AS.470 ( Government)

This course provides an in-depth examination of how the effects of climate change could impact national security, international relations, and global stability. Students will begin by examining and discussing the current body of academic literature. As the semester progresses, students will learn and practice how to use cross-disciplinary resources and tools to envision potential relationships between climate change effects and security outcomes.

This course offers an overview of power and politics through the study of the government of the United States. All governments combine coercion and legitimacy. In a stable and legitimate system of government, coercion is hardly noticed. Government comes to be seen as a source of benefits. The purpose of the course is to look behind institutions, practices, and benefits to appreciate how, for what, and for whom we are governed. We shall examine some of the major institutions of American government, some of America's political processes, and some of the key forces competing for power in the U.S. to see how decisions in the areas of economic, social and foreign policy are reached. This is a core course of the Government Program but is open to all students.

This course introduces students to the basic concepts of global security studies, including theories of international relations, perception and misperception, theories of foreign policy, the varying concepts of security, and the elements of national power. It also includes a brief introduction to social movement theory. It applies these conceptual tools to selected security issues.

This course will investigate the impact that digital technology has had on the institution of the American presidency. The adoption of the internet in the 21st century, both as a tool and as an information distribution mechanism, has had an astonishing impact on the Office of the Presidency. This course is designed to have students operationalize theoretical concepts and apply them to real world situations. Students will engage with scholarly research, analytical arguments, and real-time case studies on the effective use of social media in all aspects of the presidency: campaigning, public debate, electoral processes, and democracy more broadly. In that spirit, we will examine how the first president of the social media age, Taught by a member of the first White House Office of Digital Strategy, the primary objective of this course is to provide students will the tools and skills to be informed consumers of political social media, as well as to equip them to participate in the political digital conversation.

In the wake of the financial crisis, bank bailouts, and stimulus plans, the relationship between American economic power and national security is especially salient. In this course, students investigate core topics in international political economy, analyzing the security implications of each. Topics include trade relations, international finance, monetary relations, poverty, and development. (Core course for the MA in Global Security Studies. Recommended elective for MA in Public Management)

This course provides an overview of the manifold challenges and opportunities for United States security in the current disordered and changing world. It aims to help students assess why events occur and what policies are developed in response. In that endeavor, the course has three major objectives. First, the course will review the major perspectives on, and debates about, U.S. security and the institutions through which policy is made and executed. Second, the course will review some U.S. security issues through scholarly, policy, political, and historical lenses. Third, the course will help students write for both policy and academic audiences. This course is not open to students who have had 470.606 American National Security.

This course examines the changing character of modern war and the role played by technology. Specifically, we will explore why some militaries are able to successfully learn, adapt, and innovate while others fail to do so. We will then examine specific technologies and the implications for military strategy and national security policy. These technologies include precision munitions, space capabilities, networks, artificial intelligence, drones and autonomy, and cyber weapons. Through lecture, case studies, discussion, and writing, the goal is to equip students to understand how and why military innovation occurs, its impacts, and considerations for strategists and policy makers.

This course is designed to introduce students to the public policymaking process, to the basics of policy analysis, and to the substance of some of today’s major policy debates. The first half of the course focuses on establishing a framework in which to analyze public policy formulation within the United States. The class also reviews the tools for developing and implementing policy. The second half of the course turns to policy analysis of some critical contemporary issues. Building on earlier readings, we will study current debates in economic/tax policy, education, health care, social security, and national security. (Core requirement for the MA in Public Management. Elective option for Government. Analytics students)

This course will assist leaders in identifying their personal approach to leadership; provide tips on motivating staff by building trusting relationships and shoring up their credibility; suggest influence and persuasion strategies that leaders need to employ when working with bosses, colleagues, direct reports, and critical stakeholders, including funding agencies; develop strategies to build effective work teams; and consider approaches to monitor organizational performance in an ongoing fashion.

This course presents an overview of the principal areas important to global terrorist groups and organizations. The study of terrorism is complex and multi-disciplinary and offers a variety of academic and practitioner perspectives. Students will investigate diverse models, theories, and concepts to explain individual, group, and organizational dynamics. Through this exploration of ideology, motivation, recruitment, media strategies, leadership, and inter- and intra-group dynamics, students will be able to identify patterns of behavior and strategic intervention approaches. Through case studies, students will step into the perspective of terrorist groups and apply what is learned to individual creative projects.

This seminar will examine the political support for bureaucracy, how bureaucracy functions in contemporary government and society, and selected current controversies over the purpose and reach of bureaucracy. How does bureaucracy enhance or frustrate liberal democratic ideals? We will take up case studies involving current political issues, such as civil rights enforcement, the war on terror, the role of regulatory agencies, judicial policymaking, relevant student experiences, and the instructor's own experience in various federal and state agencies.

The theory and practice of speechwriting are the focus of our study of the great political speeches of all time and especially those of the American political tradition. We will examine the content, structure, and purpose of high rhetoric ranging from Pericles to Solzhenitsyn, from Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Franklin D. Roosevelt to contemporary politicians. Based on their knowledge of the best models, students will draft and deliver their own speeches.

It is easy, in this age of reactive 24-hour news, to believe that ideas no longer matter in politics. But ideas are the currency of politics, and are central to both campaigning and governing. What candidates stand for matters, and the best policy is the best politics. This class will discuss the critical role ideas play in our American political system. It will examine how ideas define candidates and governments, shape political strategies, and form campaign communications. But, most importantly, it will discuss how campaigning on ideas leads to successful governing. While compromise and negotiation are often derided as weaknesses in today’s political system, we will examine how these techniques have been used to implement policy ideas and further political strategy. From the practical perspective of the instructor’s own legislative and political experience, the class will take up case studies involving the interplay between politics and ideas in recent history in areas such as budget reform, national security, tax reform, crime prevention, trade, and poverty. Through these case studies, we will look at how and why policy ideas succeeded or failed through the lens of elections, political communications, and their positive impact on the public.

Americans traditionally have viewed the courts as—in the words of a constitutional scholar—"the least dangerous branch of government." They are seen as reflectors, not agents, of change. But in an age of government downsizing, the role of the courts bears renewed examination. Students explore the historical and philosophical roots for the notion that American courts, and whether the lawyers who appear before them, can and should make law and policy, and the alternatives to this function. Students consider prominent areas of public policy that have been shaped by the courts, such as civil rights, family and domestic law, environmental and safety regulation, and the regulation of business and commerce.This course counts towards the Legal Studies Concentration.

This course examines the role of race and ethnicity in U.S. national politics focusing on political development, political behavior, and public policy. Treated as both a persistent “dilemma” and as central to U.S. national identity, race and representation questions have been pivotal in American political development from the Founding to the present. Tracing that development over time, this course focuses, too, on how race-based differences manifest in differences in voting, public opinion, and other behavioral aspects of politics as well as the ways that racial attitudes have been embedded in public policies and reinforced by their implementation.

This course considers the historical and contemporary relationship between money and government. In what ways do moneyed interests have distinctive influences on American politics? Does this threaten the vibrancy of our representative democracy? Are recent controversies over campaign finance reform and lobbying reform signs that American government is in trouble? This course is reading, writing, and discussion intensive, and we consider the large academic literature on this subject, as well as the reflections of journalists and political practitioners. Election law and regulations on money in politics are always changing, and so part of the course is designed to give students tools at tracking these developments. The overall goal of the course is to foster an understanding of the money/politics relationship in ways that facilitate the evaluation of American democracy.

Nonprofit organizations in the United States are tightly bound with federal tax and state fiduciary regulatory requirements, requiring nonprofit leaders to familiarize themselves with tax rules and regulations critical to their operations. Given 501 (c) 3 organizations are exempt from federal and state taxes, they must understand the potential risks to maintaining this status, while ensuring financial transparency to the public. This course is an interactive and engaging nonprofit law class for the non-lawyer to familiarize themselves with the various types of legal issues related to nonprofit management. Students will gain exposure to the overall legal issues that concern a nonprofit, such as maintaining federal tax-exempt status, the misclassification of employees, or risks of lobbying and political activity, among others. In addition, students will learn strategies to stay in compliance with various federal and state regulations. Nonprofit organizations are founded for charitable, philanthropic, and advocacy purposes, to support the public at large, which means they must apply for, maintain, and safeguard their eligibility to serve as 501(c) entities by the IRS. This course will provide insight on the best legal practices while ensuring nonprofit organizations stay in compliance with federal regulations.

This course covers the ways in which analytics are being used in the healthcare industry. Topics include data collection opportunities created by the ACA and other laws, the use of analytics to prevent fraud, the use of predictive modeling based on medical records, the insurance industry's increasing use of data and the ethical issues raised by these practices. Prerequisites: none required (470.681 Probability and Statistics recommended)

The goal of this course is to prepare future nonprofit leaders and board members with the international resource development and marketing fundamentals that help every nonprofit thrive. The course focuses on how to create and nurture an organizational culture where everyone on the staff and board understands, embraces, and acts on his or her role in developing strategic relationships with funders, potential funders, and media professionals. You will gain an understanding of the process, the metrics that drive the process, and the milestone markers that lead to success. You will explore how to develop a board and/or cadre of volunteers who give generously, share expertise freely, connect you to the right government officials and media leaders, and invite others to join them. Data-driven decision-making and all aspects of fund development, marketing, and communications will be woven throughout the course. Led by an internationally recognized practitioner, consultant, and master teacher, the course will use scenarios, discussion, social media, audio, and video clips so that you will walk away with the knowledge you need to secure private and government funding and social capital as a CEO, senior staff member, board chair, or member, and the confidence to do it all well. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

This course focuses on financial aspects of public sector organizations and institutions. The objectives of this course include helping students (1) learn the basics of public sector accounting and the construction of their financial reports, (2) become more intelligent users of the financial statements of public sector organizations such as sovereign, state, and municipal institutions, and (3) better understand the factors that affect the financial condition and financial performance of such entities. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p> More specifically, the course focuses on (1) the financial reporting concepts and standards that are applicable to public sector organizations; (2) ratios and other summary indicators used by analysts to evaluate the financial condition and financial performance of public sector and nonprofit organizations; (3) the analysis and interpretation of financial statements of selected public sector organizations; (4) fundamental finance principles; and 5) basic principles of budget formulation. <o:p></o:p></span></p>

This course considers the political theory and history behind the rise of America’s Administrative State. This is an especially important undertaking today because the Administrative State has become increasingly contested not only among scholars but also politicians and the public. The course explores, among other major themes, the extent to which the Administrative State can be reconciled with America’s constitutional system of separation of powers and its republican or democratic principles.

