degree that are centered on a common topic, region, or degree relevant methods and must be approved by the degree director. Korbel specializations are open specializations, which is to say that they are totally customizable and can be drawn from any and all eligible University of Denver graduate courses. The key is that they must be approved on submission for graduation by a student’s degree director and students are encouraged to engage their degree director early in the process on what are approvable sets of courses. Specializations do not go on transcripts, so it is possible to organize courses into more than one set of three, but for completion of degree requirement purposes, only one specialization is submitted as such on your program statement. Students who participate in a Korbel Certificate (such as Homeland Security or Corporate Social Responsibility) will put three of their certificate courses in their specialization and the other three in electives to fit the certificate within the 60 credit hours associated with their degree requirements. For more information on Specializations, see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. | ||
Internship: Required | ||
Internship (Required, for 0 or 4 credits.) * | ||
Please see the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/internships for more details | ||
Thesis (4 or 8 credits) or Substantial Research Paper (4 credits): Optional | ||
Supporting Courses: | 20 | |
Students will fill out their academic program as needed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 credits with graduate level courses in fields and areas of study related broadly but directly to international studies (public policy) or research/policy areas and/or skills already established in their required coursework. These courses can be from Korbel and/or other relevant graduate departments/programs associated with the University of Denver or beyond. Courses from beyond Korbel should be pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor. The total number of credits allowed for the degree beyond Korbel cannot be more than 12. | ||
Total Credits | 60 |
-
- *
Internships are required for all of the MA degrees at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are managed through the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Korbel School. For a few categories of students, the Korbel School may grant an exemption from the internship requirement. While students in the following categories are highly encouraged to pursue internships to enhance their professional development, they may petition to be exempted from the internship requirement.
- Students entering Korbel with substantial degree/field relevant professional work experience, typically at least 5 years.
- Students with a confirmed job or job offer in a degree/field relevant sector in which they had been working prior to beginning the Josef Korbel degree.
- Students sponsored by foreign governments whose terms of study discourage do not allow internships.
- Students with truly unique circumstances in which they have met all of the learning objectives of the internship program in a degree/field relevant way, but the experience does not or did not fall within the bounds of the internship program/requirement
Students who would like to petition for their professional experience to satisfy the internship requirement will need to submit a formal request through the Student Affairs Office (see the Portfolio site for details).
Master of Arts in International Development
The MA in International Development focuses on development theory, policy-oriented decision-making and analysis, politics of institutions, and in-demand practical skills. The program prepares students for careers in government, multilateral and bilateral development agencies, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. Development graduates also enter relevant doctoral programs.
The program reflects an approach to development that emphasizes not only economic issues but also the importance and interrelatedness of sustainable economic and human development, human rights, and environmental sustainability. We emphasize the diversity of needs, desires, opportunities, and constraints experienced by individuals of differing socioeconomic classes, ethnicities, and genders, as well as differences among nations and regions.
Students gain analytical skills that address not only policy issues, but also the logics and workings of diverse institutions that create, negotiate, and implement development policy. Students also engage the many power differentials that profoundly influence processes central to sustainable development. These power differentials exist not only among nations, but also among public- and private-sector partners within development programs; between development practitioners and their intended beneficiaries; and among those intended beneficiaries. Thus, we also engage with actors and processes across levels from the most macro-level international institutions and initiatives to the most micro-level agendas and actions taken by communities, firms, movements, and individuals.
The program provides training in key practical skills identified by development employers, including communications, quantitative analysis, program/project-focused management and assessment, qualitative and participatory field research, and cross-sectoral framework development. Through internships, students gain experience in meeting the challenges of development practice while applying these skills and their knowledge of ideas, institutions, and processes that have influenced the course of international development.
Curriculum Overview:
Candidates must complete 60 credit hours.
Substitutions must be approved, in advance, by the degree director. Students should prioritize completion of the Degree Core and the Statistics requirement during their first year.
A list of recommended electives is available from the degree director. The director will be available to help students shape specializations and to identify relevant electives.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Degree Requirements: | ||
Korbel Core (one course): | 4 | |
Great Issues in International Affairs (offered each Fall quarter; take as early in the program as possible) | ||
Degree Core (three courses): | 12 | |
Economic Development | ||
Politics of Development | ||
One of the following: | ||
Gender, Aid, and Development | ||
Environment and Development | ||
Health and Development | ||
Postcolonial Thought and Decolonizing Development | ||
Note: Not all of these courses will be offered every year. To experience the degree as a cohort, you are encouraged to take the core course offered in Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters of your first year. | ||
Specialization (three courses): | 12 | |
Specializations are sets of three, full credit courses (12 credit hours) that a student takes within their degree that are centered on a common topic, region, or degree-relevant methods and must be approved by the degree director. Korbel specializations are open specializations, which is to say that they are totally customizable and can be drawn from any and all eligible University of Denver graduate courses. The key is that they must be approved on submission for graduation by a student’s degree director and students are encouraged to engage their degree director early in the process on what are approvable sets of courses. Specializations do not go on transcripts, so it is possible to organize courses into more than one set of three, but for completion of degree requirements, only one specialization is submitted as such on your program statement. Students who participate in a Korbel Certificate will put three of their certificate courses in their specialization and the other three in electives to fit the certificate within the 60 credit hours required for their degree. For more information on Specializations, see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. | ||
Skills Requirements (12 credits): | 12 | |
Statistics | ||
A total of 8 more credits (in the form of 4-credit or 2-credit skills courses) of INTS or PPOL skills coursework drawn from the Korbel School Skills List. This list is updated annually and can be found on the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. Students may also utilize graduate level skills courses in other DU departments/schools with pre-approval of their degree director. | ||
Internship: Required | ||
Internship (Required, for 0 or 4 credits.) * | ||
Please see the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/internships for more details. | ||
Supporting Courses: | 20 | |
Students will fill out their academic program as needed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 credits with graduate level courses in fields and areas of study related broadly but directly to international studies (public policy) or research/policy areas and/or skills already established in their required coursework. These courses can be from Korbel (INTS or PPOL) and/or other relevant graduate departments/programs associated with the University of Denver or beyond. Courses from beyond Korbel should be pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor. The total number of credits allowed for the degree beyond Korbel cannot be more than 12. | ||
Total Credits | 60 |
Non-coursework Requirements
- Thesis (4 or 8 credits) or Substantial Research Paper (4 credits): Optional. Please see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/ for more details.
- *
Internships are required for all of the MA degrees at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are managed through the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Korbel School. For a few categories of students, the Korbel School may grant an exemption from the internship requirement. While students in the following categories are highly encouraged to pursue internships to enhance their professional development, they may petition to be exempted from the internship requirement.
- Students entering Korbel with substantial degree/field relevant professional work experience, typically at least 5 years.
- Students with a confirmed job or job offer in a degree/field relevant sector in which they had been working prior to beginning the Josef Korbel degree.
- Students sponsored by foreign governments whose terms of study discourage do not allow internships.
- Students with truly unique circumstances in which they have met all of the learning objectives of the internship program in a degree/field relevant way, but the experience does not or did not fall within the bounds of the internship program/requirement
Students who would like to petition for their professional experience to satisfy the internship requirement will need to submit a formal request through the Student Affairs Office (see the Portfolio site for details).
Master of Arts in International Human Rights
The MA in International Human Rights provides students with the opportunity to engage with some of today’s most pressing and compelling human rights issues and consider emerging issues and approaches in an academically rigorous and critical way. Students will examine diverse perspectives on the contributions, effectiveness, and relevance of international human rights frameworks, instruments, movements, and institutions. Graduates of the program go on to work on human rights research and documentation, advocacy, and programming including with nonprofits, the UN, government, and the for profit sector.
Degree Requirements
Complete 60 total credit hours
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Korbel Core (one course): | 4 | |
Great Issues in International Affairs (offered each Fall quarter; take as early in the program as possible) | ||
Degree Core (three courses): | 12 | |
Introduction to Human Rights | ||
One of the following: | ||
Foundations of Human Rights | ||
International Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflict | ||
International Law and Human Rights | ||
Human Rights Global Governance, Nationalism and Internationalism | ||
One of the following: | ||
Comparative Genocide | ||
Migration | ||
Human Rights and the Middle East | ||
Gender, Security and Human Rights | ||
Climate Migration and Human Rights | ||
Torture | ||
Human Rights and Security | ||
Forced Labor and Human Trafficking | ||
Specialization (three courses): | 12 | |
Specializations are sets of three courses full credit courses (12 credit hours) that a student takes within their degree that are centered on a common topic, region, or degree relevant methods and must be approved by the degree director. Korbel specializations are open specializations, which is to say that they are totally customizable and can be drawn from any and all eligible University of Denver graduate courses. The key is that they must be approved on submission for graduation by a student’s degree director and students are encouraged to engage their degree director early in the process on what are approvable sets of courses. Specializations do not go on transcripts, so it is possible to organize courses into more than one set of three, but for completion of degree requirement purposes, only one specialization is submitted as such on your program statement. Students who participate in a Korbel Certificate will put three of their certificate courses in their specialization and the other three in electives to fit the certificate within the 60 credit hours associated with their degree requirements. For more information on Specializations, see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. | ||
Skills Courses (12 credits): | 12 | |
Statistics | ||
Human Rights Research Methods | ||
or INTS 4632 | Qualitative Research Methods | |
A total of 4 more credits (in the form of one 4 credit or 2 credit skills courses) of INTS or PPOL skills coursework drawn from the Korbel School Skills List. This list is updated annually and can be found on the Student Affairs Digication site: https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/. Students may also utilize graduate level skills courses in other DU departments/schools with pre-approval of their degree director. | ||
Internship: Required | ||
Internship (Required, for 0 or 4 credits.) * | ||
See the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/internships for more details | ||
Supporting Courses: | 20 | |
Students will fill out their academic program as needed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 credits with graduate level courses in fields and areas of study related broadly but directly to international studies (public policy) or research/policy areas and/or skills already established in their required coursework. These courses can be from Korbel and/or other relevant graduate departments/programs associated with the University of Denver or beyond. Courses from beyond Korbel should be pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor. The total number of credits allowed for the degree beyond Korbel cannot be more than 12. | ||
Total Credits | 60 |
Non-coursework Requirements
- Thesis (4 or 8 credits) or Substantial Research Paper (4 credits): Optional.
- *
Internships are required for all of the MA degrees at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are managed through the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Korbel School. For a few categories of students, the Korbel School may grant an exemption from the internship requirement. While students in the following categories are highly encouraged to pursue internships to enhance their professional development, they may petition to be exempted from the internship requirement.
- Students entering Korbel with substantial degree/field relevant professional work experience, typically at least 5 years.
- Students with a confirmed job or job offer in a degree/field relevant sector in which they had been working prior to beginning the Josef Korbel degree.
- Students sponsored by foreign governments whose terms of study discourage do not allow internships.
- Students with truly unique circumstances in which they have met all of the learning objectives of the internship program in a degree/field relevant way, but the experience does not or did not fall within the bounds of the internship program/requirement
Students who would like to petition for their professional experience to satisfy the internship requirement will need to submit a formal request through the Student Affairs Office.
Master of Arts in International Security
The International Security curriculum provides education and practical training on issues related to the causes and consequences of foreign policies pursued by states plus the goals of non-state actors to advance their position and status in world political dynamics through violent confrontation and war or through cooperative moves towards peace. The Security Program combines traditional issues (state level threats, sovereignty, armament policies) and foundational theoretic perspectives (realism, liberalism, international law) with emerging twenty-first century problems (e.g. human security, climate change, health pandemics, humanitarian assistance, global governance) with exposure and appreciation for updated research and policy perspectives on contemporary topics to enable students to understand continuities and major shifts in the evolving global system, to foresee new threats, and imagine threat responses.
We focus on developing skill sets: written and oral communications; technical tools (graphic displays, statistical analysis) and clear, logical arguments that are essential for our graduates to be marketable practitioners in the security field—whether working in government, private industry, or the non-profit sector. We expect everyone to keep current in scholarship and policies presented in mainline journals. By completing the Security program, students will have a sufficient sense of basic concepts, theories, and approaches associated with the field with the confidence to apply this knowledge to real-world problems.
Curriculum Overview
Candidates must complete sixty credit hours.
All Korbel MA students enroll in INTS 4091, Great Issues in International Affairs, during their first year of enrollment (i.e. during their first three terms of taking courses in the graduate program), which is offered only in the Fall term. All International Security students must also register for INTS 4735 Defense and Security Methods and INTS 4057 Statistics during their first year.
Degree Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Korbel Core (one course): | 4 | |
Great Issues in International Affairs (offered each Fall quarter; take as early in the program as possible) | ||
Degree Core (three courses; take all three during your first year): | 12 | |
United States Foreign Policy | ||
Emerging Issues in International Security | ||
Foundations of Security | ||
Skills Courses (12 credits; take first two during your first year): | 12 | |
Statistics | ||
Defense and Security Methods | ||
A total of 4 more credits (in the form of one 4-credit or two 2-credit skills courses) of INTS or PPOL skills coursework drawn from the Korbel School Skills List. This list is updated annually and can be found on the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. Students may also utilize graduate level skills courses in other DU departments/schools with pre-approval of their degree director. | ||
Specialization (three courses): | 12 | |
Specializations are sets of three full-credit courses (12 credit hours) that a student takes within their degree that are centered on a common topic, region, or degree relevant methods and must be approved by the degree director. Korbel specializations are open specializations, which is to say that they are totally customizable and can be drawn from any and all eligible University of Denver graduate courses. The key is that they must be approved on submission for graduation by a student’s degree director and students are encouraged to engage their degree director early in the process on what are approvable sets of courses. Specializations do not go on transcripts, so it is possible to organize courses into more than one set of three, but for completion of degree requirement purposes, only one specialization is submitted as such on your program statement. Students who participate in a Korbel Certificate will put three of their certificate courses in their specialization and the other three in electives to fit the certificate within the 60 credit hours associated with their degree requirements. For more information on Specializations, see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. | ||
Internship: Required | ||
Internship (Required, for 0 or 4 credits.) * | ||
Please see the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/internships for more details. | ||
Supporting Courses | 20 | |
Students will fill out their academic program as needed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 credits with graduate level courses in fields and areas of study related broadly but directly to international studies (public policy) or research/policy areas and/or skills already established in their required coursework. These courses can be from Korbel (INTS or PPOL) and/or other relevant graduate departments/programs associated with the University of Denver or beyond. Courses from beyond Korbel should be pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor. The total number of credits allowed for the degree beyond Korbel cannot be more than 12. | ||
Total Credits | 60 |
Non-coursework Requirements:
- Thesis (4 or 8 credits) or Substantial Research Paper (SPR) (4 credits): Optional. Please see the Student Affairs Digication site for more details.
- *
Internships are required for all of the MA degrees at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are managed through the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Korbel School. For a few categories of students, the Korbel School may grant an exemption from the internship requirement. While students in the following categories are highly encouraged to pursue internships to enhance their professional development, they may petition to be exempted from the internship requirement.
- Students entering Korbel with substantial degree/field relevant professional work experience, typically at least 5 years.
- Students with a confirmed job or job offer in a degree/field relevant sector in which they had been working prior to beginning the Josef Korbel degree.
- Students sponsored by foreign governments whose terms of study discourage do not allow internships.
- Students with truly unique circumstances in which they have met all of the learning objectives of the internship program in a degree/field relevant way, but the experience does not or did not fall within the bounds of the internship program/requirement
Students who would like to petition for their professional experience to satisfy the internship requirement will need to submit a formal request through the Student Affairs Office (see the Portfolio site for details).
Master of Arts in International Studies
The Master of Arts in International Studies combines a broad understanding of the field of international studies with an issue-oriented specialization, skills courses, and the opportunities for internships or advanced research. It is the traditional professional international studies curriculum, long favored by students pursuing career options in the government, private, and non-profit sectors, as well as those considering a PhD. It is also our most flexible degree, with ample opportunity to tailor a program to fit your specific needs and interests.
Curriculum Overview:
Candidates must complete 60 credit hours.
Degree Requirements:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Korbel Core (one course): | 4 | |
Great Issues in International Affairs (offered each Fall quarter; take as early in the program as possible) | ||
Degree Core (three courses): | 12 | |
-Any regionally-focused course, to be approved by the International Studies Degree Director. | ||
-Choose two of the following: | ||
Introduction to Political Theory | ||
International Political Economy | ||
The Global Economy: Conflict, Crisis and Cooperation | ||
Great Books in Political Economy | ||
Comparative Politics in the 21st Century | ||
Debates About Democracy | ||
Contemporary Political Theory | ||
International Politics | ||
International Law and Human Rights | ||
Specialization (three courses): | 12 | |
Specializations are sets of three full-credit courses (12 credit hours) that a student takes within their degree that are centered on a common topic, region, or degree relevant methods and must be approved by the degree director. Korbel specializations are open specializations, which is to say that they are totally customizable and can be drawn from any and all eligible University of Denver graduate courses. The key is that they must be approved on submission for graduation by a student’s degree director and students are encouraged to engage their degree director early in the process on what are approvable sets of courses. Specializations do not go on transcripts, so it is possible to organize courses into more than one set of three, but for completion of degree requirement purposes, only one specialization is submitted as such on your program statement. Students who participate in a Korbel Certificate will put three of their certificate courses in their specialization and the other three in electives to fit the certificate within the 60 credit hours associated with their degree requirements. For more information on Specializations, see the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. | ||
Skills (three courses): | 12 | |
A total of 12 credits (in the form of 4-credit or 2-credit skills courses) of INTS or PPOL skills coursework drawn from the Korbel School Skills List. This list is updated annually and can be found on the Korbel Student Affairs Digication site. Students may also utilize graduate level skills courses in other DU departments/schools with pre-approval of their degree director. | ||
Internship: Required | ||
Internship (Required, for 0 or 4 credits.) * | ||
Please see the Student Affairs Digication site https://du.digication.com/korbelgradstudents/internships for more details. | ||
Supporting Courses: | 20 | |
Students will fill out their academic program as needed to reach the minimum requirement of 60 credits with graduate level courses in fields and areas of study related broadly but directly to international studies (public policy) or research/policy areas and/or skills already established in their required coursework. These courses can be from Korbel (INTS or PPOL) and/or other relevant graduate departments/programs associated with the University of Denver or beyond. Courses from beyond Korbel should be pre-approved by the student’s academic advisor. The total number of credits allowed for the degree beyond Korbel cannot be more than 12. | ||
Total Credits | 60 |
Non-coursework Requirements
- Thesis (4 or 8 credits) or Substantial Research Paper (SPR) (4 credits): Optional. Please see the Student Affairs Digication site for more details.
- *
Internships are required for all of the MA degrees at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and are managed through the Office of Career and Professional Development at the Korbel School. For a few categories of students, the Korbel School may grant an exemption from the internship requirement. While students in the following categories are highly encouraged to pursue internships to enhance their professional development, they may petition to be exempted from the internship requirement.
- Students entering Korbel with substantial degree/field relevant professional work experience, typically at least 5 years.
- Students with a confirmed job or job offer in a degree/field relevant sector in which they had been working prior to beginning the Josef Korbel degree.
- Students sponsored by foreign governments whose terms of study discourage do not allow internships.
- Students with truly unique circumstances in which they have met all of the learning objectives of the internship program in a degree/field relevant way, but the experience does not or did not fall within the bounds of the internship program/requirement
Students who would like to petition for their professional experience to satisfy the internship requirement will need to submit a formal request through the Student Affairs Office (see the Portfolio site for details).
Certificate Programs
Certificate of Specialization in Global Environmental Change and Adaptation
Environmental change, driven in large part by human activity, is increasingly identified as posing significant challenges to development and security. While climate change has received the most attention (see, e.g., US DOD, 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review), other changes, e.g. biodiversity loss, ozone depletion, and freshwater use have also been raised as significant issues affecting development and security. These issues have also been tied to questions related to social justice. The Josef Korbel School of International Studies (Korbel) is building a critical mass of scholars, student interest, and activities related to environmental change, development, security, and justice. This certificate seeks to provide opportunities for students to develop substantive expertise around one of the defining challenges of the 21st century: global environmental change and attempts to adapt thereto in sustainable ways that minimize harm to affected communities.
Note: The GECA certificate is not available to students pursuing the MA in Global Environmental Sustainability.
Requirements
Complete five courses (20 credit hours), as outlined below:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Certificate Core Courses (three courses): | 12 | |
The Environment, The Economy, and Human Well-Being | ||
Global Environmental Governance | ||
Choose one: | ||
Topics in Int'l Studies (Sustainability of Socio-Ecological Systems) | ||
Environmental Security | ||
Two Additional Courses from the list below: | 8 | |
Food/Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development | ||
Gender, Aid, and Development | ||
Political Economy of Energy & Sustainable Development | ||
Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development | ||
Social Impact & Sustainability Lab | ||
Gender, Environment, and Development | ||
Microfinance Lessons: Inclusive Markets and Development | ||
Global Health Affairs | ||
Agriculture and Sustainable Development | ||
Environmental Security | ||
Sustainable Energy | ||
Power, Institutions, and Justice in Environmental Sustainability | ||
Environment & Crises | ||
Climate, Science, and Society | ||
Environmental Peacebuilding | ||
Climate Finance and Other Clean Energy Solutions | ||
Water Policy | ||
Modeling for Development, Environment, and Security | ||
Climate Migration and Human Rights | ||
Negotiating Environmental Conflict and Policy | ||
Geospatial Data * | ||
GIS Modeling * | ||
Remote Sensing * | ||
Urban Sustainability * | ||
Ecological Economics * | ||
Advanced Sustainability * | ||
Social-Ecological Resilience: Connecting Human and Environmental Wellbeing * | ||
Total Credits | 20 |
- *
Only one course that is not INTS or PPOL will count towards the Certificate.
Certificate of Specialization in Global Health Affairs
The Certificate in Global Health Affairs (CGHA) is the first global health program to be based in a school of International Studies. Unlike certificates offered by schools of medicine or public health, which emphasize biomedical approaches to health, CGHA focuses on the social, political, and economic determinants of health as the primary avenues for addressing health inequity. Combined with a degree, the five-course CGHA sequence prepares students for systematic, evidence-based approaches to a broad range of global health problems relating to development, diplomacy, security, trade, social justice, and human rights.
CGHA’s core emphasis lies in building sound decision-making skills in an arena often suffused with inefficiency and blindness to political, social, and cultural context. Our courses address the social determinants of individual and population health, emphasizing short- and long-term effects; the increasing globalization of health; and interactions between health and other key factors such as politics, development, trade, and conflict. Practical courses build skills in epidemiology, research methodology, and program design and evaluation.
Program Requirements
Complete five courses (20 total credits), plus an internship/field requirement, as outlined below.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Global Health Affairs Core (three courses): | 12 | |
Global Health Affairs (offered every Fall quarter) | ||
Introduction to Epidemiology (offered every Spring quarter) | ||
Major Diseases in Global Health (From Pathophysiology to Action) (offered every Winter quarter) | ||
Additional Courses (choose two of the following courses ): | 8 | |
Note that not all courses are offered annually. You may be able to apply other courses as supporting courses—from the Masters in Public Policy or programs beyond Korbel. Please speak to the Certificate Director for pre-approval of options beyond the list below. | ||
Comparative Genocide | ||
Global Sustainable Development and Human Rights | ||
Food/Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development | ||
Gender, Aid, and Development | ||
Social Impact & Sustainability Lab | ||
Gender, Environment, and Development | ||
Gender and Health | ||
Cities, Security, and Health | ||
Health and Development | ||
Migration | ||
Negotiating Environmental Conflict and Policy | ||
Power, Institutions, and Justice in Environmental Sustainability | ||
Gender, Security and Human Rights | ||
Environmental Peacebuilding | ||
Water Policy | ||
Homeland Defense: Prevention & Mitigation | ||
Planning and Assessment in Complex Environments | ||
Global Health and Development Communication | ||
Skills | ||
Information Management in Humanitarian Crises | ||
Statistics | ||
Applied Time-Series Analysis | ||
Data Visualization | ||
Advanced Statistics | ||
International Project Design and Monitoring | ||
Project Management | ||
Financial Management and Fundraising of Non-Profits | ||
Field Operations for Humanitarian Assistance | ||
Qualitative Research Methods | ||
Total Credits | 20 |
Internship/Field Requirement
-
All GHA candidates must conduct a single, 150-hour health-related practical experience or a suitable alternative. This experience must take place during the student’s course of study and the work must be carried out off-campus. As an alternative to a traditional internship, this requirement could be fulfilled through current employment, an RPCV local internship, or independent research (as long as it has an off-campus field component and is approved by Certificate Director), or work on a GHA service-based research project.
-
To qualify as health-related, a substantive component of the internship/practicum should focus on health issues. If this condition is not met within the context of the internship/practicum, the student may instead submit an additional, separate report on the health implications of their internship/practicum to the Certificate Director in order to fulfill the requirement. See the Certificate Director for guidelines. It is possible for students to fulfill both a degree and certificate requirement with one internship/practicum.
