Political, economic, and social theories of international relations and their applications to practice.

A project-oriented course designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in international affairs.

International Development Studies Cornerstone (3)

Introduction to the concepts and methods of international development. Open only to M.A. candidates in international development studies.

An overview of economic development in developing countries; key challenges of economic growth, poverty alleviation, and development.

Qualitative Research Methods in International Development (3)

Applied ethnographic research, drawing from anthropological methods capable of being performed in a shorter time frame than traditional academic approaches.

The economic, political, and institutional impacts of official developmental aid; the track record, recent initiatives to improve aid impacts, and future prospects.

Development Studies Pre-Capstone Workshop (1)

Students work in teams to find a suitable client and negotiate a project, with detailed terms of reference and a work plan to be carried out in the spring semester. Open only to M.A. candidates in international development studies.

Special Topics in International Development Studies (0 to 3)

Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

International Development Studies Capstone (3)

A project-oriented development course abroad, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in international development studies.

International Science and Technology Policy Cornerstone (3)

Introduction to the study of international science and technology policy; focus on policy issues that arise from interactions between scientific and technological developments and government activity.

Examination of the relationship between invention (inception), innovation (first application), and dissemination (diffusion) of technological knowledge; focus on the technological environment prevailing in the major developed market economies.

Origins, evolution, current status, and future prospects of U.S. space policies and programs. U.S. civilian, military, and national security space programs and space activities of the U.S. private sector.

The underlying principles of international space law, with emphasis on issues of particular concern as the uses of space increase for exploration, commerce, and security.

Examination of public policies designed to protect the human and physical environment; focus on the ways science and technology can simultaneously create new environmental problems and contribute to their mitigation and prevention.

The contributions of science and technology to U.S. security in military, intelligence, and homeland security activities.

Special Topics in International Science and Technology Policy (0 to 3)

A seminar designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in science and technology policy.

Examination of how national security policy is formulated and translated into a defense budget, program priorities, and force structure. Focus on nuclear forces.

Overview of security concerns that transcend state borders, including terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime, weapons proliferation, migration, and environmental degradation.

The institutional structure of the intelligence community; the intelligence production cycle, including tasking, collection, analysis, covert action, and counterintelligence; and relations between the intelligence and policy communities.

Analysis of the development of national security policy and analytic techniques to derive a defense program and force structure from it. Special attention to general-purpose forces.

The central missions of a homeland security agency: domestic security, emergency preparedness, technology policy, timely intelligence, counterintelligence, and preemptive actions. How the U.S. has dealt historically with internal security matters; contemporary approaches to security problems.

Interstate disputes, contemporary civil wars, complex political emergencies, and other forms of organized violence.

Consideration of the relationship between security and development and the literature on core issues of trade, aid, governance, poverty, environment, and resources.

The technology and politics associated with nuclear weapons. Strategy and deterrence, force planning and operations, and the prospect of nuclear terrorism.

Special Topics in Security Policy Studies (0 to 3)

Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

Security Policy Studies Capstone (3)

A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in security policy studies.

Special Topics in International Trade and Investment Policy (0 to 3)

International Trade and Investment Policy Capstone (1)

A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in international trade and investment policy.

Special Topics in Global Communication (0 to 3)

Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

Global Communication Capstone (3)

A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in global communication.

For Master of International Policy and Practice degree candidates only.

Taiwan: Internal Development and Foreign Policy (3)

The social, political, and economic development in Taiwan since World War II; Taiwan's foreign affairs.

The nature of challenges and opportunities facing the South Asia region and the U.S. policy response. The rise of India as a global actor; relations between India and Pakistan; political transformation in the countries of the region, including Nepal and Sri Lanka.

A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in Asian studies.

European and Eurasian Studies Cornerstone (3)

Survey of current research on Europe and Eurasia. Research paper required. Required of M.A. candidates in European and Eurasian studies; open to others with permission of the instructor.

Special Topics in European and Eurasian Studies (0 to 3)

A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in European and Eurasian studies.

Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Cornerstone (3)

Multidisciplinary foundation course for the Latin American and hemispheric studies program.

A historical, comparative, and contemporary picture of drug trafficking in the Americas and the anti-narcotics policies to combat this trade.

The ongoing debates about indigenous people's inclusion into modern daydemocratic societies in Latin America.

Special Topics in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies (0 to 3)

Latin American and Hemispheric Studies Capstone (3)

A project-oriented course, designed to apply the skills and synthesize the knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in Latin American and hemispheric studies.

Multidisciplinary foundation course for the Middle East studies program. Introduction to key issues.

The nature, elements, and future of security in the Middle East region. Various analytical frameworks are examined to consider the interplay of national interests, ideology, and regionalism. Issues in regional security.

Current political economy of the Middle East, including an overview of Islamic economic concepts and political organizations.

Religion and Society in the Modern Middle East (3)

Comparative overview, both historical and current, of religious and social trends in the Middle East.

A project-oriented course, designed to synthesize the skills and knowledge that students have acquired in their graduate study. Open only to M.A. candidates in Middle East studies.

Overview of quantitative measurement, data summary, statistical inference, and elementary modeling such as linear regression.

Short courses that focus on developing specialized skills for international affairs professionals. Topics announced in the Schedule of Classes.

Short courses designed to develop professional language skills for international affairs students. Specific languages announced in the Schedule of Classes.

Graduate Internship in International Affairs (0)

Limited to Elliott School M.A. degree candidates. Internship and research paper involving experience at an international organization or with international issues.

Limited to Elliott School M.A. degree candidates. Written permission of instructor required.

The institutions and ideas that shape U.S. foreign policy, including the U.S. Congress and administration, foreign embassies, international organizations, think tanks, interest groups, and media outlets. A separate section of the course covers issues of reporting on foreign policy issues.

Open to Elliott School M.A. candidates who have selected the thesis option.