COURSES SPONSORED BY ISTP PROGRAM SPRING 2008

IAFF 248.10 Issues in U.S. Space Policy: Achieving Space Security

Prof. Logsdon, Thursday, 5:10-7:00
The term 'space security' has in the past year or so come into widespread use. It means very different things to different space actors. As the number of countries and private firms involved in space activities increases, how best to assure the secure use of space, free from threats of disruption, becomes a crucial 21st century space policy issue.That there are real threats to unhindered use of space was made evident by the January 11, 2007 test of an anti-satellite device. The 2006 U.S. National Space Policy indicates that the United States considers secure use of its space assets to advance U.S. interests, in accordance with existing laws and treaties, a vital national interest, and that the United States will develop the capabilities to control space activities so that they do not threaten its freedom of space use. A number of nations call for a new treaty to prevent an arms race in outer space, believing that space weaponization is a grave threat to space security, while they and other governments and concerned private organizations call for enhanced space situational awareness, so there is a clearer picture if what really is happening in orbit and beyond. Various non-
governmental organizations are advocating measures to limit space debris, manage space traffic, create a globally accepted 'code of conduct' for space activities, and
similar measures. This course will review the current state of space
security and investigate which of the many approaches being suggested show the most promise for making space a secure environment for all users.


IAFF 252.10 Environmental Policy
Prof. Rycroft, Tuesday, 5:10-7:00
This is a seminar that examines policy designed to protect the human and physical environment. Throughout the seminar, the dominant theme will be the role of science and technology in creating environmental problems and providing opportunities. Topics covered include a comparative analysis of national and multinational environmental policy, the relationship between science, technology, and modern environmentalism, and the degree to which some 'greening' of the private sector has been taking place.

IAFF253.10 Science, Technology, and National Security
Prof. Lewis Monday, 5:10-7:00
This seminar looks at the relationship of science and technology to U.S. security in military, intelligence and homeland defense activities through readings and discussion. The course focuses on issue areas where science and technology play a central role in determining national security: science and innovation in a global economy; high tech threats (including bio-warfare) and defense against them; technology for intelligence and defense; and global competition. The fundamental questions the course will examine are how changes in science and technology affect national power and security and how countries create and use different institutions and mechanisms to connect scientific developments to national security. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their participation in class discussions(including discussion of the weekly readings), a mid term policy memorandum, and a final research paper.

IAFF 258.10 Security, Privacy, and Technology: The New Agenda
Prof. Farrell, Monday, 5:10-7:00

Many important security debates after 9/11 focus on the relationship between security, privacy and technology. What are the privacy trade-offs when we use new technological tools such as data mining, surveillance systems and RFIDs to improve security? Do information processing tools such as wikis have the potential to transform the intelligence community, as some have argued? What are the likely risks of cyber-attacks on the US, and how might we protect ourselves against them? In this seminar course we will debate these and other issues on the basis of readings drawn from the contemporary academic and policy literatures.

IAFF 258.11 Science, Technology and Development
Prof. Wagner Thursday, 7:10-9:00
Understanding the role of science and technology in economic growth and social welfare will be essential to any twenty-first century society. The uneven terrain of twentieth century science, and the role of nation-states in controlling it, has resulted in an uneven terrain for science. In 2004, just fifteen countries spent 90 percent of the world�s research and development dollars. This uneven distribution of spending is due (in part) to the cumulative advantage of knowledge building around people and equipment as it 'sunk' into certain places. The curious relationship between science and geography, and between these and economic growth, leads to questions about how science develops, and how this development influences economic growth. How much of scientific development depends on culture, history, and chance? How much can be created, crafted, and constructed out of the various components that make up a scientific research system? How much can be transferred from one region to another? The intriguing patterns formed by the common occurrences of science, economic growth, and geography suggest that some of the basic features that are essential conditions to creating a science system are cultural and environmental. These appear to include some economic concentration and development, a center of learning, a democratic decision-making process, and supportive commerce.
This class will explore in depth three underlying forces behind the use of science and technology for economic development through both theory and case studies. The three underlying forces that will be explored are:
1) the process of knowledge creation;
2) the role of culture and institutions in developing science and technology capacity; and
3) the contribution of science and technology to economic growth.
Readings will be drawn from literature related to history of science, development economics, and science and technology studies. Each student will be expected to conduct and present a case study. Some guest speakers will discuss the role of international organizations in promoting science and technology for development.

IAFF 258.12 Space Law

Prof. Hertzfeld Wedenesday, 6:10-8:00
Space activities operate in an international and global environment. The foundations of international legal principles are found in five treaties developed within the framework of the United Nations. Many nations participating in space activities also have domestic laws that provide direction to government space programs as well as laws that regulate commercial and private space activities.
This course will review the underlying principles of international space law. The emphasis will be on issues that will be of particular concern in the future as the uses of space for exploration, commerce, and security increases. Such legal issues include:
1. liability for accidents,
2. property rights in space and on celestial bodies,
3. the use of space for military and security purposes
The course will also review and compare the national space laws of different countries with an emphasis on the laws and regulations of the United States including recent developments in commercial human spaceflight.
Looking to the future, there are numerous legal uncertainties in space law that overlap and are intertwined with international relations, international law, commercial law, and the relationship between governmental civilian and defense space activities. This course will provide an overview to theaw important, and as yet, unresolved legal issues that will confront the space community in the years ahead.

IAFF 259.10 Capstone: Science, Technology and Globalization
Prof. Rycroft Tuesday, 7:10-9:00
(open only to ISTP students and doctoral students with a focus on international science and technology policy)


NOTE THAT IAFF252, ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, WILL ALSO BE OFFERED BY PROFESSOR RYCROFT DURING THE FIRST FIVE WEEK SUMMER SESSION.