-
Students are encouraged but not required to base their internship on their required proposal for INTS 4367 Global Health Affairs.
Certificate of Specialization in Global Justice
Social justice issues, such as the injustices and inequalities faced by women, LGBTQIA+ communities, racial minorities, indigenous people, and the poor, are more salient than ever. And across the world, people are standing up, asserting their rights, and devising movements to demand change – indeed, 2019 saw more protests across the globe than any other year on record. The Global Justice Certificate places these struggles in both local and global context, aiming to prepare students to support, participate in, and amplify movements from the #StopTheSweeps movement in Denver challenging mistreatment of the unhoused, to campaigns against femicide in Latin America, to global youth-led movements for climate action. Upon earning a GJC from the Korbel School, graduates will have a knowledge of theories of social change along with an understanding of clear historical examples; they will understand concrete strategies around using media, advocacy, storytelling, fundraising, and strategic visioning for global changemakers; and they will have a toolkit and network to help them launch a career in global social justice organizing and human rights advocacy.
Requirements
Complete 20 total credits
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Core - three courses | 12 | |
Foundations of Global Justice: Theories of Power and Transformation | ||
Social Movements, Global Justice | ||
Note: You must take Foundations of Global Justice and Social Movements before taking the Capstone course. | ||
Capstone: Applied Strategies for Catalyzing Social Change | ||
Additional Courses – Take 8 credits in any arrangement of 4 and 2 credit classes from the list below | 8 | |
Comparative Genocide | ||
Global Sustainable Development and Human Rights | ||
Gender, Aid, and Development | ||
Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development | ||
Social Impact & Sustainability Lab | ||
Gender and Health | ||
Financial Management and Fundraising of Non-Profits | ||
International Campaign Management | ||
Migration | ||
Qualitative Research Methods | ||
Power, Institutions, and Justice in Environmental Sustainability | ||
Gender, Security and Human Rights | ||
Topics in Int'l Studies (Gender and Conflict ) | ||
Topics in International Studies (Social Movements and Change ) | ||
Power and Oppression | ||
Restorative Justice | ||
Conflict Sensitive Interventions | ||
Climate Migration and Human Rights | ||
Power, Privilege and Oppression from a Critical Multicultural Perspective | ||
Producing Video for Social Media and Advocacy | ||
Foundations of Strategic Communication | ||
Strategic Messaging | ||
Global/Multicultural Campaigns | ||
Global Health and Development Communication | ||
Justice Equity Diversity and Inclusion in Health Communication | ||
Producing the Environmental Documentary | ||
Audio Documentaries | ||
Global Media and Communication | ||
Language, Power, and Globalization | ||
Intercultural Communication | ||
Global Edutainment & Narrative Persuasion | ||
Total Credits | 20 |
Certificate of Specialization in Homeland Security
This certificate program is offered to currently enrolled Josef Korbel School of International Studies' Master’s students. The Homeland Security Certificate Program is a professional certification program focused on preparing participants to step directly into career opportunities in the local, state, and national homeland security profession. Current alumni are employed at NORTHCOM, FEMA, Colorado Office of Emergency Management, The Colorado Information Analysis Center (CIAC), many city/county offices of emergency management as well as a wide range of private section positions. There are also increasing numbers of former students working in international roles and/or roles in home countries beyond the United States. Professional roles include threat assessment, emergency preparedness, response and recovery, and crisis scenario development, testing, and exercise execution and well as the associated policy outcomes.
Requirements
Complete five courses (20 total credits)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Core (four courses): | 16 | |
Foundations in Homeland Security: Response and Recovery | ||
Homeland Defense: Prevention & Mitigation | ||
Strategic Intelligence Data Collection and Analysis | ||
Terrorism | ||
Additional Course (one course from the list below): | 4 | |
Intelligence and National Security | ||
Planning and Assessment in Complex Environments | ||
North American Defense and Security | ||
Total Credits | 20 |
Certificate of Specialization in Humanitarian Assistance
The humanitarian system comprises international, national, and local entities who work together to alleviate suffering and save lives of people affected by conflict, displacement, and natural disasters. Our certificate in humanitarian assistance provides students with the theoretical and practical underpinnings for humanitarian work that is technically sound, partners with affected communities, responds to diverse needs, and sets the stage for sustainable and inclusive development efforts. Through this certificate, you'll be able to explore your specific interests in the humanitarian field and develop relevant skills, experiences, and professional networks. The certificate offers personalized advising, exclusive networking, and unique experiential learning opportunities including a simulation and the Humanitarian Assistance Applied Research Group. Graduates pursue humanitarian careers abroad and in the U.S. working with international organizations, government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
Requirements
Complete five courses (20 total credits), plus an internship, as outlined below.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Certificate Core (two courses): | 8 | |
Field Operations for Humanitarian Assistance | ||
Introduction to Humanitarian Systems | ||
It is highly recommended that students take these core courses in their first year at Korbel to help prepare them for other courses and the internship, to keep them on track for completion, and to integrate them in their cohort. INTS 4581 is generally offered in Fall and INTS 4496 in Winter. | ||
Supporting Courses – choose 3 courses from the list below: | 12 | |
Please note that not all courses listed are offered annually. | ||
Information Management in Humanitarian Crises | ||
Gender, Aid, and Development | ||
Health and Development | ||
Health and Humanitarian Aid | ||
International Protection in the Humanitarian Context | ||
Critical Issues in International Humanitarian Assistance (pre-req: INTS 4581) | ||
Environment & Crises | ||
Humanitarian Simulation Preparation | ||
Topics in International Studies (Health, Development and Crises) | ||
Planning and Assessment in Complex Environments | ||
Civil-Military Practices in Humanitarian Responses | ||
International Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflict | ||
Internship: | ||
Internship | ||
An internship (150 hours) is required for the Humanitarian Assistance Certificate. The Internship must be with an organization whose core work includes international humanitarian assistance or humanitarian research/policy/advocacy, and the internship itself must be focused on the organization’s international humanitarian related work. Internships may be based in the U.S. or abroad. Students usually complete internships in the summer between the first and second years of the MA program. Students arrange their own internship placements but should consult with the HA Certificate Director for ideas, contacts, and to ensure that internships they are interested in meet the organizational and focus requirements. They must obtain approval from the HA Certificate Director prior to starting the internship. The Korbel School Office of Career and Professional Development must also approve internships before they begin. | ||
Total Credits | 20 |
Chester Lee Brinser III Scholarship for Humanitarian Assistance
- The Chester Lee Brinser III Scholarship for Humanitarian Assistance is awarded annually (funds permitting) to a Korbel student enrolled in the Certificate in International Studies with a Concentration in Humanitarian Assistance.
Certificate of Specialization in Strategic Intelligence
This certificate program is open to all University of Denver Graduate Students. The Strategic Intelligence Certificate is designed to prepare students for careers in the intelligence community and related threat and situational analysis roles in government, consultancies, and the private sector. The emphasis of the certificate is familiarity with the realities, skill sets, and challenges associated with strategic intelligence analysis.
Requirements
Complete five courses (20 total credits)
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Core (three courses): | 12 | |
Strategic Intelligence Data Collection and Analysis | ||
Current Issues in Strategic Intelligence | ||
Intelligence and National Security | ||
Required Capstone (4 credits) | 4 | |
Students who have completed INTS 4736 and INTS 4753 are then eligible to register for: | ||
Capstone: Intelligence/Threat Assessment | ||
Specialized Topic Course | 4 | |
One course (4 credits) from the list below or another relevant topics-based course approved by the certificate director (not all courses below are taught annually): | ||
Current Challenges in the Middle East | ||
Making of Chinese Foreign Policy | ||
Democracy and Militarism in Latin America | ||
Comparative Politics in the 21st Century | ||
Introduction to Middle East Politics | ||
Civilian Protection in Armed Conflicts | ||
Environmental Security | ||
Insurgency/Counter-Insurgency | ||
Economic Statecraft and Diplomacy | ||
Modeling for Development, Environment, and Security | ||
US National Security Policy | ||
Emerging Issues in International Security | ||
Topics in International Studies (21st Century Peace Operations ) | ||
Terrorism | ||
Total Credits | 20 |
Interdisciplinary Certificates
Certificate of Specialization in Global Business and Corporate Social Responsibility
Program Requirements
Coursework Requirements
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Required Courses | 12 | |
BUS 4445 | International Business: Strategy and Practice | 4 |
or INTS 4029 | International Business: Strategy and Practice | |
BUS 4444 | Global Bus, Governance & CSR | 4 |
or INTS 4459 | Global Business, Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility | |
INTS 4324 | International Political Economy | 4 |
Elective Courses | 12 | |
Choose a minimum of 12 credits from the following list. Students must complete one elective outside of their primary college: | ||
ACTG 4610 | Financial Accounting and Reporting 1 | 4 |
CMGT 4155 | Sustainable Development | 4 |
FIN 4110 | Ethics in Finance | 4 |
FIN 4180 | Global Finance | 2 |
FIN 4630 | Managerial Finance 1 | 4 |
LGST 4701 | Topics in Ethics & Legal Study | 1-5 |
MBA 4610 | Business Law and Public Policy | 4 |
MBA 4446 | Advanced Sustainability | 4 |
INTS 4210 | Global Value Chains, Multinational Corporations, and Investment Sustainability | 4 |
INTS 4220 | Political Economy of Energy & Sustainable Development | 4 |
INTS 4394 | The Organizational Psychology of Non-Profits | 4 |
INTS 4370 | The Global Economy: Conflict, Crisis and Cooperation | 4 |
INTS 4226 | Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development | 4 |
INTS 4330 | International Business Transactions | 4 |
INTS 4339 | Microfinance Lessons: Inclusive Markets and Development | 4 |
INTS 4549 | Managing Microfinance: Balancing Business with Development | 4 |
INTS 4656 | Power, Institutions, and Justice in Environmental Sustainability | 4 |
INTS 4622 | Global Governance | 4 |
INTS 4972 | Global Environmental Governance | 4 |
MFJS 4050 | Foundations of Strategic Communication | 4 |
MFJS 4080 | Global/Multicultural Campaigns | 4 |
TRAN 4100 | Fundamentals of Supply Chain Management | 4 |
TRAN 4180 | Sustainability and Supply Chain Management | 4 |
Total credits required: | 24 |
Minimum number of credits required: 24
Certificate of Specialization in Media and Public Communication with Concentration in Public Diplomacy
Program Requirements
Minimum Credits Required for Certificate: 24
Coursework Requirements
Students will take classes in three categories as follows:
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Foundational Courses | 8 | |
Public Diplomacy and Nation Branding | ||
Media Theories | ||
or MFJS 4650 | Global Media and Communication | |
or MFJS 4080 | Global/Multicultural Campaigns | |
Applied Course | 4 | |
Foundations of Strategic Communication | ||
Strategic Messaging | ||
Global Health and Development Communication | ||
Social Media Strategies | ||
Context Specialization Courses | 12 | |
Students should select courses that directly focus on the society, politics, economics, or culture of particular countries or regions or challenges related to a specific theme or issue. Context Specialization courses must be arranged into a logical three-course set (by region and/or theme) that matches student interests and is approved by the Certificate Director(s). Only full-credit, graduate level courses in JKSIS and MFJS, which are approved by the Certificate Director(s) in advance and are not used to meet another Certificate requirement are eligible for this category. At least two of the specialization courses must be from the Josef Korbel School of International Studies (JKSIS). The third course may be from either JKSIS or MFJS. | ||
Total Credits | 24 |
- *
Course may be counted as either Foundation, Applied, or Context Specialization, but cannot be counted in more than one of those categories
Non-Coursework Requirements
Applicants must be enrolled master’s students in good standing in either MFJS or JKSIS. Applicants from either unit must apply for the Certificate no later than February 1 in the first year of their master’s program in order to be able to complete all of the necessary coursework for the Certificate by the end of their second year.
Certificate of Specialization in Religion and International Affairs
This certificate program provides students pursuing an MA degree in the Department of Religious Studies (CAHSS) or the Joseph Korbel School of International Studies the opportunity to enhance their "home program" with coursework that emphasizes scholarly and practitioner approaches to understanding the intersections between religion and international affairs in the modern world.
This certificate requires a minimum of 24 credit hours.
Code | Title | Credits |
---|---|---|
Core courses | 8 | |
Religion-State Relations in Comparative Perspectives | ||
Globalization and Religion: Theory and Methods | ||
Elective courses 1 | 16 | |
Choose from the following: | ||
INTS 4517 | Politics of Deeply Divided Societies | 4 |
INTS 4526 | Modern Islamic Political Thought | 4 |
INTS 4534 | Topics in Middle East Politics | 4 |
INTS 4649 | Human Rights and the Middle East | 4 |
RLGS 3302 | Islamic Fundamentalism | 4 |
RLGS 3452 | Political Theology | 4 |
RLGS 3454 | Capitalism, Religion, Democracy | 4 |
RLGS 3503 | Quran and Hadith | 4 |
RLGS 3504 | Islam and Gender | 4 |
RLGS 3645 | Religious Nationalisms: A Comparative Approach to White Christian Nationalism and Hindu Nationalism | 4 |
RLGS 3693 | Religion and the Media | 4 |
RLGS 3814 | Modern Hinduism | 4 |
RLGS 3890 | Religion and Diaspora | 4 |
RLGS 3893 | Buddhism and Social Justice | 4 |
Total Credits | 24 |
- 1
Other elective courses may be approved with permission from the director.
INTS 3665 Comparative State Building (4 Credits)
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, countries in East Central Europe have experienced some twenty-five years of fascinating political, economic, and social change as they have tried to rebuild themselves, undergone democratization, and transitioned to a free market. But the legacies of the region’s dramatic and often tragic encounters with war and ideology in the 20th and 19th centuries are still shaping how East Central European societies respond to the new horizons following the collapse of the Soviet bloc. This course is designed as an overview and analysis of the processes of state-building in East Central Europe from the eve of imperial independence in the late 19th century to the present day. We will learn about the condition of the states and nations of East Central Europe before WWI and how they embarked on their nation-building projects after the demise of the foreign empires, the Ottoman, the Austro-Hungarian, and the Russian, that had ruled the region for 500 years. We will then discuss the onset of yet another foreign mode of control – communism – and we will learn how communist reality and Soviet hegemony was lived by the people of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Serbia, East Germany, Romania, and Bulgaria for over forty years. After the initial wave of optimism after independence, the political chaos and economic backwardness of the interwar period 1918-1939; after the resistance, collaboration and murder of the Second World War; after the terror and senselessness of Stalinism; after the exhilaration and disappointment of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, of the Prague Spring in 1968, and of Solidarity in Poland in 1981; after the gray monotony of decaying communism and the lonely voices of dissidents, we will come to the triumphant revolutions of 1989 and the challenges of the post-communist transition. For many of these states, the project of building a liberal democratic state and a functioning market economy over the last twenty years can be considered an impressive success. For others, however, the transition has been undermined by political mismanagement, economic backwardness, and ethnic nationalism. We will weigh the roles of domestic actors and of international institutions in bringing about East Central Europe’s successes and failures over the last century. At the end we will discuss some of the key outcomes, positive and negative, of the accession to another (“foreign”) empire - the European Union, which ten of these post-communist states joined in 2004-07. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.
INTS 4010 Epistemology (4 Credits)
An introductory course covering philosophy and history of science, epistemology, causality, and the logic of inquiry as related to international studies. The relation between theory and practical politics is explored, and differences between empirical and normative theory are examined in the context of foundational principles of politics and social science.
INTS 4011 Comparative Genocide (4 Credits)
This course examines the historical origins, patterns, and legacies of contemporary genocides around the world. We begin with the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948, which legally codified the definition of genocide and compelled ratifying parties to prevent its reoccurrence. Yet as we'll see, genocide has instead reoccurred with alarming frequency. We will discuss the definitional and analytical challenges facing this subject, as well as academic and policy debates regarding how to define and prevent genocide. We will also explore different approaches to seeking justice and reconciliation in the aftermath. To do so, this class will ground theoretical debates in empirical case studies.
INTS 4029 International Business: Strategy and Practice (4 Credits)
This course focuses on applied issues in international business. Students will learn to think strategically about international business issues, and will in turn be able to apply that thinking to best practices. The following subject areas will be covered: country selection, entry mode theory, exporting, born-global businesses, organizational structures internationally, negotiation, consumption, culture, and demand. Other potential topics include global supply chain management/sourcing, country of origin effects, etc.
INTS 4031 Conflict and Security in Cyberspace (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC program participants only. Cyber conflict is a new and complicated strategic problem that will engage the international community at many different levels. The cyber environment challenges traditional strategic thinking, and work on an adequate policy framework to assess and manage cyber conflict is at an early stage. Many traditional security concepts will need to be adjusted for the cyber environment through review and discussion. This class will look at both the national and international dimensions of cyber conflict in the larger international security context.
INTS 4040 Technology and War (4 Credits)
This course introduces graduate students to past, present, and future trends in warfare, focusing especially on the how technological advances affect the ways in which states engage in international conflict. The course will begin by introducing students to a number of theories that help shed light on why technological developments occur and how they affect the conduct of war. Subsequent classes will then examine important technological developments and assess how each has impacted the use of force over time. Topics range from the invention of gunpowder and the use of machine guns, to the development of nuclear weapons, the use of unmanned technologies on the battlefield, and the growing importance of the cyber domain to future inter-state conflict.
INTS 4046 Global Economic Inequality and Human Rights (4 Credits)
The main purpose of this course is to understand the conceptual and empirical issues underlying the political economy of global inequality and its relation to Human Rights. What is inequality? What are the global dimensions of inequality and what are the connections between global inequalities and human rights? What are the proximate and deeper causes of global inequality? How does the analysis of deeper causes of global inequality and poverty relate to the underlying political economy of global capitalism? In order to do this, we will look at the relationship between the world economic system, economic growth, poverty and inequalities in several different dimensions. After an initial exploration of these issues we will focus on the more recently developed social capabilities approach developed by Amartya Sen and others. In particular we will explore the limits of policies under the existing institutional arrangements and examine the need for fundamental changes in the global political economy. A special feature of the course will be an analysis and assessment of the millennium development goals and the prospects for progressive policies in the post-MDG period, e.g., the SDGs. We will also examine the problems of the advanced countries in a rigorous holistic framework that will go beyond the important work of Picketty and his collaborators on inequality.
INTS 4047 Global Sustainable Development and Human Rights (4 Credits)
The main purpose of this course is to understand critically the conceptual and empirical issues underlying the linkages between sustainable development and human rights globally. For this purpose we will need to understand both the current global political economy(GPE) and Geopolitics. The key questions are:What is sustainable development ? What are the global dimensions of sustainable development ? What are the linkages between sustainable development and human rights globally and within particular nation states? How does the discourse of the linkages between sustainable development and human rights relate to the underlying political economy and geopolitics of global capitalism? How does the discourse of the linkages between sustainable development and human rights relate to the underlying causes of inequality and poverty in the world? In order to do this, we will look at the relationships among sustainable development, human rights,energy, technology, geopolitics, geoeconomics, economic growth, poverty and inequalities in several different dimensions. After an initial exploration of these issues we will focus critically on the more recently developed social capabilities approach developed by Amartya Sen and others within the context of domestic and global political economy . In particular we will explore the limits of policies under the existing institutional arrangements and examine the need for fundamental changes in the global political economy and within the nation states. For this purpose we will try to find the approximate but deep causal structure of GPE and the place of sustainability and human rights within this GPE. A special feature of the course will be an analysis and assessment of the climate change issues and renewable energy and critiques of technological fix .
INTS 4048 International Politics of Nuclear Weapons (4 Credits)
This MA-level course analyzes subjects central to the understanding of the role of nuclear weapons in international politics. The course addresses the origins of the atomic bomb project, early efforts to control nuclear materials, deterrence theory, nuclear strategy and force posture, and considers contemporary challenges to the global nuclear order including nuclear latency and nuclear terrorism. The goal of the course is to introduce students to the evolution of scholarship on the role of nuclear weapons in international politics, and to evaluate contemporary nuclear security issues in light of this broader context. Each class will focus on a different substantive topic, interweaving theory with history to better understand each issue area. The course will start with the initial development and use of nuclear weapons, followed by an in-depth look at the early thinking on nuclear strategy and escalation during the Cold War. These classes will cover the Manhattan Project, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the basics of deterrence theory, the arms race between the United States and Soviet Union, and historical cases of nuclear crises and brinksmanship (the Cuban Missile Crisis being the most well-known example). During weeks 5-7 students will explore the politics of nuclear acquisition, evaluating different explanations for why states build nuclear weapons. This section of the course will also explore the variety of ways that the international community has sought to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, including the important role of international institutions, norms, and the nuclear disarmament movement. The final three classes are devoted to contemporary topics in nuclear politics, including the threat of nuclear terrorism, nuclear energy and dual-use issues, regional instability in Northeast and South Asia, the Iran nuclear deal, and the implication of new technologies (e.g. autonomous systems, 3D printing, precision weapons) for nuclear issues. The final class will provide the students with the opportunity to take stock of what we have learnt over the course of the quarter and to reevaluate early thinking on nuclear weapons in light of what we know now.
INTS 4049 Addressing Complex Interagency Problems (4 Credits)
This class will ask students develop the skills and addresses the challenges associated with the process by which policy recommendations are developed within the United States Government, particularly as they relate to complex multi-dimensional security problems. Students will learn about the roles played by various departments and agencies that are engaged in the policy making process, as well as how external actors impact the development of national security policy. This class will also give students the opportunity to learn about the policy making process in the United States inter-agency environment through a series of presentations from practitioners as well as hands-on experience via role-playing and the development of briefing memos, presentations and other materials. Students will learn about the history, structure and function of the interagency process, including past and current reform processes such as the Clinton Administration’s Presidential Decision Directive on Managing Complex Contingency Operations (PDD-56) as well as the more recent Project on National Security Reform. Students will also hear several real-life examples of interagency policy-making from former government officials and various subject-matter experts. Students will be expected to role-play members of a mock National Security Council (NSC) team or as representatives of various US Government Departments and Agencies involved in the interagency decision-making process. Students will identify an actual national security problem and be responsible for debating and agreeing to a set of policy recommendations within the format and structure of the mock NSC. Select students may have the opportunity to present their recommendation to a current member of the National Security Council via video-teleconference. At the end of course, students should have a fundamental understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the current system; what constitutes good NSC products and how to produce them; and how concession and compromise, trade-offs, external public pressure, intelligence issues and budget realities all can play a role in how national security decisions are made.
INTS 4050 Statistical Methods I (4 Credits)
An introductory course featuring statistical reasoning, probability, sampling, statistical inference, nominal and ordinal measures of association, and correlation. Open only to students with no prior background in statistics.
INTS 4051 Statistical Methods II (4 Credits)
This course is a continuation of Statistical Methods I, covering the fundamentals and primary methods of statistical inference. Topics include two-sample hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, chi-square goodness-of-fit tests, chi-square contingency analysis, correlation, simple regression and multiple regression. Emphasis will be on problem solving, computer applications (using Stata) and interpretation of results. This course is offered in the Winter quarter only. Prerequisites: INTS 4050.
INTS 4052 Statistical Methods III (4 Credits)
This course will serve as continuation of Statistical Methods II. This will be an applied, non-calculus based course on statistical techniques used in nonparametric and multivariate analysis. Emphasis will be on applications and data analysis using the statistical software package SAS. Prerequisite: INTS 4051 or INTS 4057.
INTS 4056 Information Management in Humanitarian Crises (4 Credits)
Accurate, reliable and timely data collection, processing, analysis and dissemination (four steps in information management) are critical for the effective implementation of both development and humanitarian programs. In humanitarian responses, there are numerous challenges to managing information in what may be a rapidly evolving situation. This course introduces students to the theory of information management and its application in the humanitarian context.
INTS 4057 Statistics (4 Credits)
This is a fast-paced course which serves as an introduction to basic and intermediate concepts in statistics and probability, as well as the primary methods of statistical inference. Topics include data collection, presenting data in tables and charts, summarizing and describing numerical data, basic probability, discrete probability distributions, normal distribution, sampling distributions, confidence interval estimation, single-sample and two-sample hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, chi-square goodness-of-fit tests, chi-square contingency analysis, simple regression and multiple regression. Emphasis will be on statistical reasoning, problem solving, computer applications (using Stata), and interpretation of results. Prerequisite: Strong quantitative background and a minimum quantitative GRE score of 148 or permission of the instructor.
INTS 4058 Applied Time-Series Analysis (4 Credits)
This course serves as an introduction to time-series analysis and panel data analysis techniques. Topics include moving averages, exponential smoothing, time-series decomposition, model identification and estimation, Box-Jenkins method, ARMA and ARIMA models, and VAR analysis. Panel data analysis includes fixed effects and random effects models. Emphasis will be on computer applications (using Stata) and interpretation of results.
