INTS 1500 Introduction to the Global Economy (4 Credits)

Who controls the global economy, and in whose interest? This course introduces students to international political economy (IPE), the study of how political power shapes economic outcomes across borders. Students build a theoretical foundation in liberalism, mercantilism, structuralism, and constructivism, then apply these frameworks to the structures and fault lines of the global economic order: trade wars and technological competition, financial instability, conflict, development and the rise of new powers, inequality, illicit markets, and climate change. This course is part of the Common Curriculum and counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.

INTS 1700 Introduction to International Politics (4 Credits)

This course critically examines the nature of contemporary global society. It is designed to familiarize students with the broad parameters of international politics and takes into account numerous methodological and theoretical perspectives. The course explores both the historical development of international politics and how the business of international politics is “done.” The course examines issues such as war and peace, human security, the politics of climate change, and international human rights. The overall goal of this course is to introduce students to the field of International Politics and to make them conversant about the major issues facing the global system in the 21st century. This course counts toward the Scientific Inquiry: Society and Culture requirement.

INTS 1900 Sex, Violence, and Power in Global Politics (4 Credits)

The strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must" – Thucydides This formulation has long animated global politics. But who is considered “strong”? Who is labeled “weak”? And how do those definitions get made? This course explores how sex, gender, and identity influence global politics — from armed conflict and authoritarian governance to diplomacy, economic systems, and international institutions. We examine how ideas about masculinity, femininity, sexuality, and the body influence who leads, who fights, who is protected, and whose suffering is ignored. This class will explore questions like: • How does gender shape contemporary conflicts? • Why are military institutions structured the way they are? • How do gendered ideas about protection and threat shape security? • How do armed groups mobilize around ideas of masculinity, femininity, and family? • Why do authoritarian movements often mobilize around rigid ideas of masculinity and family order? • Why does sexual violence occur within armed conflict? And how can it be stopped? • And how do feminist movements challenge systems of global power? No prior background in political science, global affairs, or gender studies is required. Together, we will develop tools to analyze how global politics operate not only through states and strategy, but through powerful ideas about strength, vulnerability, and protection. By the end of the course, students will understand how gender is not peripheral to global politics — but foundational to how power is organized and exercised across the globe.

INTS 1988 Study Abroad Resident Credit (0-18 Credits)

INTS 2035 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 explore the origins of political violence, how various actors participate in violent conflicts around the world, and the different types of tactics at their disposal. The course pays particular attention to the ways that emerging technologies such as the cyber sphere, autonomous weapons, and space exploration are shaping political competition and violence in the 21st century.

INTS 2180 Politics of Development (4 Credits)

This course seeks to answer an overarching question that plagues development studies: why are some countries poor while other countries are rich? Furthermore, we ask why poverty is persistent around the world, and how the economic, political, and social structures of a society can improve conditions of poverty within a country. We begin answering these questions by reviewing the history of development, especially development conceived since the 1950s, when the post-war world saw a need to rebuild societies in Europe, up to the present time, when human development became the focus in the decade following the end of the Cold War. The course covers the major documents promoting theories of development, as well as looks at the historical record of the implementation of development policies (noting the divergence between theory and practice). We consider specific case studies in the process of asking why some countries are poor and others are rich, Furthermore, we are concerned with the role of country policies and implementation practices, with the impact of international organizations (multilateral development organizations), and the influence of bilateral foreign aid, on development progress or decline within countries.

INTS 2218 Intelligence and National Security (4 Credits)

This course will provide an overview of the intelligence collection and analysis cycles, as well as the national security policymaking process. It will examine case studies in which both the perceptions and biases of analysts or policymakers resulted in intelligence failures, and discuss ways to avoid those misperceptions and counter biases. The course will conclude with a short simulation in which students will each play a member of the National Security Council, debating over the pros and cons of an important foreign policy decision.

INTS 2235 Gender and International Relations (4 Credits)

How does gender shape international relations (IR)? How do ideas about masculinity and femininity affect war and peace? The global economy? Migration? Foreign policy? What do feminist perspectives contribute to the study of IR? These questions have relevance for the academic study of IR as well as the lived experiences of people around the world. Answering them requires attending to the ways in which gender and aspects of sexuality are constructed through social and political relations, and the hierarchies of power they reflect and maintain. Overall, this course encourages students to grapple with the issue of if and how gender matters in international relations. We will begin by introducing the concepts and theories necessary to investigate, research, analyze, and understand the gendered nature of international relations. Next, we will use this knowledge to compare gendered and feminist perspectives on IR to mainstream IR and explore why they have not been fully integrated. Then we will engage in gendered analyses of a variety of topics in IR, focusing especially on security and the economy. We will finish by carrying out research on a topic of our choosing, using the lenses and tools we have developed. In the end, students should consider whether this sort of perspective provides a more nuanced and holistic way of understanding IR.

INTS 2275 Introduction to the Environmental Crisis (4 Credits)

We live in a time when the planet is undergoing great stress and strain. Multiple global environmental problems are pushing us to the precipice, but few people address the scope and scale of the problem. Clearly, the planet is undergoing powerful changes, much of it due to human activity. Indeed, this is exactly what we mean when we say we are now living in the Anthropocene epoch, where human activity has significantly altered the Earth. However, as complex the problems facing humanity are, a very simple question arises: Will humanity have enough time to turn away from going over the cliff and become sustainable? Although it is impossible to answer that question with any certainty, we have a much better chance of discovering an answer by realizing two basic components of the problem: 1) planetary stability, and 2) the planet as a system. This class distills the complex relationship between human activities and planet stability by understanding what planetary boundaries are and what it means when we push past them.

INTS 2293 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.

INTS 2370 Globalization and the Knowledge Economy (4 Credits)

Much has been made of a new “knowledge economy” in which human capital has ascended to prominence over the traditional components of capital and labor. Further, the concept of “economic globalization” captures the realities of increasing interactions but exaggerates the notion of a single world economy connecting all producers, distributors, and consumers. In this class we examine the meaningful yet variable processes of increased knowledge diffusion and economic interaction to identify clusters of innovation, indicative of the knowledge economy. We then assess the applicability of globalization on a sector/ industry basis to identify ongoing transformations and future implications for knowledge development.

INTS 2377 War in Ukraine (4 Credits)

The war in Ukraine is a tragedy for all who are impacted. It is also a critical political/strategic event of the early 21st century and an insight into how political violence and the reactions/responses it provokes play out in a globalized world. Given we, sadly, cannot wish away war however defined, it is important to understand how/why this war started (the past), how/why it is playing out the way it is (the present), and what might happen going forward both specifically in the case of the Ukraine-Russia War/conflict and in other potential cases of future state level political violence (the future). As we are all citizens of states/societies confronting how to respond to threats to peace, our states/societies, and the world we live in, the war in Ukraine is a critical case study we can learn from and test our knowledge and preferences against in real time. Only in this way can we think seriously about the realities of political violence, international/global politics and strategic practice, and the humanitarian, social, economic, political, and physical costs that stem from war in a global age.

INTS 2380 Comparative Development Strategies (4 Credits)

Why do people in some countries have so much, while people in other countries lack basic necessities? This course explores the field of development economics, exploring the challenges improving quality of life in poor countries. We look at national-level indicators and explore theories of aggregate economic growth. But we also zoom in on particularly pernicious challenges, including health, education, the environment, agricultural transitions, demographic shifts, and human mobility. Students are invited to act as development practitioners themselves, developing skills in data analysis as well as grant writing.