The political scientist James McGregor Burns said “one of the most universal cravings of our time is a hunger for compelling and creative leadership.” Today, the craving for sound leadership is felt even more keenly than before, but examples of excellence in leadership are scarce. With both populism and authoritarianism on the rise globally and polarization at high levels domestically, it has become especially urgent to understand what true democratic leadership entails – both its power and its limits. This course will expose students to leadership models in America, starting with the founders and the conditions they set for future democratic leaders. In addition to examples of political leadership, students will study leadership in the area of social reform. Students will assess these models through primary readings, biographies, lectures, and film depictions. The course will help students to identify which models of creative leadership may be helpful in addressing current problems of contemporary politics

This class will examine the role of Congress in the making of American foreign policy. In particular, this class will discuss the role of Congress in war powers, economic sanctions, human rights advocacy, the approval of international agreements including treaties, international affairs budgets and spending, investigations and oversight of the conduct of foreign policy by the executive branch as well as the impact of Congress on the general direction of American foreign policies and priorities. Special attention will be given to the role of Congress in U.S. policy toward Iran over the past few decades, the use of military force in Iraq and Syria, the role of the legislative branch in U.S policy toward China and Taiwan and the promotion of human rights as a component of American foreign policy. The class will seek to examine the specific actions of Congress on these matters, and their causes and consequences. The class will use books, articles and original source material from committee deliberations and floor action. As we examine these topics, we will come back to larger themes – the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches, the impact of partisan and bureaucratic politics, and the changing role of the United States on the world stage. All this will be discussed with a mind to the role of foreign policy practitioners.

Economic thinking provides an important set of tools for almost every aspect of public policymaking. This course aims to offer students a basic understanding of economics and its importance in public policymaking. The first half of the course will offer students an understanding of microeconomic and macroeconomic theory, including a discussion of when markets can work to achieve policy goals and when “market failures” call for government intervention. The second half of the class will use these economic tools and theories in order to survey several specific policy areas, including health policy, tax policy, and the national debt. (Core course for the MA in Public Management This course counts toward the Economic Security concentration (GSS). Elective option for Government Analytics students.)

The South Asian region, with its complex historical context, a large and diverse population, and contested national borders, especially between nuclearized countries, poses some of the toughest security challenges facing the world. This course highlights salient security challenges in South Asia, and draws out their implications for U.S. strategic interests. It examines the sources and implications of the rivalry between nuclearized India and Pakistan, and how it fuels Sino-Indian security competition. Attention is drawn to the sources of militancy in India, and to the threats to international and regional security arising from the conflict in Afghanistan. The Sri Lankan Tamil Tiger insurgency and its eventual defeat in 2009 are also discussed, alongside the rising Islamist militancy threats in Bangladeshi, and the history of Maoist insurgency in Nepal. Finally, some of the climate-based threats to which no South Asian country is immune will also be discussed.

Transnational organized crime often is not well understood because crime is most often conceptualized as a domestic legal concern. However, transnational organized crime is more than that. It is crime ordered into complex clandestine networks that operates transnationally with little regard for the borders of states. The gravity of the problem lies not only in the increasing complexity of these organizations, but more importantly, with the serious challenge they pose in their ability to penetrate and operate with relative impunity in several states simultaneously. These illegal enterprises not only threaten aspects of state sovereignty and security that traditionally have been taken for granted, but they prove the permeability of national borders and the vulnerability of state institutions. This course will examine a variety of transnational organized criminal groups, their modus operandi, and their illicit activities. It also will focus on some domestic organized crime groups both to provide a depth of understanding of the operations of organized criminal activity in different countries, as well as to show how international groups can make inroads into domestic markets if they cooperate with local groups.

This course examines how states and non-state actors use propaganda and disinformation campaigns across the continuum of conflict. Students will gain a detailed understanding of the strategic goals, objectives, and tactics that comprise information warfare campaigns. The course will examine a variety of case studies to include German propaganda during World War II, Russian active measures during the Cold War, extremist propaganda, and modern grey zone disinformation activities. The detailed exploration of these rich historical examples will also help students become more-astute consumers of social science information, big-data analytics, and open source intelligence.

This course critically examines the most pressing issues in media and communication today, including misinformation, declining public trust, financial sustainability, digital transformation, political polarization, and the ethical dilemmas of AI-generated content. This course fulfills the Concentration in Political Communications.

This course will explore the role of interest groups and lobbyists in the American political process. We will discuss the basics of the policymaking process, with a particular focus on how policymakers respond to different outside pressures. We will examine the ways in which these outside pressures (the lobbyists) try to influence the policymaking process, and what determines whether or not they are successful. We will investigate whether the tens of thousands of lobbyists roaming the streets of Washington improve or detract from the quality of American democracy. Students should expect to come away from this class with a greater understanding of why we get the political outcomes we do, and some ideas about how they might be able to change those outcomes, should they want to get involved.

Conflict is part of organizational life. People in public sector agencies and nonprofit and for-profit organizations disagree over the meaning of regulations, the use of financial resources, office space, leave time, and many other issues. Managers must have the ability to diagnose disputes and to negotiate effectively to resolve conflicts. This course provides the theoretical background and conceptual framework needed for successful negotiation and mediation. Through presentations and discussions students become familiar with the tools necessary for conflict resolution in their agencies and organizations. Analysis of a party's interests, identification of the necessary style, awareness of communication skills, and planning and feedback are part of the process of becoming an accomplished negotiator.

This course focuses on transnational security issues and considers how many of these myriad challenges constitute threats to global peace and security. The combined effects of issues such as drug, weapons, and human trafficking, piracy, terrorism, infectious diseases, and deliberate environmental destruction, along with such critical enablers as corruption, and money movements, are not strangers on the world stage. What is new is their global reach and destructive potential. As a result, these issues have made policy makers consider different conceptions of security and, at times, to move beyond sole considerations of state sovereignty into the realm of human security. Not only are transnational security issues varied in nature and scope, but their effects often are obscured by the fact that many are nascent with gradual and long-term consequences. Further, while some transnational issues may not constitute direct threats to global security, they may threaten the world economy, and quality of life of its citizens. Still others compound and reinforce each other, generating mutations of the original threats. This course will examine a small number of these transnational security issues and relevant policy-making efforts.

Lobbying is a constitutional right guaranteed under the First Amendment. It's also big business in Washington, D.C., as more than $4.2 billion was spent on these efforts during the first six months of 2023 alone. In fact, for many, the term “lobbying” conjures up an image of a shady character passing a cash-filled envelope to an elected official. The stereotype of lobbyists as greedy predators of the political system detracts from the efforts made by the tens of thousands of people, from lobbyists and concerned citizens alike, who come to Washington or attend Zoom meetings, every year to exercise their “Right to Petition” the government to make it more responsive and accountable to the people. This applied course provides students with a practical understanding of how to lobby Congress and the Executive Branch. The course also teaches students about “advocacy” efforts where a company, non-profit, trade association either reaches out to constituents of a specific U.S. House district or state to involve citizens in their efforts or hire unregistered public affairs firms employing campaign-styled tactics to persuade decision-makers to support their client’s positions.This course counts towards the Concentration in Political Communications.

In this course, students will develop expertise with tools necessary to collect, analyze, and visualize large amounts of text. The course begins with a hands-on introduction to the programming concepts necessary to collect and process textual data. The course then proceeds to cover key statistical concepts in machine learning and statistics that are used to analyze text as data. Throughout the course, students will develop a research project that culminates in the display of results from a large-scale textual analysis.

Prerequisite(s): 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics; 470.768, Programming and Data Management; 470.673, Data Visualization; and 470.667, Machine Learning Methods and Applications

Much of international politics in the last century can be described as a conflict between liberal democracy and its modern critics. During this period the values and political structures of liberal democracy have been extended to more parts of the world than ever before. Yet the same era has seen the emergence of powerful challengers to liberal democracy from both the right and the left. The resulting clash of ideologies defined such conflicts as World War II and the Cold War. And in our time critics of liberal democracy in Russia, China, and political Islam are central opponents of the American-led world order. In this course, we will survey both the intellectual roots of Fascism, National Socialism, and Communism, as well as contemporary critics of liberal democracy in Russia, China, and the Islamic world. Among those whose ideas we will examine are Karl Marx, V.I. Lenin, Benito Mussolini, Carl Schmitt, Syed Qutb, Ayatollah Khomeini, Alexander Dugin, Wang Huning, Jiang Qing, and Zhang Weiwei This course counts towards the Security Studies concentration.

The federal budget process is an enormously complex mixture of administrative routines and mechanisms designed to bias decisions, avoid blame, or reduce conflict. This course explores the structures of federal budgeting in terms of its varied goals and in the context of the wider governing process. The course will review the budgetary process in both the executive and congressional branching, as well as the interaction of those two systems. In order to gain understanding of the difficult policy choices and political pressures policymakers face, students will be asked to do a simulation of a budget process within the executive branch. The role of entitlements, scoring issues, and tax policy will be examined in the context of the debate over budget policy. The course will start with a short primer on finance theory. (Recommended elective for MA in Public Management. Elective option for Government Analytics students.)

This course examines enduring issues in political theory – including poverty, inequality, opportunity, citizenship, compassion, obligation, justice, and the role of government, markets, and charity - and their expression in contemporary social policy. The course provides foundations for understanding the theoretical and political dimensions of social policy - and the implications for policy solutions.

The separation of powers is America’s most profound and useful political contribution to the world. Studying its principles, development, and decay is a requirement for understanding American politics and is as well a potential benefit to students of aspiring democracies throughout the world. For the separation of powers enables self-government, putting democratic principles of equality and liberty into practice while moderating the powers of majorities.We will study the principles and practice of the separation of powers by examining how each elected branch of government protects its rights, while checking the rights of others. The separation of powers can be said to have produced a more just and moderate democratic form of government, but it has also occasioned the complaint that it has produced gridlock and incompetence. To investigate the strengths and drawbacks of the separation of powers, we will pay close attention to the classic texts advocating the separation of powers, such as The Federalist Papers; the great changes in American politics effected by the Civil War, the Progressive movement, and the New Deal; and the domestic and foreign policy debates in recent administrations. Special attention will be paid to the seminal opinions of the unelected branch of American government, the Supreme Court. The course will note in particular the contemporary challenges to the separation of powers, evidenced in the rise of the administrative state, the expanding powers of courts, and the growth of party government. We will also note instances of how parliamentary and presidential governments throughout the world might benefit from separation of powers principles.