INTS 4059 Data Science With Python (4 Credits)
Python is a widely used programming language for data exploration. In this course, students will first learn programming concepts like data types, regular expressions, conditional statements, loops, functions, and so forth. They will then learn how to write Python programs to conduct data exploration, statistical analysis, visualization, and predictive analysis techniques like decision trees and text mining. Students will also learn how to use various libraries available in Python (like Numpy, Pandas etc.) in their programs. Finally, they will learn how to read and debug (i.e. fix) Python programs written by someone else. No prior programming experience is necessary to enroll in this course.
INTS 4060 Data Visualization (2 Credits)
“The simple graph has brought more information to the data analyst’s mind than any other device,” stated John Tukey, a mathematician distinguished for his contributions to the field of statistics. The course, “Data Visualization” will introduce students to the Grammar of Graphics philosophy which has fundamentally changed thinking about data visualization in the last 20 years. We will use two popular data visualization tools designed using this philosophy: Tableau and the ggplot2 package in R. Students will create a portfolio in which their data visualizations implement best practices — and avoid common pitfalls — to effectively deliver insights.
INTS 4061 Introduction to Survey Methods (4 Credits)
INTS 4062 Data Science with R (4 Credits)
R is a widely used programming language for data analysis. In this course, students will first learn programming concepts like data types, regular expressions, conditional statements, loops, functions etc. They will then learn how to write R programs to conduct data exploration, visualization, basic statistical analyses, as well as produce reproducible reports. Students will also learn how to use various packages available in R in their programs. Finally, they will learn how to read and debug (i.e. fix) R programs written by someone else. No prior programming experience is necessary to enroll in this course.
INTS 4063 Advanced Statistics (4 Credits)
This course is a continuation of INTS 4057 Statistics. Topics include multivariate analyses such as principal component analysis, discriminant analysis, logistic regression and data examination. Emphasis will be on conducting data analyses as well as on interpreting Stata output. In addition, students will develop and write an empirical research paper using a rigorous analysis of the elements of formal research writing. Prerequisite: INTS 4057.
INTS 4078 Modeling for Policy: Development, Sustainability, and Conflict (4 Credits)
This course is intended to provide you with a) an overview of the current state of macro-level human development, environment and security challenges; b) tools to analyze and forecast these dynamics as interdependent systems across long time horizons; and c) deliverables that encourage you to improve your writing for a policy audience.
We review various challenges, starting with well-known issues related to climate change and development. We then move forward and explore the relationship between development and conflict, furthering our understanding of how both civil and international conflicts emerge. Finally, we dig more deeply into issues in the field of “traditional” development, focusing on how investments in education, health, infrastructure, and other areas lead to trade-offs and synergies that can help us better shape multidimensional human capabilities moving forward.
This course introduces students to professional analysis using one class of quantitative tools called integrated assessment models (IAMs), which quantitatively represent complex systems in interaction. IAMs are tools that formally model the interaction across key development systems, like demographics, economics, energy, and the environment. They can be used to 1) think critically about how key trends are unfolding, 2) identify leverage points; and 3) explore the impact of changing policies and environmental uncertainties on desired outcomes.
INTS 4090 Values-Based Leadership in International and Public Affairs (4 Credits)
The professionals who leave Korbel to enter international and public affairs will come to hold positions of influence, privilege, and leadership as they seek to promote the public good. Their behaviors will have significant consequences for those with whom the work, those they serve, and for third parties. Ethical leaders must be attentive to the challenges and contradictions associated with their positions, influence, and interventions. What values do we hope professionals in international and public affairs will embody, and how might they enact those values? This team-taught course engages the entire Korbel graduate student body in centrally important, common, and difficult ethical issues that professionals in international affairs and public policy confront in their work. The course examines values-based leadership, which comprises ethical dilemmas but also issues and questions that commonly arise in practice but do not generally “fit” within the field of professional ethics. Traditional ethics courses tend to teach the two or three principal approaches to ethical frameworks and then present cases to apply those frameworks. This course on values-based leadership (VBL) also examines cases—but it takes the view that professional ethics as it is typically taught does not suffice to prepare students for the complexities of the world they will confront. As a corrective, the course is interdisciplinary, and among other fields incorporates troublesome findings from the new field of behavioral ethics. For example, why do virtuous people often violate their own ethical norms and then fail to recognize that they have done so? The course also reaches beyond ethics to engage other values that are central to responsible leadership—such as inclusivity, allyship, and access to decision-making by those targeted for professional research and policy interventions—while also exploring the contradictions and risks associated with professional privilege. Faculty and students will explore the power dynamics of decision-making where the populations that are the most affected by interventions often lack decision-making authority and may even be further disempowered by professionals’ good intentions. The course looks to bring together, in one Korbel-wide, cross-degree conversation, matters pertaining to values in leadership so that students can engage with others with a broad range of backgrounds, orientations, and career aspirations. No one discipline or professional field has a monopoly on good thinking on VBL. And so the course draws widely on the diverse experiences and expertise of students and faculty at Korbel as we confront together some of the most difficult challenges professionals face over the course of their careers.
INTS 4091 Great Issues in International Affairs (4 Credits)
The course embraces a grand challenges approach that focuses on major issues of the day, while introducing key concepts central to the student of international affairs, notably international political economy, international relations, and governance in all its forms.
Issues may vary from year to year, but will be those central to the Korbel School's mission. These will likely include:
• Economic Inequality
• Environmental Sustainability
• Democracy and Human Rights
• Security
A lead professor will teach the first and last weeks of the quarter and coordinate the remaining weeks. Four other faculty members will each teach a two-week unit on one of the core issues. Each unit will seek to develop students understanding of:
1. The nature of the problem, its manifestations, its causes and its consequences
2. The array of possible interventions—by governments, international organizations, private firms, NGOs, and other—that might address causes or ameliorate consequences.
3. How one would decide which course of action to take.
The course will utilize a mix of lectures and discussion sections led by PhD students. Generally, the first week of these units will frame the larger issue and the second will focus on a more particular instantiation of that issue. For example, in a unit on Inclusive Economic Growth, a first lecture might be explore the broad contours of economic inequality and its likely causes and second might focus on a narrower topic such as access to education, social mobility, or gendered dimensions of inequality, depending on the expertise of the faculty member leading that unit of the course.
INTS 4105 Campaigns and Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
This course will examine the principles of political campaign management and their application to international political campaigns, foreign policy initiatives and international affairs. Students will be introduced to the tools of political campaign management: message development, survey research, audience targeting, and paid and earned communications. Case studies will focus on elements of both US and other nations’ foreign policy. Examples of foreign policy playing a significant role in campaigns in the UK, and Denmark will be highlighted. In addition, there will be a focus on human rights and issue campaign. Classes will be comprised of lectures, discussion and some simulation exercises. Outside specialists will be invited to share their experience and expertise in person or via teleconference. Readings include contemporary journals, periodicals, newspaper reports and excerpts from major studies of campaign and organizational management. Movies and the Internet will be an integral aspect of the class.
INTS 4110 Food/Nutrition Security and Sustainable Development (4 Credits)
This policy-oriented course will examine structures and processes that result in varying food security outcomes across space and time. Food security outcomes reflect interactions among political, economic, socio-cultural, and physical environmental systems. These systems, which are both dynamic and permeable, give rise to particular forms and patterns of food production, distribution, and consumption, and to more or less environmentally-sustainable uses of the natural resources critical to food and nutrition security. Ultimately, food security is realized when all people within a population consume sufficient nutrients to live active and healthy lives. This normative focus on human health and well-being, as the metric by which food security outcomes will be measured, is critical to the framing of this course. Political, economic, and social institutions--positioned at scales encompassing global, national, “local” (micro-regional, community), and household--are simultaneously charged with producing food in particular physical environments and/or making food available and accessible to their populations, and with protecting environmental resources and public health in ways that contribute to nutritional components of human development. The term “political ecology” has been used to describe an analytical framework that explicitly focuses on the interactions among the structures of political economy and those of physical/biological ecologies (including human), together with the socio-cultural contexts that influence structural impacts and help to explain outcomes. This framework incorporates both an explicit navigation among scales (of power and of analysis) and a long-term perspective. Cumulatively, the readings and exercises of this course will build a political ecology of policy domains central to improving food security and nutrition outcomes in both global north and south. We will examine policy issues and constituencies, institutional approaches, theoretical perspectives, and empirical analyses. You will have opportunities to engage with institutional approaches through structured exercises, including a mid-term graded exercise. You will also have an opportunity to produce an independent project that will include your own policy recommendations.
INTS 4127 The Rise and Fall of Great Powers (4 Credits)
This new graduate course provides an in-depth look at often ignored areas of history. Learning about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, British Empire, Russian Empire, Soviet Empire and Chinese Empire provides an excellent backdrop to understanding important historical lessons that are often downplayed in the early 21st century. The course provides a series of good works that can help students better understand the present and future developments of our century.
INTS 4134 Forever Emerging? The Developmental Trajectory of Modern Brazil (4 Credits)
Brazil has the largest population, economy, and industrial basis in Latin America. It is the seventh largest economy in the world, fifth largest country in land area, outranking the continental United States. Like the US, Brazilians are a mix of indigenous, European, and African peoples, along with subsequent inflows of Asian and Middle Eastern immigration, though race, ethnicity, and class have been interpreted with distinct cleavages and hierarchies. We approach our understanding of Brazil through the country’s former capital, Rio de Janeiro, a city of numerous complexities, wonders, contradictions, challenges, and potential. By looking at the historical evolution of this fascinating city, the course will offer students an opportunity to study the evolution of Brazil, from the colonial period to the present day, when the country has increasingly been seen as a regional economic and diplomatic powerhouse, as well as a globally emergent player. By focusing on the historical trajectory of Rio de Janeiro, in an in-depth reflection structured along textual, visual, and in-sight materials and experiences, students are invited to reflect about matters of change and continuity as well as how national socio-political trends are reflected in local contexts, thus also learning to reflect about the interpretive relationship between the micro-macro levels of analysis. Historical political and economic narratives, contemporary analysis of the country’s place in the world, films, music, architecture, guided visits to neighborhoods and local cultural institutions will be our explanatory prisms into the Carioca (Rio-based) spirit and cultural memories as expressions of national trends and trajectories. Through lectures, seminar discussions, and field studies, we explore Rio’s renowned and sometimes notorious informality, from informal housing (favelas) to language, social organization and economic activities. We also explore themes such as tourism, the history of housing policies, and the transformation of local culture into ‘national’ and ‘export’ cultures. Moreover, by looking at the urban transformations over the last 200 years, we explore Brazil's drive to become an industrial power, as well as the new social conflicts produced by these efforts. Finally, we investigate Brazil's contemporary culture, politics, sports, achievements, promises and continued challenges as it proceeds as a so-called emergent nation into the 21st century, while still struggling with its colonial past.
INTS 4136 U.S.-Cuba Relations (4 Credits)
This class will review relations between the U.S. and Cuba from the Spanish-American War in 1898 to present day. On one hand, we find a stand-off that includes an invasion and trade embargo by the U.S., mutual attempts at political disruption, and the exodus of populations from each country to the other. On the other hand, we find surprising levels of cooperation including a longstanding pattern of “back channel” communication between the two governments as well as a degree of cooperation at the societal level. In addition, each country has had a profound influence on the development of social ideals in the other.
INTS 4137 China in the World: Global Drivers, Local Conflicts (4 Credits)
It is impossible to understand the 21st century without discerning China, which now possesses the largest army in the world, the biggest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, and the greatest number of people. Chinese firms provide foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $3.8 trillion in stocks by 2018 and Chinese policy banks fund official development finance totaling around $658 billion between 2000 and 2019. Chinese information and communications technology firms have launched some of the most widely used applications such as TikTok and Zoom. The Ministry of Finance, the People’s Bank of China, and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council have been able to rewrite some of the global development architecture, launching the Belt and Road Initiative and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the. Global commodity chains pass through Chinese territories or maritime economic zones, reaching 12.4% of global trade in 2019.
In security issues, the Chinese Ministries and the People’s Liberation Army have defined norms such as the responsibility to protect in the international community. In global struggle to reduce decarbonization, Chinese electric vehicle companies have been at the forefront of these new technologies and renewable energy companies have made major strides at limiting carbon emissions within its borders. The Chinese Communist Party has redefined human rights, putting the economic definition of the right to livelihood and work above everything else. China’s new rich comprise the fastest growing number of billionaires in the world who are responsible for investments in online gambling or wildlife hunting.
INTS 4141 Domestic/Int'l Conseq:Drug War (4 Credits)
Domestic and international policy and the impact of the drug war on both.
INTS 4142 After the Fall: Russia & China (4 Credits)
Provides analysis of the historical rise of Russia and China, and their complex inter-relationship and interaction with the United States and the world.
INTS 4147 American Govt & Pol. Making (4 Credits)
Examines governmental fragmentation affects and policies and examines how policy issues engage different segments of the government.
INTS 4201 Quantitative Analysis of Global Environmental Change (4 Credits)
This course examines the role of the natural and social sciences in the climate change issue. Climate This course examines the role that quantitative analyses play in characterizing risks to society or ecosystems posed by global environmental change, and how various policy options could reduce those risks. We will focus in particular on analyses with "integrated assessment models" (IAMs), which have been influential in shaping the climate change policy debate. IAMs are typically global-scale systems analyses that integrate societal and environmental aspects of the climate issue. The course will survey alternative types of IAMs and explore how they work using one of the original, and still most influential, IAMs in the climate field, the Dynamic Integrated Climate-Economy (DICE) model developed by recent Nobel laureate William Nordhaus. We will use a recent version of DICE to explore how assumptions affect outcomes, and understand the strengths and weaknesses of such models.
INTS 4205 Hacking for Defense (4 Credits)
Hacking for Defense (H4D) is designed to provide students the opportunity to learn how to work with the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) to better address the nation’s emerging threats and security challenges. (See the background here.) Unlike current practices in the DoD/IC that can stall and in some cases thwart rapid innovation, this course provides a platform to develop pretotypes that address DOD/IC users’ needs in weeks.
Agencies or Commands in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community may provide follow-on funding to student teams for further refinement and development of prototypes. In this Hacking for Defense (H4D) course, student teams may either select from an existing set of problems provided by the DoD/IC community or introduce their own ideas for DoD/IC problems that need to be solved. Although teams pick a problem to solve, Hacking for Defense is not a product incubator for a specific technology solution. Instead, it provides teams with a deeper understanding of selected problems and the host of potential technological solutions that might be arrayed against them.
INTS 4207 The Global Political Economy of China (4 Credits)
China’s rise in the 21st century has given rise to complex reactions in both the global North and the global South. This course will explore the rise of China and its possible consequences for the Global Political Economy from a complex systems perspective. The recently developed evolutionary theory of Global Political Economy will be the basic framework. We will build up an applicable ecologically sound evolutionary theory from the bottom up to understand 21st century Chinese paradoxes and ambiguities. These paradoxes and ambiguities are not accidental but relate to tensions in the moral economy of PRC embedded in the world of the early 21st century. Furthermore, the uneven development of both the Chinese and Global Political Economies across space and over time has led to immense inequalities among groups and possible polarizations. We will examine these inequalities and related emerging issues both theoretically and empirically and begin a conversation between the theorists and practitioners. In this way, this course is intended to begin the much needed dialogue among students of global society regarding the contemporary relevance of a complex multilayered innovative economy like that of the PRC. The ecological and geopolitical aspects of China’s rise will be analyzed within our Evolutionary Ecological Global Political Economy framework. The well-being of the Chinese people and others in the Global Political Economy will be analyzed by using an extension of Sen’s capabilities theory called the Socially Embedded Intersectional Capabilities Theory.
INTS 4210 Global Value Chains, Multinational Corporations, and Investment Sustainability (4 Credits)
The emergence of sweeping new legal rights for Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in relation to their foreign direct investment and cross-border trading activities under the avalanche of bilateral investment treaties negotiated in the last few decades and under multilateral conventions such as NAFTA represent what many have termed "revolutionary" changes in the nature of state sovereignty as it relates to state-investor relations. That expansion of investor/MNC rights in relation to state sovereignty has thus seemingly reached a point calling for re-examination of the nature and appropriate scope of MNC rights, as well as the nature of MNE accountability and responsibilities which are the flip side of such rights.
INTS 4215 Gender and Humanitarian Assistance (4 Credits)
In recent decades, the humanitarian system has grappled with the concept of gender and how to operationalize it in the context of humanitarian preparedness and response. Through readings, class discussions, guest speakers and assignments, students will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of how the humanitarian system’s approach is evolving in theory and practice.
INTS 4220 Political Economy of Energy & Sustainable Development (4 Credits)
The main purpose of this course is to understand critically the conceptual and empirical issues underlying the linkages between energy and sustainable development within the current global political economy(GPE) and Geopolitics. What is sustainable development? What are the global dimensions of sustainable development? What are the linkages between energy and sustainable development? How does the discourse of the linkages between energy and sustainable development relate to the underlying political economy and geopolitics of global capitalism? How does the discourse of the linkages between energy and sustainable development relate to the underlying causes of inequality and poverty in the world? In order to do this, we will look at the relationships among energy, geopolitics, geoeconomics, economic growth, poverty and inequalities in several different dimensions.
INTS 4223 Global Dynamics and Local Threats in Agricultural Development (4 Credits)
Many low- and middle-income countries in which agriculture plays a key role for development are characterized by high levels of socio-economic inequality, a mixed human rights record and a dominance of transnational corporate power in domestic agricultural export markets. At the same time, these countries face processes of environmental degradation through anthropogenic and natural drivers of change that affect the availability of ecosystem services and thus shape agricultural development and human wellbeing. This course offers an in-depth study of the political, socio-economic and social-ecological conditions for sustainable agricultural development in low- and middle-income countries. We explore the political economy of agricultural production and trade in countries that depend to a significant extent on the export of agricultural commodities as a source of foreign revenue. We examine the design and implementation of global policy frameworks, international agreements, and national strategies for agricultural production and trade, with a particular focus for the governance of natural resource use. Our goal is to assess the relevance and effectiveness of current governance structures for agriculture to respond to local-, regional-and global-scale environmental changes and socio-economic challenges in ways that address current and future human needs. Through case studies from selected agricultural sub-sectors and diverse countries from across Asia, Africa and Latin America, we investigate local strategies for natural resource use in the context of poverty, inequality, and environmental change. The course provides a comprehensive coverage of the political economy of agricultural development and an introduction to social-ecological systems analysis as a theoretical framework for interdisciplinary research in the field of sustainable development.
INTS 4226 Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development (4 Credits)
This course provides an overview of the role of social entrepreneurs, innovative small firms, and entrepreneurial NGOs in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. Market-driven strategies are increasingly important for all organizations, in government, public, or private sectors, to encourage local solutions that are sustainable and do not require ongoing subsidy. Entrepreneurial NGOs and small firms are a great source of local innovation and adaptation, identifying potential strategies that can be scaled up through partnerships with governments, social purpose organizations, or private capital. These market-driven strategies are based on a good understanding of customers, the value provided, and how to best deliver products and services to vulnerable populations in a responsible way. Further, a strong customer and market focus ensures that all social purpose organizations (both for-profit businesses and NGOs) meet customer needs effectively and develop new products and services efficiently.
INTS 4227 Social Impact & Sustainability Lab (4 Credits)
This course combines classroom work with a project-based learning opportunity that matches students to a specific project for a social enterprise organization or research on a social enterprise topic. The class combines structured introduction to social enterprise business models and strategies to enhance social impact and financial sustainability with real organizations and practical challenges of launching and managing social enterprises. This approach allows teams of students to work together on real issues for social enterprises, learn strategies and tools for designing better solutions to development challenges, and learn some basic consulting and research skills with group discussion and shared learning. While INTS 4226 Social Entrepreneurship & Sustainable Development is not a pre-requisite, it provides a helpful overview.
INTS 4228 Development Practicum in Social Enterprise (4 Credits)
As global development challenges continue to evolve, many are complex, inter-connected social challenges that we call “wicked problems.” These challenges require development organizations and social entrepreneurs to combine human-centered design and systems thinking methods to design better solutions, and to include business planning for implementation and social impact management for continual learning. While not all organizations are “social enterprises” with earned revenue streams to drive their social impact, all social-purpose organizations can benefit from an entrepreneurial approach to problem-solving. They need human-centered and systems-minded impact strategies, market-driven business models, and well-designed performance metrics to guide continual innovation and improvement. Further, organizations that consistently strive to improve customer outcomes and make existing systems work better will be leaders in social innovation that create sustainable change.
This Development Practicum is an experiential learning opportunity that matches students with projects for existing development organizations to help strengthen their customer-centered program design, business model, social outcomes, or financial sustainability. This allows teams of students to work together on a real problems, gain experience in how to design better solutions to development challenges, and learn and apply strategies and tools in Human Centered Design, business planning, and social impact management.
The Practicum matches teams of 2-3 students to a client consulting projects and provides structured classroom learning about social enterprise principles and strategies for better solution design and successful implementation. This approach gives students structure for their consulting or research projects, and facilitates group learning and insights.
INTS 4234 International Security, Diplomacy and Force (4 Credits)
The course examines the ways and means of war and peace with a focus on both multilateral and bilateral forms of diplomacy. We begin with the use of force and the modalities of peacemaking in the Greco-Roman, Indian and Chinese ancient worlds. Ending wars in the “modern” period has often resulted in new constructs to maintain peace. Thus, the Peace of Augsburg (1555) and the Peace of Westphalia (1648) that ended warfare among German states established a foundation for sovereignty as cornerstone of a new state system. When post-1789 France became a “revolutionary” power, she dramatically upset the status quo. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, conservative powers gathered in the Congress of Vienna to restore a balance of power. The arrangements they established (dubbed the “Concert of Europe”) successfully avoided general war for 99 years. World War I (1914-18) was followed by multilateral diplomacy at Versailles and formation of the League of Nations and agreement to maintain international security through application of international law. Failure of this design in the interwar period led to another attempt after World War II (1939-45) at Yalta, Potsdam, Dumbarton Oaks, and San Francisco to establish and maintain peace not just by international law (collective security), but also through alliances (collective defense)—both under United Nations auspices. In the seven decades since, both bilateral and multilateral diplomacy have been used to restore or maintain international peace and security, also engaging in peacekeeping and arms control efforts in relation to weapons of mass destruction, confidence- and security-building measures (CSBMs), space and other security-related matters on present-day national and international security agendas.
INTS 4235 Realism and Great Powers (4 Credits)
We focus in this course on realist understandings that relate to national security—a focus on the power wielded by states and the balance of power among them. Under anarchy (the absence of central authority), wars and “rumors” of wars are the continual expectation, whether dealing with city-states in ancient Greece, Renaissance Italy, American or European states in the 18th and 19th centuries, or interstate conflicts across the globe in the 20th and 21st centuries. It is a world aptly described by Thucydides and Sun Tzu, Machiavelli and Hobbes—not to mention, among others (and with variations in their approach), Carr, Niebuhr, Morgenthau, Waltz, Hoffmann, Gilpin, Schelling and, in our time (in no particular order), Mearsheimer, Walt, Betts, Layne, Posen, Schweller, Grieco, VanEvera, Snyder, Jervis, and Nye. We also take account of critics of realism (for example, Haas, Ruggie, and Ashley)—as well as those who have made their peace with it (for example, Keohane and Wendt). The central question is what does realism offer to both theorists and policy practitioners?.
INTS 4236 Human Security and Sexuality (4 Credits)
The root of homophobic views are often religious and cultural (mis)understandings deeply embedded in many societies around the world. Expressed in secular terms, the sexual orientation and identity of the majority trump those of sexuality minorities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, other “queer” or questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) individuals have a personal stake in both security and the rights they have as human beings wherever they reside around the world. Violence, threats, discrimination, marginalization and other forms of harm directed to persons due to their sexual orientation or identities are worldwide human-security issues the course addresses.
INTS 4237 Human Rights and Security (4 Credits)
Throughout their 200,000 year history, humans have gathered into groups ruled by strongmen, to seek protection or prey on others. Just three centuries ago, Enlightenment thinkers challenged that conception of society and governance, which soon led to a remarkable event: the 1776 creation of a state whose rationale for existing was to secure the inalienable rights of all individuals to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” That changed world politics. It meant that while the fate of states would continue to be shaped by their relative power, a new moral standard would be applied to governments: the extent to which they recognized universal human rights. As John Quincy Adams put it in 1817, the mixture of America’s emerging power and its avowed commitment to human freedom made America a “dangerous nation” in the eyes of the world’s authoritarian regimes.
It also meant that competing conceptions of human rights would permeate American domestic struggles: over rights for white men vs. equal rights for all, over rights to property vs. labor rights, over national security vs. free speech and privacy rights, and over whether to defend rights only at home vs. the need (or obligation) to advance them internationally. Along the way, those U.S. debates led to a Civil War, a war to defeat fascism, and a cold war (including U.S. support for many “third world” dictators) to defend the market democracies of the West against authoritarian Communism.