INTS 2430 History of the Middle East (4 Credits)

This course explores the evolution of the modern Middle East from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire to the present. Students examine the impacts of Islam, colonialism, and nationalism on Middle Eastern states and how economic, cultural, and social dynamics continue to shape its politics. Building on this foundational knowledge, students gain a deeper understanding of the persistence of Arab-Israeli conflict, U.S. foreign policy in the region, petroleum and resource politics, revolutionary movements, and contemporary regional realignments. Through case studies, students develop skills and knowledge to analyze domestic and regional dynamics and consider future scenarios for the Middle East.

INTS 2440 Women, War, and Peace (4 Credits)

Conflict is gendered: it both shapes and is shaped by the gendered roles people play in society. Traditionally, men fight while women play supportive roles, men are perpetrators of violence while women are victims of this violence. However, this simple story is not only inaccurate, it limits our capacity to identify and analyze the full range of activities that men and women pursue during conflict. This story encourages us to valorize the warrior man and condemn men as cowards who will not take up arms. This story encourages us to expect women to be the victim and to ignore or treat as aberrant women who are perpetrators of violence themselves. This story also ignores the reality that the male/female dichotomy does not represent the full continuum of gender expression. The processes of peace-building are similarly gendered as it is elites who sit down to discuss the cessation of violence and design peace agreements and these are nearly always men who fight. Post-conflict environments are structured by peace agreements. When agreements are written by particular men, institutions and social structures tend to maintain the same kinds of gender bias that existed during conflict. This class will explore a range of issues guided by the question: how are conflict and post-conflict processes gendered?.

INTS 2468 Resolving Conflict by Negotiation (4 Credits)

Social conflict is a national and global issue often expressed in violent ways culminating in shootings, civil war, and international terrorism. It is easier to escalate conflict than diffuse it, and easier to fight rather than negotiate, situations that often lead to frustration and insecurity for disputants. This course examines approaches and mechanisms of conflict resolution within the context of personal, cultural, and political barriers to understand why parties continue to fight or manage to solve their differences through settlement and reconciliation, and teaches techniques of conflict resolution, essential skills for progress and prosperity in the modern world.

INTS 2470 Crime & International Politics (4 Credits)

What constitutes a crime in one location may constitute a personal right, a survival strategy or legitimate business opportunity in another. So how then does one address criminality in a global society? This course explores the roots of transnational crime and both domestic and international response to criminal networks. Topics include corruption, the drug trade, and human trafficking.

INTS 2490 Introduction to Global Health (4 Credits)

This class is an introduction to the field of global health and explores relationships between social, political, cultural, and economic conditions of mostly low and middle-income countries and their impact on health and health services. We will spend some time covering health issues in high-income countries as well. A major focus of the course is the evolution of primary health care and alternative strategies in global health. Topics addressed include: maternal and child health, nutrition, the rise of non-communicable diseases, water and sanitation, community engagement, global health agencies, and funding sources. The course presents an overview of the multiple factors that influence global health and emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to global health challenges.

INTS 2565 Debates On Democracy (4 Credits)

This course will cover a range of questions and issues related to the contemporary practice of democracy around the world. We will begin the course by briefly addressing questions about how to study democracy, including definitions and measurement. We will then turn to the question of why some countries adopt and practice democracy, while many others remain under authoritarian systems of rule, paying special attention to why and how democracy is apparently under increasing threat in some parts of the world. The second part of the course will assess issues of governance – why and how democracies do (or do not) effectively address the security, economic, environmental, and social needs of their populations. The third part of the course will address emerging challenges for democratic systems of government such as changes in information technology, migration and the management of diversity, and globalized capitalism.

INTS 2595 Political Risk and International Politics (4 Credits)

Political risk has risen in both scale and relevance since the start of the 21st Century to become a vital tool for policymakers, military planners, and global business leaders to chart a course forward. This course will provide you with an introduction to this exciting and growing discipline, introducing concepts like scenario analysis, field reporting skills, forecasting, and other tools of the risk consulting industry to familiarize you with this evolving practice area. We will explore how modern governments, NGOs, and multinational businesses factor risk into the decision-making process. We live at a time of great geopolitical transition and risk lurks around every corner. From the War in Ukraine to the debate over climate change to gyrating interest rates and energy prices, there has never been a more important moment to understand how to integrate risk into your thinking.

INTS 2601 The Global Financial System (4 Credits)

Money, monetary relations, and financial exchange are integral to understanding the function -- and dysfunction -- of the global economy. This course explores the theory, policy, political economy, and history of the international organization of money and finance and introduces students to international financial theory or "open economy macroeconomics." In addition to studying the formal theory of open economy macroeconomics and learning macroeconomic tools of analysis, the course examines the history and political economy of international financial regimes. Here we will focus on the effects of international financial arrangements on investment, unemployment, inflation, income distribution, and class conflict in countries of the Global North and, through international financial arrangements, on countries of the Global South as well.

INTS 2605 Nuclear Weapons in International Security (4 Credits)

What role do nuclear weapons play in international politics? Why do states develop nuclear weapons? How are these weapons used in different crises? This course is an introduction to different themes in nuclear politics. The course will introduce students to the history of nuclear weapons, theories of nuclear deterrence, crises, non-proliferation, and disarmament. We will examine the nuclear weapons choices of different states, including those who have developed nuclear weapons, and those which have chosen to give them up. We will also assess if the international nuclear non-proliferation regime has been successful in attempting to spread nuclear weapons. The course will train students to pay attention to theoretical debates on nuclear weapons and how they speak to policy considerations and assess these arguments using historical empirical evidence. The course will also use these tools to assess current nuclear challenges with regard to U.S.-China competition, and the different crises involving North Korea, Iran, Russia, India, and Pakistan.

INTS 2667 Illicit Markets (4 Credits)

This course explores the relation between illicit networks, security, and the state in the global economy. We study the links between what is considered formal and informal, and legal and illegal, to examine what official views obscure in the everyday relations of transnational activities. The material largely examines illegal practices from the ground-up from the perspectives of everyday people, communities, and those involved in extra-legal activities. We begin with a critical examination of the categories of “illegal,” “illicit,” “the state,” and “corruption.” We reveal these categories as socio-cultural and political constructs rather than as pre-existent neutral categories of analysis. Who applies these definitions? How have they changed and what interests do they serve? Are distinctions between “illegal” and “illicit” useful or do they obscure the power of the state to determine legitimacy? Are some activities inherently illegal? Moreover, we explore the impacts of state security and militarization efforts on extra-legal networks and experiences of insecurity.

INTS 2700 Topics in Intn'l Studies (4 Credits)

INTS 2701 Topics in Int'l Studies (4 Credits)

INTS 2702 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)

INTS 2703 Topics in Int'l Studies (4 Credits)

INTS 2704 Topics in Int'l Studies (4 Credits)

INTS 2708 Contemporary US Foreign Policy (4 Credits)

This course examines the evolution of U.S. foreign policy through critical historical junctures, focusing on periods of fierce contention over America's global role. Students explore major themes and turning points from the early twentieth century through the present, analyzing how domestic politics, strategic interests, and ideological commitments have shaped American conduct abroad. The course develops students' ability to apply historical context to current foreign policy debates and to critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of competing policy approaches.