Who knew health care was so complicated.” These words remind us that despite decades of work, health policy wonks continue to debate what should come next in health care reform. This course introduces students to the policies and issues surrounding health care in the United States. During the semester the course will review the history of the incremental path to health care coverage since President Truman first called for universal health care in 1947. This will include enactment of Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). In addition, we will discuss in detail the various reform proposals currently under consideration and analyze their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, we will study how the current U.S health care system is organized, financed, and governed.

Corruption is ubiquitous. It is a universal phenomenon that has always been around and that can be found almost anywhere. Recent years have seen much focus on the relationship between it and democratic governance. Indeed corruption and politics more generally, are inextricably and universally entwined. In this seminar we will take an in-depth look at the relationship between the two. We will ask: What is Corruption? Is it always the same thing everywhere, or does it vary depending on context or place? Do pork barrel politics and political clientelism count as corruption? What are the implications of corruption? Is it necessarily always a bad thing or can it be beneficial? Is the corruption experienced in developed countries qualitatively different from that in developing ones such that democracy suffers more in developing countries? We will seek to answer these and other questions by taking a critical look at the politics of corruption. We will look at the origins, extent, character and significance of corruption from both a developed and developing country perspective. We will cover various theories relating to corruption as well as look at a number of empirical cases.

Russia plays a key role in most international issues and openly campaigns to realign the international system away from what it sees as American domination. This course considers the substance and process of Russian national security policy. It acquaints students with the main instruments and mechanisms available to Russian leaders to advance the country’s national interests and key policy priorities. The course considers how Russia formulates and conducts its national security policy, the history that informs it, the political culture that sustain it, the ideas and interests that drive it, and the people and institutions responsible for it. The course addresses Russia’s role in key global and regional issues and its relations with major powers. It places special emphasis on the wars in Ukraine and Syria, Russian concepts of information war, and on Russian military reform.

This course considers the evolution of the presidency from its creation by the founders who had “their fingers crossed” while contemplating an executive agent for the emerging government, to its contemporary massive presence in our political system. The class also examines the interactions of the president with the other branches of government—Congress and the Courts—as well as the dynamics and management challenges presented within the executive branch itself. The course focuses on the leadership attributes of effective presidents, as well as aspects of personality or “character” that influence presidential performance. Finally the class focuses on the power and influence exerted by the presidency in domestic public policy and in foreign affairs. Students will be encouraged to develop their own ideas of what makes a great president ion the 21st century.

This course is a seminar-based overview of the role of energy in national security. Using a range of U.S. and non-U.S. case studies, students will review the roles of energy in grand strategy, the role of energy in conflict, and, finally, as a logistical enabler of military operations.

The relationship between religion and politics in the American context is one of peculiar complexity in the American context. This course has 3 main objectives: 1) to examine in general terms the role of religion in American public and political life as reflected in the debates concerning the use of religious symbolism and discourse in the public sphere; 2) to analyze how religiously informed moral argument has helped to shape public debate on key issues of public policy including the issues of civil rights, abortion, war and peace, and economic policy; and 3) to provide the necessary historical and philosophical context to help understand the present day intersection of religion and politics, and to see how previous generations of Americans approached similar problems.

This course will explore some of the most contested and controversial aspects in contemporary security studies. There are a number of contentious and wide-ranging debates around ideas like radicalization not least concerning its definition, causes, and effects. This course will also prompt you to consider broader issues, such as whether there is a causal link between extremism and violent extremism? Why do some radicalized individuals to embrace terrorism, when other don’t? And should security officials concern themselves with radicalization, or only with its violent offshoots? This course will unpack many of these debates, exploring academic and theoretical literature surrounding the issues of radicalization, recruitment, and deradicalization in modern terrorist networks. It will focus primarily on cases in Europe and the United States, while also exploring new phenomena such as homegrown, self-starter, and lone wolf terrorism.

This course explores the political struggles that emerge from the U.S. constitutional system. During the course, we will read contemporary and classic cases in U.S. constitutional law in light of constitutional and political theory. Course discussions will focus on the law as well as the related policy, political, and societal implications of constitutional interpretation. Through paying particular attention to recent decisions and issues before the Court, the course will explore the roles and powers of the branches of federal government, separation of powers, federalism, and the commerce clause. It will also cover individual rights, due process, equal protection, and religious freedoms.

With the passage of the Foundations for Evidence-Based Policymaking Act, all federal agencies are now required to make data accessible to the public and to implement specific plans for developing statistical evidence to inform policymaking. This course will examine the ways in which evidence and expertise are now being used for policy development and assessment. Specific topics will include cost-benefit analysis, cost effectiveness analysis, contingent valuation, forecasting and the communication of statistical evidence. In addition, the course will explore the interplay between political decisionmakers, experts and citizens in the evidence-based policymaking process.

The multiple crises plaguing the world today make evident the mutual inter-dependence and vulnerability of people and nations. The idea of human security has gained increasing significance within this increasingly complex and interconnected world. Human security places emphasis on the security needs of individual citizens, rather than being preoccupied by traditional, state-centric conceptions of security. It takes into account the impact of security threats such as economic crises, pandemics, and climate change on the lives of individuals within and across national boundaries. The course thus draws attention to alternative interpretations of what constitute security threats and how to contend with the underlying causes of volatility and human insecurity that prevail around the world.

This non-technical course introduces the foundational aspects of cybersecurity policy including basic technical principles of networks and their security, principles of strategy and policy, current governance mechanisms for global information infrastructures, and current strategies and policies for cybersecurity for the public and private sectors. It covers current cybersecurity issues, cyber deterrence and conflict, an inventory and description of state and non-state cyber actors, and the nexus between the public and private sectors. The course assumes little to no exposure to technical and policy aspects of cybersecurity.

Using the Peloponnesian War as a case study, this course will examine critical aspects of domestic and international politics and their influence on war. It will use Thucydides to consider how strategy, alliances, and domestic politics impact the origins, conduct, and termination of conflict as well as testing the lessons we have derived from Thucydides over the centuries for their accuracy and continued relevance.

In this hands-on course, we’ll help you understand the fundamentals of securing funds from institutional donors. As a staff or board leader of a non-profit, understanding the ins and outs of raising funds for priority projects and capacity building from government agencies, corporations and foundations will add to your toolkit for moving your organization forward. We’ll cover how this aspect of fundraising fits into your overall fundraising strategy and plan. We’ll help you identify the right potential funders for important projects, learn how to land capacity-building funds you can use to grow and sustain your organization, cover the basics of relationship-building with institutional decision-makers, help you use data to build credibility with funders, create pitch-perfect corporate presentations and dive into the process of writing winning proposals and applications. Finally, we’ll cover fulfillment and stewardship. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

Machine learning (ML) and, more broadly, artificial intelligence can now be used to perform complex tasks in data science and social science. This course introduces students to a variety of these machine learning techniques. Students will learn the fundamentals of statistical software used for ML and develop an understanding of statistical and mathematical foundations of ML. Students will implement these techniques using open source tools in R and Python. Further, students will learn how to select an appropriate ML tool depending on the dataset they have and the question to be answered. Prerequisite: 470.681 Probability and Statistics and 470.768 Programming and Data Management (470.768 may be taken concurrently with 470.667).

Overuse is not the only problem with the maxim that American “politics stop at the water’s edge.” The slogan has simply never been true. American foreign policy has always been a result not just of the crises and opportunities the nation has faced but its unique politics and policy processes. American national interests are determined through the democratic processes established by the Constitution and other legislation and affected by the politics that drive the nation’s elections, its conversations and its foreign policies. These politics and processes have been remarkably consistent since the founding even as the nation’s interests have grown significantly. A better understanding of both the politics and processes of American foreign policy will help students appreciate how the country’s policies are made today and will be made in the future.

This course reviews the mathematical principles that are fundamental to quantitative analysis. The course covers functions, probability theory, integral and derivative calculus and matrix algebra.

Benjamin Franklin famously observed that “nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Since Franklin’s day, however, both the form and prevalence of taxation have undergone a dramatic global transformation. This course will review the history of U.S. federal taxation and delve into the practical mechanics of taxation. It will provide students with an understanding of the processes, institutions, and political influences that shape tax policy. Finally, it will examine alternative methods of taxation and consider what the future may hold for federal tax policy.

Risk management has always been in the vanguard of data analytics because risk measurement is a critical element in calculating risk/return tradeoffs. This course will examine both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods commonly used in risk management. Qualitative tools include impact/likelihood analysis; event and fault trees; threats, vulnerability, and consequences (TVC); and failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA). However, a key lesson in risk management is that what gets measured gets managed. As a result, a major part of the course will focus on quantitative tools, including modeling and stochastic simulations. We will use the @Risk software to build realistic risk models, including one in assessing project management risks. The objective of the course is to equip students with practical tools they can apply in risk-based decision making.Prerequisites: 470.681 Probability and Statistics; working knowledge of Excel

This course instructs students in various visualization techniques and software, such as R, Tableau, and vector graphics software. Students will learn how to ask interesting questions about politics; identify data that can be used to answer those questions; collect, clean and document the data; explore and analyze the data with statistical and graphical techniques; and present compelling, informative and accurate visualizations. Prerequisite: 470.681 Probability and Statistics and 470.768, Programming and Data Management (470.768 may be taken concurrently with 470.673).

Benjamin Franklin famously observed that "nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Since Franklin's day, however, both the form and prevalence of taxation has undergone a dramatic global transformation. This course will review the history of taxation and revenue policy and delve into the practical mechanics of taxation. It will provide students with an understanding of the processes, institutions, and political influences that shape tax policy. Finally, it will examine alternative methods of taxation and consider what the future may hold for tax policy.