From the early post-cold war promise of an advance toward globally inclusive universal rights—during which such subjects as a “responsibility to protect” and support for democratic transitions entered mainstream policy debates—a “democratic recession” has now reached the point of serious threat to preserving even the United States as a rights-based Republic. For the first time since the 1930’s, a U.S. President offers a conception of national security that rejects promotion of human rights abroad. Domestically, a struggle over whether the object of “national security” is a Republic based on equal rights for all, or a racially and religiously defined “nation,” evokes memories of the clash that once led to civil war. Finally, Vladimir Putin’s effort to subvert all Western democracies presents us with a “cyber” version of the 20th century’s international, state-led assaults on the West by fascist and communist major powers.
Those struggles are the subject of this course.
INTS 4238 Modern Political Violence and Human Rights (4 Credits)
The landscape of contemporary political violence is marked by a dizzying array of actors, including rebel groups, militias, gangs, and state governments. In this class, students will develop a better understanding of belligerents in modern conflicts and how they relate to one another. Students will also develop an in-depth understanding of a non-state armed group or conflict of their choice.
INTS 4271 Sex and Violence (4 Credits)
Some have described war as “long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” In these periods of ennui, combatants have often found themselves filling the time with affairs of the heart (and other, less PG organs). This course considers how armed groups—ranging from state militaries to non-state armed groups—manage romance, sex, and family within their ranks. Examining these subjects is not an exercise in voyeurism, but rather a means by which we can better understand the quotidian operations of armed groups and, thus, the conduct of war.
INTS 4290 Gender, Environment, and Development (4 Credits)
This course is concerned with how and why gender matters in producing environmental, economic, and social outcomes of planned and unplanned development. It is also concerned with gender as a human rights issue and the equity and ethical dimensions of environmental and related economic planning. Beyond these practical implications of gendered environments, the course will engage theoretical and ideological underpinnings for the gendered structures of environmental control and management encountered in a wide range of physical environments.
INTS 4301 Introduction to Political Theory (4 Credits)
Political theory analyzes and interprets the foundations of political life and evaluates its principles, concepts and institutions. It is fundamentally concerned with the normative political relationships among human beings that revolve around the organization and basis of government. This course provides an introduction to Western political theory through key texts and thinkers that are essential reference points in the social science literature. The focus will be on the Enlightenment tradition and the approach will be geared toward understanding how the seminal texts and thinkers of this period have shape--and continue to shape--our understanding of political ideas and norms. This course will also have a pragmatic component, where the books and ideas under consideration will be applied to contemporary international debates and issues. Please note that this course is geared toward students without a strong background in political theory. No previous knowledge is required or assumed. All that is needed is an open mind and willingness to work hard.
INTS 4303 Econometrics for Decision Making I (4 Credits)
The first course in a two course sequence in Applied Econometrics. Introduces basic probabilistic techniques for the quantitative analysis of economic and social data and their application to international public policy decision making. Prepares students to: compile and analyze data sets; build and test regression models; interpret and critically evaluate applied econometric studies; and conduct their own applied econometric research using computerized statistical packages. Prerequisite: INTS 4051 or INTS 4057.
INTS 4310 International Trade (4 Credits)
An intermediate course analyzing causes and consequences of international trade. Classical, neo-classical, and product- cycle models included. Topics include international specification, terms of trade of developed and less- developed countries, distribution of gains from trade, instruments and uses of commercial policy, nominal and effective protection, and theory of customs unions and economic integration. Prerequisite: grade of B- or better in undergraduate course in Introductory Microeconomics, Principles of Economics (combining Introductory Micro and Macroeconomics), or International Economics. Students who have not completed the undergraduate prerequisites for INTS 4310 should first complete INTS 4536.
INTS 4320 Int'l Monetary Relations (4 Credits)
An intermediate course examining history of the monetary system, foreign exchange rates, balance of payments analysis, and adjustment processes under different exchange systems, current status problems, and prospects for reform. Prerequisite: grade of B- or better in undergraduate course in Introductory Macroeconomics, Principles of Economics (combining Introductory Micro and Macroeconomics), or International Economics. Students who have not completed the undergraduate prerequisites for 4320 should first complete INTS 4536.
INTS 4324 International Political Economy (4 Credits)
The course examines 3 contrasting visions of international political economy: economic security, trade and finance.
INTS 4327 Advanced Issues in International Studies (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to train students in advanced research in the fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics. The course achieves these ends through an investigation into a particular empirical theme (of the professor’s choosing in any given year). While due emphasis is placed on the major findings of the specified literature, as much or more attention is given to the research design, methods and evidence of the selected literature. Students will learn what constitutes a falsifiable hypothesis and what the alternatives to falsifiability are, examine various scholars’ methods of operationalization and measurement, consider the merits of treating rival explanations to one’s own, and judge the veracity of findings by these and other criteria. In addition, students will apply such knowledge gained by writing their own original research paper during the quarter. The course aims to assist primarily PhD candidates in their abilities to carry out research, to assess the quality of other scholars’ research, to teach in the fields of International Relations and Comparative Politics, and to excel in their comprehensive exams. Please note that this course is offered only once every other year. Thus PhD candidates must enroll in the first year it is available in their course program.
INTS 4330 International Business Transactions (4 Credits)
INTS 4332 Data Analysis and Development (4 Credits)
INTS 4333 International Project Design and Monitoring (4 Credits)
It can be beneficial for graduate students planning careers in multilateral and bilateral development agencies, non-profit organizations, private-sector companies, and professional services organizations to have an understanding of how to develop a project proposal, implement it, and evaluate its results. These are useful skills for entering or reentering employment with these organizations. The Josef Korbel School of International Studies currently offers a trilogy of courses in international project cycle management—international project design and monitoring, project management, and international project evaluation. The three courses are delivered in sequence during the academic year in conformance with the project cycle, but they can be taken out of sequence without prerequisite or need to take them all. Each course uses monitoring and evaluation methods and means to connect the design, management, and evaluation of a project. Students may have been exposed some of these methods in courses covering quantitative and qualitative techniques and field research methods. Each course also shares in common the development teams and managers of those teams to produce the key deliverables at three key stages of the international project cycle. The purpose of the International Project Design and Monitoring course (formerly International Project Analysis) is to provide students with an appreciation for the myriad of considerations in designing and monitoring an international development intervention and exposure to conventional and unconventional methods and means for doing so. The international project cycle begins with identifying an intervention to address a development impediment or opportunity faced by a target group. A development intervention typically falls into a sector or thematic area, such as education and health care, and it is generally directed towards physical, human, institutional/legal capacity building, or a combination of them. Projects can be singular in scope, such as building a new primary school, or broadly scoped to mitigate causes of poverty, such as the Millennium Development Villages project, but they all should be a unique endeavor with a beginning and an end. Much of the physical development today is supported by the private sector or state sponsored organizations, with less support through traditional foreign aid unless it is a major reconstruction effort like in Afghanistan. In this course, students will learn that a project proposal should be designed in concert with the beneficiaries to be relevant, feasible, and supported by their needs, but also recognizing their absorption capacities. Such a project proposal should ideally have gone through a systematic analysis of factors that will affect its design and management of risk, including economic, financial, environmental, technical, and social factors, as well as special safeguard areas. Students will also learn about the continued need for project proposals to define the underlying theory of change, assumptions, and logical framework for linking inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and ultimately desired impacts. Establishing a performance management plan for the project that defines, among other things, the metrics and milestones for monitoring the process is an essential component of most project proposals. However, students will learn that adherence to plans is challenging under complex development conditions.
INTS 4337 Current Challenges in the Middle East (4 Credits)
In this course, we will examine some of the issues, events and decisions that may be contributing to this perception and more generally on the evolving role of the U.S. in the Middle East. Is the perception correct? What might be happening with U.S. policy in the region? What might we expect as the Trump administration’s decidedly pro-Israel/pro-Saudi approach solidifies? What are America’s genuine policy interests in the region and how should the U.S. be addressing those? And what are the challenges and responsibilities of the governments and peoples of the region in tackling their many problems, from sectarianism to poor economic growth to environmental degradation? Can the U.S. play an effective role in any of those challenges?
Through the study of specific issues, we will focus our attention on the policy-making process and decisions, key interests and motivations, alternatives, the decision makers and their unique roles, and the ultimate impact their decisions may have today and in the future. We will also try to understand American attitudes and perceptions that shape policy as well as those of the people in the region. As we proceed through our study, we will ask ourselves how decisions impact the region and the U.S. today and in the future.
INTS 4339 Microfinance Lessons: Inclusive Markets and Development (4 Credits)
This course provides an overview of why microfinance and financial inclusion are key strategies and platforms to build sustainable development and inclusive markets and how the financial inclusion ecosystem supports development outcomes through direct impact of microfinance institutions (MFIs) and systems change. Microfinance and financial inclusion are important ways to improve economic choices and household resilience among the poor, providing access to credit, safe savings options, payment systems, and even micro-insurance to help the poor manage risk and financial uncertainty. They are also important tools to create local, inclusive markets and economic opportunity by facilitating micro and small business development and access to development assets like clean energy, clean water, agricultural inputs, education, and healthcare. We will focus on lessons and insights from microfinance’s evolution into financial inclusion, how digital finance and other technology innovations are creating new opportunities and risks in development, and the shared characteristics of highly effective microfinance institutions and NGOs that integrate microfinance into their development strategies.
INTS 4341 Illicit Markets in the Americas (4 Credits)
This course applies the understandings of International Political Economy (IPE) to the study of illicit market activity in the western hemisphere. While sociologists, criminologists, legal scholars and law enforcement agencies have all contributed substantially to this area of study, IPE has only recently been applied. So what can this approach contribute? Through IPE, we can place illicit market activity within the larger structure of trade and monetary relations, the rise of the informal sector and the existence of economic and other inequalities in particular regions. We can consider the nature and impact of North-South relations and the process of structural adjustments as advised by international financial institutions. Further, we can evaluate the overall function and effectiveness of law enforcement, governing institutions and international organizations in controlling illicit market activity. Finally, through IPE, we can consider the ideational context of participation in illicit market activity.
INTS 4342 Project Management (4 Credits)
It can be beneficial for graduate students planning careers in multilateral and bilateral development agencies, non-profit organizations, private-sector companies, and professional services organizations to have an understanding of how to develop a project proposal, implement it, and evaluate its results. These are useful skills for entering or reentering employment with these organizations. The Josef Korbel School of International Studies currently offers a trilogy of courses in international project cycle management—international project design and monitoring, project management, and international project evaluation. The three courses are delivered in sequence during the academic year in conformance with the project cycle, but they can be taken out of sequence without prerequisite or need to take them all. Each course uses monitoring and evaluation methods and means to connect the design, management, and evaluation of a project. Students may have been exposed some of these methods in courses covering quantitative and qualitative techniques and field research methods. Each course also shares in common the development teams and managers of those teams to produce the key deliverables at three key stages of the international project cycle. The purpose of the Project Management course is to expose students to right- and left-brain approaches to managing the knowledge areas of project management, such as time and cost management, as well as approaches used by project managers and their teams. This course concentrates on the implementation and completion/transition phases of the international project cycle. The implementation phase commences after stakeholders approve a project proposal—translated into a project charter—from which a detailed project management plan is developed to execute the project. Project managers rely, to a large extent, on internationally recognized management approaches to move workflow smoothly among project phases, allocate project tasks effectively, efficiency track project milestones, and make adjustment for inevitable and often uncontrollable project delays and cost overruns. The completion/transition phase ends the project and transfers control from the project team to the operational team, preferably through a defined exit strategy. The course covers the knowledge and skills needed to meet the educational requirements for certification by the Project Management Institute (PMI). PMI serves practitioners and organizations by providing standards that describe leading practices, globally recognized credentials that certify project management expertise, and resources for professional development, networking and community. PMI credentials certify your knowledge and experience in project management so you can be more confident at work and more competitive in the job market. Several other organizations will be mentioned that also provide certification, but all share in common required education hours, years of experience, and passing a professional examination. Students in the course will exhibit their new knowledge and skills by joining small teams to prepare a professional project management plan for the selected development project charter and through individual examination.
INTS 4349 Comparative Public Policy and Finance (4 Credits)
Course aims to provide in-depth treatment of the question "why do size, form, financing, and distributive outcomes of government differ so greatly across nations?.
INTS 4350 Economic Development (4 Credits)
This course combines an introduction to the theories and key issues in economic development with a rigorous analysis of empirical evidence from low- and middle-income countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The course enables participants to develop an in-depth understanding of diverse local, national, and regional patterns of economic development, and to critically assess the design and potential social and economic consequences of global policy frameworks and national economic development strategies.
The course starts with providing an outline of global trends in poverty, inequality and growth, including a discussion of key concepts and ways of measuring economic development. Part I focuses on classical, neoclassical, and institutional theories of economic development. Linkages between the intellectual basis of different theories and major political currents and ideologies, and the associated policy design, are assessed. In part II, core themes in economic development are explored, including agriculture, trade, industrialization, labor, and the environment. The analysis of diverse country studies illuminates how historically specific social, political, and institutional conditions shape development outcomes. In part III, we examine the design and implementation of economic development policy through an analysis of international aid agendas and institutional modalities of ODA, with a particular focus on emerging donors. We investigate the strength and weaknesses of national economic development policies through an in-depth study of selected country case studies.
Please note that a mastering of quantitative economics is not a requirement for this course.
INTS 4355 Finance and Development (4 Credits)
An advanced course which examines the relationship between financial system organization and economic performance. The political economy of financial innovation, liberalization and globalization, state-finance-industry relations, micro-lending, stock markets and regional financing are discussed with reference to Latin America, Asia and African countries. Completion of INTS 4320 and INTS 4350 prior to taking this course are recommended but not required; students with questions should contact the professor.
INTS 4362 Gender and Health (4 Credits)
This course will introduce students to theories/concepts of gender and health and examine the interlinkages between global health policies and programs. It will cover the design, delivery, reception, and effectiveness of international programs aimed at improving health outcomes for women and men. The course will review women and men's access to health, and the influence of patriarchy/masculinity on health at micro, meso and macro levels. The readings from the course focus on major theoretical and analytical debates in the field of international/global health, such as HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence (especially in relation to emergencies/humanitarian crises), key populations (MSM (Men who have sex with men), Commercial sex workers, IDUs (Injecting drug users)), LGBT health, and sexual and reproductive health. Research projects provide students an opportunity to explore further the linkage between health and gender, health care or health policy and gender, gender and health-related issues in emergencies, and the relevant health and gender interventions in a country of their choice.
INTS 4364 Global Poverty and Human Rights (4 Credits)
This course explores the many dimensions of global poverty and human rights and well-being of people around the world. Three particular areas are emphasized and explored in detail. The first is the exact dimensions and extent of globalization. The second is the exact nature of another complex thought called poverty. The third area explores the connections between globalization, poverty, and human rights. After rigorous discussion of the conceptual foundations, we focus on the U.N. millennium development goals for poverty reduction in particular. At the end we will be able to explore the analytical foundation of alternative policies, strategies and evaluate these for formulating alternative strategies addressing human rights issues and global poverty reduction.
INTS 4367 Global Health Affairs (4 Credits)
Introductory survey class for all students interested in intersection of international affairs and global health and security, development and economics.
INTS 4368 HIV & AIDS in International Affairs (4 Credits)
Upon completion of the course, students will understand (a) the concept of global health security; (b) HIV/AIDS as an epidemiological phenomenon; (c) the political, economic and social contexts of HIV/AIDS in specific regions of the world; (d) HIV/AIDS as a threat to security and gender; (e) security considerations of HIV/AIDS impacts in development and as a human right.
INTS 4369 Political Economy of Global Poverty & Inequality (4 Credits)
The main purpose of this course is to understand the underlying causes of inequality and poverty in the world. In order to do this, we look at the relationship between economic growth, poverty, and inequalities in several different dimensions. First, the process of sustainable grown itself is analyzed. Second, the implications of different types of growth for income distribution and poverty are studied. Finally, the implications of such inequalities for human welfare in developing economies in particular are studied. After an initial exploration of the income-based measures of poverty and inequalities we focus on the more recently developed social capabilities approach developed by Amartya Sen and others.
INTS 4370 The Global Economy: Conflict, Crisis and Cooperation (4 Credits)
An introductory course on the nature of global economic integration in the postwar period, including contending theoretic perspectives, and several applied issues and policy dilemmas such as the evolving nature of firms (e.g. globalization of production), the "new international of labor," and the status of national sovereignty/policy autonomy in an integrated world economy, politics and markets, and currents themes in political economy.
INTS 4372 Great Books in Political Economy (4 Credits)
This course investigates several contemporary approaches to Political Economy, ranging from institutionalist to Marxist, anti-essentialist, and (postmodernist) feminist thought. Rather than attempt to survey quickly a lot of literature, we carefully read a limited number of influential (and provocative) texts that present a range of perspectives with which most students are largely unfamiliar. These are very challenging texts, and students must be prepared to spend a good bit of time on the assigned readings weekly.
INTS 4379 Gender and Development (4 Credits)
This course is concerned with how and why gender matters in outcomes and impacts of planned and unplanned development. It is also concerned with gender as a human rights issue and the equity and ethical dimensions of development planning. Beyond these practical implications, the course engages theoretical and ideological underpinnings for the gendered structures of economic, political, and social power encountered in a wide range of economic and social development contexts. Throughout the quarter, the class examines interactions among structural and cultural (including ideational) factors that together comprise and construct gendered environments. Structural and cultural factors are, at the least, mutually reinforcing, and may be mutually constitutive. The class interrogates the ways in which each set of economic and social transformations broadly encompassed within a human-rights or human-development approach to international development. The class also engages interacting dimensions of change, including economic, social, political, physical environmental, and human biological dimensions. The class explicitly examines all interactions across scales from global to local. If we were looking for a label for this approach, it could be called “gendered political ecology.” We could also use a term coined by Dianne Rocheleau and others, “feminist political ecology,” which suggests the need to examine the responsibilities, freedoms, and control of resources, together with the varying forms of agency, strategy, and tactic deployed by women (often in partnership with men) to redress these inequalities. The class considers numerous cases from the Global South, and some from the Global North. These case studies immerse us in the diversity and complexity of gender and development interactions and in the “grounded agency” (Radcliffe 2006) through which women and men attempt to secure livelihoods – that is, “making a living and making living meaningful” (Bebbington 2000) – to enjoy long and healthy lives, and to participate in full citizenship. These cases also illustrate myriad patterns of gender construction across ethnicity, class, age, marital status, and other differences among women and men. This is a policy-oriented course. The class explores the ways in which the gendered division of labor and resources, and the socio-cultural construction of masculinities and femininities, influence perceptions, formulation, and implementation of development policies and practices. The class traces the differential impacts of development policies and initiatives on women, men, and gender relations in the developing world as well as efforts to target women through more gender-sensitive development initiatives. Ultimately, this course considers how ideologies and institutions of global development might yet enable women’s empowerment and facilitate equity in a deeply unequal and interconnected world.
INTS 4384 Middle East and U.S. Security (4 Credits)
The course will examine current US strategies toward the Middle East, terrorism, and how Homeland Security in US will respond.
INTS 4391 Financial Management and Fundraising of Non-Profits (4 Credits)
This course will introduce students to the legal, governance and financial structures that enable non-profit organizations to function effectively. It will also provide a practical orientation to financial management issues, such as budgeting, financial reporting, and independent audits. Finally, a comprehensive presentation will be given of the fundraising methods needed to sustain the viability of non-profit organizations. These methods include: annual campaigns, direct mail, special events, major gifts, corporate fundraising, foundation grants, and planned giving. The course combines exploration of the general conceptual issues with an emphasis on practical "how-to's" and skill building.
INTS 4394 The Organizational Psychology of Non-Profits (4 Credits)
Nonprofit management issues and techniques looks at current NGOs and issues in working with corporations.
INTS 4397 The Environment, The Economy, and Human Well-Being (4 Credits)
In this course we will explore the role of the environment plays in society and the determination of human well-being, and how this can be addressed from an economic perspective. A core premise of the course is that the human economy is embedded within the broader context of human society, which in turn is embedded within a natural environment. The natural environment provides a variety of goods and services, which, through interactions between the environment, individuals, and society, contribute to human well-being. Some of these services are directly used by people. Others contribute indirectly by allowing for the continued provision of other services. As such, any discussion of human well-being and development that ignores the natural environment is inherently problematic. We will specifically adopt an economic perspective, but one that goes well beyond that of conventional neoclassical economics.
INTS 4399 Issues in Global Economics and Financial Security (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC participants only. The course discusses global economic and financial security issues through the prism of the current crisis and its aftermath. We begin by developing the analytical framework and then applying it to key countries/regions. We consider the causes, the policy responses and prospects. We look at ways of ensuring global monetary and financial stability, including appropriate policies to ward off financial crises and asset prices bubbles. Other key topics, including food and energy security and the role of finance in promoting development, are also discussed as time permits. The focus is on applied economics and finance, and their importance as analytical tools in policy discussions on economic security and development. This course is less narrowly technical, more policy and political economy oriented, but nonetheless appropriate for students concentrating in global markets, development, finance and trade. These are a few guest speakers on special topics, in addition to answering questions about career choices and professional development.
INTS 4404 Cities, Security, and Health (4 Credits)
This course will present a framework to analyze the impact of urbanization on human development and security in a comparative context of major urban centers in the developed and developing world. It will provide a practicum for utilizing cross-disciplinary methods and perspectives to address specific challenges to urban and human development. We will examine urbanization through a framework of human development, environmental health and security, and explore how public policy and planning can create short- and long-term impacts on multiple outcomes.
INTS 4423 Introduction to Epidemiology (4 Credits)
Decisions and policy related to global health are based on data from various disciplines such as demography, medicine, and epidemiology. Therefore, it is crucial to correctly understand and interpret what health data and the data in general tell us. This course provides the knowledge and skills required to critically assess data, and understand both strengths and limitations of data and research. This course covers the basic principles and concepts of descriptive and analytic methods in epidemiology and their application to research and practice in public and global health.
INTS 4427 The Political Economy of Sustainable Development in Africa (4 Credits)
This course introduces the political economy of sustainable Development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It uses a multidisciplinary approach that draws on literature from development economics, international relations, comparative politics, sociology, and history, as well as a broad range of country case studies. We engage with the main theoretical and empirical debates on sustainable economic and human development in SSA and examine a diverse range of country case studies. The topics covered include past and current political and economic conditions for economic growth and the improvement of human welfare levels, sustainable agricultural development and governance of natural resources, increased resilience - socially and economically - to rapid environmental change, and the role of foreign aid in African development. We explore the region's integration into the global political economy and examine the role of the state in Africa's development today. The course helps students to understand the major development challenges facing African societies today by illuminating patterns as well as diversity in development trajectories across the region.
INTS 4435 Health and Development (4 Credits)
Looks at how health status of populations affects culture and environment, and also how successful development affects health.
INTS 4437 American Public Opinion & Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
This course examines American public opinion and its impact of foreign policy. The course begins with an investigation of what is public opinion in general and how it is collected, analyzed and used. The primary sources of American public opinion data and analyses are identified. The course proceeds to outline the controversies of American public opinion related to foreign policy decision-making using historical perspectives and the most recent challenges from the first Iraq War to the Arab Spring. Although foreign policy is often a secondary issue for the public compared to domestic issues, in recent times it has been mostly responsible for the transition from a Republican-dominated era to the Democrats’ ascendance. A series of principles that have informed practitioners and foreign policy experts concerning American opinion related to foreign policy is examined and affirmed or debunked. Also, media and its persuasive power in opinion formation are considered. At the conclusion of the course, students should be familiar with a selection of foreign policy challenges that America has confronted in the modern era, the role of public opinion in the national decision-making and the existence of guiding principles of public opinion and their exceptions.
INTS 4438 International Public Opinion and Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
This course examines international public opinion and introduces the major international opinion trends that impact foreign affairs. The course first reviews international public opinion worldwide, then by major regions and finally a selection of leading countries. The theoretical question is how public opinion influences foreign policy in countries around the world, and if and when it does, under what conditions. Also, how international opinion affects American foreign policy, including the views of foreign publics toward America and its policies, is also examined. The course begins with an investigation of the history of collection and diffusion of international survey research, the quality of the data and the techniques used to collect it. The relationship of public opinion research and democratic government and media freedom is examined. The second part of the course outlines some of the public opinion benchmarks, their variations and similarities among countries and regions, and their change over time. A variety of the best sources of opinion data are used. Benchmarks include: level of satisfaction with the direction of own nation; satisfaction with and preferences for form of government; satisfaction with and preferences for economic system, the role of government intervention and entrepreneurial values; nationalism and approach to neighbors; attitudes toward Americans, American leadership and foreign policy; and impact of cell phones and Internet on opinion formation and collection. The course's orientation is both from an American foreign policy perspective and from the perspective of key international organizations, such as the UN, OAS, EU, etc. At the conclusion of the course, students should be familiar with the history and sources of international public opinion research, the major similarities and differences in international and regional public opinion, and the impact that it has on both American and international, multinational organization foreign policy decision-making. When available, there are guest speakers concerning the impact of public opinion on foreign policy decision makers.