INTS 2715 Introduction to Comparative Politics (4 Credits)

This course offers an introduction to the comparative study of political systems throughout the world. In the years following World War II, social scientists traveled extensively to newly decolonized regions of the world to examine societies there. Many found conditions so distinct from those of the western world that they warranted new models of political development. The distinguishing of development patterns in remote regions from those of western nations became the origin of modern comparative politics. The course considers both the impact of internal and external variables on political development. Internal or "domestic" variables include ideology, geography, economics and culture, while external variables include "globalization" and international conflict. Class includes understanding and critique of models of political development including classical liberal, authoritarian, communist, post-communist, "late" development, and social democratic models. It also includes discussion of possible new models in light of globalization and other factors.

INTS 2725 Politics of the Middle East (4 Credits)

This course examines the modern history and politics of the Middle East, with particular attention to the interaction between historical developments and contemporary regional affairs. It explores the formation of states, the legacies of colonialism, nationalism, war, political Islam, authoritarianism, popular uprisings, regional rivalries, and the role of external powers. By connecting historical foundations to present-day issues, the course helps students develop a deeper understanding of the political, social, and international dynamics shaping the Middle East today.

INTS 2760 Epidemics, Pandemics, and Panic (4 Credits)

Sickness has terrorized humankind for centuries. Be it the Black Death, HIV/AIDS, Ebola, or the flu, diseases sweep through society leaving death and destruction in their wake. At times, it is the the microbes that cause the greatest amount of suffering. Smallpox, for example, is believed to have killed 200-300 million people in the 20th century alone. But at other times, it is the people, who respond with ignorance and fear, that exacerbated the situation and inflict untold pain. Public policies which punished the poor for their poverty resulted in a million plus deaths during the Irish Potato Famine is one such example. Likewise, community responses couched in fear and victim blaming left tens of thousands to die from HIV/AIDS before serious public efforts to attack the disease began. Although illness brings out the worst in humanity, it also brings out its best. It was the pain and suffering from smallpox that led to the creation of the vaccine, a tool that saved millions of lives. It was belief in the benefits of a smallpox-free world that led mortal enemies to work together during the Cold War to eradicate this threat. This course will examine threats to the health of people around the world, it will look at the scientific tools available to protect our health, and will explore how both biological and social factors contribute to successes and failures of such efforts. This course is designed for those who do not have any background in public health, biology, or in public policy but are fascinated by how global society shapes and is shaped by the most humble or living things—microscopic organisms. Throughout the class, you will learn the basics about biological factors that influence the spread of disease, and learn about medical and social tools we have to control the same. We will examine public and policy response to ancient and modern plagues. Case studies include Black Death, Smallpox, influenza, HIV/AIDS, famine, and emerging biological threats.

INTS 2775 Cyber Threats, Strategy, and Policy (4 Credits)

Cyber is more than technology—it is a rapidly evolving domain that spans computing, networks, and digital systems, reshaping how power is exercised. It enables a wide range of actors to pursue both constructive and destructive goals, often at unprecedented scale and speed. As a result, cyber may represent not just a new tool, but a fundamentally new arena for action, conflict, and policy. This course examines how cyber is understood, governed, and defended in national and international security. Students explore key threats, trade-offs, and policy challenges, and assess whether existing frameworks are sufficient or require new approaches. The course prepares students to engage critically with debates on cyber strategy and security in a rapidly evolving landscape.

INTS 2780 Global Corporate Responsibility and Accountability (4 Credits)

The course explores the role of corporate responsibility and accountability in a global context. Neoliberal globalization characterized by free trade has greatly expanded the role of global corporations in most countries. The practices and behavior of corporations are determining the quality of life for people throughout the globe. Yet there are few rules and laws that govern corporations on a global scale. While a corporation may exhibit social and environmental responsibility and respect human rights in one country, it may be a different matter altogether in the Global South where there are fewer restrictions on corporate behavior. Transnational corporations increasingly recognize that engaging in good practices to improve lives and communities extends beyond ethical and moral considerations. In many cases, corporations have been forced to change practices due to actions by civil society and governments. These actions have meant that corporations must consider monetary and reputational risks when considering the effects of their operations. These risks are increasingly built into business models to reduce expected and unexpected costs of community resistance and civil unrest. This has resulted in the “business case for global corporate responsibility.” Against this backdrop are charges by NGOs and labor unions of corporations engaging in “greenwashing” and “blue-washing.” The course seeks to expose students to various forms of corporate responsibility and accountability together with several global governance systems. The course will be useful to those students who are concerned about the ethics of global corporate investment and may want to work inside a transnational company. The course will also appeal to those who want to affect change through government or civil society organizations. It will also be advantageous to those interested in pursuing further study in this area. Finally, third party social auditing of transnational corporations is expanding, and the course provides some insights on work in this area.

INTS 2790 Ethics and International Affairs (4 Credits)

This course examines the following: social science and ethics, power-rivalry and capitalism versus human rights and democracy, the dimensions of poverty, what role the World Bank plays, the laws of the people, the two classes of human rights, national interest, and tolerance. At the end of this course, 1) students will have listened to the voices of indigenous, Black, and Latin women describing the oppression their communities have faced, 2) thought deeply about the “solidarity-dividend” (Heather McGhee) available to all including white folks in college education, health care, and every aspect of economic and social wellbeing, 3) have an understanding the role of settler colonialism and colonialism in the initial emergence and reemergence of fascism, and 4) understood the characteristic features, from Nazism to Putin to today in America, of the anti-democratic and inhuman Right.

INTS 2810 Racism and Resistance: Denver and Beyond (4 Credits)

Our country and our University have achieved some great things. But our history is also one of genocidal racist misogynies, starting at DU and in Denver with the Sand Creek Massacre and the later rule of the KKK and "eugenics." Listening to the voices and responding to the actions of those whose humanity has long been denied is a first step to creating a genuine democracy which upholds the equal basic rights of each person (what is foreshadowed - though only for some - in the First Amendment). Growing out of discoveries about this history in the University Report on John Evans and the Sand Creek Massacre as well as a new manuscript, "Murderous Bigotries," which relies on extensive research in the DU and Denver Public Library Archives, this course will honor first and foremost the voices of those long denied or forgotten who worked, mainly from below, to challenge these oppressions. It will also identify the destructive consequences for all of us of "'white' supremacist" misogyny.

INTS 2920 Trafficking in Persons/Smuggling of Migrants (4 Credits)

Trafficking in persons (TIP) and the smuggling of migrants (SOM) are pressing issues around the world. Governments, NGOs, international organizations, the media, and academia are all engaged—but despite the visibility and debate, clear understanding remains limited, particularly around the differences between these crimes and their real-world implications. This course engages with modules developed by the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) covering crime prevention and criminal justice, anti-corruption, organized crime, TIP, SOM, firearms, cybercrime, environmental crime, counter-terrorism, and integrity and ethics. Students gain a strong legal foundation and multidisciplinary perspective on these issues, including insights from history, economics, politics, sociology, and gender studies.

INTS 2930 Contemporary Latin American Politics (4 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to the study of Latin American politics. It is designed to provide students the opportunity to better understand how Latin American societies and political systems are organized and the major issues facing these governments and their citizens. Although a wave of democratic transitions in the 1980s and 1990s transformed most Latin American countries into electoral democracies, the extent to which countries can be said to have fully democratic regimes varies widely today.