This course will help students develop graduate writing and research skills. Through the rich scholarship of past and present social movements and civic engagement initiatives, students will gain an in-depth overview of the fundamentals of academic writing, style, and composition. They will learn how to compose a strong research-based argument, thesis statement, supporting paragraphs and conclusion using credible resources with the proper use of citations. These skills will help strengthen their ability to write, synthesize and argue at a graduate level. In the third week of the term, students will identify their own independent research topic, and in the latter part of the term, they will shape it into a research question, learn how to engage in critical inquiry using Hopkins’ library resources, and through a writing process broken into scaffolded steps, will formulate an original argument in a cumulative paper. Through learning modules that focus on early social movements like the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Civil Rights Movement, Environmental Movement, the White Power Movement, and more contemporary movements like “Me Too”, “Black Lives Matter”, and Climate Justice, students can explore and analyze how well the United States has realized its democratic ideals and obligations while improving upon their research, writing, and critical thinking skills. The course is intended for those enrolled in one of the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies (CAGS) graduate programs and for other Advanced Academic Program (AAP) students with the permission of their advisor.

This course introduces students to the fundamentals of statistical analysis as well as the R programming language and RStudio environment. Students will learn the building blocks of descriptive and causal inference, including summary statistics, survey sampling, measurement, hypothesis testing, linear regression and probability theory. Students will also learn how to create data visualizations in R, including times series plots, scatter plots and bar graphs. In addition, students will focus on interpreting statistical findings and presenting results in a compelling manner. By the end of the course, students will be able to conduct a statistical analysis to answer a meaningful policy question and will be prepared to take more advanced methods courses. Prerequisites: none

The goal of this course is a comprehensive examination of social enterprises- organizations that, broadly speaking, “apply commercial strategies to maximize improvements in human and environmental well-being”. Social enterprises are a relatively new, 21st century phenomenon, and are typically referred to as hybrids of nonprofits and for-profits. While they are similar to nonprofits in that their missions and social and/or environmental objectives drive their very existence, social enterprises can have different structures than traditional 501©3s- some much more complex, legally and otherwise. Throughout the course we will learn about the various types of social enterprises that exist, comparing US models to models operating internationally, and analyze their pros and cons, challenges and opportunities. We will also explore how social enterprises challenge traditional business and nonprofit paradigms, what role social enterprises have come to play in international development, and finally, how to go about developing your own social enterprise. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

This course examines the process of drafting legislation and the consequences of legislative language in the implementation and adjudication of federal policies. Focusing on the various stages of the legislative process, this course considers the expert and political sources of the legislative language in the U.S. Congress and the importance of language in coalition-building for policy passage. Examining the interactions of Congress with the other branches of government, the course also considers how presidents, the executive branch, and the judiciary interpret statutory language.

Change is perennial in national security and military affairs, but knowing how, why, and when to embrace change is both difficult and vital. Strategies and tactics may be outdated, new ideas may be resisted, and science and technology continue to change our world faster than we can optimize. The paradox deepens with context: innovation in peacetime has one logic while innovation in war has another. This course unravels the nature of change in military affairs through four themes: ideas, materials, human capital and structure, and, appreciation of the enemy. The course explores these themes through a series of case studies from around the world. Topics include civilian development/military application of science and technology; learning from failure and success (including from other nations); institutional reactions to change; procurement and the role of industry; and, the impact and limitations of individual “champions” of change.

Bridging the divide between political science theories of policymaking and the actual workings of the policy process in the institutions of national government, this course examines the individual contributions of each of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government as well as the interactions and struggles between those branches. How do these various institutions set the policy agenda, develop and deliberate policy alternatives, make authoritative policy decisions, and implement those decisions? In what ways are the interactions between these institutions best considered conflict or cooperation? Also, how do outside actors and institutions -- the media, interest groups, public opinion, parties and campaigns -- affect policymaking in these various institutional settings? Drawing on the Constitutional design and historical development of these institutions as well as contemporary practice, this course examines the purposes, processes, and outcomes of policymaking from an institutional perspective.

This course provides an overview of the role of both national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in processes of development, humanitarian response, and the promotion of human rights and active citizenship. The last decade has been one of rapid change in which NGO relationships with government, the private sector, and donors has been in a state of flux, with unprecedented challenges raised about the legitimacy and effectiveness of NGO actors. The course will look at how systemic changes the evolution of transnational advocacy, the aid effectiveness process, the emergence of new development actors from countries (such as India, China and Brazil) to the primacy of the private sector has influenced NGOs. Elective course for the Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

This course examines how states (primarily the United States) and other political entities harness military capabilities to pursue policy objectives. It exposes students to levels of strategy—grand strategy, strategy, operations, and tactics—in a national security context. The course will then focus on the practical implications of both the unchanging nature and evolving character of warfare. Students will critically examine, through theoretical and historical lenses, topics such as civil-military relations, military innovation, nuclear strategy, limited war, insurgency and counterinsurgency, and peace operations. The goal is to understand the embedded assumptions of the various theories, the characteristics of the military capabilities animated by them, and, through discussion and case studies, the strengths, limitations, and practical policy implications of each.

This course uses the comparative method to look at the varieties of democracies that exist today. In the course, we will ask what is democracy, how do we measure it, and how does it vary across space and time? We will look at how democracy manifests in different constitutional forms e.g. parliamentary versus presidential. We will examine how different electoral and party systems influence variation in outcome within the set of democracies, and how social cleavages interact with, and are molded by, these systems. Further, we will use the answers to these questions to explore the issue of democratic consolidation and to ask why some countries become and stay democratic, while others do not. Case studies will be drawn from Europe, Latin America and Asia.

(The purpose of the class is to help equip students to operate effectively in both the public and private sectors. The class will cover three major topics: (1) an overview of managing public and private organizations, with special attention to their differing missions, capabilities, and environments; (2) a survey of important relationships between the public and private sectors; and (3) the need for improved coordination between the public and private sectors to achieve important public purposes. Students will be encouraged to make the course an interactive one and to share their personal knowledge in the context of the issues discussed. Students will be expected to complete a significant paper on a relevant topic approved by the instructor. (Core course for the MA in Public Management and the MA in Government/MBA program)

This course provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental principles and techniques necessary for effective analysis and evaluation of wargames. Wargaming is a vital tool in security studies, military strategy, international politics, business, and foreign policy. We will explore the history and evolution of wargames and examine the different types of wargames such as tabletop, computer-based, and live-action simulations, and understand the unique characteristics and purposes of each. Students will learn about game design and setup; data collection and analysis; scenario development; and adjudication and resolution. This course delves into the core concepts and methodologies that underpin the wargaming process, equipping students with the knowledge and skills required to critically assess, interpret, and make informed decisions based on the outcomes of wargames.

United States special operations forces have become a core element in the nation's response to transnational terrorism and other complex security challenges. These units have trained and advised foreign military and paramilitary forces; captured or killed thousands of insurgent leaders and foot soldiers; and conducted a variety of operations around the globe. This course will focus on the ways in which United States special operations forces have been incorporated into national security strategy and policy since the Second World War. Topics will include how special operations forces are recruited, organized, trained, resourced, and utilized. Using a series of historical case studies, participants will investigate the differences between special operations forces and other elite units; scrutinize the roles, missions, and culture of these organizations; and probe the influence of bureaucratic politics and organizational relationships between the special operations community and international allies, Congress, the interagency community, and conventional military forces.

Congress is the First Branch, “the People’s Branch,” and one of the most powerful legislatures the world has ever known. At this moment in history, however, the people do not assess the institution favorably and political scientists and pundits have declared it the “broken branch.” Is Congress “broken” or merely reflective of our political times? In an era of “unorthodox lawmaking” is a return to “regular order” and “textbook lawmaking” realistic or a fantasy? This course will discuss these questions in the context of the evolving nature of Congress as an institution. The class will examine the institutional development of Congress and explore changes in its representative and legislative functions, as well as constitutional responsibility of holding the “power of the purse.” Congress remains a dynamic institution and it behooves citizens to understand its complexity and centrality to governance in the U.S.

This class applies data analytic skills to the civic context, analyzing problems and datasets involving urban issues and civic technology. Students will develop the statistical and computational skills to complete data-driven analytical projects using data from city agencies, federal census data, and other sources, including NGOs that work with cities and civic technology. We will examine a variety of data sets and research projects, both historical and contemporary, that examine civic technology and urban problems from a quantitative perspective. Prerequisites: 470.667, Machine Learning Methods and Applications OR 470.709, Quantitative Methods for Policy and Political Analysis OR 470.854, Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods (AS.470.667 or AS.470.709 may be taken concurrently).

Prerequisite(s): AS.470.667 or AS.470.709 can be taken concurrently with AS.470.703.;Must be enrolled in AS.470.667 or AS.470.709 or AS.470.854 in order to register for As.470.703.

This class examines the phenomenon of irregular warfare—of insurgencies and counterinsurgencies in particular—through a historical lens. The course will give you students insight into the origins, objectives, strategies, and tactics of irregular wars, as well as the principles of counterinsurgency theory and practice. Throughout the course, you will analyze current irregular wars, understand what caused them, and analyze the strategies used during the conflict.

Learning the basics of Python empowers analysts to retrieve and leverage data in new ways. After covering the fundamentals of syntax, students learn how to read, create and edit data files using Python. Building on that knowledge, students interact with online resources through bulk data APIs and web scraping. Finally, students will use the data they collect to develop an original analysis. Prerequisite: 470.681 Probability and Statistics

Data-driven decision-making in public policy often investigates the causes of problems and the effects of policies. However, causal identification is extremely difficult, and the application of statistical processes can often be misleading. This class focuses on assessing whether an observed relationship in data supports causal inference. The course builds on the foundation from Probability and Statistics and provides a more rigorous and faster-paced survey of statistics, regression modeling, and research design. Specific topics include measures of fit, generalized linear models, interaction terms, model specification, and common econometric tools like instrumental variables or difference in difference designs. The goal of the course is to use quantitative data in an applied manner to address meaningful research questions.Prerequisites: 470.681 Probability and Statistics

War practitioners, policy makers, and security studies scholars study asymmetric warfare to understand why poorly armed insurgents effectively resist and even defeat technologically advanced and materially stronger armies. This course studies a perfect asymmetry in nonviolent warfare where unarmed ordinary people are able to effectively challenge and eventually defeat a fully armed, resource-rich regimes. In fact, historically, nonviolent movements have been twice as effective against violent regimes as armed insurgencies. This course will consider skills of organized populations in inter-state and intra-state conflicts, including anti-dictatorship, anti-occupation, anti-corruption, anti-violence struggles and analyze how disciplined civilians use nonviolent strategies and tactics to galvanize large and diverse participation, place their violent opponents in dilemma, make repression backfire and cause defections among adversaries' pillars of support.