INTS 4447 Making of Chinese Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
This seminar course examines and analyzes the making of foreign policy in China, a rising power in the 21st-Century. We look at and identify major driving forces behind China's foreign policy-making, including ideational sources (historical legacy, strategic culture, communism, and nationalism), domestic and institutional sources (foreign policy making institutions, elite politics and key players), and international sources (international system and regimes). We also examine China's strategic relations with major powers and its Asian-Pacific neighbors. This course is aimed to equip students with sophisticated understanding of the ongoing debate about the role that a rising China has played and will play in world affairs.
INTS 4450 Democracy and Militarism in Latin America (4 Credits)
Many note that even as democratization has taken place throughout Latin America, there has been a persistent and evolving role for the military, police and private security forces in many cases. The purpose of the class is to explore this apparent contradiction by examining the various internal and external pressures that have come to bear on these societies. Through approaches derived from comparative politics and international political economy we study domestic factors such as interest groups, political parties, social movements and governing institutions on one hand, and the role of international relations and organizations on the other. From this standpoint, the state becomes a mediator of internal and external pressures and is shaped by these pressures in turn. In the first half of the class, we specifically apply institutions, political realist, class analytic and market globalization perspectives to the study of the military. In the second half, we look at the interplay between democratic development and security issues in a changing global environment. This includes a study of the nature of democratization in Latin America, so heavily applauded by scholars, politicians and others, the impact of the truth and reconciliation process that emerged after the bureaucratic-authoritarian era, and the role of civil society and international organizations. In the final part of the class, we turn to the issue of citizen security amid high levels of crime, gang activity, and drug trafficking with a focus on Central America.
INTS 4453 Political Economy of Latin America (4 Credits)
In any part of the world, the earth and its resources constitute the fundamental framework of economic development. The study of development in Latin America offers an opportunity to study the interplay between the forces of economic development and efforts to restore and maintain ecological balance. In the first part of the class, we consider the legacies of colonial rule and foreign intervention including uneven patterns of land ownership, political and social divisions, tension between democratic and authoritarian forms of governance, and a central role for social movements in the struggle for economic justice. We also discuss the current era of export-led development, which has prompted a surge in mining, lumbering, and other forms of extraction, along with environmentally disruptive commercial projects. While increasing economic growth and facilitating some of the largest fortunes in the world, this development model is currently devastating the environment, human health, and the prospects for community survival in many places. On the other hand, communities, indigenous groups, and civil society organizations are challenging this model by advancing an alternative that stresses ecological balance.
INTS 4459 Global Business, Governance & Corporate Social Responsibility (4 Credits)
In an increasingly globalized world, civil society, states and businesses are trying to discern how to govern business conduct across the borders of nation-states. Many of the issues our society faces today—global financial crises, environmental degradation, and corruption, to name a few—are impossible to tackle within a given country. This course will dive into contemporary global governance mechanisms to better understand the opportunities and challenges that states, business, and civil society face when in engaging with issues such as global financial crises, labor standards, respect for human rights and the environment.
INTS 4460 Politics of China’s Modernization (4 Credits)
After more than a century of decline and stagnation, China is reemerging as a great power in the twenty-first century. China's rise to the glorious has never been easy and still faces many changes in the year ahead. This course is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of China's rise in the context of its political development. We examine how revolution, nationalism, communism and liberalism have all affected the development of modern China with a focus on the political dynamics of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the politics of post-Mao economic and political reform. We start by analyzing the rise of the Chinese Communist Party and its state and nation building efforts in the early years of the PRC and move on to examine the Mao's failed socialist transformation and political campaigns (the Hundred Flow Campaign, Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution). The remainder of the course explores political dynamics of post-Mao economic and political reforms and the prospect for a democratic China. This course aims at equipping students with an analytical perspective for understanding contemporary Chinese politics.
INTS 4468 Politics of Development (4 Credits)
Course explores political factors and parties which affect developing nations and hinder new development.
INTS 4478 Donald Trump, Democratic Decline and Authoritarian Populism (4 Credits)
To affirm that on a global level, liberal democracy is declining and authoritarian populism is ascendant, is to state the obvious. This confirms a trend that Larry Diamond predicted ten years ago about a “democratic recession” that shows no sign of abating. What is most intriguing and in need of explanation is the decline of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism in liberal societies of the West, where democracy has long been established and consolidated. According to the 2018 Democracy Index (published by the Economist Intelligence Unit), the United States in the era of Donald Trump, is better described as a “flawed democracy” rather than a “full democracy.” Similar trends are discernible in Europe, Latin America and Asia. How can we explain this development? What social conditions have produced this outcome and what are the implications for world order and the study of international affairs? Can the slide toward authoritarian populism be reversed? We will examine these questions theoretically, historically and comparatively.
INTS 4483 Global Health in Practice (4 Credits)
The purpose of the course is to prepare Global Health Practitioners for realistic situations utilizing practical tools and exercises forged from decades of hands-on experience. Heavy emphasis is placed on program design based on context, authentic dilemmas in implementation, critical components of leadership, and best practices of field operations management. No prior field experience is necessary to attend or to complete this course. The student will acquire practical knowledge about the following areas of health program design and management in the field: research and preparation, creation and implementation, along with team management and operational leadership. Students will develop detailed field perspectives, analyze the implications of their programs, and ultimately assemble their own personal toolkits to build for success. The intent is to develop a solid understanding of and to practice the usage of tools and skills for Global Health Practitioners to thrive in international and domestic programs.
INTS 4484 Agriculture and Sustainable Development (4 Credits)
This course provides an overview of world agriculture and an introduction to agricultural populations, politics, policy paradigms, and institutions. It contain modules in: the history of agricultural production for economic growth and food security; global distributions of (1) agricultural production regimes, (2) land (including historical and contemporary “land grabs”) and other productive factors, and (3) uses of agricultural products for food, fuel, feed, fiber, and agro-based construction materials; effects of agricultural trade on economic growth, livelihoods, and food security; relationship between humanitarian food aid and agricultural production and food security; social organization of agriculture and related productivity and human development issues, with special attention to gender; environmental constraints to agricultural sustainability and agricultural constants to environmental sustainability (climate change, water demands and conversation, agricultural energy production and consumption, causes of soil loss and degradation); technological change and innovation in agriculture; and culture and agriculture.
INTS 4485 International Trade and Economic Negotiations (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC participants only. The purpose of the course is to explore the challenges confronting international trade and economic policy, as well as current negotiations designed to address these circumstances.
INTS 4492 Health and Humanitarian Aid (4 Credits)
According to the World Health Organization, "Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." In order to address health in humanitarian settings we must therefore respond to a range of needs and consider the diversity within affected populations. In this course, students will have the opportunity to explore some key sectors of humanitarian aid and how they relate to health. By following a specific ongoing crisis throughout the quarter, each student will have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the particular challenges inherent in humanitarian assistance and to analyze how the "theory" is actually implemented in practice. Whether the student's future is in the field or at headquarters, internationally or at home, he or she will likely need to quickly and critically review and summarize available information in order to inform decision-making, and students will have ample opportunity to develop this skill during the quarter.
INTS 4493 Humanitarian Aid in Complex Emergencies (5 Credits)
This course will focus on the evolution of humanitarian actions, in the context of the international system, since World War II. Complex humanitarian emergencies will be the focus. Themes will include: disasters, conflicts and humanitarian action; the political economy of conflicts and humanitarian aid; civil-military cooperation; and the impacts of humanitarian intervention on the delivery of aid. Vulnerability analysis, capacity analysis, and risk analysis will be key tools. The structure and function of EWS (early warning systems), especially in the context of famine, also will be key.
INTS 4496 Field Operations for Humanitarian Assistance (4 Credits)
Within a disaster response, various interrelating factors determine the ability of the humanitarian community to adequately respond. From coordination among governments, donors, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to internal working components within an agency that drive programmatic support, the realm of humanitarian operations is a complex system that should be understood by anyone with an interest in supporting relief efforts. The main focus of this course is concentrating on the practical, specific systems that drive field operations - namely security, logistics, finance, monitoring and evaluation, human resources, administration, and advocacy that support program planning and implementation. Through understanding these components, the challenges that are encountered, and how each interrelates within an organization and the wider response community students gain a balanced understanding of humanitarian operations. While each emergency response comes with varying contextual challenges, the humanitarian imperative mandates the relief community to respond in a neutral manner based on need. Doing so, places strains on the operational systems that need to be overcome to provide quality interventions. Through this course we take an in depth look at both theoretical and practical ideals for humanitarian assistance.
INTS 4497 International Campaign Management (4 Credits)
This course will examine the principles of political campaign management and their application in a number of international political, public affairs and human rights campaigns. It will be an introduction to the tools of political campaign management: message development, survey research, audience targeting, paid and earned communications, fundraising and organizational structure. Case studies of campaigns in countries such as Sweden, the UK, and Australia will be used as examples of these techniques. Class will be comprised of lectures, discussion and some simulation exercises. Efforts will be made to bring outside specialists and experts to the class or by teleconference. Readings may include contemporary journals, periodicals, newspaper reports and excerpts from major studies of campaign and organizational management.
INTS 4499 Evolving Global Security Landscape (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC participants only. Change brings with it challenges—at the individual, organizational, and systemic levels. It involves behaviors and cultures with often deep-seated traditions. This course will explore the scope and magnitude of the transformational forces at work in the U.S. and to a lesser extent the global security and defense establishments. By its nature the course will be about peace and war—how the nation goes about the business of preparing, equipping, and training itself to deter and if necessary to fight traditional wars and the new kinds of challenges that might lead to armed conflict as well as shaping the post war environment for an enduring peace—but do NOT think about this as a linear process. It will also be about sociology, bureaucratic politics, the role of the media, economics, health care, power…. Most of all this semester it will be about the transformational nature and effects of ROBOTICS, AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS, and ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (RAS/AI) on security and the budget pressures on the national security/ defense budgets—and where to consider taking acceptable risks—geographically and functionally and force posture wise (for example, do we need a $1Trillion nuclear modernization program; or 2400+ F-35s; or 12 carrier battle groups?). THIS AGENDA NOW IS BEING SHAPED GOVERNMENYS and the PRIVATE SECTOR—COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE 3rd OFFSET. (The roots of this can be found in Secretary Hagel’s 214 Innovation Initiative. http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/603658).
INTS 4500 Social Science Methods (4 Credits)
Prerequisites:The course presumes a basic competence in statistics, social science, international relations, and comparative politics. This is an advanced, fast-paced course that seeks to provide students with a sensitivity to research design choices, both for designing their own projects and as critical consumers of the works of other scholars. The course is primarily intended for Ph.D. students at the pre-dissertation prospectus stage as well as for advanced MA candidates pursuing thesis projects. The course content covers diverse methodological approaches from the discipline of Political Science as well as methods from other fields. The course will cover topics including: research questions and ‘puzzles’ in political and social science; causality and causal inference; theory construction; measurement; the comparative method; case selection; and quantitative and qualitative methods. Students should enter the course with several research interests in mind since the final project for the course entails producing a research design that could serve as the basis for a future prospectus. The class sessions will include a formal introduction to different methods, a discussion of readings, and work-shopping of student work. We will also informally discuss tips and tradeoffs in the academic profession and for publishing. The class meetings will rely heavily on student participation and peer critique. At the end of the course, students should be able to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different research designs.
INTS 4501 Comparative Politics in the 21st Century (4 Credits)
INTS 4501, Comparative Politics: States and Societies in the 21st Century, is a core course in the graduate program curriculum of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. The course explores theoretical perspectives and policy-relevant knowledge in comparative politics, a sub-field of contemporary political science that considers the ways in which states and societies govern themselves or "allocate value" in countries around the world. Governance is arguably the pivotal variable in the realization of contemporary global development and human security objectives. The principal question the course addresses is: What is "governance," and how does is serve to work for, or against, peace and development in countries around the world?.
INTS 4502 Comparative Revolutions (4 Credits)
An intermediate course focused around the major revolutions that occurred in England, France, 19th century Europe, and in Russia and China during the 20th century. Emphasis is placed on historical facts, key theoretical debates generated during the various social upheavals, and diverse interpretations seeking to understand the nature and causes of revolutions and their impact on societies. Prerequisites: INTS 4702.
INTS 4516 Major Diseases in Global Health (From Pathophysiology to Action) (4 Credits)
As future global health practitioners and policy makers, it is imperative that we each have a complete and solid understanding of the mechanisms, physiology, epidemiology, transmission patterns, and clinical impact of the major diseases affecting global health. How and when does a person transition from simple HIV infection to full-blown AIDS? Why is dracunculiasis so readily amenable to eradication whereas filariasis is not? For what populations is co-infection with HIV and TB or HIV and malaria so critical and why? On the individual patient level, how and why do certain diseases manifest so differently in resource-poor versus resource-rich or urban versus rural settings? Who are the vulnerable populations and how does disease impact them physiologically? When and where would specific program interventions work over other programs and for whom? In this course, the students develop an understanding of the etiology, agents, vectors, burden, methods of detection, basic treatment complexities, and life cycles of major diseases impacting the world. Specifically, this course details HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria, maternal/reproductive health, some protozoa, helminthes, and major parasites, chronic disease such as cancers and diabetes, and violence/trauma. As there is no shortage of amazing and interesting diseases globally, students learn a sound method of inquiry with which to address and disease process. Students also apply this method directly toward program analysis, and in the development of teaching sessions for community health workers.
INTS 4517 Politics of Deeply Divided Societies (4 Credits)
This course focuses on the politics, conflicts, and conflict transformation approaches to deeply-divided societies. While ethnic, religious, and other types of communal conflict have been around for millennia, since the decline of colonization, and especially since the end of the Cold War, such struggles seemed to have exploded onto the world scene. This course focuses on these "contemporary" ethnic, religious, racial, and other communal conflicts to better understand why and how such conflicts develop. We then examine both theory and practice on what can be done to ameliorate or remedy them. Units focus on the nature of identity and identity politics; the use of political violence to pursue identity or nationalistic goals, and nonviolent approaches to identity conflicts. We then look at alternative political and conflict-transformational approaches to such conflicts including frameworks for living together (such as consociationalism, federalism, and power-sharing, and scenarios for separation (partition or succession). We also look at the negotiation, mediation, and other peace processes that have been utilized to try to accomplish such ends, and examine which have worked better than others and (to the extent possible) why. Readings will include both case study and theoretical material. Students are required to make several short class presentations, participate actively in discussions and exercises, and prepare and present a term paper analyzing one currently destructive deeply-divided society, analyzing the cause of the current unrest, and possible remedies to that situation.
INTS 4521 Cultures of Development (4 Credits)
Explores cultural dimensions of economic and social change from perspectives of actors who create, promote, negotiate, and resist different agendas from global to local.
INTS 4522 Philosophy of Social Science (4 Credits)
What is the nature of social science and the knowledge that it produces? This course, which is intended to complement INTS 4500 Social Science Methodology and INTS 4010 Epistemology, it introduces students to the leading mainstream perspectives on the philosophy of social science. Special attention is given to Positivism and Post-Positivism, Post-Structuralism, Pragmatism, and Scientific Realism.
INTS 4525 Religion-State Relations in Comparative Perspectives (4 Credits)
This seminar course provides an introduction to the key readings, concepts and debates on religion-state relations. While the focus is on the Western political tradition we explore the case of India and the Islamic world at the end of the course. Themes such as freedom of belief, the role of religion in the public sphere and debates over the political construction, location and meaning of secularism are examined.
INTS 4526 Modern Islamic Political Thought (4 Credits)
This seminar course explores the key writings of Muslim thinkers who have shaped Islamic political thought during the 20th Century. We begin with the writings of Jamal Eddin Al Afghani and his Egyptian disciple Muhammad Abduh. We then proceed to read from the selected writings and speeches of Hassan al-Banna (founder of the Muslim Brotherhood), Sayyid Qutb (radical Egyptian Islamist theoretician), Adul Ala Maududi (Pakistani Islamic thinker and founder of Jamaat-i Islami) and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (leader of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution). We also investigate some of the writings of Islamic reformist thinkers such as Abdolkarim Soroush, Nasser Hamed Abu Zayd and Khaled Abou El Fadl. The emphasis in this course is on understanding the historical and political context which has shaped Islamic political thought during the 20th Century.
INTS 4534 Topics in Middle East Politics (4 Credits)
This is an advanced topics course centered on major issues in Middle East politics. Students should expect to read one book, as well as relevant scholarly reviews, each week, and should expect regular analytic writing assignments. This class is designed for students who seek a deeper grasp of the Middle East and a more refined understanding of the politics and history of this region. This is not an introductory course on the Middle East, Islam, or the Arab world and previous course work is assumed. Those uncertain about their status should consult with the instructor before enrolling.
INTS 4536 Economics: Fundamental Knowledge, Global Applications (4 Credits)
This course provides an introduction to the methods used to analyze contemporary global economic events by examining the environment in which individual economic agents interact. We analyze what the economic problem is, how consumers and business firms make economic decisions, how markets work and how they fail, and how government public policy decisions affect individual and aggregate behavior in both domestic and international markets. A special feature of the course is the application of economic principles to real world problems.
INTS 4539 Food Security in the United States and the World (4 Credits)
This course discusses: food security in the United States (community food security, food insecurity); stunting and chronic nutritional deficiencies; global water crisis; land degradation; land deals; climate change; dictatorship and kleptocracy; economic approaches (westernized view, food justice, food sovereignty); World Food Summit; achieving food security (the agriculture-hunger-poverty nexus, biotechnology for smallholders in the (sub)tropics); risks to food security (fossil fuel dependence, genetic erosion in agricultural and livestock biodiversity, hybridization, genetic engineering and loss of biodiversity, price setting, treating food the same as other internationally traded commodities); access to basic food supplies; infant feeding; determining nutritional status; supplementary feeding; therapeutic feeding; malnutrition, nutrient requirements and sources.
INTS 4549 Managing Microfinance: Balancing Business with Development (4 Credits)
This course builds on the topics in "Introduction to Microfinance" and delves more deeply into the challenges of managing microfinance institutions (MFIs)and effective social entrepreneurship. How do MFIs make sure they stay in business (with good risk management and financial management) and make sure they have real social impact? How can they innovate financial services and other market-based solutions that create lasting economic opportunity or social change? Whether a market-oriented NGO or a socially-motivated business, an MFI needs a clear development strategy, a clear business strategy, and the operational tools to implement both strategies well. Regardless of legal structure, both NGO and for-profit MFIs need good management and financial information to meet both sustainability and social goals. Whether used for poverty alleviation and or banking services for the poor, there are shared characteristics among successful microfinance organizations, as well as common pitfalls and challenges. As organizations figure out the "business" side of providing loans and savings, they also need to figure out which development services have greatest benefit for clients, choose strategies for social change (e.g. basic education, health care, business skills), and assess how well those strategies are working. For example, large-scale MFIs in India and Latin America have been very successful financially, but have only recently focused on their social impact. Smaller NGOs may serve the poorest and provide many development services, yet struggle to find a viable business strategy and sustainability. MFIs share challenges faced by many development organizations: (1) How do we balance our financial and impact goals; (2) How do we choose where to invest resources for greatest impact (e.g. financial services for many or in-depth assistance for fewer?); (3) What information do we need to ensure financial transparency and accountability; (4) How do we assess social and financial performance to keep improving our business strategies? This class will use weekly readings and case studies of specific microfinance organizations to: Illustrate business challenges and specific business risks in microfinance; Review basic financial statements and key financial measures to assess financial performance and risk, for both for-profit and non-profits; Review different approaches to answering the question "are we making a difference?"; Analyze management situations of "too much profit" and "too much development"; Compare pros and cons of for-profit and HGO legal structures, and implications; Discuss governance and boards of directors, compare and evaluate approaches; Highlight examples of social entrepreneurship powering market-driven change in microfinance and other areas (mobile banking, small-scale solar electricity, etc). Cases include Adelante Foundation, BRAC, Fonkoze, Kenya Women's Finance Trust, ACCION's Center for Financial Inclusion, and others. The first half of each class focuses on a real MFI case study to highlight the issues and understand the topic; the second half on the financial implications of these risks, the financial principles involved, and how well the tools work. Students gain a better understanding of financial statements, MFI operations (with case studies from around the globe), and credit risk, as well as key principles of financial management and good governance.
INTS 4555 Professional Communications (4 Credits)
This course is designed to help graduate students improve their ability to communicate professionally to a variety of national and international/intercultural audiences for a variety of purposes, and to manage through communications. While INTS 4557, Cross-Cultural Communications, focused heavily on immersive experiences in verbal and non-verbal communication in professional, cross-cultural scenarios, this course will use professional writing in cross-cultural contexts as its starting point. Students will learn the tools they need to adapt their writing in varied professional, cross-cultural contexts and to translate it into effective verbal presentations in these settings. In particular, students will develop an awareness of professional language, written conventions, and multimodal communication, including verbal, written, and digital/visual modes. Students will learn skills in rhetorical analysis, which will enable them to adapt to multifaceted professional writing scenarios in the future. They will apply these skills in the context of case studies and other examples that will address challenges professionals must problem-solve using written communication All students will complete a professional writing portfolio by the end of the quarter with the goal of being more prepared for the job search.
INTS 4557 Cross-Cultural Communications (4 Credits)
This course is designed to prepare graduate students for careers as international professionals by focusing on the cultural factors that influence communication in international relations as well as the rules that proscribe and prescribe behavior. The course emphasizes culture and will explore how different cultures: perceive and interpret their surroundings, and create and communicate a shared, cultural construct of reality and identity; develop unique communication rules; and evolve culture-specific verbal and non-verbal communication behaviors. Students will immerse themselves in a particular culture (its history, values, world views and associated thought processes, religion, gender and social perception, language, and nonverbal communication) and research its communication conventions, practices, standards, core metaphors, terms, cultural premises, and meaning systems. Students are expected to demonstrate a critical and informed awareness of cultural content and identity, as well as the communication imperatives and procedural issues in their country through class presentations, discussions, and a long paper. The course rationale is that cross-cultural communication is inevitable, and without an understanding of the cultural communication imperatives, it is very difficult, virtually impossible to understand, work with, manage, or influence individuals from another culture. The course will involve theory and proven models, but will primarily focus on cultural immersion, skills development, practical applications, and case studies--exploring how culture both influences and reflects communication dynamics, how to communicate effectively in a multicultural environment, and how to manage and resolve cross-cultural conflicts.
INTS 4569 Migration (4 Credits)
Migration is a fundamental feature of our lives. Indeed, every aspect of our civilization and our self-conception is shaped by the exodus of all humans from our origin as a species in Southern Africa 200,000 years ago. In our own era, the aging of western populations, the rise of new economic powers, and dramatic improvements in human capital have given rise to an era of labor migration unparalleled in magnitude and diversity, though not entirely unique. New technologies have risen to facilitate further migration, enable the transmission of resources and knowledge across borders, and create new transnational patterns of residence and livelihood that challenge our notions of nation, identity, and even the very meaning of the term migrant. To put it simply, migration is the human face of our modern era of globalization, entailing incredible costs, risks, and returns for migrants along with important impacts for host societies, and the global system. Migration comes in many varieties in terms of destruction, permanence, and level of coercion, yet common theoretical, empirical, and policy unite these different forms of mobility. This course offers a holistic view of the migration process from multiple perspectives, at multiple levels of analysis, and on multiple aspects of our world today. As a uniquely individual behavior, migration has proven over time to be notoriously unfriendly to policy, which is often ineffectual or even counterproductive. We explore this cross-cutting concern through case studies illustrating the promise and pitfalls of migration policy.
INTS 4575 Systems Thinking for Social Scientists (4 Credits)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to systems thinking as an approach for understanding and analyzing real-world issues. In addition to introducing the basic principles of systems thinking, questions that well be addressed include: Why do systems behave the way they do? Why do systems resist change and often end up getting worse when we try to change them? How do you find points of leverage within a system? This course uses examples drawn from a range of issues across the field of international studies. In doing so, it illustrates haw a systems perspective can allow you to see parallels between seemingly disparate issues. This course introduces both qualitative and quantitative approaches for analyzing systems and discusses the benefits and limitations of each. Quantitative, computer-based modeling is used in this course, but no background is required.
INTS 4579 International Futures (4 Credits)
Futures forecasting involved decisions about priorities. Decisions require forecasting the trajectory of a society with and without interventions of various kinds. This course involved students in the forecasting and analysis process. In the lab, students learn to use the International Futures (IFs) forecasting system. That system represents multiple issue areas (demographics, economics, energy, agriculture, education, health, socio-political, and environment subsystems) and is supported by a very large database. Students study the structure of each of these modules, learn how they represent the underlying subsystems, how they are linked to other subsystems, and what they tell us about the processes of change globally and in countries and regions around the world. Students use the system for forecasts and analyses of their own.