INTS 2975 Global Issues Research Practicum (4 Credits)

This course serves as the investigative core of the International Studies major, shifting the focus from consuming global knowledge to producing it. Students explore the diverse methodologies used to understand the political, economic, and social world, ranging from statistical analysis and quantitative data to qualitative evidence and critical synthesis. The curriculum equips students with the tools to formulate compelling research questions, evaluate competing scholarship, and navigate the ethical and practical implications of modern research tools, including generative AI. Through the design of original inquiries, students master the analytical skills necessary to translate complex global phenomena into rigorous, evidence-based arguments. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 2988 Study Abroad Resident Credit (0-18 Credits)

INTS 3000 Research Methods & Design (4 Credits)

This course is designed for advanced International Studies majors, including Department Distinction, that intend to write a thesis in INTS. It introduces students to the fundamental elements of social science research and will serve as a workshop to complete a literature review and write a research proposal. The basis of any scientific investigation is the research proposal in which you formulate a question and design a process by which you will explore that question through a systematic collection and analysis of evidence. The design process is the same whether you are writing a short class research paper, or are conducting a major research project, such as a thesis. The manner in which evidence is gathered and analyzed, however, will vary based upon the research question, research goals, and resources. We will therefore go through the process of research design. Because international studies provides multiple methods of inquiry, we will also explore quantitative and qualitative methods that may be used to gather and analyze evidence. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700. Must be an INTS major and receive departmental permission.

INTS 3002 International Trade and Development (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to the politics and economics of international trade. Special attention is paid to the relationship between international trade and economic development and to the experiences of developing countries in the international trading system. Alternative perspectives are introduced and applied, both historically and to a selection of contemporary issues that affect developing countries.

INTS 3013 Corruption – A Global Epidemic (4 Credits)

Corruption is a ubiquitous phenomenon in all political systems, whether democratic or authoritarian - from illegal campaign contributions and lobbying tactics in America, to vote buying and hijacking elections in Africa, from rigging official government-issued macroeconomic reports in Europe, to securing safe havens for drug, arms, and human trafficking in Latin America and Asia. This class explores corruption from a comparative and international perspective and raises questions such as: What is corruption and how is it measured? What are its causes and effects? Do they vary across countries or regions in the world? When and how does it impede economic opportunity and can it actually lead to efficiency gains? Through what mechanisms does it erode political legitimacy and democratic institutions? What are the “human” costs of corruption? In asking these questions, the course features a number of documentaries and tries to evaluate how conditions for and outcomes of corrupt behavior are similar and different across Europe, North America, Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In addition to the issues related to corruption, the class will also offer a critical review of the contemporary recommendations for “fixing” the problem. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3016 Global Governance (4 Credits)

The term “global governance” is often associated with the deepening of globalization. Many parts of what we see as global governance, though, from international law to international organizations to international regimes to international norms have longer histories. The architecture of global governance has often been assumed to be nation states organized into international organizations but in the last 30 years we have witnessed an increasing range of different actors and forms. In this course, we will examine these various actors and forms and how they interact in the governance of three issues areas: climate change, business/security/human rights, and cyber. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3017 The Revolutions of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Peoples: Violence and Nonviolence (4 Credits)

This course focuses on revolutions of black, brown and indigenous people in the Americas, ones historically forgotten in academia, as well as the issue of violence and nonviolence in the Chinese, Indian, Tibetan and South African revolutionary movements.  It will set this glaring omission and rich discussion in the context of the eugenics which marked the study of international relations and sociology, including of revolutions, in the United States in the 1920 and 1930s and whose influence continues until now. We will begin from Robert Vitalis’s surprising White World Order, Black Power which underlines the central role of W.E.B. Dubois in challenging these racist disciplines. We will also read Aldon Morris’s The Scholar Denied on Dubois’ founding of an anti-racist American sociology and how, for political reasons, this came to be denied by the famous, egregiously racist “Chicago” school of Robert Park. We will begin from the great struggles – black soldiers on both sides in the American Revolution and how black Patriots played the decisive role on the American side, benefiting all revolutionaries (Gilbert, Black Patriots and Loyalists), the great insurrection of people who were enslaved which made Haiti (CLR James, Black Jacobins and Elizabeth Fick, The Making of Haiti),  and the role of pardos (blacks) and indigenous people in Venezuela (Robin Blackburn, The Overthrow of Colonial Slavery) – in the New World. We will trace the role of those who were enslaved in forging many great revolutions – each of which is vital to creating a free society for all - which have been hidden academically and historically, by a kind of amnesia. We will then explore the debates about  violence and nonviolence central in mass uprisings against colonial racism and domination in China, Tibet, India, and South Africa. We will consider explanations of why such major revolutionary movements have been long “forgotten” in academic study and ask what new light these revolutions cast on the standard trajectory of European revolutions. At the end of the 19th century, W.E.B. Dubois, for example, refers to the “color line” in projecting twentieth century movements. In academia, the past is often interpreted in a “too European” and, unselfconsciously, “White” (often “forgetting” colonialist and racist crimes…; hostile to ordinary white folks) idiom. In addition, we will discuss the revolution from below in China - rarely considered with dispassion or even sympathetically, though Theda Skocpol and William Hinton do - as well as the oppression/ethnic cleansing of minorities in China, particularly in Tibet. We will thus contrast some strengths and weaknesses of regimes emerging from violent revolutions in the Americas, Haiti, and China, and look at attempts to forge mass nonviolent revolutions and learn from/modify Gandhi in India, Tibet and South Africa. We will also compare movements of indigenous people in the Americas, Palestinians, and Tibetans against settler colonialism. Finally, we will ask to what extent the nonviolent transition to a new regime actually limits future oppression and violence in India and South Africa. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3020 Introduction to Middle East and Islamic Politics (4 Credits)

The contemporary politics of the Middle East cannot be understood without some debate of the West's relationship with the region and the associated view of the 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 forms a suitable framework in which to understand the major themes of this course. The first major theme to be discussed is the impact of colonialism on the region, particularly in the latter half of the nineteenth century and first half of the twentieth century. In this section of the course we explore the nature of political rule and government and the prevailing economic motive behind this imperial and colonial relationship. The second theme of this course explores political ideologies, both secular and religious. A historical overview of this development will be explored in the context of current theories of nationalism posited by authors such as Benedict Anderson, Eric Hobsbawm and Ernest Gellner. The final section of this course briefly explores the theme of democratization and its discontents in the Middle East. The focus is on recent debates about democratization that have been promoted from outside the region as a means of combating tyranny within the region, particularly the perceived anti-democratic nature of political Islam. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3021 Introduction to Islam and Politics (4 Credits)

Since the eruption of the 'Islamic Revolution' in Iran in 1979, ‘political Islam’ has influenced both public and academic debates. Though often accused of being ‘anti-democratic’ forces, Islamic political actors have dominated electoral politics in the Middle East and have spread politically elsewhere in world politics. The Islamic Salvation Front “ISF” in Algeria, the Justice and Development Party “AKP” in Turkey, the Islamist Hamas in Palestine, Nahda in Tunisia, and Muslim Brothers in Egypt have all defeated their secular opponents in democratic elections in the last three decades and many of them were ousted by military interventions. What is political Islam about? Is it harmonious with democracy? What are its intellectual, social, and historical roots? How do Islamists behave when in power and opposition and why? These are some of the pivotal questions to be addressed in this course. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3030 Sports and International Politics (4 Credits)

This advanced undergraduate course in international studies explores the complex connections between sports and international politics in the past and present and sport’s relationships to international peace, both historically and in contemporary times. At the heart of this contribution is the need to examine sport as an international issue, to explore and its relationship to the protection and advancement of human rights (to include gender equality and the rights of those with disabilities), and to critically examine the role of sport in fostering community-level social cohesion and inclusive national unity. Participants in the course will gain a critical knowledge of the origins, background, and issues in global sport, especially the Olympic Games, and a critical awareness of the potential opportunities and obstacles for sport in social development. Learning outcomes are attained through faculty presentations, guided discussions, and student-led research. The course is designed as a research colloquium in which participants develop and share a research dossier on course topics with a capstone seminar to integrate learning and share findings on historical and contemporary issues at the intersection of sport, power, profit, and peace.