This course covers the politics of Latin America from 1945 to the present. It is designed to introduce students to the academic study of contemporary Latin American politics. Students are required to apply comparative methods of analysis to contrast regimes and political phenomena beyond governments. Students are expected to compare the institutions, policies and development models of different governments and regimes, as well as the ideology, program, organizational structure and support base of different social movements and political parties. These comparisons enable students to explore both similarity and difference. Students may identify broad commonalities in the politics of a region that shares many cultural features and important structural constraints. However, they should also be aware of distinctions; including the important differences between Central America, the Andean region and the Southern Cone, as well as significant variations between neighboring states.

This course examines domestic terrorism in the homeland with an emphasis on white nationalist movements and anarchist-related groups such as Antifa. We will analyze ways these groups advance their political, ideological, and social agendas through violence and criminal activity in violation of both federal and state laws. Students will also be exposed to other domestic terrorism groups such as eco-terrorists, animal rights, black identity extremists, and sovereign citizen groups. The readings and videos will include a variety of diverse and opposing viewpoints; and utilize case studies such as the Charlottesville Unite the Right Rally in 2017 and the plot to kill the Michigan Governor in 2020. We will also analyze First Amendment and Fourth Amendment protected activities in civil protests and social media platforms in conjunction with these groups’ activities. Last, we will address lone-wolf terrorism and whether a federal domestic terrorism law should be enacted to counter future terrorist actions.

Federalism the division of power and sovereignty between a central authority and local governments has emerged as one of the most important themes of contemporary Western politics in both the United States and Europe. For the United States the division of power between the Federal and State governments lies at the very heart of the American Constitution. At the same time disputes over the precise balance of Federal and State power has been a major fault line in American politics since Federalists and anti-Federalists at the time of the founding. For Europe the destruction of two World Wars showed the destructive side of nationalism and acted as an impetus to leverage Europe’s common history and cultural inheritance to forge a supranational political and economic union dedicated to peace and prosperity. Since the end of the Cold War and the Treaty of Maastricht the process of European integration has speeded up rapidly resulting in a common European currency as well as common legal and political institutions. At the same time concerns about the perceived loss of sovereignty, national identity, and democratic accountability have led in some places to backlashes against Brussels and resurgent nationalism. There is also the broader question of the European Union’s goals and identity is it principally an economic union or is it a super-state in the making? In this course we will explore Federalism in its institutional, legal, philosophical, and historical aspects in both America and Europe.

President Biden and former President Trump are not on the ballot this November but they are the two elephants in the room as voters go to the polls this year.Will Biden's fading poll numbers and Trump's Big Lie on the 2020 election and endorsements impact the midterms? This interactive class will be taking place during the middle of the midterm campaign and class will focus on House, Senate and Governor's races. From abortion to gun control to inflation to immigration to Ukraine we will discuss and analyze the key issues of the midterm election. The course will also focus on the role social media and mainstream media play and the effectiveness of candidate's paid advertising in getting their message out to voters. From the issues and the candidates on the campaign trail to use of media and messaging to the vote and beyond the class will be discussing history as it is happening!

Many of the ideas which shape today´s world- democracy, liberalism, conservatism, capitalism, socialism, nationalism - have their roots in a "great conversation" (Robert Hutchins) that spans some 25 centuries from ancient Greece until today. The conversation motivating the Western tradition has included a set of perennial questions such as: Who ought to rule - and how do we decide? What is the purpose of politics? What is the best form of constitution? What makes political authority legitimate? What is political justice? What is citizenship? This course is intended as a broad survey of some the most influential political thinkers in the intellectual tradition of Europe and America. Among the many who will be examined are : Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Immanuel Kant, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Edmund Burke, Friedrich Nietzsche, G.W.F. Hegel, Karl Marx, John Stuart Mill, Leo Strauss, and Hannah Arendt.

As China's role on the international stage continues to grow, how will its behavior change the world? Beijing has long espoused a principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, but as China’s overseas presence and interests grow, how is it adjusting its approach to global challenges and influencing the interests of other states? Students will put themselves into the position of national security leaders in China, in the United States, and in third countries to explore a range of national interests, priorities, objectives, strategies, and policy tools.

This course will explore contemporary issues in education policy, with a focus on the evolving relationships between federal, state, and local governments in guiding America’s schools. Topics will include the successes and failures of the soon-to-be-reauthorized federal No Child Left Behind Act, debates over the wisdom of national academic standards, the legal environment for public school finance, the growing role of nongovernmental organizations like Teach for America and national charter school networks in public education, collective bargaining in education, and the political dynamics of education reform. The course will include group discussions and papers in which students will be required to select and defend specific policy positions in the areas discussed. (Recommended elective for MA in Public Management)

The goal of this course is to convey the history, size and impact of the nonprofit sector while providing the fundamentals of nonprofit formation and management. In the United States, nonprofits are intertwined with our country's legal and tax systems, delivery of basic human services, and social, educational, health, environmental, equity issues and far more. Today, successful nonprofits require strong management systems, including management of finances, human resources, information technology, marketing, performance measures and other operational needs. The course will help the student understand the current thinking on best practices in managing and improving nonprofit organizations and appreciate the interplay of environmental and organizational factors that influence managerial decision-making. This course uses a simulation pedagogy that engages students in actively conceptualizing and building fictional nonprofit organizations. This is a core course for the nonprofit management program.

This course is an introductory survey of the knowledge and skills needed by leaders, employees, and volunteers to manage the myriad human resources management systems and processes in nonprofit organizations. Specific topics include the history and evolution of human resources management, the legal environment, human resources planning, position classification and compensation, recruitment, selection, promotion, termination, performance evaluation, training, leadership development, and team communication. Integrated with these topics will be the technical and legal concerns of labor relations, equal employment opportunity and volunteer management.

This course addresses the legal, policy and cultural issues that challenge the government and its citizens in the increasingly complex technical environment of privacy. We will examine the challenges in balancing the need for information and data against the evolving landscape of individual privacy rights. The course will examine privacy at all levels: by analyzing the shifting views of individual privacy by citizens as well as the technological challenges in both protecting and analyzing personal information for government use. Using case studies and hypotheticals, we will discuss the issue of transparency in the government use and retention of data. The cases will range from Facebook to healthcare.gov to sunshine laws to national security uses of information. We will trace the development of legal and policy measures relevant to privacy concerns and envision future solutions needed in an era of great technological innovation including the use of big data.Prerequisite: none

We're living in a capital city the founders wouldn't even recognize. In recent years the Capitol itself has been outfitted with state of the art green screens, fiber optic cables, minutely pixelated cameras and new, polished studios where politicians of all stripes roll out proposals that are instantly disseminated to their supporters on multiple mediums, including in email blasts begging for campaign contributions. After a brief exploration of the history of political communications, the course will quickly pivot into a real-time examination and training session for surviving - even thriving - in the contemporary world of communications. The course will instill in students the dire need to stay focused on good policy. While students will leave equipped with the tools that will enable them to thrive in this hyper-partisan atmosphere, the hope of the course is to help Hopkins students stand out as policy focused experts in this soundbite-dominated era. The instructor is a veteran congressional reporter who is offering to bring students enrolled in his course with him to attend press conferences and/or hearings, to witness key votes from the press galleries overlooking the House and Senate floors and to study how reporters and politicians interact inside the marble halls of the Capitol. Students will be offered a front row seat to witness the contemporary congressional communications apparatus in person (some students may not be able to take time off work to accompany the professor to the Capitol, which is fine because they can catch up on those events later on C-SPAN, though students are encouraged to shadow him on the Hill for at least one day during the semester, though some may opt for spending more than one day with him). The main focus is on training students to be communications experts in this new, digital world. Students will have one main project during the semester that will require them to develop their own messaging campaign simultaneously on multiple mediums that's focused on one of the hot button issues being debated at the Capitol during the course

This course will examine public opinion and its role in public policymaking. The course will begin with an analysis of theories of public opinion formation and the role of public opinion in a democratic society. We’ll then discuss the measurement of opinion, including the use of surveys, experiments, focus groups, and social media to gather information about public opinion. This section of the course will explore the fundamentals of opinion research, including survey methodology, interpreting survey results, and the presentation of opinion data. The course will then examine how the public makes sense of economic, domestic, and foreign policy issues, and the influence of opinion on policymaking in these areas. As part of the course, students will have the opportunity to analyze polls and surveys on policies of interest to them and assess government responsiveness on these issues.

This course focuses on organizational leadership strategies and the role of ethics within nonprofit and nongovernmental work specifically. A wide scope of ethical issues relevant to nonprofit and nongovernmental work will be reviewed, analyzed and discussed. NPOs/NGOs operate under specific ethical guidelines in order to ensure accountability to the public and their many stakeholders. This course will focus on ethical behavior within organizations and explore instances of when prominent NGO leaders and organizations have been situated to face ethical dilemmas. The course will cover a wide scope of management models, techniques, and organizational values and goals. It will also review the impact that various leadership styles have had on organizations through the study of case studies and what has amounted to optimal leadership effectiveness. In addition to learning strategies to lead high performance organizations ethically. This course will combine theory, practical applications, and technical skills that will strengthen their ability to be strong leaders. Core course for the MA in NGO Management.

Quickly accelerating changes in the ways we get our news are compelling newsmakers and journalists alike to rethink their craft, and their relationships with their audiences, with repercussions for policy, politics and public discourse. This course will examine how innovations – like social networking, mobile platforms, behavioral targeting, etc --are providing journalists and political leaders with new ways to interact with citizens. It will look at how the rapid migration of consumers to the web is leading news organizations of all types to rethink how they organize, pay for and think about themselves. Students in this course will use real time news developments in the nation’s capital as a laboratory for observing the evolving ways news sources and reporters and the public interact. Questions to be considered include whether this digitized and networked environment has implications for the pace and character of changes in public policy. The course will invite practitioners in journalism and politics who are dealing with these developments daily to share their sense of where all this is leading. This course counts towards the Political Communication Concentration.

