POL 296 - Special Topics in Global Politics

FDR: SS2
Credits: 3
Prerequisites: First-year or sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. 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 with permission and if the topics are different.

Topic for Winter, 2010:

POL 296:Special Topics in Global Politics: Strategic Studies (3). No prerequisites. Open to majors and non-majors of all classes. Counts toward the politics major’s global politics field requirement. Recommended for students interested in military, national security or strategic-risk management careers. Grading based on class discussion and mock-NSC (US National Security Council) position papers. Covers the principles of strategic decision especially at the international level under certainty, known risk, unknown risk (uncertainty), risk-aversion, deception, and surprise attack. Also covers readily accessible elementary research skills and current data-sites in this field. Cases: coercive strategies against conventional powers; deterrent / compellant strategies against nuclear powers; counter-insurgent strategies against rogue powers; optional – Lanchester’s attrition strategy against theater-level land powers. Syllabus at mccaughrinc@wlu.edu. (SS2). McCaughrin.

Topics for Fall, 2009:

POL 296A: International Relations with a Feminist Perspective (3). This seminar brings a feminist perspective into our study of international relations. We learn feminist critiques of international relations as well as ways in which gender “makes the world go round” examining conventional issues such as national security and international trade but also examining non-conventional issues such as prostitution, migration, and sexual violence. (SS2) Mikanagi

POL 296B: Negotiation Analysis (3). No prerequisites. Open to majors and non-majors of all classes. Meets the global politics field requirement or elective credit in the major. Recommended for students preparing for diplomacy, estate management, labor-management relations, law. We cover governance based on negotiation rules, strategies, norms - in private and public sectors at all levels of analysis, from groups to states, using the Harvard Case Study File and user-friendly Java applets. Contact mccaughrinc@wlu.edu (SS2) McCaughrin