INTS 3070 Political Economy of Latin America (4 Credits)

The study of development in Latin America, exceptionally rich in natural resources, offers an opportunity to explore the interplay between the forces of economic development and efforts to achieve greater equity, representation, and ecological balance. We open with a consideration of different perspectives on development. Should the purpose be to increase wealth, reduce poverty, become more “modern”? How much attention should be given to protecting the environment? We follow with a discussion of the external influences in Latin American development including the role of the U.S., investors, banks, and other major powers. Along the way, we will give special attention to the increasing emphasis on the extractive industries and their impacts, including economic growth, urbanization, and the rise of some of the largest fortunes in the world, along with adverse effects on the environment, human health, and the prospects for the survival of many indigenous and rural communities. Finally, we will be looking at social movements and other strategies, which address these adverse conditions. In many cases, individual communities, specific sectors, and broad segments of civil society are resisting the harms of neoliberal policy and advancing alternatives that stress greater equality, democratic participation, and ecological balance. These struggles are some of the most exciting events in political economy.

INTS 3085 Global Economic Challenges (4 Credits)

This course deals with the major challenges facing policymakers in the global economy today. We discuss how policymakers balance competing objectives of pursuing economic progress, ensuring national and international security, and advancing global equity and sustainability. We focus on global institutions as well as informal mechanisms for cooperation between world leaders and key national decision-makers. Topics covered include globalization and economic interdependence, the provision of global public goods, achieving sustainable development, tackling inequality, responding to economic crises, pursuing productivity growth, dealing with international migration, and promoting democracy.

INTS 3090 Human Rights Challenges (4 Credits)

This course explores current practical human rights challenges around the world and how social science research can be used 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 will learn about various methodological tools and how they are applied for the analysis of special human rights topics. The course will cover issues such as truth commissions and human rights legal proceedings, quantitative and qualitative human rights data, impact evaluation of human rights programs, and event mapping. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to compile and present information to highlight patterns of rights abuses and identify patterns of cause and effect.

INTS 3095 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. Pre-requites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3111 Global Human Migration (4 Credits)

This course focuses on the human dimensions and impacts of global migration, as well as the expanding global architecture of attempts to contain and/or selectively filter cross-border mobilities. To explore current topics such as the quest for asylum and refugee status, the familial and community impacts of separation, carceral detention and deportation, the racialized and gendered dynamics of migrant labor, the outsourcing of militarized borders, human trafficking, and grassroots solidarity, resistance, and humanitarianism, we center the human lives and stories that are frequently left out of polarized discourses, reduced to simplistic archetypes,  or detached from top-down policy frameworks. We include the lives of migrants, refugees, and their loved ones, NGOs, humanitarians, activists, border officials, guards, and policy-makers, employers, smugglers, and the everyday people who wrestle with both the impacts of migration and states’ attempts to manage it. The course attempts to be global in scope, ranging from cases in the United States to Europe, the Middle East and Gulf region, Africa, and reaching to Australia’s waters. The course centers around a book-based approach, with a combination of ethnographies or graphic novels, and is supplemented by photography, blogs/creative works, and films to encourage students to develop a holistic understanding of migration, grasp the complicated, diverse human protagonists and impacts, and draw comparisons among topics and regions. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3112 Technology and Development (4 Credits)

The position of developing countries in the international system means that they are always trying to catch up when it comes to technology and innovation. This course on technology and innovation in development will explore how developing countries can insert themselves strategically in the international system, build innovation, and escape low-income and middle-income traps. Elements include understanding technology lifecycles, technology and development, national innovation systems, economic statecraft, and contemporary technological advances such as digitalization and artificial intelligence. The course explores specific country cases, technology infrastructures, and local innovations. Pre-requisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3130 International Relations Theory (4 Credits)

This course examines the important classical, behavioral, and post-behavioral theories of international relations, and the nature of theory in international relations. Topics include the role normative theory; levels of analysis, structure-agent relationships, and concepts of foreign policy behavior and decision making; utopian/neo-liberal and realist/neo-realist theory, and democratic peace theory; theories of power and its management; theories of integration, cooperation, conflict, war, and geopolitical and ecological/environmental relationships; constructivism; systems theory; regime analysis; the relationship between theory and the international system in the early 21st century; traditional and contemporary paradigms of the international system. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3210 The Utility of Force in the 21st Century (4 Credits)

This course centers on the nature, character, strategies and termination of the range of forms political violence -- violence used to achieve political ends be it by states, the international community, or non-state actors -- takes in the early 21st century. After a general discussion of the lexicon of security, force, war, and war termination, each of the five forms of political violence are explored beginning with a discussion of the fundamentals, an exploration of the current context and character of the form centering on a leading book on the subject, and then a discussion of counter-strategies and broader political/societal considerations. The course ends with a similar three part discussion of the political/military realities and necessities of violence termination. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3212 Civilian Protection in Armed Conflicts (4 Credits)

There are many courses on security topics. Civil wars, terrorism, violence, genocide, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, humanitarian intervention, human security…the list goes on. This course is different. This course is about the protection of civilians in wartime. Civilian protection is one of the great challenges of our time. The means of violence have been distributed and small groups of people are able inflict harm as never before in human history. Yet there are also emerging and cutting-edge procedures and technologies available to the “protectors.” Civilian protection is a new perspective on security that differs from existing treatments of this topic. We will begin the course with an overview of theories of violence and legal and ethical frameworks governing the use of force. We will consider issues such as what it means to be a civilian, and what normative and strategic considerations motivate decision-makers to take protective actions. The rest of the course is organized by the different actors that might provide protection. We will consider (theoretically and empirically) how various actors throughout society, from state actors, to international organizations, to illegal armed actors, to NGOs, 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 policies to deal with them. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3214 International Peace & Security (4 Credits)

At a moment of deep domestic division over the nature of challenges to peace and security, either at home or abroad, crucial actors in defining and meeting those challenges will be ordinary citizens, whose personal views are reflected in forms including voting, political action, and—as we tragically saw on January 6, 2021—the use of force. In an increasingly autocratic world, citizens of the U.S. and other struggling democracies are now crucial actors on the world stage. While this course will include traditional “state centric” approaches to international peace and security, it seeks to enable students to reach personal conclusions regarding what is worth fighting for and against, informed by one’s values and judgments over what is politically realistic to pursue, domestically and internationally. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3215 Major Issues in International Security (4 Credits)

This course begins (in Part I) by considering the threat that created the field of “security studies” following the second World War: the origins and evolution of the nuclear danger. Part I ends with an assessment of the most dangerous manifestation of that threat in several decades: North Korea’s acquisition of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. We turn next to addressing (in Part II) a question that seemed answered since the dawn of the nuclear age, when the United States moved from its defeat of Fascism in World War II to the containment of communism in the Cold War, to expanding the zone of free market democracies during the post-Cold War era: What does the United States seek to secure? Even if all could agree on the nature of particular security threats and the fundamental goals of security policy (as occurred for the United States after the attack on Pearl Harbor), enormous challenges confront the formation and implementation of national security strategy and policy. Part III of the course will identify and evaluate those challenges, using the 2003 decision to invade Iraq as a case study of the enduring problems that confront national security policy-making. We finally turn (in Part IV) to analyzing a series of current issues, including the threat posed by violent Islamist organizations, the consequences of U.S. disengagement in the Middle East, the impact of changing technology on the international security environment, (drones, surveillance, cyberwar, hybrid warfare), and the risk of conflict between the United States and two other major powers: Russia, and China. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3218 Intelligence Threat Assessment (4 Credits)

This course is designed to provide students with the tools to engage in an advanced examination of contemporary geopolitical dynamics and their implications for United States national security. To this end, students will develop expertise in a geographic region and its relevant U.S. national security priorities as well as a basic understanding of the broader Intelligence Community and how it interacts with the policy-making process. Students will progressively develop the ability to research, write, brief, and analyze at a professional level. By the end of the quarter, students will have the ability to parse official narratives and evaluate competing explanations for geopolitical events. Through regular briefings, written assessments, and guided discussion, students will refine their ability to develop strong intelligence arguments, articulate ambiguity, and present alternative assessments with clarity and discipline. Students will conclude the course with an established set of reliable information sources, a clear framework for continued learning about global affairs, and the ability to produce rigorous, clear, concise, and balanced assessments that remain valuable well beyond the classroom.

