POL 296 - Special Topics in Global Politics

FDR: SS2
Credits: 3 in fall and winter, 4 in spring

Prerequisites vary by topic. Meets the global politics field requirement in the politics major. A seminar in political science for students at the introductory or intermediate level. Topic, hour, and instructor are announced prior to registration. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Spring 2016, POL 296-01: Special Topics in Global Politics: Avoiding Armageddon: The Politics and Science of Nonproliferation (4). Prerequisite: POL 105 or instructor consent. This course, team-taught by a political scientist and a chemist, introduces students to complex technical and political issues connected to the proliferation of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and the possibilities that such weapons could be used by rogue nations or terrorist groups. Students are expected to design a realistic terrorist attack involving weapons of mass destruction (WMD), engage in the debate over whether nuclear proliferation might make the world safer, and propose a specific policy proposal for enhancing global security in the age of WMD proliferation. (SS2) Strong, Settle.

Winter 2016, POL 296-01: Special Topics in Global Politics: Geopolitics: Geography, Technology, and Power (3). Prerequisite: POL 105 or instructor consent. Geopolitics is the study of the natural world and the constraints it places on human societies in their development, political organization, conflict, and sustainability. Food, energy, transportation, communication, resources, and warfare are all fundamentally tied to the physical environment and the technology harnessed by humans to overcome the limitations they face. This course surveys international history to trace the interaction between human societies and the forces of geography, how this interaction continues to shape our world today, and whether modern technology has fundamentally altered the balance between society and geography. (SS2) T. Williams.

Fall 2015, POL 296-02: Special Topics in Global Politics: The International Politics of Civil Wars (3). Prerequisite: POL 105 or instructor consent. Ongoing civil wars in Ukraine and Syria have captured the attention of the world and the interests of the great powers. How and why are civil wars important to international politics? This course examines how civil wars helped to create the international system, what accounts for global patterns of civil war, how international politics affects civil wars (and vice versa), and the problems of intervention: from proxy wars, to humanitarian interventions, to drone strikes. (SS2) Williams.