This course is an introduction to the tools used to create chat and analytical artificial intelligence (AI) applications including the ethical considerations associated with AI including bias, transparency, fairness, accuracy and the methods used to measure and assess the results produced by AI. The different forms of AI in the public sector are evaluated using the AI products currently in use at the federal, state, and local level. The application of AI for diverse policy areas including policing, disaster mitigation, and foreign policy and citizens’ responses to interactions with AI in service provision are also covered, along with current and emerging policy guidelines for public sector AI.

Prerequisite(s): 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics and Policy; 470.768, Programming and Data Management; 470.673, Data Visualization; and 470.667, Machine Learning Methods and Applications OR 470.709, Quantitative Methods for Policy and Political Analysis (470.667 or 470.709 may be taken concurrently as a co-requisite).

This course will provide an overview of current issues in the cyber realm, focusing on policy and conflict from a U.S. and international perspective. We will begin with an understanding of the power inherent in cyberspace and consider the policy issues facing the civilian, military, intelligence and private business sectors in dealing with offensive and defensive cyber activity. Through the use of case studies, we will examine previous and ongoing cyber conflicts to understand their impacts on international relations. We will analyze the roles of several different types of cyber actors including state actors, non-state actors such as criminal and terror groups and private sector/business responses. This course will also examine the issue of cyber deterrence, and the unique aspects of offensive and defensive cyber activities by all cyber actors. A technical background is not required and basic aspects of cyber operations will be discussed and demonstrated as part of the introductory class sessions.

Many government agencies engage in data mining to detect unforeseen patterns and advanced analytics (such as classification techniques) to predict future outcomes. In this course, students will utilize IBM SPSS Modeler to investigate patterns and derive predictions in policy areas such as fraud, healthcare, fundraising, human resource and others. In addition, students will build segmentation models using clustering techniques in an applied manner. Integration with other statistical tools and visualization options will also be discussed.Prerequisite: 470.681 Probability and Statistics; Recommended: 470.709 Quantitative Methods

Since World War II, American trade policy has been implemented through agreements with a growing array of foreign governments to encourage global economic integration by lowering barriers to international trade. The course will begin with a look at the foundation of this approach to trade policy at the end of World War II and the relationship the Roosevelt and Truman administrations saw between integration and security policy. It will then introduce students to the American trade regime of the early 21st century and the WTO, and examine the ways the U.S. governments has adapted this regime to regional challenges arising from relationships with Japan, China, and the Muslim world, and to policy issues, like resource dependence, sanctions and export controls. The course will have a midterm exam on America’s trade regime and the concepts that have shaped it, and a final paper, in which students will examine an issue of their choice in depth. (Recommended elective for MA in Public Management)

The course examines how terrorist groups finance their operations. It also explores current policy approaches to curb financial support to terrorists through the application of U.S. and international sanctions, in particular how multilateral fora, such as the United Nations and the Financial Action Task Force, disrupt and deter terrorist financing. At the completion of this course, students will have a better understanding of the key tools, including law enforcement, diplomacy, and intelligence, that are used to counter terrorists’ financial networks and activities. Through this course, students will develop proficiency in a series of analytic methods used to study terrorist financing and counter financing. Students will use structured analytic tools such as weighted ranking methods, scenario trees, causal flow diagramming, hypothesis testing, and utility analysis, as well as game theory and logic to form analytic judgments. Prior coursework or professional experience in intelligence, (counter) terrorism, or finance recommended.

This course will provide the analytical and contextual skills required to understand the current political and security situation of Iran. After laying out the context of the Iranian Revolution through a brief examination of the Pahlavi years, the course then weaves together Iran’s political, military, diplomatic, social, economic development during the turbulent years between Iran’s 1978-1979 revolution and the 2015 nuclear agreement—covering a time period of roughly 1941 to the present day. This course covers three main inter-related topics: the history and development of the modern Iranian state; the interaction between state and society in modern Iran; and Iran’s diplomatic history in the 20th and 21st centuries. The course concludes with a discussion of Iran’s present-day foreign, security, and defense structures and processes.

This course examines the “fusion” of information gathering and sharing between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the 79 fusion centers in a Post-9/11 World. We will address federal, state, and international law enforcement jurisdictional issues, the balancing of privacy/civil liberties with information collection/dissemination, and overall assistance to state/local authorities during critical incidents. Students will address broad public policy and perception implications inherent in law enforcement activities. Students will also analyze and discuss case studies such as the Las Vegas Concert, the Orlando Night Club, and the San Bernardino shootings to illustrate the need for timely fusion of information between federal and state law enforcement. The readings and videos will include a variety of diverse and opposing viewpoints relative to law enforcement with practicums and simulations to allow debate in “real-world” situations. An important objective is to determine ways to improve upon the current law enforcement landscape and generate possible solutions to ensure seamless and timely information sharing while safeguarding individual rights.

You can see yourself now – taking the oath of office, giving speeches, and making critical decisions impacting thousands or millions of people. But how do you get there? This class provides a practical guide for students who are interested in exploring a run for elected office. Students will learn how to assess if and when they are ready to run, which office to run for, and most importantly, develop the critical skills needed as a candidate to wage and win a contested campaign. These skills include writing a campaign plan and budget, hiring staff and consultants, learning how to fundraise, and working with the media. This class dispels the myth that only those independently wealthy can serve in office by giving students a real understanding of what it takes to run and win.

This course examines U.S. policy responses to the changing political and security landscape of the Middle East. Bringing together historical events, primary sources and secondary literature and contextual analysis, this course provides the analytical skills required to develop a sophisticated understanding of the current political and security situation in the Middle East. Students will engage key topics in modern Middle Eastern politics and security, including the origins of Islam, Arab nationalism and its rise to prominence, the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts, the internal/external struggles against Western imperialism, the competition among Arab states for regional dominance, the Cold War the Middle East, America’s relations with Iran and Iraq, the oil economy of the Gulf, the challenge minorities pose to the region, the rise of Islamic radicalism, the Arab Spring, and the rise and fall of the Islamic State.

This course will provide an overview on project management as it pertains to nonprofit work. The course will teach students how to manage the five aspects of project management: project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and evaluation, and closure. Students will learn the full project cycle from start to finish, drawing on actual examples of projects funded by a diverse range of donors, public and private organizations, and foundations. The course will also utilize templates relevant to project management for students to use as a resource in the field. The class will touch on issues relevant to project management such as project scope, objectives, stakeholders, planning, financial tracking, grants compliance, and closing. Elective course towards the Project Management, Evaluation and Leadership track for the Masters in NGO Management.

This course examines the phenomenon of modern warfare through both a theoretical and historical lens. It will provide insight into the definitions, origins, objectives, strategies, and tactics of modern conflict. Throughout the course you will analyze recent and ongoing conventional, irregular, and hybrid wars and understand what caused them, how they were conducted, and why they ended the way they did. Through a combination of lecture and online discussion, students will analyze these conflicts from a variety of perspectives to include state security and military forces, insurgents, criminals, and terrorists.

Analytics inform the decision-making process, strategizing, and forecasting of modern American campaigns. This course focuses on the role that analytics play in campaigns and elections in America. Campaign strategists, policy analysts, and social scientists leverage data from voter rolls, consumption and public opinion polls to make better choices. This course surveys the theoretical and empirical literature in American electoral politics to examine how campaigns and political organizations are using field experiments, microtargeting, and public opinion polling to tackle the challenges of getting out the vote and increasing registration and voting rates. Other topics covered include voting behavior, public opinion, partisanship, and campaign finance. Students will gain a rich understanding of how analytics has become a key component of the electoral process. Students will also gain experience analyzing data through simulations and data analysis exercises. Prerequisites: 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics and Policy; 470.768, Programming and Data Management; 470.673, Data Visualization; and 470.667, Machine Learning Methods and Applications OR 470.709, Quantitative Methods for Policy and Political Analysis (470.667 or 470.709 may be taken concurrently as a co-requisite).

This course examines the factors that promote stability and change in American politics. Broad in historical scope, this course considers the development of the American state and its institutions as well as the continuities and complexities of American political culture by analyzing key moments of institution-building and policy change from the American Founding to the present. Key questions include: What explains the character of the American state? What are the consequences of the American state and its policies? Is America “exceptional” in these and other regards? What roles and functions do political institutions perform? What roles do culture, ideas, and rhetoric play in social, political, and economic life? How have these various roles and functions changed over time?

This course provides students with a strong foundation in database architecture and database management systems. Students will evaluate the principles and methodologies of database design and techniques for database application development. Students will also examine the current trends in modern database technologies such as Relational Database Management Systems (RDBMS), NoSQL Databases Cloud Databases, and Graph Databases.Prerequisite: 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics and Policy and 470.768, Programming and Data Management.

This course is a comprehensive examination of all aspects of designing questionnaires, conducting survey research, and analyzing survey data. The class will cover question construction, measurement, sampling, weighting, response quality, scale and index construction, IRBs, ethics, integrity and quality control, modes of data collection (including telephone, mail, face to face and focus groups), post collection processing and quantitative analysis of data (including chi-square and ANOVA), as well as report writing fundamentals. The class culminates by fielding a survey of student created questions and writing an executive summary of the survey with a paper discussing the research findings. Prerequisites: 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics and Policy; 470.768, Programming and Data Management; 470.673, Data Visualization; and 470.667, Machine Learning Methods and Applications OR 470.709, Quantitative Methods for Policy and Political Analysis (470.667 or 470.709 may be taken concurrently as a co-requisite).

What makes some countries grow while others do not? What accounts for successful economic development versus stagnation? As these questions become ever more relevant in an increasingly globalized world, this course offers an introduction to the topic. The class will provide an overview of the main classic and current theories of economic development. It will then go on to explore specific current issues in development, including: development aid, role of international organizations, sustainable development, corruption, institution building and regime type. Specific case studies will be examined including China and India, the East Asian 'tigers', development failures in Africa and mixed outcomes in Latin America.