INTS 3220 Trafficking in Persons/Smuggling of Migrants (4 Credits)

Through the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has developed a series of university modules with a focus on the subject areas of crime prevention and criminal justice, anti-corruption, organized crime, trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, firearms, cybercrime, wildlife, forest and fisheries crime, counter-terrorism as well as integrity and ethics. In recent years there have been few topics garnering as much widespread interest as trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM). These issues have attracted the attention of Governments, NGOs, International Organizations, the media as well as academia. While this attention tends to provoke vivid discussions in political circles, social networks and other media platforms, there is little solid understanding of TIP and SOM, the difference between them and their implications. Last Spring, I joined 12 other academics with expertise in human trafficking and human smuggling from around the work for a week in Doha, Qatar to create a syllabus primarily for the teaching of TIP and SOM at universities and colleges. The 14 Modules on TIP and SOM will provide students with a practically oriented, though still theoretically grounded, tool to understand these issues. Thanks to the inputs received from an addition 100+ academics from all around the world, the Modules' contents are substantively robust. This strength is reinforced with a series of illustrative examples and exercises aimed at generating debates and consolidating knowledge among students. Given the considerable safety risks posed by TIP and SOM and the related need to ensure that perpetrators are made accountable, the course relies heavily on a legal approach, acknowledging the importance of clarifying concepts and employing rigorous terminology. This notwithstanding, the course is also grounded in a multidisciplinary methodology, recognizing that the complexity of the trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling phenomena extends beyond the legal realm. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of TIP and SOM is not possible without the convergence of various disciplines, expertise and perspectives, including the historical, economic, social, political, and gender prisms, that are all considered in developing the course. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3222 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. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3225 Terrorism (4 Credits)

Over the last century, the term terrorism has been applied most often to the illegal use of violence aimed at governments—directly or indirectly—in an attempt to influence policy or to topple an existing regime. Terrorist acts are designed to create widespread fear across an audience far beyond their immediate victims in order to weaken the general sense of security in society, and to mobilize publics and pressure leaders to change. Historically, terrorism has been practiced by political organizations on the right and on the left, used by nationalist and religious groups, by revolutionaries, and by state institutions including military forces and intelligence services. Numerous definitions of terrorism have been proposed. Many are confusing and controversial owing to the value-laden basis of the concept and its intense stigma. Who seeks to be called a ‘terrorist’? This derogatory term is designated by its victims and ideological opponents. But it is not applied to all episodes of politically-based violence.

INTS 3347 China in the Global Economy (4 Credits)

It is impossible to discern the 21st century without having some level of understanding of 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 financing totaling around $648 billion between 2000 and 2018. Chinese 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 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Belt and Road Initiative. Global trade passes through Chinese land or maritime economic zones, comprising 12.4% of global trade in 2019. In security issues, the Chinese Ministries and the People’s Liberation Army have been at the forefront of redefining norms, such as the responsibility to protect, global intervention, and the universal declaration of human rights. In climate change, Chinese electric vehicle companies have been at the front and center of these new carbon-free technologies, and renewable energy firms have made strides at limiting carbon emissions within the Chinese borders. China often produces the newest billionaires in the world, comprising individuals who are responsible for investments in online gambling or wildlife hunting. Prerequisite: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3365 African Development (4 Credits)

This is an undergraduate course on Development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It introduces the student to the main issues and themes confronting contemporary African development. It draws on literature from development economics, history, comparative politics, sociology, anthropology, geography and international relations, as well as a broad range of country case studies. The course reviews patterns of development in the SSA region. It then engages with the main theories of economic growth and development and evaluates their application to Sub-Saharan Africa. The main issues include the impact of Africa’s geography, natural resources endowments and climate; the legacy of slavery and colonialism; independence, state formation and failure; patrimonialism, clientelism and corruption; Africa’s economic crisis and reform efforts; foreign aid and debt; democratization and; reflections on Africa and the sustainable development goals. The course will equip the student with knowledge and skills to be a positive and effective player in the area of African development. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3372 Comparative Genocide (4 Credits)

Violence is, and will continue to be, a central feature of our social world. Despite repeated choruses of “never again,” genocides and campaigns of widespread atrocities have occurred with alarming frequency since the Nazi Holocaust during World War II. This course introduces you to this depressing – but important – topic by examining 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. 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 focus on how individuals and communities have resisted such atrocities through solidarity, art, non-violent action, and other creative strategies to reclaim their humanity together. We will also talk about how and when institutions, civil society, and a free press can serve as important bulwarks against such violence. And we will pay particular attention to how mass atrocities end and how they might be prevented. Prerequisite: INTS 1500 & INTS 1700.

INTS 3385 Migrants and Refugees: Humanity on the Move (4 Credits)

This course begins with the pre-history and history of human migrations and moves to cover the era of European colonization and forced dispersal (and in some cases aggregation) of peoples in the Americas, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The "contemporary" (i.e., post-WWII) era then covers not only the movements of peoples from Central Africa, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and elsewhere, but will highlight the achievements of immigrants and refugees in such areas as technology, the arts, and the field of human rights. Issues of ethnicity, nationalism, and political diasporas will bring the contemporary era to a close. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3415 State Department Tradecraft (4 Credits)

This is a foreign policy skills-based course designed to foster an ability to more effectively engage internal leadership, the press, and foreign audiences while working in a government context. Students will draft a range of communication products including policy memos, diplomatic cables, and talking points and practice essential oral communications skills ranging from negotiation, speaking to the media, and delivering briefings to officials. The State Department’s communications model will be used as a template for engagement, but the skills will be broadly useful to any individual planning to formulate, implement, and educate on policy in executive and legislative settings. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3420 Climate Security (4 Credits)

Since the dawn of agriculture (~7000 BCE), but rapidly accelerating in the industrial age (1750 CE to the 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 – and set to be disrupted by climate change, one of the most vexing issues of our time. It poses a wicked problem: a socio/cultural problem that is seemingly impossible to solve due to incomplete knowledge, the number of people and opinions involved, the large changes required, and the linked nature of the problem with other major social issues and problems. 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 and even the Syrian Civil War. This course will survey the impacts of climate change on livelihoods and human security, evaluate the expanding literature on environmental impacts on conflict, and address the emerging role of environmental stressors and climate change as US national security issues. Prerequisite: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3421 Environmental Justice and Policy (4 Credits)