INTS 4581 Introduction to Humanitarian Systems (4 Credits)
The Humanitarian field has changed significantly since the founding, in 1863, of what is now the International Committee of the Red Cross. Since the early 1990s there have been efforts to improve coordination between humanitarian actors and to improve the quality of international humanitarian response. High profile humanitarian crises such as the Rwandan genocide, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Haitian earthquake, and the conflict in Syria have highlighted weaknesses in the system and spurred reform efforts. Through readings, class discussions, guest speakers, group work and individual assignments, students gain a better understanding of the development of humanitarian systems and policies and how these affect current humanitarian practice. Key debates in the humanitarian system are also discussed and students have the opportunity to grapple with some of the key ethical dilemmas facing humanitarians today. At the completion of the course, students should be able to: Discuss the history of humanitarianism; Recall key components of the humanitarian infrastructure; Describe the humanitarian principles, their interpretation and application; Identify ethical issues which may arise for humanitarians; and discuss the implications for humanitarian practice of key emerging challenges.
INTS 4583 International Protection in the Humanitarian Context (4 Credits)
At the conclusion of World War II after witnessing the horrific and historic loss of life, and in an effort to save future generations from the direct impact of war and conflict, the Western powers created several important legal instruments to protect civilians. These instruments are largely derived from human rights, refugee, and international humanitarian law. These initial legal instruments were later combined with additional instruments, both regional and international in scope, and are collectively and cumulatively considered the legal framework for "International Protections." After sixty years of the progressive legal and theoretical development of international protection and its practical implementation, a slow but evident shift has developed over time. Theoretically speaking, a shift from the end of the Cold War's position of absolute sovereignty to the ideals of the 1990s and the "responsibility to protect" which developed in direct response to the failed efforts of the international community to protect in Bosnia, Rwanda and other conflicts. As a result of the changing nature of conflicts, confusing mandates, ambiguous definitions, and political will, we have witnessed the failure of international protection in numerous humanitarian settings.
INTS 4591 Advcd Fundraising Workshop (4 Credits)
This course compliments INTS 4391, in which an overview of non-profit fundraising - along with financial management - is given. In this course, we take an in-depth look at the major methods of non-profit fundraising, namely, annual giving, special events, corporate fundraising, grant writing, major gifts, and planned giving. The teaching methodology to be employed is that each 3 hour class session is, in effect, an intense workshop on a specific fundraising topic. During each class session, a fundraising professional from the community, who is actively engaged in the particular fundraising activity being discussed, joins the professor in leading the workshop. Due to the advanced nature of this course, enrollment is limited to those who have already been introduced to the major methods of fundraising through the previous completion of INTS 4391, the concurrent enrollment of INTS 4391, or previous fundraising experience or educational pursuit in the fundraising field that is judged by the professor to be sufficient to be an active participant in this course.
INTS 4595 Civil Wars and International Responses: Evaluating Post-War Peacebuilding (4 Credits)
Today, civil wars constitute the principle, realized threat to international security (measured in lives lost). This seminar critically explores the problems to international peace and security posed by contemporary civil wars and the efforts of international - primarily, United Nations - "peace building" missions to implement negotiated settlements aimed at substantially ending such wars and preventing their recurrence. The concept of peace building seeks to capture the complex, multidimensional task of implementing the terms of settlements to end war preventing the recurrence of war, and addressing the deep-seated causes of social conflict and deep divisions that gave rise to protracted armed conflict in the first place. Furthermore, the notion of peace building have been augmented by the concept of state building, which implies that the principle strategic objective of external efforts is to help develop and create legitimate, capable states that are able to realize the provision of security and human development and to manage future social conflict through nonviolent bargaining processes and institutions. The scope of the course includes the analysis of theories, concepts and empirical research in the analysis of post-war international interventions in civil wars and in-depth, student led evaluation of specific cases. Prerequisite: INTS 4495.
INTS 4599 Ethics and International Affairs (4 Credits)
This course examines the following: social "science" and ethics, power-rivalry and capitalism versus human rights and democracy, what are the dimensions of poverty, what role does the World Bank play, "laws of people," two classes of human rights (according to Rawls), national interest, and tolerance.
INTS 4620 Introduction to Middle East Politics (4 Credits)
According to 2017 Global Peace Index, the Middle East and North Africa are the least peaceful parts of the world. The instability from this region has gone global and is now destabilizing large parts of the entire world. Why? Answering this question is the focus of this course. The approach taken will be historical and comparative with an emphasis on the relationship between religion and politics in the Islamic Middle East.
The politics of the Middle East today cannot be understood without some examination of the West’s relationship with the region and the associated view of the Muslim Orient that grew out of this relationship. In light of this reality, the state system that has emerged in the region since the demise of colonialism will form a framework in which to understand the major themes of this course.
INTS 4622 Global Governance (4 Credits)
This course surveys a range of arguments about how, whether, and/or the conditions under which global or transnational issues are governed. It examines different ways of thinking about governance and the governance process. It unpacks the variety of authorities that govern transnational issues. This course also considers different arguments about how the variety of actors engaged in a particular issue affects to the amount and type of governance possible. The course is intended for both masters and PhD students.
INTS 4624 Private Actors and Conflict (4 Credits)
General approaches to conflict focus on violence between the military forces or states. The conflicts of the last two decades, however, involved a variety of other actors: private military companies training or fighting with armies, relief workers trying to mitigate the impact of conflict on non-combatants, environmental NGOs working to lessen the impact of conflict on endangered species, multinational corporations trying to continue their business dealings, paramilitary and/or other citizen groups trying to defend their private property or other rights, criminal networks working to exploit conflict for personal gain, and terrorist networks. How do these different actors behave in conflict situations? Does their presence alter the way conflict unfolds, strategies of conflict (and conflict resolution), and/or the prospects for long-term security (peace, stability and development)? How? How do we decide whether these actors are public or private? How do today’s “private” actors in conflict compare with the past? Is this a new phenomenon or simply a return to what has been typical at numerous points in history? This course explores the questions presented by the variety of actors involved in conflict today, compare today’s situation with the past, and examine the way states and non-state actors are coming to terms with each other in conflict situations.
INTS 4625 East African Development and Human Rights (4 Credits)
For our purposes, East Africa encompasses the countries of Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. This course begins with an introduction to the cultural richness and diversity of East African societies, with an overview as to how tribes, chiefdoms, and states function. Religious influences are noted. This history of development, as externally conceptualized, begins with the Berlin Conference of 1884/85 and the so-called “scramble for Africa.” If features socio-economic and socio-political processes. 20th- and 21st-Century external development programs are covered, most recently exemplified by the former Soviet Union, the United States, and China. Principles of induced development and participatory development are contrasted. Regarding the latter, indigenous innovations are stressed. The history of human rights, as externally conceptualized, begin much later, with the 1969 refugee-related innovations of the Organization of African Unity (now, the African Union). The “classic” issues of tribalism, corruption, and resource exploitation are covered, as well as the “late-breaking” issues of food security, refugee repatriation, and child soldier rehabilitation. Conceptually and theoretically, the course is grounded in disciplinary understandings derived from cultural anthropology, political science, ecology, and history. Resource use, in the context of socio-cultural systems development, are foundational. Special projects are featured, exemplified by those involving University of Denver personnel in Kibera, Kenya (water and sanitation); Mai Misham, Ethiopia (literacy); and Juba, South Sudan (indigenous leadership). At the broadest level, examples are most often drawn from the water/sanitation, agricultural, and health/mental health sectors.
INTS 4626 Civil Resistance (4 Credits)
Civil resistance is the application of unarmed civilian power using nonviolent tactics such as protests, strikes, boycotts, demonstrations, without using or threatening physical harm against the opponent. This method of struggle occurs worldwide in places as diverse as Russia, Moldova, Serbia, Spain, Egypt, Iran, Maldives, the Niger Delta, the West Bank, Thailand, and Burma, among many others. As a consequence of the growing use of civil resistance, the foreign policy community has become interested in understanding the causes, dynamics, outcomes, and consequences of civil resistance campaigns. This course serves as a primer on the topic of civil resistance, introducing students to the primary texts in the field, as well as the policy implications of empirical research on the topic. This five primary goals of this course are to: (1) present leading theories and concepts for understanding civil resistance; (2) explore international history to evaluate theories of civil resistance; (3) apply these theories to analyze current trends and make predictions about future development; (4) provide students with opportunities to synthesize their knowledge in a major written assignment; and (5) allow students to deepen their knowledge about several historical cases around the globe.
INTS 4630 Civilian Protection in Armed Conflicts (4 Credits)
Studies of armed conflict tend to focus on the production of violence to the neglect of how civilians might instead be protected. In this course, we will study how to limit violence against civilians. We will begin with an overview of theories of violence and legal and ethical frameworks governing the use of force. We will then consider how various actors throughout society, from state actors, to international actors, to illegal arms actors, to NGO's, to civilians and their communities--the would-be victims of violence--can either promote or restrain the use of violence. We will also consider the conditions under which the protection of civilians is most feasible as well as research methods for analyzing populations and their protection strategies. In their final projects, students will analyze the threats of violence faced by a particular population and design appropriate protection strategies and polices to deal with them.
INTS 4632 Qualitative Research Methods (4 Credits)
This course provides training in ethnographic and engaged research methods while giving students the opportunity to apply their skills to the local Denver immigrant community. This class requires a commitment to doing fieldwork outside of the classroom and to organizational partners in the community. Students should expect to spend 3-4 hours a week in the field and 1-2 hours on their field note write-ups. Students will work on the Wage Theft in the Denver Construction Industry project being led by Professor Galemba in collaboration with El Centro Humanitario, a day laborer center in Denver. Or they may choose projects with Casa de Paz and the Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition. Students will gain experience with participant observation, qualitative interviews, data security protections, qualitative data coding, analysis, reflexivity and positionality in research, and writing. The course culminates in a public presentation to share results with the community. Spanish skills are a plus, but are not required for all students.
INTS 4633 Int'l Project Evaluation (4 Credits)
It can be beneficial for graduate students planning careers in multilateral and bilateral development agencies, non-profit organizations, private-sector companies, and professional services organizations to have an understanding of how to develop a project proposal, implement it, and evaluate its results. These are useful skills for entering or reentering employment with these organizations. The Josef Korbel School of International Studies currently offers a trilogy of courses in international project cycle management—international project design and monitoring, project management, and international project evaluation. The three courses are delivered in sequence during the academic year in conformance with the project cycle, but they can be taken out of sequence without prerequisite or need to take them all. Each course uses monitoring and evaluation methods and means to connect the design, management, and evaluation of a project. Students may have been exposed some of these methods in courses covering quantitative and qualitative techniques and field research methods. Each course also shares in common the development teams and managers of those teams to produce the key deliverables at three key stages of the international project cycle. The purpose of the International Project Evaluation course is to provide students with a better understanding of and practical tools for designing, implementing, and reporting project evaluations. In all cases, a good evaluation design that is well implemented will allow the project manager to identify supportable findings, conclusions, and recommendations. The recommendations from both performance and impact evaluations can be directed to decision makers to support changes necessary to correct project deficiencies or to provide lessons learned for designing subsequent development interventions. Project managers can also use community or stakeholder participation in the process to build evaluation capacity and to gain support for the results. More specifically, students will learn about similar approaches used by four organizations that evaluate project, programs, and policies—the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the World Bank, United Nations Development Program, and United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Each of these organizations has developed templates for evaluation design, use similar methods and techniques to collection and analyze data, and share common elements in the framework of their evaluation reports. Two of these organizations have protocols to contract out evaluations to other groups through the preparation of an evaluation statement of work (SOW) or terms of reference (TOR). In this course, students will have the opportunity to compare evaluation approaches and to apply these approaches in preparing evaluation products. Small student teams will produce an evaluation SOW patterned after USAID guidance and defend their design in a final presentation.
INTS 4635 Civil-Military Relations (4 Credits)
Who guards the guardians?" has been a long-standing dilemma in international politics. How can we make sure that military leaders enjoying the control of coercive power submit to civilian political authorities? How can military organizations be powerful enough to counter external threats without becoming themselves a threat to the political community they should protect? How can hierarchical institutions created to exert physical violence be compelled to respect human rights and democratic values? These questions lie at the heart of civil-military relations theory. Analyzing the different ways in which military organizations, political authorities and the broader society interact is crucial to understand political outcomes such as state-building, democratization and the outbreak of war. This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the problems surrounding civil-military relations. Besides looking at the theoretical foundations of the field, it offers a comprehensive overview of civil-military relations over time and across countries. Specifically, it focuses on some topical and yet poorly understood cases and phenomena, such as the impact of the rise of private military and security companies on control over the use of force and the role played by military in Middle Eastern countries such as Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Libya, and Pakistan.
INTS 4642 Environmental Security (4 Credits)
This course surveys the expanding literature on the complex interrelationships between the environment, natural resources, conflict, and human security. Since the dawn of agriculture (~7000 BCE), but rapidly accelerating in the industrial age (1750 CE to present), humanity has conducted an uncontrolled experiment in bending the natural environment to fit human needs and desires. Despite the perceived distance that technology has placed between our physical environments and our daily lives, human interactions with our natural environment are still fundamental. Since the end of the Cold War, much attention has been paid to the role of natural resources and environmental scarcity as a source of conflict, ranging from "water wars" between states sharing a common river basin to communal conflict between pastoralists and farmers in the Sahel. This course will survey the expanding literature on environmental impacts on conflict, as well as conflict impacts on the environment, and the potential for making co-management of valuable natural resources and wildlife a source of cooperation, rather than conflict, between communities and states.
INTS 4644 Human Rights Research Methods (4 Credits)
This course is about how social science research can be used as a tool to understand and promote human rights. The field of human rights is bedeviled by several challenging obstacles to research, including reporting bias, hidden abuses, missing data and politicization of the facts. To deal with these obstacles, we learn about various methodological tools and how they are applied for the analysis of special human rights topics. By the end of the course, students are equipped to compile and present information to highlight patterns of rights abuses and identify patterns of cause and effects.
INTS 4646 European Integration: States in Transition (4 Credits)
Not only have the global financial turmoil threatened by the Eurozone crisis and the negotiations of a trade agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United States made the study of EU integration increasingly important for students of International Relations. As a unique political entity distinct from both states and traditional international organizations, the EU remains an unidentified object, whose development has challenged the traditional paradigms of both international relations and political science. Besides providing an in-depth knowledge of a crucial political and economic actor, the study of the EU integration process, its drivers and its shortcomings will therefore enhance students’ understanding of some of the most crucial theoretical debates underlying today’s international studies. This course intends to provide students with a comprehensive knowledge of the politics and institutions of the EU, analyzing its development from its origins until the present day and beyond. It will do so by focusing on the following core issues: Firstly, it will briefly analyze the history of the EU, seeking to identify the rivers of the integration process and explain why, after the end of World War II, European countries have set aside their centuries-old antagonism and embedded themselves within an ever close political Union. Secondly, it will examine what the EU is and how it functions, analyzing its key institutions, the architecture of its system of multilevel governance and its policy-making processes. Thirdly, it will investigate some key consequences of European integration, focusing on topical debates such as whether and to what extent the shifting of national decision-making powers at the EU level has created a democratic deficit, what is the impact of EU enlargement on both the Union and the institutions, societies and economies of new member states and what have been the economic and political consequences of the introduction of a single currency. Finally, the course intends to engage students in a debate on what is the future of the European Union in light of the latest development brought about by the entering into force of the Lisbon Treaty and the economic and financial crisis suffered by Southern European member countries. Prerequisite:.
INTS 4647 Critical Issues in International Humanitarian Assistance (4 Credits)
In recent decades, the humanitarian system has undergone significant changes related to developments in global governance, lessons learned and relationships between agencies (UN/NGO), governments (donors, affected countries), as the nature of crises themselves the contexts in which they occur and actors involved in crisis response continue to evolve, the humanitarian system and those that work within it must contend with new challenges and critiques. Through readings, class discussions, guest speakers and assignments, students have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the major emerging policy issues and internal and external challenges facing the international humanitarian system. The class discusses important debates in the humanitarian system and students have the opportunity to grapple with some of the key ethical dilemmas facing humanitarians today. This course is aimed at those with an interest in humanitarian policy as well those who wish to explore the challenges that may face them as they prepare to work in the humanitarian field. Prerequisite: INTS 4581.
INTS 4648 Theories of Security in World Politics (4 Credits)
In the 40 years following World War II, the study of security assumed a divide between international relations (the politics between states) and domestic politics (the politics within states) and gradually became separated from studies of international economics. International or national security largely centered on one empirical and two different theoretical enterprises. The empirical enterprise explored the relationship between the US and Soviet Union, focusing particularly on deterrence and the effect of nuclear weapons. The theoretical enterprises explored the likelihood of conflict between states in different systems and scenarios (when does conflict occur? When is stability more likely?) and examined the causes and consequences for actors of pursuing different strategies (What determines which strategy states will choose and what are the consequences for security – i.e., war, conquest, security gain, security loss, etc. – of different choices). After the end of the Cold War debates about the meaning of security joined change in the prevalence of intra-state conflicts and growing attention to terrorism in ways that led many scholars to question the usefulness of assumed differences between international and domestic politics, and, to a lesser extent, between security and economics. Also studies of conflict and stability have increasingly focused on a variety of transitional and global actors that do not fall into the realm of the nation, the state, or even the “international” system at all. This course focuses on this post-Cold War security agenda. The class begins with a (rather old by now) debate over the definition of security, then consider the role of states and other actors and finally turn to a list of prominent questions. In examining these questions, the class reads studies based in a variety of explanations, research strategies and methods. Students are encouraged to think about prominent explanations that stretch across the questions in different weeks. Students should also consider the costs, benefits, and alternatives to the research strategies and methods that individual authors have chosen. While the focus is on the substance of debates in security studies, the professor hopes to also spend time each session talking about how to frame productive questions and research strategies. In the way of background, if students have never read Kenneth Waltz, Man, the State, and War, they are recommended to do so. It would also be useful to have some familiarity with some basic texts in political theory, particularly Hobbes, Machiavelli, Kant, and Weber.
INTS 4649 Human Rights and the Middle East (4 Credits)
This course is shaped in three parts; each focuses on a set of critical human rights questions drawn from different phases of the Arab uprisings. Part I focuses on the Arab Uprising and Promises of Human Rights Progress and asks: 1. What can we learn from past contagion of human rights struggles, while the class analyzes the Middle Eastern social transformation? 2. What are the main causes that shook the Arab Middle East? 3. What was/is the role of major social actors? Part II covers the Rise of the 2012 Islamist tides, which gained new momentums after the electoral victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in Tunisia and Egypt and asks: 1. Are these religious trends consistent with human rights efforts? What accounts for waves of contagious revival of religious fundamentalism in the Middle East and North African region before and after 2012? 3. What is the impact of religious fundamentalism and nationalism among Israelis and Palestinians? Part III analyses the Possible Paths of Democratization and Human Rights in the Middle East and explores: 1. What accounts for different Revolutionary Arab Paths? 2. Is there a human rights answer to the Israeli/Palestinian quandary regarding one or two state solution? What are the current and possible roles of external forces for the region (international and/or regional)?.
INTS 4650 Globalization and Economic Crime (4 Credits)
This course explores the policy issues raised by international economic crime, a phenomenon that has mushroomed with globalization and now accounts by some estimates for one-fifth by value of all international commerce. But who gets to define “crime?” Are there standards applicable globally to all situations? Nation states, corporations, nongovernmental organizations and political advocacy groups have issued multiple and often conflicting definitions of acceptable and unacceptable behavior and have been free in affixing blame on other sectors. To assess the part played by economic liberalization in the increase of crime, readings focuses attention on the political, technological and economic factors that encourage criminal activity and on the direct and indirect economic costs of activities such as identity theft and counterfeiting; mislabeling and trade in illicit goods; political corruption; money-laundering; and securities and accounting fraud. The class discusses activities posing definitional challenges to policymakers, such as currency and commodity speculation, re-export, gray marketing and state sponsorship of organized crime. This class also looks at policy options available when state-supported criminal economic activity is deemed to violate peremptory norms, create a substantial domestic effect, or constitute an act of war. This course examines self-help programs such as due-diligence and know-your-customer rules as well as statutory regimes such as the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the movement toward transparency and uniform financial standards.
INTS 4652 Contemporary Issues in Refugee Studies (4 Credits)
This course is designed to provide a stimulating interdisciplinary environment in which students explore contemporary issues in refugee studies. Through examination of relevant international instruments, research, case studies, agency policies and reports, students will begin to develop the skills necessary for understanding refugee-serving agencies and associated programs in large scale refugee operations. Specific emphasis will be given to recent developments in - refugee terminology, refugee status determination, urban refugee populations, refugee camps, durable solutions, and extremely vulnerable refugees. Throughout, the course will focus on humanitarian assistance and protection frameworks, including analysis of guiding principles and associated policies of refugee-serving organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The importance of reliance on refugee voices to frame the debate will also be emphasized. At the end of this course students should be able to integrate and apply knowledge of innovation policy and practice to begin to address contemporary challenges faced by humanitarian agencies working with refugee populations.
INTS 4653 Political Economy of the Resource Curse (4 Credits)
This course is about one of the more curious findings/non-findings in the history of economics and international relations; that valuable natural resources, such as oil, natural gas, and other mined commodities are not, in the main, associated with better development outcomes and may even depress long-run rates of economic growth and discourage democratization and effective governance. Common sense would seem to suggest that if one finds oneself sitting on a gold mine, then one should mine gold (or drill oil, as in the example above). But countries that have specialized in the production of extractive or "point-source" resources, such as mined commodities like gold, diamonds, and oil, tend to be poor, creating a nagging sense that specialization in extraction is a losing proposition in the global division of labor, condemning countries to be the "hewers of wood and drawers of water." This course briefly reviews the basic economics of the resource curse before turning to a discussion of its effects for deeper institutional determinants of long-run development outcomes: democracy, gender equality, state capacity, and civil strife. It then moves into the realm of interstate politics, examining the ways that resource wealth shapes the foreign relations of resource exporters and major importers, principally the United States and China. The last third of the class investigates both domestic and multilateral attempts to address the resource curse through policy interventions, including civil society-led good governance initiatives like the Kimberley Process and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. This course presumes no deep knowledge of economics but will be of interest to students across the realms of security and development.
INTS 4654 Sustainable Energy (4 Credits)
Sustainable energy in much in the news and high on various policy agendas. It is the seventh of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and part of climate and energy policy for numerous national, state, and local governments. This course will examine the politics and policy involved making a transition to a more sustainable energy system. We will explore the history of energy crises, how they have opened opportunities for making changes to the energy system, and the gradual attachment of sustainable energy to environmental issues, most especially climate change. The course will focus on some of the problems and complexities involved in an energy transition, from technological barriers to the need for a just transition.
INTS 4656 Power, Institutions, and Justice in Environmental Sustainability (4 Credits)
Sustainability and environmental justice have become ubiquitous buzzwords in society today. We see them everywhere, from politics to popular culture and corporate strategy to grassroots activism. Through an interdisciplinary approach to environmental science, this course examines the relationships between power, institutions, environmental conservation, and environmental justice and explores how issues are defined as problems. The course will cover the theoretical and practical methods used in environmental policy to assist government agencies, from the local to the global, in addressing immediate and long-term environmental sustainability challenges.
Particular attention will be focused on power asymmetries among diverse actors, the formal and informal institutions that facilitate or impede environmental sustainability and environmental justice, and how race, class, and gender impacts recognition, participation, and the distribution of natural resource benefits and harms. Students will examine social theories of “nature”, as well as, a range of policy responses to address environmental inequities. Emphasis is placed on disadvantaged communities in the United States and the Global South. Theory will be complemented by real-world environmental controversies that will require group collaboration to produce in-class presentations and the completion of policy memos that engage students critically with the course material.
INTS 4657 Environment & Crises (4 Credits)
In recent decades, the relationship between the environment and human lives has been increasingly recognized, including the relationships between the environment and crises, so-called natural disasters, conflict, and related human migration. This course explores these relationships. It looks at aspects of local, regional, and international approaches at the nexus between humanitarianism and development, including preparedness, risk mitigation and responses to environmental crises, the impact of environmental factors including climate change on the nature and severity of crises, and the impact of humanitarian crises and responses on the environment.
This course is aimed at those with an interest in environment and crisis-affected contexts. Students are not expected to have a background in crisis response and/or the environment.
INTS 4664 Emerging Powers: Development in Brazil, India and Beyond (4 Credits)
This course deals with two emerging powers, Brazil and India. We trace the political economy of both countries over time, and spend particular time exploring their historical trajectory, current emergence, challenges they face, and the significance of emerging powers for the international political economy. The course is organized around an understanding of their insertion into the international economy, the implications of international insertion for domestic transformation, and the politics of incorporating newly mobilized domestic social and political actors, especially as this plays out in existing political institutions. Students help define some areas of concentration for the course by identifying policy areas in which concentrated research will occur. This course takes an interdisciplinary approach by drawing on political science, economics, and sociology, and we are concerned to understand the potential for emerging powers to alter international relations, as well as the implications of different strategies of international insertion for domestic social sectors, especially those that have traditionally been excluded.