This course describes the principal challenges facing the making of American Defense Policy and explains previous and current policies declared and practiced to meet them. The course is designed to inform students on the most pressing defense issues confronting the United States, and to present them a framework for defense policy analysis. It emphasizes understanding those defense policies, analyzing them, and considering and weighing alternative approaches to achieving national objectives of deterrence and defense. The course fosters an understanding of the array of U.S. military capabilities providing plausible responses to the use of military power in support of U.S. foreign policy objectives. It examines those policies in the areas of nuclear, conventional, and irregular forces, and weighs alternatives in shaping the size and structure of those forces to meet national objectives.

This course introduces students to statistical programming. Computer programming languages are important tools for performing data analytics, statistics, machine learning, data visualization, and much more. By the end of this course, students will understand fundamental programming concepts that apply to all programming languages. These concepts include variables, functions, loops, data structures, and data types. The course will also cover the use of these tools to solve challenging data problems that students may encounter in their academic or professional careers. Note: The course overlaps a small amount with 470.681 Probability and Statistics, but this course focuses much more heavily on the fundamentals of programming. No prerequisite.

Data science is a methodology for extracting insights from data. This course is an introduction to the concepts and tools that are used in data science with an emphasis on their application to public policy questions. The course covers some advanced data mining and machine learning processes including classification and decision trees, random forests, cluster analysis, and outlier detection, while also providing you with training in the basics of data management and data exploration. All of the work in the course will be conducted to prepare you to proficiently conduct predictive analytics in a real-world setting. Prerequisite: 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics and Policy; 470.768, Programming and Data Management; 470.673, Data Visualization; and 470.667, Machine Learning Methods and Applications OR 470.709, Quantitative Methods for Policy and Political Analysis (470.667 or 470.709 may be taken concurrently as a co-requisite).

This course will introduce students to today’s most pressing public policy issues, with an emphasis on writing to achieve impact. Public policy professionals must be familiar with a variety of key issues and be able to effectively make a case for a position. This course will examine such topic areas as health care, energy/environment, fiscal policy, international trade, and education and identify core issues and the politics that characterize each of these policy areas. As part of our study, students will learn the art of writing policy memos, issue briefs, op-eds and speeches. When you complete the course successfully, you will be able to demonstrate a basic understanding of five public policy issues through various forms of writing. You will be able to effectively and succinctly write policy memos, issue briefs, op-eds, blogs and speeches, addressing a specified audience, clearly identifying the problem, and making a case for a position or solution.

This course examines the nexus of energy, natural resources, and the environment with conflict, war, terrorism, crime, development, diplomacy, politics, and technology. Students critically examine the ways that increased competition for environmental and energy resources, strained resources, and changing conditions can threaten national security. The course also examines how such threats may be mitigated.(Core course for the MA in Global Security Studies)

470.774 Nonprofit Governance & Executive Leadership: Students will advance their understanding of self-governing nonprofit organizations by focusing on nonprofit boards' expectations, challenges, and opportunities and their executive leadership. This course covers the primary responsibilities of nonprofit boards according to law, custom, and best practices, and it includes ethical concepts, public attitudes, and contemporary legislative and regulatory issues. The course explores theories of effective governance and executive leadership. It examines how ethical considerations relate to perceptions of excellence and shape how staff and volunteer leaders manage people and money. In the discussions, there will be opportunities to explore the roles of boards in the context of the nonprofit environment. This is a core course for the MA in Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Management and Certificate in Nonprofit Management.

"Warfare" today is often ambiguous, constant, and non-violent: a combination of low intensity conflict and struggles over information via cyberspace, especially over "narratives" that sway public opinion. Warfare has always included these elements, but our adversaries today fight and stay in this early stage of cyberspace operations, information operations, and limited or no kinetic conflict, careful never to escalate to state-on-state violence. This course will examine how "non-kinetic" warfare (information operations, cyberspace operations, non-violent resistance) takes place today. Students will learn how the control and manipulation of information shapes national security and creates new political realities. Focus will be on Russian hybrid warfare and "information confrontation," Chinese weaponization of business and cyberspace and "coercive gradualism," and terrorist's use of the internet.

Nationalism and democracy have been two of the most significant forces shaping the contemporary world. The sense of nationality has provided peoples with a strong sense of shared belonging based around the ideas of a common language, land, and heritage. It has sometimes fuelled the demand for collective freedom and democratic self-determination. At the same time it has been a volatile force generating conflicts within and between nations across the globe. In Europe, the effort at forging a common European identity must confront the challenge of resurgent nationalism in traditional countries like Britain, France, and Austria. Meanwhile traditional states like Britain and Spain must themselves confront secessionist nationalism in Scotland, Catalonia, and elsewhere. The modern Middle East has been shaped in part by the conflicting goals of two major nationalist movements - Arab nationalism and Zionism. In Asia, nationalism is emerging as a dominant theme as countries like China and India rise to political and military power. In spite of economic globalization and the development of international laws and institutions, it is pivotal to understand nationalism if we are to understand world politics today.

This course explores the phenomenon of terrorism and its nexus with technology. Beginning with an emphasis on terrorist group factors most likely to influence terrorists' perceptions and attitudes towards extant and emerging technologies, the course subsequently investigates cases of terrorist use, and noteworthy non-use, of various technologies. Students also receive a broad understanding of the evolution of technology with an emphasis on current and imminent technologies of acute security concern, including weapons of mass destruction, cyber, robotics, and nanotechnologies. The course then addresses counterterrorism technologies and potential terrorist response actions for overcoming such security efforts. Students operationalize all of these elements in the final phases of the course when engaging in Red Team exercises designed to demonstrate which types of terrorists are most likely to pursue certain types of technologies, the role of tacit versus explicit knowledge, likelihood of successful adoption, targeting options, and potential counterterrorism measures. Please note that students do not need to possess a technical background or prior knowledge of terrorism to succeed in this course.

This course provides insights into how to utilize shared cloud computing resources through a service provider. These resources can be storage space, software as a service, or compute servers. This is a hands-on course in which students will access a variety of cloud services and work with different cloud providers such as Apple, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon. Students will set up virtual servers, work with cloud file storage, learn about a variety of cloud collaboration options, and much more. This practical course will help students make the transition to working in the cloud from any device, anywhere, anytime. All areas of the public sector, such as education, healthcare and law enforcement, increasingly use cloud computing both to deliver information to clients and share information within and across agencies. Prerequisite: 470.681, Introduction to Data Analytics and Policy and 470.768, Programming and Data Management.

Students gain the foundational knowledge behind WMD (both weapons of mass destruction and weapons of mass disruption) and about how these weapons threaten U.S. homeland security. Weapons of mass destruction traditionally include nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, while weapons of mass disruption include radiological weapons, such as "dirty bombs." In addition, the course covers the technology behind three WMD delivery vehicles: ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. In assessing each WMD threat, the course first examines the science and technology for each type of weapon and then applies this theory to real world threats emanating from state and non-state actors. Students apply this knowledge by engaging in red team exercises to identify options for preventing and reducing vulnerabilities from WMD. Please note that students do not have to have prior technical knowledge about WMD issues to succeed in this course.

Since 1945, eight states have tested nuclear weapons, and perhaps two dozen others have started -- and stopped nuclear weapons programs. This course considers why some countries pursue nuclear weapons and why others forgo them, an issue that bedevils both policymakers, who concerned about the spread of weapons of mass destruction, and political scientists, who attempt to explain and predict it. The class will delve into past and present examples, discussing and evaluating theories of why states pursue such weapons, the technologies that make it possible, and the policy tools available to prevent it. We will also draw on the parallel efforts to control chemical weapons, biological weapons, and ballistic missiles.

The course explores issues of financial management in state and local government, mostly in the United States. Students will study the political economics of property, sales, and income taxation. Non-tax revenue sources such as lotteries and user fees will also be explored. Other financial management strategies and techniques will be assessed as well, and they may include intergovernmental grants, project-based finance, capital project finance, municipal debt valuation, and local economic development. The course is designed for students who desire a practical overview of real-world challenges at the state and local level.

This course provides an overview on the tools, resources, and training needed to measure the impact of an organization’s programs and projects. M&E plans help nonprofits to determine if they are meeting their intended results, goals and objectives towards their overall mission. Designing a strong M&E system is critical to identifying realistic indicators, tracking an organization’s measurable results; providing programmatic progress; providing accountability to donors; and determining opportunities for growth. The intended results of a strong M&E plan are to enable nonprofits to demonstrate that they are achieving their missions—thus increasing their credibility among beneficiaries and strengthening their appeal to donors. This course will teach students how to develop a strong M&E plan that meets donor, organizational, and/or programmatic needs. Based on M&E results, students will learn how to improve program implementation and achieve greater outcomes. Students will learn to design an M&E plan and the ability to effectively communicate programmatic data to their stakeholders.

This course delves into the crucial role of International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) within global civil society, with a particular focus on their impact on development, humanitarian aid, and policy advocacy. Students will explore the historical development, operational strategies, and ethical challenges faced by INGOs, examining their interactions with governments, intergovernmental organizations, and other civil society actors. The course will also highlight the significant role of philanthropy in shaping international development, analyzing how foundations, corporate donors, and individual philanthropists influence the development landscape globally. The curriculum combines theoretical insights with practical applications, covering topics such as governance models, resource mobilization, strategic planning, cross-cultural collaboration, and the use of technology in development initiatives. Through sector-specific case studies, students will engage with real-world challenges faced by INGOs, critically assess their approaches, and gain a deeper understanding of how INGOs collaborate with governments, partners, and other organizations to address complex global issues. By the end of the course, students will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics within INGOs, enabling them to critically evaluate their impact and navigate the ethical considerations inherent in their work across diverse international contexts.

The widespread diagnosis of American politics is that it is “broken.” But what is wrong with American politics? And what, if anything, can be done to fix it? This course will examine the current problems in American politics from a historical, theoretical, and comparative perspective, and explore possible reforms that might make American politics function better.

This course exams the interpretation of constitutional powers and rights under conditions of heightened national security. We will consider the Supreme Court's role in constitutional interpretation, and the balance of power among the three branches. The course will also examine the tension between security and liberty during a time of war. Topics covered during this semester will include military tribunals, unitary theory of the executive, congressional oversight, war-making power, intelligence authorities, and treatment of detainees.