Environmental justice (EJ) asks how we can ensure a fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the design, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. In short, how can we facilitate an environment where people live, work, and play exempt from unequitable allocations of environmental benefits (such as natural resource distributions) and harms (such as environmental health hazards). The course will present a historical overview of the EJ movement in the United States and its intersections with global EJ. It 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 justice challenges. Particular attention will be placed on the Colorado State legislature and how different environmental justice bills are designed and negotiated through the legislative session. Students will examine proposed bills and their relationships to social theories on EJ, diverse actors’ interests and needs, and the appropriateness of the solutions presented to address specific environmental inequities. This will require group collaboration to examine specific EJ bills and produce in-class presentations and a policy brief that engages students critically with the course material and a real-world EJ issue. In short, with this course you will: • Learn about the EJ movement history • Create and share your own EJ story • Explore issues in water access & air quality, food insecurity, access to nature and open spaces, and more • Understand EJ policy in Colorado and beyond • Analyze EJ policies in the Colorado State legislature Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3425 Political Psychology (4 Credits)

Political psychology provides an important lens for studying and understanding political phenomena and global patterns. It maintains that the study of individuals and groups is essential for understanding political behavior, and such study must go beyond rational actor assumptions to an understanding of how individuals and groups behave in political contexts and what influences this behavior. Political decisions and actions are ultimately taken by individual actors, whether they be leaders, elites, or average citizens. This course will explore this important area of theory and research lying at the intersection of several fields – psychology and political science of course, but also sociology, anthropology, organizational studies, and even neuroscience. Why do we see a rise in populism across many countries? How do atrocities and genocides occur? Why is developing peaceful and multicultural societies so difficult? How is voter choice influenced? Why do leaders do what they do? What does security actually mean to people? How is reconciliation achieved? The course will use a combination of readings, case studies, and discussions to enhance class members’ understanding and appreciation of the central concepts, theories, research methods, and applications of political psychology.

INTS 3431 Data and Forecasting for International Studies (4 Credits)

Countries vary in relative levels of wellbeing, governance, stability, and sustainability for several reasons, often involving complex interactions that limit our ability to divine a single, general explanation. That said, social science theory, data collection, and quantitative methods have improved significantly over the years, providing insights into complex, systemic interactions. These relationships not only help in understanding past outcomes but also indicate potential future trajectories under variable assumptions. Using data freely available from groups like the World Bank, CIA, and others, along with forecasts from the International Futures (IFs) system, we can begin to understand “where we’ve been,” “where we’re headed,” and “where might we want to be.” In this course, students will obtain a general understanding of quantitative data, causal analysis, and forecasting techniques relevant to international studies. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3435 Political Economy of Globalization (4 Credits)

This course aims to provide an in-depth understanding of globalization and its differential impact on advanced and developing countries, using a wide range of literature from political science and political economy. The term ‘globalization’ connotes many different developments and processes and has become a leitmotiv of contemporary debate. It is an ‘essentially contested’ concept, which means that there are multiple meanings attached to it and that it has been heavily invested with normative claims. It can be used to capture the increasing speed and volume of communications, the spread of mass media, the growth of the internet, and the expansion in cross-border and transnational flows of goods, services, jobs, and capital. All of these things are important. But precisely because of the range of phenomena it is used to refer to, and because of its frequent deployment for ideological ends, the notion of globalization must be handled with care. Though it conveys a reality that needs to be understood, it is often used lazily by the media, as a means of avoiding blame by politicians and for personal aggrandizement by certain public intellectuals. All play on the fear of what lies beyond our control. As employed in this course, ‘globalization’ lies primarily in the domain of economics—and in the social and political implications of economic change. Globalization in this sense can be reduced to: • trade (the movement of goods and services across national borders); • direct investment (the purchase of factories or equipment abroad); • and capital flows (the movement of money across national borders).

INTS 3455 Modeling for Development, Sustainability, and Security (4 Credits)

This course is intended to provide students with an introduction to the current state of affairs in macro-level human development across issue areas. It will provide them with tools to better understand how to think about these complicated and potentially intractable challenges. This course introduces students to 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 3485 The Role of Religion in International Affairs (4 Credits)

The role of religion in international affairs was largely unexplored by scholars prior to September 11, 2001 when religiously based acts of terrorism shook the world. Since that time there has been an increased interest in examining religion in terms of its’ impact on the international system. Is religion a force for good or evil within the international system? How influential is religion in international politics? Does religion matter or is it merely background noise in our study of the international system? In short, this course examines the role of religion in international affairs with an eye toward understanding political violence, political economy and conflict resolution in terms of religion and religious actors. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3505 International Health and Development (4 Credits)

Investment in health and investment in development work symbiotically in the production of economic and human well-being. However, what constitutes health and development varies across context, institutions, and geographies. This course will focus on the meaning, measurement, financing and delivery of inputs to human well-being and other aspects of development. This course will explore dominant models of health and development, what assumptions inform these models, and who is left unaccounted for within each. We will examine how macro-level decisions, decisions made by global or national institutions, impact both options and outcomes at the community and individual level. The exchange between development policies and health interventions will be explored. We will examine and critique the instruments and methods that are used to measure health and development and the assumptions that inform mainstream development and health paradigms.

INTS 3530 Politics and Economics of Food/Agriculture (4 Credits)

This course asks students to critically explore contemporary debates about the global food and farming system with an eye to understanding its structure, operation, ideological basis, and impacts on people around the world. Of special interest in the course is the manner in which the global food and farming system both creates and aggravates global inequalities. Students focus partly on theories of and ideas about the role of agriculture in the economy, society and the development process, the appropriate structure and orientation of agricultural production and distribution, the role of the state in directing food production and distribution, and the nature of justice for farmers and eaters. Students further engage a spectrum policy debates and case studies that particularly illustrate the workings of the global food and farming system and the harsh contradictions that underpin it. Among other topics, students are exposed to debates about food prices, hunger and famine, obesity, commercial production and agribusiness, the peasantry and subsistence farming, biotechnology, free agricultural trade, fair trade, agricultural pollution and agriculturally-induced climate change. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3562 Civilian Protection Practicum (4 Credits)

The harm to civilians in contexts of armed conflicts presents an ongoing challenge for humanitarian and defense practitioners. These challenges are only expected to increase as the second- and third-order effects of the Coronavirus reverberate through the international system and spark new armed conflicts. 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. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3590 Politics in Africa: A Theoretical Approach with a Comparative Perspective (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to basic concepts and arguments in the study of contemporary African politics. The focus is on the politics in Africa post-independence. The course emphasizes theory in a comparative perspective as a way to understand politics in Africa. The basic question is whether politics differ so much in Africa as to be in a category by itself or is it simply a variation on patterns, habits, and institutions found in other regions and countries in the world? The course goal is to provide students with important concepts so as to gain a better understanding of processes in Africa and the problems that in some fashion or other account for the continent's current marginality in the world and persistent underdevelopment. In addition, the course exposes students to the application and usefulness of general theories of development in comparative politics. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3591 Contemporary African Security (4 Credits)

The end of apartheid in 1993 signaled a critical juncture for African liberation and security. The fall of South Africa’s repressive regime marked a new era in African statehood and security apparatus. Apartheid posed the most threat to sovereignty especially for Southern Africa countries and undermined independence on the continent. With the new African National Congress government led by the Nelson Mandala, African countries were poised to focus on development and regional integration to cement cooperation, economic growth and improve the wellbeing of the African people. However, the new epoch coincided with novel challenges to statehood and security as the continent was quickly ravaged by civil wars. Today the continent continues to face numerous security challenges that are interwoven in contemporary global problems like climate change and the rise non-states actors. Using an interdisciplinary approach, this course assesses contemporary security challenges in Africa such as terrorism, insurgency and piracy by examining the causes and institutional frameworks put in place to address them. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 & INTS 1700.