INTS 4666 Civilian Protection Practicum (4 Credits)
The harm to civilians in contexts of armed conflicts presents an ongoing challenge for humanitarian and defense practitioners. While there are no prerequisites for this course, it is designed as a follow-on to the introductory course on “Civilian Protection in Armed Conflict.” The course will enable students to put their insights on the protection of civilians into practice. Students will undertake collaborative research projects with a variety of U.S. and international humanitarian and defense organizations. Faculty and practitioner mentorship will help students learn how to advocate for ethical and evidenced-based protection policymaking. At the end of the course, students will brief their final research products to the practitioner clients.
INTS 4667 Humanitarian Simulation Preparation (4 Credits)
What does it feel like to be part of a multi-sectoral team assessing needs and planning responses in an emerging humanitarian crisis? How do you use your expertise to support rather than suppress local knowledge and the work of communities and community-based organizations in a complex setting? This course will focus on how humanitarians assess protection and psychosocial needs in a crisis and prioritize and develop interventions while working in volatile and stressful situations. The course is aimed at those interested in working in humanitarian contexts. In line with efforts to "decolonize" aid, the course will emphasize more equitable frameworks and approaches to humanitarianism.
INTS 4668 Political Economy of Energy (4 Credits)
The main purpose of this course is to understand critically the conceptual and empirical issues underlying the linkages between energy and sustainable development within the current global political economy (GPE) and Geopolitics. What is the connection between energy systems globally? What are the global and regional dimensions of the geopolitics and geoeconomics of energy systems ? What are the linkages between control over energy sources and 21st century prospects for sustainable development? How does the discourse of the linkages between energy and sustainable development relate to the underlying political economy and geopolitics of global capitalism in an age of global warming and climate change? How does the discourse of the linkages between energy and sustainable development relate to the underlying causes of inequality and poverty in the world? In order to do this, we will look at the relationships among energy, geopolitics, geoeconomics, economic growth, poverty, and inequalities in several different dimensions.
INTS 4670 Gender, Security and Human Rights (4 Credits)
This course examines the gendered dimensions of security and human rights, with a particular focus on periods of violence and insecurity. Gender equality has been at the heart of human rights and development efforts over the past half-century. Legal and normative instruments have been created to address the ongoing marginalization of women and girls around the world, including the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the 1995 Beijing Platform of Action. More recently there has been increasing attention to the importance of “gendering” discussions of international security. For instance, UN Security Council Resolution 1325, passed in 2000, is widely seen as a landmark framework for ensuring women’s inclusion in the post-war peace process.
INTS 4671 Climate, Science, and Society (4 Credits)
This course examines the role of the natural and social sciences in the climate change issue. Climate change is a complex international problem that challenges scientific and policy analysis. Its effects extend far into the future, are globally widespread, and impact many aspects of society and ecosystems. There are also substantial uncertainties in these effects and in how well different policies might work. As a result, the climate issue is ripe for political disagreement. This course will examine the kinds of analyses that underlie key scientific conclusions and policy arguments, as well as the role individual scientists can and do play in scientific and policy discourse. While some familiarity with the climate change issue will be helpful, the course does not assume that students have an extensive scientific background.
INTS 4672 Environmental Peacebuilding (4 Credits)
Natural resources and the environment can contribute to and amplify conflict, but they also represent opportunities for creating sustainable peace. This course will examine conceptions of peace, peacemaking and peacebuilding, and the insights an environment-centered lens can add. We examine peacemaking on environmental issues. We also consider three trajectories of environmental peacebuilding: technical cooperation, joint capacity building and dialogue, and joint and equitable resource distribution and management systems. Each of these has the ability to contribute to Positive Peace efforts throughout the conflict lifecycle—as preventive diplomacy, as confidence building and communication channels amidst conflict, and as post-conflict peacebuilding and sustainable development. Each approach in this new field could be strengthened through the consideration and application of relevant theory and research. This course also considers critiques of peacebuilding models and methods, and the push for better program MEL—monitoring, evaluation, and learning.
INTS 4673 Climate Finance and Other Clean Energy Solutions (4 Credits)
An introduction to climate finance and understanding its ability to advance renewable energy technologies and activities in the global context as a means of significantly reducing carbon emissions. This course will explore financing mechanisms and Green Banks. We will also learn how microfinance can help reduce vulnerabilities. The coursework will involve regular reference to Project Drawdown and specific clean energy technologies such as solar, tidal, wind, carbon sequestration, agroforestry, net zero building, microgrids, as well as other current innovations and their existing use and potential within the developing world. There will be several practitioners in the field serving as guest speakers for this course.
INTS 4674 Water Policy (4 Credits)
Water is a key resource for the sustainment of all life. Under many circumstances, it is scarce, too abundant, and inequitably distributed across groups in society and nature. This diversity of situations produces the conditions for the emergence of conflict among users, hence requiring the design of institutions to facilitate effective management. This makes water governance a complex but urgent issue to tackle. This class examines such institutions in a variety of levels –state, federal, and international- and analyzes how they affect water access and use. Students in the class will also engage in a careful examination of the sources of conflict and cooperation among water stakeholders on a regional and global scale. The main goal of the course is to foster the students’ capacity to assess how water-related conflicts can be prevented through the design and implementation of relevant policies.
INTS 4675 Advanced Topic: Defense and Security Policy Lab (4 Credits)
This is an advanced topics course centered on International Security students gaining, developing, and practicing their professional skills (specifically research and analytics, integration of creativity, academic material, and analysis, peer to peer leadership and coordination, project management and collaborative tools, and communications) via engagement with material/techniques associated with as well as the actual development and execution of a group based professional grade defense/security policy analysis. While the class will contain some traditional academic elements to provide all participants with an enhanced tool kit of skills and analytic options, the bulk of the class takes place through the development of the group defense/security policy analysis executed by 6 person student Project Teams that will be developed through an iterative process over the course and then presented to a group of defense and security professionals for their appraisal. Through this process, security students will be able to get a sense of how real world projects are developed and executed as well as the challenges that confront the production thereof.
INTS 4676 Insurgency/Counter-Insurgency (4 Credits)
This course will begin with an examination of insurgencies, the evolution of counterinsurgency, and how the U.S. policy community debates and decides on counterinsurgency strategies. Through a review of case studies, current conflicts, and fundamentals of military tactics, students will learn how governments combat insurgencies with military force and negotiation, how foreign assistance affects each side, how intelligence gathering impacts the fight, and how different types of leaders can strengthen or weaken a force. At the end of the course, students will analyze a contemporary and historical insurgency, articulate and defend counterinsurgency strategies, and compare it to U.S. policy towards the conflict. Prerequisite: INTS 4735.
INTS 4677 Introduction to Law, Foreign Policy, Politics, and Moral Theory in Human Rights (4 Credits)
The authors of the American Declaration of Independence wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men (sic) are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.” That first authoritative claim that all human beings regardless of color, class, social status, ethnicity, political and religious beliefs, or location have in common a set of rights did not define or enumerate “rights.” The definition implied was an indisputable individual and legitimate demand (with corresponding duties on the part of others) to be treated with respect and given space to shape a life in accordance with ability, opportunity, and will. Roughly a century and a half would pass before the first comprehensive enumeration: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and another two decades before the aspirational declaration was translated into formal treaties (the International Covenants respectively on Civil and Political and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights).
This course explores the processes by which the language of the Universal Declaration and the enumeration of rights embodied in the Covenants and other international agreements is interpreted, fought over, and applied (or not). Those processes are legal and political. They are suffused with discordant views about the obligations of states in relation to their citizens and the citizens of other states. They expose tensions among rights (for example, between freedom of expression and the obligation of states to outlaw speech tending to incite racial, ethnic, and other loathsome forms of discrimination, between religious freedom and protection from discrimination on the basis of religion [see the Colorado wedding cake case in the US Supreme Court]). Those processes occur both in the international arena and domestic ones. They engage domestic and international institutions, courts, parliaments, presidents, armies, civil society, and NGOs of various kinds. Threading through them are conflicting moral theories, national interests, ideologies, and raw inter-group competition and prejudices. Human Rights can be seen as a collective modifier as in “human-rights perspective.” Human rights, after all, are a way of viewing all the great issues of our time including migration, cultural conflict, justifications for the use of force, interrogation of suspected terrorists, poverty and gross inequality, the limits (if any) of religious freedom, the rights of majorities, and those of minorities and indigenous peoples. All of those issues will be on the table in this course.
INTS 4678 The Politics of Global Trade, Investment and Production: The Origins and Consequences of Open Border (4 Credits)
The last half century has seen national borders opened to the multiple flows now characterized as ‘globalization’ – the movement of traded goods, capital and people, all of which deserve attention. But if the financial crisis alerted the world to the consequences of free capital flows some years ago, the consensus on free trade and foreign direct investment outside of the developed economies is only now being questioned in national politics, most recently and notably in the 2016 US presidential campaign. In that campaign, both candidates questioned the wisdom of the mega-trade deals – the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – and one of them promised reverse the tide of outward US company relocation. The loss by the Democrats of much support among voters in blue-collar states affected by deindustrialization has forced a rethinking of both political strategy and policy orientation. The renewed salience of trade politics invites a number of questions, first about how the world managed the politics of surrendering to a large extent trade protectionism from the 1970s onwards, and second, how countries and regions have managed to govern an increasingly open trading order, both in terms of regulating the flow of goods but also in dealing with the domestic consequences – including initially widespread opposition by organized interests and ongoing battles with labor organizations in particular. There is a third question that is central to understanding what has happened with trade, and that concerns the melding of trade as traditionally understood with the transnationalization of production, whereby older and new forms of foreign direct investment (FDI) have created an international web of supply chains within which the greater part of trade (so-called inter-trade) is now conducted.
INTS 4679 Economic Statecraft and Diplomacy (4 Credits)
This course explores how governments use international economic policy to achieve geopolitical objectives. We discuss the ways in which states and international bodies appeal to economic sanctions, foreign aid, and other instruments of economic statecraft in attempts to change the conduct of other state and non-state actors. The course will explore the use of a variety of policy instruments ranging from personal asset freezes and sectoral prohibitions on trade to wholesale trade embargoes and military blockades. We will review the effects of these measures on target countries, discussing the conditions under which sanctions can create incentives for targeted leaders to change their policies and when they can trigger political change.
Other topics covered include the effects of sanctions on domestic economies and vulnerable populations, political use of foreign assistance, multilateral vs. unilateral sanctions regimes, international sanctions law, extraterritoriality and the ethics of imposing sanctions. The course will undertake in-depth case studies of the effects of sanctions in several sanctioned economies, including Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Africa, and Venezuela.
INTS 4681 Modeling for Development, Environment, and Security (4 Credits)
This course is intended to provide you with a) an overview of the current state of macro-level human development, environment, and security challenges; b) tools to analyze and forecast these dynamics as interdependent systems across long time horizons; and c) deliverables that encourage you to improve your writing for a policy audience. We review various challenges, starting with well-known issues related to climate change and development. We then move forward and explore the relationship between development and conflict, furthering our understanding of how both civil and international conflicts emerge. Finally, we dig more deeply into issues in the field of “traditional” development, focusing on how investments in education, health, infrastructure, and other areas lead to trade-offs and synergies that can help us better shape multidimensional human capabilities moving forward.
INTS 4700 United States Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
An intermediate course on issues and perspectives for evaluating American foreign policy. Topics discussed include theories of foreign policy; historical epochs in Superpower relations: the Cold War, Dente, and confrontation; America's role in the post-Cold War; war, peace, and trade in relation to U.S foreign policy planning and assessment.
INTS 4701 US National Security Policy (4 Credits)
An intermediate course which examines the post-war history of U.S. policy and America's response to the post-Cold War environment. Current issues include alternative strategies in nuclear deterrence and arms control; and security policy toward the Third World, Europe and the Atlantic Alliance, and Japan. Prerequisite: INTS 4702.
INTS 4702 Emerging Issues in International Security (4 Credits)
This course focuses on contemporary challenges to global security. It seeks to familiarize students with the nature of these challenges and analytical tools with which to make sense of (and consider potential responses to) them. In the context of thinking about general issues, students learn about prominent individual instances (or "cases") of problems, think about problems through different theoretical lenses, and consider both logic and empirical evidence in evaluating different arguments. Beyond the substantive focus, the course also encourages students to develop analytical skills and their ability to communicate their analyses effectively.
INTS 4703 Foundations of Security (4 Credits)
This course will focus on the array of factors, options, and realities associated with the creation and execution of Strategy in order to achieve security objectives. The course begins with and centers on the classic works, concepts, and thinkers associated with strategy and then seeks to apply these foundational ideas to a range of current security challenges.
INTS 4705 Democratization (5 Credits)
INTS 4706 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)
INTS 4708 Topics in International Studies (1-4 Credits)
INTS 4709 Topics in International Studies (1-4 Credits)
INTS 4710 Topics in International Studies (1-4 Credits)
INTS 4711 Topics in International Studies (1-4 Credits)
INTS 4715 Debates About Democracy (4 Credits)
This is a course in the field of comparative democratization studies and democratic quality. We will cover from the political science perspective topics such as the transition to democracy, consolidation of democracies, and how and why democracy has spread around the world. We will also examine the debates on the virtues and perils of democracy and on the nature and quality of the resulting representative democracies. Through this lens we will also analyze the "democratic backsliding" observed even in well-established democracies during the last decade and a half, which has resulted in the proliferation of new hybrid regimes and other very problematic characteristics of present-day democracies. In this course, we will study many of the aspects that might influence the process of democratization and democratic backsliding such as: institutional design and functioning, political culture, democratic support and the structure of the party system and party competition.
INTS 4720 Capital Markets in Africa (4 Credits)
Capital markets – the buying and selling of equity and debt – are vital to the functioning of an economy. Using a comparatives study of capital markets in America and Africa, we will explore how they work, and how inefficiencies and structural challenges can inhibit private investment and access to capital among middle and lower classes in emerging economies generally. The tools in this course will also allow students to assess the efficiency of capital markets in emerging economies throughout the world. The course comprises five modules: 1) Banking and microfinance; 2) Mortgage and housing finance; 3) Private equity (including venture capital); 4)Stock markets: 5) Mobile money.
For each module, we will begin with a study of how the industry functions in the United States, which is widely regarded to have the most efficient capital markets. We will then compare the US model to markets in Africa, examining the structural and practical limitations that impede those markets in sub-Saharan Africa (and, by extension, other emerging markets). The course will not attempt a comprehensive analysis of specific African countries, although examples will be drawn from specific markets. Instead, we will focus on many of the structural challenges to the development of mature capital markets in sub-Saharan African countries (mostly excluding South Africa). We will explore questions such as, Can microfinance be profitable? Why isn’t housing finance widely available? What types of “mobile money” systems are developing in Africa, and what are their business models? Why aren’t there more IPOs in Africa? Class participation is important, as the subject matter will range beyond the readings.
INTS 4722 U.S. Policy in the Middle East Since World War II (4 Credits)
Various experts and commentators now claim that the U.S. is surrendering its preeminent position of power in the Middle East after more than 70 years of almost unchallenged dominance. In this course, we will examine some of the issues, events, and decisions that may be contributing to this perception and more generally to the evolving role of the U.S. in the Middle East. Is the perception correct? What is might be happening with U.S. policy in the region? What might we expect as the Trump administration’s decidedly pro-Israel/pro-Saudi approach solidifies? What are America’s genuine policy interests in the region and how should the U.S. be addressing those? And what are the challenges and responsibilities of the governments and peoples of the region in tackling their many problems, from sectarianism to poor economic growth to environmental degradation?
Through the study of specific issues, we will focus our attention on the policy-making process and decisions, key interests and motivations, alternatives, the decision makers and their unique roles, and the ultimate impact their decisions may have today and in the future. We will also try to understand American attitudes and perceptions that shape policy as well as those of the people in the region. As we proceed through our study, we will ask ourselves how decisions impact the region and the U.S. today and in the future.
INTS 4730 Foundations in Homeland Security: Response and Recovery (4 Credits)
This course will examine the post-1945 history of United states efforts at homeland security, and include an overview of other national efforts (e.g., by the Soviet Union, Switzerland, and Israel.) It will then turn to identifying and analyzing the spectrum of issues associated with U.S. homeland security, in the context of evaluating the United States post-9/11 response to date. Those issues include: framing homeland security, prevention, response and recovery overview, foreign actors and issues, domestic actors/issues, problems of intelligence, terrorism vs. violent crime, public expectations, role of the media, funding and resources, and how to address broad spectrum threats.
INTS 4731 Homeland Defense: Prevention & Mitigation (4 Credits)
This course will examine the following issues: political leadership, foreign and domestic intelligence organization and functions, role of intelligence, principles of indications and warning, legal/civil rights issues: balancing human rights and security, law enforcement, Public health, and the role of various U.S. federal agencies: Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, the INS, border security among others, plus the role of first responders in prevention/detection, and establishing indicators and reporting procedures.
INTS 4733 Introduction to Strategic Cyber Threats and Policy (4 Credits)
At its core, cyber is a suite of complex, interrelated technologies affiliated with computers, communications networks, and digitalization. Like any powerful technology, cyber provides the capabilities for a range of political actors across a range of levels of analysis to increase their capabilities to achieve both benevolent and malignant goals (and which of these any particular effort is often rests in the eyes of the beholder). Yet, the massive scale of the utilization, both current and future, of cyber technologies and the speed, range, and impact that these technologies potentially generate also make cyber a realm, an area of practice, action, and, thus, policy. The challenge with the rise of such a sweeping development in national and international security is understanding the nature of the threat, how unique the characteristics of the threat are versus how much they resemble previous security challenges, how much existing security mechanisms and policies are applicable versus the need for the development of novel solutions and what are the trade-offs that have to be made, and thus will come to define, cyber security policy at the national and international level. This course will engage all four of these basic questions in survey fashion, setting students up for follow-on academic or professional engagement with the realities of strategic level cyber security issues.
INTS 4735 Defense and Security Methods (4 Credits)
The purpose of this overview course in defense analysis methods is to provide students with the foundations to successfully conduct research and analysis in defense-related topics, whether within the national security community, in academia, or as a contractor. This course should also help prepare the student to complete his or her Master's thesis. The course aims to improve the student's ability to comprehend and assess the graduate-level readings assigned in other courses, and to write research papers and complete other written assignments for those courses. The course is intended to provide take-away skills that can be applied to professional activities after graduation: in particular, students should have greater confidence in their abilities to locate, read, commission, design, or conduct relevant research, and to draft research proposals. This class focuses on methods employed in both policy analysis and the social sciences. The emphasis is on qualitative rather than quantitative methods.
INTS 4736 Strategic Intelligence Data Collection and Analysis (4 Credits)
Course focuses on analytical prod. of strategic intell relative to int'l security issues.
INTS 4738 Current Issues in Strategic Intelligence (4 Credits)
Advanced seminar which investigates current issues relative to strategic intell within international studies.
INTS 4739 Defense and Security Quantitative Analysis (4 Credits)
This course is the follow-on to INTS 4735 Defense and Security Methods and is designed to engage students in a professional conversation about the applicability of quantitative analysis and big data based analytics for the execution of defense and security analysis/research. Continuing the development of the students' individual research design proposal, but now introducing an array of quantitative ideas, options, and methods, this course begins with the foundational realities of coding and descriptive statistics before introducing students to bivariate and multivariate analysis, index/scale construction, and hypothesis testing techniques. In addition, the course continues to develop the students ability to engage with and understand real world defense and security research, in this case particularly quantitative analysis. Prerequisites: INTS 4735.
INTS 4750 The Policy Making Process (4 Credits)
Governments make public policies through a complex process, which varies in its details from country to country and even from issue to issue within the same country. In this course we study various parts of those processes and some of the inputs into them. In addition, we play close attention to problem framing or problem definition in those policy processes. Within all these disparate policy processes political actors must have some notion of what problem they are trying to solve and what constitutes the set of feasible solutions to those problems. These ideas about problems and feasible solutions are not given exogenously, are not some fact of nature, but instead arise from complicated interactions among actors and institutions in the policy process. The quest we ask throughout the course is how policy problems and solutions could be framed differently, how we can learn to look outside the conceptual box that partisans to policy debates try to draw for us. Students write a series of papers during the course following a policy issue of their choice through the policy process.
INTS 4753 Intelligence and National Security (4 Credits)
Focuses on the craft of U.S. Intelligence and its role in the making and implementation of national security policy.
INTS 4760 Russian Foreign and Defense Policy (4 Credits)
Course explores Russian foreign and defense policy from Vladimir Lenin to Vladimir Putin - heavy focus on security policy.
INTS 4786 Planning and Assessment in Complex Environments (4 Credits)
The primary mission of this course is to provide participating students grounding in the planning methodologies, approaches, and expectations used within the US government in both military and civilian agencies as well as increasingly in the security related private and non-profit sectors. The starting point for this effort is Operational Art & Design and the military’s Joint Operational Planning Process (JOPP) as well as related literature. Military planning serves as the starting point both because it is the most mature and sophisticated government planning methodology and because most other US government planning practices are direct, contextually appropriate derivatives of DoD planning mechanics.
INTS 4787 Civil-Military Practices in Humanitarian Responses (4 Credits)
Changing U.S. national security priorities following 9/11, including updated Department of Defense doctrine, have led to U.S. military actors prioritizing humanitarian assistance as a central component of theater security cooperation arrangements. This trend includes not only considerations of protection of civilians during military operations but also planning for natural disaster response and steady state engagement to build the capacities of host nations to address crises, including natural and man-made disasters. Through readings, class discussions, group work and individual assignments, students in this course will gain a better understanding of the issues and roles of civilian and military actors in the humanitarian space, with a specific focus on how legal and policy guidance impacts the decision to utilize U.S. military forces in disaster response situations. While this course will focus specifically on how the U.S. government approaches humanitarian activities and the role of the U.S. Department of Defense assets, it will locate this discussion within the broader about the appropriate use of Military and Civil and Defense Assets in international humanitarian community.
INTS 4801 Major Issues in Human Rights (4 Credits)
This co-taught course looks at a wide range of contemporary issues in human rights. It is intended equally as an introductory course for students in other degrees and as an advanced course for Human Rights degree students. Each week will be run by the faculty member who has selected the topic. Readings and any other before-class assignments will be on the Canvas page for the course, in the Files tab, in the folder for the instructor.
INTS 4802 Foundational Ideas in Social Science: Marx and Weber (4 Credits)
Marx's is the most striking and complex theory of revolutionary change. It has inspired millions of workers, peasants, soldiers, students and intellectuals in three large international movements (the International Workingmen's Association, the Second International, the Third International). "Capital" is perhaps the most striking depiction of how factories and capitalist society operate, from the point of view of workers, of any modern economic theory. It is a theory which novelly explains the tensions in the experience of most non-University educated people between their work experience and the current Washington "consensus" about free markets and democracy. It has motivated and empowered striking democratic movements, often across national boundaries, of the oppressed against the privileged. Where successful, however, Marxian movements both brought about significant, common good oriented improvements and failed to withstand external and internal attacks or resolve basic problems in radicals' vision of a new society. Further, Marx's vision has often been interpreted as, except in the immediate unfolding of the revolutions themselves, having little to do with democracy. In radical movements as well as in capitalist societies and academia, Marx has been fiercely attacked. For much of the Cold War, not having read Marx permitted one to expatiate on what Marx's views are; reading Marx was, until the late 1970s and early 1980s a disqualification even in teaching, let alone in the media. Marx's views are often misrepresented, dismissed without investigation as "obviously wrong." This course provides an opportunity to read the first volume of "Capital" and some of Marx's other main works and test them, in whatever depth desired, against Max Weber, the dominant theorist of American sociology and political science.
INTS 4807 Civil-Military Relations During War (1 Credit)
The focus of the course will be on civil-military relations—the interaction between the senior military leadership and elected and appointed civilian officials. Students will have a unique opportunity to learn about the development of national security policy and related issues. The course will examine the civil-military relations during three 20th Century wars and two 21st century conflicts and draw insights about the impact of civil-military relations on national security and the requirements for effective civil-military interaction in the future.
INTS 4808 Foundations of Global Justice: Theories of Power and Transformation (4 Credits)
Our primary goal will be to understand and assess different approaches and frameworks for pursuing social change – from civil resistance and nonviolent direct action to narrative, experimental cities, and artivism. Our goal will be to understand when and why these approaches work – and when and why they don’t. Students will hear from activists working in ongoing movements for social change around the world and will get acquainted with their work. We will explore case studies of historical and ongoing social movements, which include struggles for democracy, peace, human rights, environmental justice, racial and gender justice, and more. We will also strategize how movements manage violent repression, backlash, and opposition in different contexts. Students will walk away with practical understandings of how to organize for social change, skills to support ongoing movements, and applied opportunities to understand when, where, how, and why certain efforts at social change succeed, while others fall short of their goals.
