COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

DIPL 6117 International Mediation
Third parties, including governments, prestigious individuals, IOs and NGOs often attempt to mediate international conflicts and wars. Some succeed brilliantly. Others fail miserably. This course offers perspective on the political, behavioral and strategic dimensions of international mediation. Participants learn about the methods, tactics and strategies of international mediation, the causes of failures and success, the dynamics of mediation in crises, internal wars and other conflicts. Participants also develop skills by practicing on large and small international mediation exercises. 3 credits

DIPL 6118 Global Conflict Resolution and Peace-building
This course is an introduction to the interdisciplinary study of conflict resolution and is intended to provide a solid foundation for further inquiry and application. It aims to present and discuss the major theoretical approaches to conflict and conflict resolution. It examines theories that attempt to explain causes, dynamic, courses, and resolution of conflicts. It surveys theoretical frameworks from different disciplines and grounds students in the basic concepts of conflict resolution and skills of diagnosing social conflict. A second portion of the class focuses on the practice of conflict resolution and the connection between conflict analysis and intervention. It will investigate the dynamics of conflict transformation, post-conflict peace-building and reconciliation. This course will include a blend of lectures, class discussions, individual and group exercises, and simulation role plays. 3 credits

DIPL 6129 Preventing Humanitarian Crisis
Investigates the causes, global responses to, and prevention of complex humanitarian emergencies. Beginning with the fundamental problem of defining what qualifies as a humanitarian crisis, this course further examines significant cases searching for factors to account for successful and unsuccessful international engagement. 3 credits

DIPL 6130 International Security
International security is a critical component of statecraft and global politics with domestic and international constraints and characteristics. This course is built upon an interdisciplinary approach that combines history, theory and policy regarding the origins of conflict, the uses of force in politics, classic approaches to security, strategies and modes of security, and the emerging security environment. 3 credits

DIPL 6131 Causes of War
What causes war? What do we need to know to prevent war if possible, and prepare for it when necessary? This course first systematically examines major schools of thoughts on the origins and prevention of war, including power and system-level theories of war and peace, domestic and societal sources of conflict, misperception and miscalculation, and psychological and emotional causes of war. The second part of this course applies these theoretical approaches to a series of important historical and contemporary cases of war and conflict in world politics. 3 credits

DIPL 6132 American Grand Strategy
Grand strategy is the collection of political and military means and ends with which a state attempts to achieve security. This course examines the formulation, implementation, and outcomes of American grand strategy. It particularly explores the structure, operation, and capacity of American military establishment. It also covers the evolution of American grand strategy beginning with the containment strategy during the Cold War, to nuclear deterrence and arms control policy, followed by post-Cold War debates on American strategies of engagement, humanitarian intervention and democracy promotion to cope with the new security environment. 3 credits

DIPL 6133 Energy and Resources Security
As a result of increasing global demands for energy, natural resources, and clean environment, serious conflict of interest has emerged among nations and can potentially lead to deadly violence. Using carefully selected case studies, this course addresses these pressing security concerns. Topics covered include international politics of oil, water disputes, environmental conflict, and contention for fishery and other maritime resources. 3 credits

DIPL 6140 International Human Rights
This course introduces the basic philosophy and principles of human rights and examines the historical development and expansion of human rights norms. The course then focuses on the instruments, institutions, and enforcement of human rights from a multidisciplinary perspective, exploring the major international human rights regimes and treaties. 3 credits

DIPL 6150 Current Issues and Approaches in International Political Economy
In this course, we will examine a variety of new approaches and new issues in international political economy. We will look at how two level games, second image and second image reversed theories, bargaining approaches, and ideational theories are being used to analyze issues, such as international trade and development. We will also examine how new issues are changing the way we think about international political economy, such as trafficking of humans, international migration, international laws and norms, transnational organizations, and food and safety issues (e.g. genetically modified food). 3 credits

DIPL 6153 Comparative Political Economy of Development
This course examines the economic and political transitions in developing countries. We will focus on the tensions between economic and political reforms, between states and markets, and between economic efficiency concerns and social equity concerns. We will examine the overt and hidden trade-offs that governments make between economic development and political stability, and between domestic reforms and international pressures. We will compare the development paths of countries in Latin America, Africa, East Asia, Eastern Europe, the Former Soviet Union, and the Middle East to determine the effects of culture, history and institutions on political and economic development. 3 credits

DIPL 6155 Advanced Economic Aspects of International Relations
This course will familiarize students with the essential concepts required to understand the economic issues associated with globalization. In particular, we will address a set of topics including why and how nations trade, how governments regulate international trade, regionalism and multilateralism, and the international financial architecture. 3 credits

DIPL 6156 Advanced Financial Aspects of International Relations
This course applies fundamental concepts towards gaining an understanding of recent events and current policy issues. The course covers topics including exchange rate determination, monetary and fiscal policy in an open economy, balance of payments crises, international capital markets, and foreign direct investment. It also studies current issues such as proposed changes in the international crisis, and government intervention in the foreign exchange market. 3 credits

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