INTS 3600 The Global Financial System (4 Credits)

We investigate the operation and evolution of today's international monetary system; the course will investigate both the politics and economics of international monetary negotiations, and will examine several key public policy debates that concern governments and investors around the world. The course will be an introduction to these timely and important issues, and will be organized around lecture, class debates, and discussion. Prerequisites: ECON 1020 and INTS 1500.

INTS 3621 European Democracy in Crisis (4 Credits)

This course is a comparative study of democratic governments in Western Europe, how these systems are structured and function, and more particularly the new challenges and problems that are emerging in the region: Euroscepticism, populism, support for right-wing parties, and political polarization. Democracy is the institutionalization of conflict, but democratic regimes vary in regard to the ways that they structure the arenas within which conflict is expressed. We will explore some of those institutional distinctions that vary across Western Europe such as Presidential vs. parliamentary systems, fragmented multi-party systems vs. majoritarian two-party systems, as well as the nature of political parties and the dynamics of party systems. The study of Western European democratic polities however requires some retrospective historical analysis of the nature of the conflicts emerging since the creation of the Modern State and the establishment of democracy. Because many of the present conflicts and problems in today's democratic regimes are legacies with roots in conflicts from the emergence of contemporary states, we will also spend some time in analyzing some of these historical conflicts.

INTS 3625 Introduction to Contemporary Latin American Politics (4 Credits)

This course provides an introduction to the study of Latin American politics. It is designed to provide students the opportunity to better understand how Latin American societies and political systems are organized and the major issues facing these governments and their citizens. In particular, this course will explore the establishment of democracy and the prospects for the consolidation of democratic regimes in the countries of the region. Throughout the twentieth century, economic, social and international factors contributed to political instability in the region and the establishment of non-democratic forms of rule. Although a wave of democratic transitions in the 1980s and 1990s transformed most Latin American countries into electoral democracies, the extent to which countries can be said to have fully democratic regimes varies widely today. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3630 Global Environment (4 Credits)

The linkages between social change, economic change and alterations to ecosystems have been apparent, if not overtly acknowledged, throughout history. It was not until 1987, however, with the publication of Our Common Future, that such linkages were couched in terms of development and explicitly placed on the international development agenda. The idea appears simple--environmental change, patterns of social change and economic development, social and political factors operate together and impact local, national, regional and global ecosystems. But impacts of the change in any one sector are seldom confined within national boundaries. How then does one address environmental issues across different regulatory, political, institutional and geographic scales? This course examines the connectivity between diverse elements of our planet's ecosystem, explores how a change in one element can have immediate and long-term impacts across local and global territory, and looks at strategies to create greater harmony across environmental, social, political and economic interests. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

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 3701 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3702 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3703 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3705 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3708 Topics in Int'l Studies (1-4 Credits)

Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3759 Conflict, Peace, and Fragile States in the 21st Century (4 Credits)

The world is on fire. With 2024 the deadliest year for organized violence since the mid-1990s—and conflict still rising—this advanced undergraduate course examines the causes and consequences of intrastate conflict in the 21st century. Focusing on more than 60 fragile and conflict-affected states, the course explores why violence erupts, how states fail, and what the international community can do to stop the killing and build lasting peace. Students engage key theories and empirical research on conflict dynamics, fragility, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and statebuilding, while leading in-depth, case-based analyses of current conflicts. The course equips students with analytical frameworks, applied research skills, and professional tools to understand—and respond to—today’s most urgent global security challenges.

INTS 3761 Diplomacy in the 21st Century (4 Credits)

The course examines questions and dilemmas in the practice of contemporary statecraft and diplomacy. It will focus particularly on the changing nature of the tools available to states, the context in which they are used, and the players (including non-state actors) that are involved. The instructor will draw from recent experience to round out the topics discussed in class, and focus on the challenges of modern statecraft and diplomacy. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3763 Leadership in Uncertain Times (4 Credits)

Leadership today means operating in constant disruption. As technology, polarization, and global crises reshape the landscape, leaders must balance competing demands while guiding teams with clarity, trust, and resilience. With stress and burnout on the rise, a central challenge emerges: how do leaders align strategy, make decisions, and build effective organizations amid ongoing uncertainty? This course examines how leadership is evolving in complex environments. Drawing on interdisciplinary insights, students explore leadership frameworks, environmental scanning, risk management, and scenario planning, alongside decision-making, cognitive bias, and communication. The course centers on a key question: how do leaders set the tone at the top? Pre-requisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3785 Professional Ethics in Public Affairs (4 Credits)

Over the course of their careers, graduates of schools of international affairs occupy professional positions in which they enjoy substantial authority and influence over the lives of others, and in which they encounter difficult ethical challenges that stem in part from the roles they perform and the expertise they acquire. And yet, schools of international affairs typically do not offer courses on professional ethics in general, or on the professional ethical challenges that await those who will enter the world of international affairs in particular. This course is intended to begin to fill this gap in professional training.

INTS 3850 Foreign Aid, Debt and Development (4 Credits)

This course analyzes third world debt relief including the role of major powers, the World Bank and IMF in creating debt and the relationship between debt relief and poverty alleviation. The effects of debt relief upon globalization issues are also covered. Prerequisites: INTS 1500 and INTS 1700.

INTS 3975 Data Science in International Relations (4 Credits)

Students will use research methods and data science tools to describe, analyze, and evaluate contemporary topics in international security. We will use the R statistical programming language to generate descriptive statistics, visualizations, and basic inferential statistics while using data on international conflict, human security, trade, development, and many other topics relevant to INTS. The course will culminate in a group presentation and report on a specific topic related to international studies. These tools will help equip students for additional coursework, research, and careers that use data science and quantitative analysis. There are no prerequisite in terms of statistics or computer science, but students should be willing to engage with new and challenging content.

INTS 3980 Internships in International Studies (0-4 Credits)

Experience is an important asset when applying for any job. As you will find after graduation, the job market is incredibly competitive, and becoming more so. Gaining real world experience during college will make you a much stronger candidate when seeking that first position after graduation. Through INTS 3980, you have the opportunity to earn between 0 and 4 quarter credit hours for internships, depending on the number of hours worked. The internship portfolio facilitates a student's academic, professional, and personal growth by providing documentation and representation of the internship experience. Elements of the portfolio will help bridge academic experience with career possibilities, and provides an opportunity for self-reflection through your experience. Analysis of your internship will help identify areas of success and points where you could improve overall. The objective of all aspects is to enable you to be more competitive in a global job market. Internships require departmental approval and must be undertaken during the quarter in which you register for credit. The BA program in INTS will not award credit retroactively for internships completed prior to the quarter in which students are registered. Prerequisites: Must be an INTS major and receive departmental permission.

INTS 3988 Study Abroad Resident Credit (0-18 Credits)

INTS 3990 Thesis (4 Credits)

The thesis project is an original contribution to the understanding of issues relevant to international studies and to at least one of the concentration areas in international studies. The thesis must feature original research; that is, it must critically investigate a theoretically informed hypothesis, using sources to support an evaluation of the research question. The thesis must show clearly the following elements: excellent critical thinking and writing quality, coherent presentation, and adherence to the general guidelines set forth by the faculty advisor. Prerequisites: Must be an INTS major and receive departmental permission.

INTS 3991 Independent Study (1-4 Credits)

In-depth study of a particular issue under the guidance of a professor. Prerequisite: prior agreement with department and permission from registrar.