INTS 4810 Social Movements, Global Justice (4 Credits)
This course is intended for students seeking to gain a theoretical and practical understanding of social movements. It is organized in two parts: (1) (re)imagining power and social movement theory, and case studies of social movements; followed by (2) developments, dilemmas, coalition-building, and other questions in the study of social movements. Students will develop a project to learn about a movement (or nonprofit organization) of their choice. Taking the Foundations to Global Justice course is a useful, but not necessary pre-requisite. Students will conduct assignments scaffolded throughout the term and share their work with peers in teams.
We will explore movements from local ones on college campuses, to Women Life Freedom, to the Black Panthers. The class is designed so that students concurrently learn practically to organize collectively with others or ways of engaging in solidarity, and understand theoretically and empirically, the role of social movements.
INTS 4812 Capstone: Applied Strategies for Catalyzing Social Change (4 Credits)
Capstone: Applied Strategies for Catalyzing Social Change is a core course required for the Global Justice Certificate. Students will work with activists and/or movements on a specific project identified as a need. Students will gain concrete, real-world skills and training in how to strengthen the work of grassroots movements.
INTS 4816 Power and Oppression (4 Credits)
This course is designed to be an introspective practice in examining how frameworks apply to societal norms, personal and cultural identity, and academic settings. We will explore frameworks on racial equity, oppression, gender, implicit bias, and intercultural conflict, in addition to others. We will critique white supremacist structures that influence our everyday interactions, work-environment, and how we view and engage in the world around us.
INTS 4817 Restorative Justice (2 Credits)
Restorative Justice is an alternative to punitive discipline methods; restorative approaches focus on building relationships, trust, and respect. Restorative methods center around repairing harm, accepting responsibility, and reintegrating the parties responsible for causing harm back into the community. Reconciliation is paramount in community building to restore communal harm and prevent further harm and violence post resolution. This course centers around domestic and international approaches to Restorative Justice, including restorative circles, truth commissions, and victim offender dialogue. Internationally, we will explore restorative work in Rwanda, South Africa, Bosnia, India, and New Zealand. We will learn methodologies used in restorative approaches in schools, judicial systems, communities, and diversion programming. This course will focus on the mindset shift to culturally integrate restorative approaches systemically in communities.
INTS 4818 Conflict Sensitive Interventions (2 Credits)
While interventions are designed to have impacts, these impacts often include unintended and even negative consequences. Particularly in fragile and conflict-affected contexts and contexts of inequality, interventions done without sensitivity to context can undermine sustainability and exacerbate conflicts. Conflict sensitivity is an approach to ensure that interventions do not unintentionally contribute to conflict, but rather, strengthen opportunities for peace and inclusion. It focuses on mitigating the risk of negative impacts and enhancing positive ones. This course will develop skills for analyzing conflict dynamics and actor incentives, mapping an intervention’s potential positive and negative influence on systems of inequality and conflict, locating opportunities as well as risks, modifying an intervention to minimize harm and maximize peace and sustainability, and building in the adaptation mechanisms needed for ongoing change in dynamic contexts.
INTS 4820 Democracy and War (4 Credits)
This course explores Socrates' speech at his trial and decision to go to his death as, surprisingly, initiating two central features of modern democratic theory. First, Socrates is often depicted as simply hostile to the many, looking down on Athenian democracy. But what he in fact looks down on is tyrannical mob rule, the "democracy" of a particular interest arbitrarily enforced (what we might call a demented Joe McCarthy-kind of democracy). In contrast, Socrates also incarnates the idea of asking questions in a democracy, that is, dissent (prefiguring what is sometimes called today deliberative democracy). That makes a democracy capable of realizing, sometimes, a common good. Second, Socrates provides a paradigm for modern civil disobedience or satyagraha in Gandhi - we read Gandhi's translation of Plato's Apology - and Martin Luther King's letter from the Birmingham City Jail. Nonviolent civil disobedience is necessary in a modern democracy because party-competition focuses mostly on personality issues and not on fundamental injustices. Further, this kind of protest promises major change even in dictatorships (consider Erica Chenoweth and Maria Stephan, Why Civil Resistance Works). Thus, this emphasis is a novel interpretation of Plato as opposed to, in scholarship and politics, Plato's supposed link to authoritarian "commander-in-chief" power (Heidegger, Leo Strauss and William Kristol for example) which we also contrast in this course. The course explores the subtlety of these dialogues - the question of what Plato intended to teach his long-standing students like Aristotle who studied with him for 20 years - but leave the main points of Gandhi's and King's interpretation intact. Third, the course explores Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War and Plato's response to it in the Republic in terms of modern critiques of Empire building and the "unhinged" wars by American democracy (we look at W. Robert Connor's elegant break with previous understandings of Thucydides during Viet Nam and John Mearsheimer's striking criticisms of post-Cold War American policy, echoing Obama's 2013 speech at the National Defense University, in "America Unhinged." Thucydides is a far deeper account of imperial expansion and the corruption of and threat to democracy at home than modern realist and neo-realist gestures at him. Neo-realists methodologically attempt to separate global politics from its domestic consequences as supposedly different levels of analysis; this interplay is the heart of Thucydides' argument and deepest insight into the meaning of war and democracy.
INTS 4822 Contemporary Political Theory (4 Credits)
An examination of current 21st century political theory and how the events of the 20th century helped mold these ideas/ concepts.
INTS 4854 Rising China and Challenges to the Global Order (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC program participants only. This seminar focuses on contemporary challenges to the global order posed by China’s growing economic power. The course charts China’s reform and opening, its development and integration into the global economy, and the challenges created for Western economic and security institutions and alliances. Specific topic areas covered include China’s non-market status and trade conflict, competition for technological leadership, ICT governance and standard setting, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the implications of China’s South China Sea activity. The course will combine extensive background readings, lectures, and discussion. Students will benefit from frequent guest lectures and discussions with experts from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
INTS 4856 Global Sustainability and Development (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC participants only. This course considers the interaction of environmental, economics, and energy issues on global ecological systems. It offers an overview of relevant international legal frameworks and national governance systems, the state of major ecosystems – forests and species habitats; wetlands, oceans and rivers, and the atmosphere and selected policy issues related to each. Emphasis is less on “what” to think than “how” to think about and formulate policy responses to complex, multidimensional issues.
INTS 4875 Human Rights and Foreign Policy (4 Credits)
Global human rights issues and how those issues help mold foreign policy decisions.
INTS 4889 Capstone: Intelligence/Threat Assessment (4 Credits)
All students in the Certificate of Specialization in Strategic Intelligence must complete a capstone project centered on demonstrating the ability to provide a professional grade strategic assessment or other intelligence product. One of the Certificate-associated faculty will supervise the set of projects for each year as needed to meet graduate requirements for the participating students on a one-to-one or small group basis. The total credits via the Capstone are 4 and the standard is the same as any other Korbel independent project of same number of credits.
INTS 4890 The Revolutions of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Peoples: Violence or Nonviolence? (4 Credits)
Marx's is the most striking and complex theory of revolutionary change. It has inspired millions of workers, peasants, soldiers, students and intellectuals in three large international movements (the International Workingmen's Association, the Second International, the Third International). "Capital" is perhaps the most striking depiction of how factories and capitalist society operate, from the point of view of workers, of any modern economic theory. It is a theory which novelly explains the tensions in the experience of most non-University educated people between their work experience and the current Washington "consensus" about free markets and democracy. It has motivated and empowered striking democratic movements, often across national boundaries, of the oppressed against the privileged. Where successful, however, Marxian movements both brought about significant, common good oriented improvements and failed to withstand external and internal attacks or resolve basic problems in radicals' vision of a new society. Further, Marx's vision has often been interpreted as, except in the immediate unfolding of the revolutions themselves, having little to do with democracy. In radical movements as well as in capitalist societies and academia, Marx has been fiercely attacked. For much of the Cold War, not having read Marx permitted one to expatiate on what Marx's views are; reading Marx was, until the late 1970s and early 1980s a disqualification even in teaching, let alone in the media. Marx's views are often misrepresented, dismissed without investigation as "obviously wrong." This course provides an opportunity to read the first volume of "Capital" and some of Marx's other main works and test them, in whatever depth desired, against Max Weber, the dominant theorist of American sociology and political science.
INTS 4891 American Intersectional Inequality: From Local to Homeland Security (4 Credits)
This course advances understanding of how inequality manifest differently by race and ethnicity, class, and gender. Policy topics and case studies will span (1) immigration laws, citizenship, and race-making; (2) state violence, mob rule, and the origins of the American penal system; (3) local law enforcement, courts, and prisons (5) detention centers and homeland security; and (6) demography, census, and democratic representation.
The course will feature African American and Latinx populations prominently and incorporate Indigenous, Asian-American, and White populations throughout. The class will center the perspectives of poor Americans, but will incorporate working class, middle class, and elite perspectives when useful comparisons and contrasts are in order. Theories and case studies will be rooted in a U.S. context but occasionally include readings from other democratic nations.
Readings will encompass enduring problems and landmark policies, as well as contemporary challenges. Given that this is a writing-in-the-disciplines course, we will devote attention to developing public policy research and memo-writing skills. Students will also gain practice working in teams to sharpen analytical skills and written work.
INTS 4900 International Politics (4 Credits)
Topics on discussion include: levels of analysis; realism; neo-realist structuralism; international society and the English school; international anarchy; process variables and international institutions; international security institutions; rationalism, constructivism, and the purposes of theory; norms and ideas; gender and identity; and postmodernism and post-structuralism.
INTS 4903 Relational Theories of International Relations (4 Credits)
Examines recent theoretical work in the field of international relations that treats international society and its practices as social constructs.
INTS 4906 Classics of International Theory (4 Credits)
Professor will choose various books by classic political theorists for students to read and discuss in class.
INTS 4907 Terrorism (4 Credits)
Terrorist violence, an issue facing many countries in international and domestic politics, is used by left and right-wing groups, nationalist and religious organizations, revolutionary movements, and state institutions seeking political power. This course is focused on: understanding terrorism (definitions, causes, evolving tactics); analyzing who becomes a terrorist (jihadist, separatist, supremacist ideologies plus radicalization processes); and evaluating effective counter-terrorism measures to reduce or resolve the problem.
INTS 4909 Climate Migration and Human Rights (4 Credits)
The science of climate change, while continuing to become more exact and nuanced, is clear – human behavior has caused the planet to warm unnaturally. Now that the science has been established the next question is how will it affect the ecosystem and, especially human habitation. As seems to be the norm, those most affected by climate change will be the poor, the disempowered, and native populations. The understanding and the possible solutions must be interdisciplinary – human rights, law, economics, development, gender and race equity, security, science – to name a few. The course will look at the history and philosophy of climate justice, which includes such disciplines as environmental justice and sustainability, move through an analysis via a number of different viewpoints, and conclude with a look into the future in terms of education and activism. Climate justice requires a sharp, critical look at systems and an understanding of the interconnectedness of science, ethics, and politics. Examples of this might include the rising of sea levels displacing very large numbers of people adding to the already impossible strain on refugee and IDP resettlement. Or the Brazilian economy’s almost sole reliance on hydro-electric power in face of the drying up of rivers and water basins. Or the role of the world’s religions and religious leaders in climate justice. One of the unique characteristics of this course will be the number of guest lecturers. It is incumbent on universities and colleges to take a multi-disciplinary approach to climate justice and lower the “silos” between academic units. To that end colleagues from DU and other institutions will bring their disciplines and insights to bear on the topic.
INTS 4912 Development in Africa: Challenges, Constraints and Strategies (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC participants only. As the Developed World falters over its financial difficulties, many eyes are turning to the third world for resources, markets and solutions. In a real sense, Africa is the "last frontier." With this in mind, this seminar provides an overview of Africa and Development through the eyes of practitioners and scholars from the US and Africa who have devoted considerable effort to trying to affect development on the continent and speculating on what more it will take to make Africa prosperous. Beginning with an overview, the course proceeds through traditional development sectors (agriculture, health and education), newer perspectives and drivers (private sector, ICTs, democratization and China), and the three "C" barriers (corruption, conflict and climate change). Lively exchanges over the role of outsiders and the efficacy of aid as well as Africa's growing role in the outside world, balance more traditional development perspectives.
INTS 4914 Statecraft and Smart Power in the Digital Era (4 Credits)
This course is for Korbel in DC participants only. This course examines new approaches to the practice of statecraft in an era of rapid global change. Globalization is upsetting traditional international order and institutions, and changing the pace and intensity of decision making. Nation-state governments, while still the primary actors, must adjust to new sub-national, regional and transnational forces and players in a far more complex global arena. Digital Communication is revolutionizing relationships and interaction in the global arena. More groups and the general public are involved or mobilized in public participation than ever before. Vastly more information flows ever more quickly. Partisanship rises with segmentation, threatening fragmentation in public life. The new era reflects the imbalances and strains of major demographic change, especially the impact of an expanding tech-savvy younger generation. A significant youth bulge in volatile developing nations fuels reform efforts, but also creates the potential for conflict arising from continuing injustice and unmet expectations Foreign policy institutions and decision makers here and abroad are increasingly subject to cross-pressures from competing domestic and transnational interests. In the U.S. the Inter-Agency must balance influential single-issue stakeholders and constituencies here and abroad. The course explores how the U.S. and other governments are responding to the new global challenges. Participants see to frame new “rules” of statecraft in the digital era.
INTS 4920 Conflict Resolution (4 Credits)
An introductory course which identifies the collective factors leading to successful reconciliation or agreeable compromises in conflicts; analyzes the role and influence of cultural norms, gender conditioning and different bargaining strategies on the resolution process; applies the practical fundamental of negotiation on particular problem-solving techniques.
INTS 4928 Torture (4 Credits)
This is a reading/seminar course. Students are asked to be well-prepared and contribute to the discussion. We explore mostly modern forms of torture. The use of torture has not abated in the last 100 years despite conventions, treaties and watchdog organizations. What has occurred is that torture has become "stealth", to use Professor Rejali's term. These "stealth" techniques leave no mark and have been developed equally by democratic states and totalitarian regimes. It is also clear that the U.S. has engaged in state sponsored torture (see The Constitution Project bi-partisan report of April, 2013). An important question before us is if there is any place for torture in the 21st century and if torture is an effective means to gather intelligence. If the answer to both questions is "no," and torture violates the most basic ethical, moral, and legal norms of humanity, they why does it persist?.
INTS 4929 Foundations of Human Rights (4 Credits)
There are many ways to approach human rights. This course has a historical and thematic emphasis, raising questions relevant to contemporary issues. What are the origins of human rights? Is religion compatible to secular views of universal rights? Are human rights predominantly Western? Did the industrial revolution and socialist tradition contribute to human rights? What are the limits of the rights to self-determination? Is globalization improving or harming human rights? Is globalization increasing or decreasing the potential for a vibrant civil society? What are the tensions between cultural rights and universalism? Are there tensions between security and universal rights? Are human rights for ALL humans? What political systems, under what circumstances, are most hospitable for social cohesion and/or human rights?.
INTS 4931 International Organizations (4 Credits)
An intermediate course on approaches to the study of international organizations, including institutionalism, neofunctionalism, complex interdependence, international regimes, and epistemic communities. Case studies examining collective security and peacekeeping, human rights, Antarctica, and the environment are discussed.
INTS 4935 International Humanitarian Law of Armed Conflict (4 Credits)
This course is a theoretical and practical introduction to international humanitarianism law (IHL). IHL is known by many other names such as "humanitarian law," "law of conflict," and "laws of war." All these terms refer to the rules regarding the treatment of civilians and non-combatants in areas of armed conflict and the rules of engagement for soldiers and combatants. These "rules" are especially important to know if you eventually work for an IO or NGO that finds itself in areas of armed conflict. Cross listed with CPSY 4560.
INTS 4936 International Law and Human Rights (4 Credits)
An introductory course examining the concept of human rights, including political, economic, social, and cultural rights. International, regional and national institutions, norms and procedures to protect individual and group rights are discussed.
INTS 4940 Introduction to Human Rights (4 Credits)
An introductory course focused around historical and theoretically relevant texts in humans rights. First and second generation rights are emphasized. Early liberal, conservative, and socialist understandings of human rights are highlighted against their respective historical background.
INTS 4941 Human Rights and International Organizations (4 Credits)
An introductory course exploring the changing roles of international organizations in their efforts to protect and promote human rights. Examination of both the global and regional levels of human rights activities of international intergovernmental organizations are discussed. Recommended prerequisite: INTS 4940.
INTS 4947 Human Rights and Security (4 Credits)
In a sense, the debate over human rights and security is rooted in ancient arguments over power and morality. Yet it is particularly since the end of World War II and the defeat of the Nazis, the emergence of the United States as the leading world power, and the onset of the nuclear age, that the debate over the relationship between human rights and national security has been part of operational discourse in real world politics as well as in university classrooms. The course title suggests an amplitude of subject matter far greater than can be encompassed in the ten weeks of the quarter. So, instructors are likely to differ about which issues to explore in the available time, and inevitably, they will differ in their pedagogical methods. Differences in methodology will reflect differences in taste, personality, training and experience.
INTS 4955 Human Rights Clinic I (0 Credits)
Students in the Human Trafficking Clinic will be asked to undertake a case study on a human rights violation and provide an advocacy report (roughly 5000 words, i.e., 20 double-spaced pages) that includes (a) a synopsis of relevant facts, (b) pertinent domestic (usually constitutional) law of the country where the violation occurs as well as relevant regional and international human rights law, and (c) a recommended course of remedial action using the rule of law. Non-graduating law and JKSIS students may seek an overseas assignment in order to either advance their research or initiate the recommendations in their advocacy report. Additional internship or independent research credit may be available for these overseas ventures.
INTS 4956 Human Rights Clinic II (4 Credits)
Students in the Human Trafficking Clinic will be asked to undertake a case study on a human rights violation and provide an advocacy report (roughly 5000 words, i.e., 20 double-spaced pages) that includes (a) a synopsis of relevant facts, (b) pertinent domestic (usually constitutional) law of the country where the violation occurs as well as relevant regional and international human rights law, and (c) a recommended course of remedial action using the rule of law. Non-graduating law and JKSIS students may seek an overseas assignment in order to either advance their research or initiate the recommendations in their advocacy report. Additional internship or independent research credit may be available for these overseas ventures.
INTS 4958 Human Rights Global Governance, Nationalism and Internationalism (4 Credits)
The decline of internationalism in its neoliberal garb calls for reflection on the past thirty years of crisis. After over two years of pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine and now the war between Israel and Hamas, nationalism is spreading across the globe. And yet history shows us that manifestations of internationalism tend to appear with urgency to counter old familiar foes: illiberal nationalism and ultra-religious radicalism. The main question of this course is: How can we build a new internationalism to address global crises driven by nationalist interests? What are the main lampposts to guide us in that search?
Informed by history, this course is structured in three parts: First, how did past forms of internationalism gain traction and supersede nationalism, and what was the contribution of progressive internationalist worldviews? Second, how has the neoliberal globalized order, established after the Cold War, brought us to a series of cataclysms? Third, amidst nationalist challenges, how do we approach the possible reconstruction of a new inclusive internationalism, one that could address both lingering and emerging crises and create the conditions for a more robust global governance guided by human rights? In this sense, this course also proposes to map current and future agreements between great powers, states, and civil society to strengthen a new internationalist order.
INTS 4964 Political Risk Analysis (4 Credits)
Investigates risks associated with political instability or uncertainty in countries with emerging markets.
INTS 4966 Applied Field Methods: Africa (4 Credits)
An introductory course for students planning to conduct research in developing countries. Practical information is presented on transforming hypothesis into a fieldwork setting, questionnaire construction and administration, and interviewing techniques.
INTS 4972 Global Environmental Governance (4 Credits)
Global environmental problems pose seemingly intractable problems for international relations and policy. In this seminar, we probe some of the practical and theoretical difficulties associated with solving such problems. These problems include: How can sovereign nation-states agree to cooperate on environmental problems and how can such cooperation include businesses and civil society? No international institution can legitimately coerce nations into such cooperation. Therefore, international institutions much get them to agree to cooperate, must find ways to bring business and civil society into those agreements, and then find ways to monitor and enforce the agreements. This task is harder than it might seem, and we explore both theories and cases that illuminate it.
INTS 4981 Internship (0-4 Credits)
The Josef Korbel School of International Studies (JKSIS) recognizes the importance of practical experience as an integral component of a student’s education. An internship should both complement the student’s academic field of study and relate to his/her career goals. Through internships, students will: Apply acquired academic theory, knowledge, and skills to professional practice; Further develop knowledge and skills needed to work effectively in the field; Gain greater understanding of the private, public, or nonprofit/NGO sectors; Build a network of professional contacts; and Develop career-related skills applicable to the future job search. This course requires the internship be at an organization that is not the University of Denver, and is the course that satisfies the degree requirement for all Korbel MA programs. The course is open to currently enrolled Korbel MA candidates, and registration is by instructor approval after review of materials.
INTS 4986 Humanitarian Assistance Internship (4 Credits)
The Josef Korbel School of International Studies (JKSIS) recognizes the importance of practical experience as an integral component of a student’s education. Experiential learning should both complement the student’s academic field of study and relate to his/her/their career goals. Students will apply acquired academic theory, knowledge, and skills to professional practice; and further develop knowledge and skills needed to work effectively in the field. The course is open to currently enrolled Korbel MA candidates who are using their internship to also satisfy requirements for the Humanitarian Assistance Certificate. Registration is by instructor and the Director of the Humanitarian Assistance Program after review and approval of materials.
INTS 4987 Forced Labor and Human Trafficking (4 Credits)
This course looks at a brief history of slavery, especially as it pertains to the British, West African, West Indies, and American triangle. We then look at contemporary issues of forced labor, human trafficking and contemporary slavery. Human trafficking is a very complex problem that requires a sophisticated, inter-disciplinary critique.
INTS 4989 North American Defense and Security (4 Credits)
This course will challenge students to analyze the evolving North American Defense and Security environment since 1945. The course will begin by focusing on the history of the Canada - United Status (CANUS) defense and security relationship that began in the wake of World War Two and was predicated upon protecting the North American continent from Soviet attack with the formation of the Permanent Joint board on Defense (PJBD), Military Cooperation committee (MCC), and North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). However, the end of the Cold War and subsequent terror attacks of 9/11 dramatically changed the North American Defense and Security environment and created the need for enhanced cooperation between the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
INTS 4991 Independent Study (1-12 Credits)
A special individual arrangement for students to pursue more advanced work beyond that available through regular courses. Such study is arranged between professor and student prior to registration. Academic grades are assigned for course performance. Tutorial Record Form required.
INTS 4995 Independent Research (1-8 Credits)
This course allows a student to receive credit for research and writing undertaken as part of the master's thesis. Such study is arranged between professor and student. Academic grades are assigned for performance. Independent Research form required.
INTS 4996 Substantial Research Paper (0-4 Credits)
A Substantial Research Paper (SRP) is a problem-focused paper designed to engage student in the process of applied research. In contrast, an independent study tends to be a more general research project, while an MA thesis involves in-depth academic research typically undertaken by students interested in pursuing a PhD. An SRP is typically shorter than an MA thesis, and does not require a review committee or an oral defense. Rather, the SRP will be supervised and graded by a single appointed faculty member.
INTS 4998 Experiential Learning (0 Credits)
The Josef Korbel School of International Studies (JKSIS) recognizes the importance of practical experience as an integral component of a student’s education. Experiential learning should both complement the student’s academic field of study and relate to his/her career goals. JKSIS recognizes the professional benefits of experiential learning work that occurs on the University of Denver campus. Through on-campus experiential learning, students will: Apply acquired academic theory, knowledge, and skills to professional practice; and Further develop knowledge and skills needed to work effectively in the field. The course is open to currently enrolled Korbel MA candidates, and registration is by instructor approval after review of materials.
INTS 4999 Research Design: Ph.D. Prospectus, Substantial Research Paper, and MA Thesis (4 Credits)
This workshop is designed for students interested in developing a well-crafted thesis proposal, sustaining their research and writing agenda throughout their studies, and learning about the academic profession as a whole. There will be short formal lectures or presentations by the instructor; yet each student needs have a paper on the subject of interest prior to registration to this class, each needs to be prepared weekly to receive constructive suggestions and assessments from the instructor and peers.
INTS 5500 Social Science Methods (4 Credits)
This course is about how to unleash the power of social science to explain and make sense of social behavior, phenomena, and research programs. The course is intended for Ph.D. students interested in developing their skills in research and analysis. As part of the “professionalization” process, the goal of the course is to teach the basic structure of how to produce a research article or larger work--“how to do” political science. We will primarily rely on methodological approaches from the discipline of Political Science but also cover methods from other fields.
INTS 5991 Independent Study (1-12 Credits)
INTS 5995 Independent Research (1-8 Credits)
This course allows a student to receive credit for research and writing undertaken as part of the doctoral dissertation preparation. Grades of "P" (pass) are assigned after the dissertation is accepted by the committee. Prerequisite: Ph.D Candidacy (passing Comprehensive exams).