The primary phase of the 2024 presidential will be taking place this spring during our class. We will watch, analyze and discuss in real time the campaign strategies of the diverse field of candidates on the Republican side in the larger context of American electoral politics as well as the Administration and Democratic Party’s responses. The class will be inviting presidential candidates, their senior staffers, and journalists covering the 2024 presidential race and others political analysts to deepen and broaden students' engagement with course material.

From the perspective of a nonprofit leader, this course provides a solid foundation in understanding key financial tools such as audits, financial statements, budgets and tax documents. Using these tools, students will analyze and assess the financial transparency, accountability, and health of various national and international organizations, determine the financial strengths and weaknesses within those organizations, learn how to use that information in the decision-making process, and finally, practice making informed recommendations to organizational leadership. This course is not designed to make students financial experts or practitioners. Instead, it is designed to enlighten students on key financial management concepts that improve their ability to be informed leaders, participants, and donors in the nonprofit sector. Students will also explore the responsibilities and consequences of international nonprofits engaging in activities in the US, as well as implications for US nonprofits operating abroad. This is a core class for the MA Nonprofit Management degree.

<p>State politics and policymaking offer a fascinating contrast to the gridlock in Washington that gets all the media attention. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p>This is a particularly timely issue to study as most states gear up for the new legislative session. What impact will the 2024 elections have on policymaking at the state level? How will the Trump presidency affect states? We will explore these questions and more in this class. <o:p></o:p></span></p>

Thesis and Applications of Research is the final course for the MA in Government program. In this course, you’ll complete the research and writing for either your master’s thesis or applications of research paper, which are the culminating projects for the program. This course will cover topics such as how to locate strong sources, write an effective introduction, present evidence, and communicate findings to broad audiences. Throughout the course, you’ll share sections of your work with classmates and provide feedback to others on their work-in-progress.Prerequisites: All other core requirements for the MA in Government program. Thesis students:· 470.602 Government and Politics· 470.850 Research and Thesis I· 470.852 Research and Thesis II or 470.854 Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods or 470.681 Probability and StatisticsApplications of Research Students:· 470.602 Government and Politics· 470.850 Research and Thesis I· Two writing-intensive electives from the approved list

Prerequisite(s): Pre-requisite to RT III (470.800) only after successful completion (B) of Research and Thesis I: MA in Government (470.850) and Research and Thesis II: MA in Government (470.852). Pre-requisites: AS.470.852 AND AS.470.850

The field of security studies, while a relatively recent development as its own subfield, is quite broad, continues to evolve, and draws on multiple disciplines. This course will first introduce students to some theories used in critical approaches to security such as Critical Theory, securitization, interpretive relationalism, poststructuralism, feminist and gender approaches, and postcolonialism. The course will then employ these different lenses to look at central security challenges facing multiple levels of analysis (individual, local, state, regional, international, global). Sample security challenges include identity and insecurity (to include issues of gender, race, and nationality), terrorism and political violence, border security, human trafficking, climate change and the environment, and food security. A key focus of the course is challenging ourselves to not take dominant paradigms and assumptions for granted, and deliberately connect theory with practice, with an overarching goal of minimizing insecurity in academic and practitioner environments.

Independent study involves a student working one-on-one with a faculty member. The project must follow a plan of study and end with a final paper. It must not duplicate any course being offered in the Center for Advanced Governmental Studies. Students interested in an independent study should first consult a faculty member to discuss the project and make sure they are willing to participate should an independent study be approved. Proposals for an independent study should be directed to the student’s program director at least 30 days before the start of the semester. Proposals must provide details of the project, the name of the instructor, and a plan of study. The program director has sole discretion to approve or disapprove the proposal.

Washington, D.C. is the laboratory for anyone studying American government and politics or analyzing the policy making process here. DC Lab: Politics, Policy, and Analytics will give any graduate student in one of the programs of the JHU Center for Advanced Governmental Studies the opportunity to bring theory and practice together through an intensive week of lectures, seminars, and site visits in the nation’s capital. Sessions will include guest speakers from JHU faculty, think tank scholars, and agency officials. The goal is to experience Hopkins in Washington and assess what is observed to better inform each student’s studies of the political process. No prerequisite

(Core course for the MA in Government)The purpose of this core course in the Government Program is for students to refine their thesis topic, develop their research design and complete a working outline for their thesis. Students will begin to research and write their thesis during this class in earnest. The course format is working sessions focused on specific research-oriented tasks. Emphasis will be placed on completing the literature review and methodology sections of the thesis. Students will also complete by semester end a preliminary chapter of their thesis papers and work with the professor to develop a plan for the other two papers that will comprise the portfolio thesis.

This course is the first in the Research Study sequence for the Global Security Studies program. The goals of this course are: 1) to help students be producers of scholarly knowledge, 2) to prepare students for later parts of the research study process, and 3) to prepare students to understand and critique others’ uses of various methods. The first part of the course will address fundamental issues, such as measurement, causation, and inference. The second part of the course will address research design, data collection, and analysis, focusing on specific methodological tools including case study analysis, interviews, content analysis, participant observation, survey research, etc.

Core course for the MA in Government. Please note that 470.854 Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods or 470.681 Probability and Statistics may be substituted for this requirement with permission from the instructor. This directed research course is designed to help students complete the second paper of their thesis portfolio. Students will work closely with the instructor to revise a current paper, turning it into a research paper that 1) is tightly linked to the theme of the student's first paper and overall thesis portfolio; and 2) meets research and writing standards for being included in the thesis portfolio. Class meetings are designed to give guidance on the methods of research and on the clarity and focus of the research question the student is pursuing. Prerequisite: Students must have passed Research and Thesis I.

Historians reclaim, recover, and revise what we know about the past. They enter a dialog with the dead to make sense of our world for the living, knowing full well that their hard-earned results may be overturned with new data, analysis, or insights. Yet questionable or flawed “history” is routinely to justify a range of experiences, policies, and events. In this course, we instill the key skills and analytical framework in which historians use to uncover and recreate the past, taking the journey from question, to research (onsite and online), to argument and revision (and revisionism). The importance of argument, objectivity, personal and temporal bias, evidence, narrative and cultural context are examined in detail, along with case studies of history being used, misused, and abused by historians and other actors.

The main purpose of this class is to train students to be informed consumers of quantitative studies, in addition to teaching the tools of basic statistical work. The emphasis in this class is on application and understanding of existing results, rather than on theory or derivations. The course material will cover basic descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and data collection. The key learning objective is for students to finish the class with a better understanding of the statistical and econometric results they may encounter, both in papers they read in other classes, as well as in the course of their work. The second key objective is for students to have the skills to employ basic quantitative tools in their own work in the fields of public policy and global security studies. As much as possible, assignments and readings used in class will be drawn from the public policy and security fields. There is no mathematical or statistical pre-requisite for the class. (Core course for the MA in Public Management and the MA in Global Security Studies.)

(Core course for the MA in Global Security Studies). This course is designed for students who have already passed 470.851 Introduction to Qualitative Methods in Social Science and either 470.854 Fundamentals of Quantitative Methods or 470.853 Historical Methods (or 470.709 Quantitative Methods with permission from program director). In this class, students will begin and complete a substantial piece of original research explicitly drawing on research methods they learned in the previous two classes. The research study is expected to be methodologically sound and to make a useful contribution to the issue under study. Class meetings are designed to give guidance in the clarification of issues, collection of data, assembly of various parts, and writing. The class will also prepare students for final defense. Graduation is subject to approval of the research study by the committee. Students should come into the class prepared with a detailed research question. Students may enroll in this course only in their last semester of the MA program.

This is a non-credit course required for students in the MA in Global Security Studies program who have completed all of their course work and have taken 470.855 Research Study Seminar but who are still working on their research study. There is a fee associated with this course.

This is the final required course in the MA in Public Management program, and students can only take the capstone course in their final semester and after having completed all the other core requirements (Students graduating in the summer semester must take the course in the preceding spring semester). In the semester prior to taking the capstone course and conducting the project, students identify a project topic. The adviser for the paper will be the faculty member teaching the course. To complete the course, students must write a 30- to 35-page capstone paper.

This is an ungraded, non-credit course for students finishing the Public Management, Data Analytics and Policy, or Nonprofit Management program. It is for students who have completed all of their program’s required coursework but have not passed their program’s capstone course. Students will work with a faculty member to complete their capstone project. Students may take this continuation course up to two times.

This course is for students who are completing their M.S. in Data Analytics and Policy (formerly M.S. in Government Analytics). The course guides through the process of developing and executing an original data analysis project aimed at addressing an issue related to public policy, politics or governance. Students will formulate an empirical research question and answer that question using a quantitative analysis that makes an original, scholarly contribution. To complete the project, students will use the skills, tools and knowledge they have acquired throughout the program. Students should take this course in their final term (or penultimate term with permission from their advisor). Prerequisites: All other core courses For M.S. in Data Analytics Students: 470.681 Probability and Statistics, 470.768 Programming and Data Management, 470.709 Quantitative Methods, 470.673 Data VisualizationFor M.S. in Government Analytics Students: 470.681 Probability and Statistics, 470.709 Quantitative Methods, 470.710 Advanced Quantitative Methods, advanced methods course from approved list (see program website)

In this cumulative course, students will identify a specific area of interest in preparation for an extensive research experience. This can include a) conducting an original research study based on a relevant issue or challenge of nonprofit management; b) executing a research project that will contribute substantially to the nonprofit sector or to a specific nonprofit organization in some capacity; or, c) producing a research-based report that addresses a significant policy issue for the nonprofit sector in the US or abroad. Students may identify a capstone idea as they move through the program, or they have the option to draw from a major assignment or directed research project from their capstone faculty. It is critical that the topic or issue is one that builds on knowledge acquired throughout the degree. The capstone is not only meant to address an empirical question but nest it within the context of a broader conceptual framework or sector-relevant debate. All capstones must be applicable to the sector, build on present-day questions, issues, or challenges, and possess an “experiential” element. This could be in the form of original data collection, interviews, consultancy, or tackling a real-life problem in a nonprofit/non-governmental organization. The capstone must be presentable and culminate in a 30+ page paper at a graduate-level of writing. Students will dedicate the entire semester to the capstone.

Required for those who have completed all of their course work, including the Research and Thesis class, but are still working on their thesis. Details of this offering will be posted soon.