HOME /

CLASSES

Grand Strategy in International Relations and U.S. Foreign Policy

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2020
This course explores the concept of grand strategy in International Relations and U.S. foreign policy. The main purpose is to analyze the ways in which nations formulate, implement and assess strategic options to advance their perceived interests in the international arena. How do states allocate their resources to achieve their goals? Special attention is placed on the study of political, military, economic, and diplomatic resources in the context of American foreign policy. The course has three components. The first addresses the main theoretical approaches to grand strategy in... Read more about Grand Strategy in International Relations and U.S. Foreign Policy

Tech Ethics, taught by Michael Sandel and Douglas Melton

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2019
https://gened.fas.harvard.edu/classes/tech-ethics

The course explores the moral, social, and political implications of new technologies. Will biotechnology and AI enable us to hack humanity? Should we edit the genes of our children, extend the human lifespan, and genetically enhance our athletic ability and IQ? Can algorithms be fair? Will robots make work obsolete? Can smart machines outthink us? In an age of big data and social media, is privacy over? Is democracy?

The course will ask how science and technology are transforming the way we work, learn, make friends, raise children, care for our health, conduct our politics,...

Read more about Tech Ethics, taught by Michael Sandel and Douglas Melton

Graduate Research Methods and Scholarly Writing in the Social Sciences, Government and History

Semester: 

Spring

Offered: 

2018
Course Website
This proseminar addresses problems and methods related to the study of government, history, international relations, and allied disciplines. It stresses the critical analysis of sources, constructing explanatory models, standards of logical demonstration, and organizing and presenting research results. Emphasis is on developing both writing and research skills. Students study essential categories of analysis used in history and political science.

Foundations of Policy Writing and Analysis

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2017
Course Website
The aim of the course is to provide students with the critical and analytical skills to evaluate, design, and write a policy paper. A policy paper is a scholarly work that analyzes a relevant policy issue and provides evidence-based, actionable recommendations. Emphasis is placed on the identification of policy problems, the use of methodological tools to analyze them, and the design and presentation of potential solutions. Class meetings feature presentations of policy papers that address the students' topics of interest, discussions of research strategies employed by policy analysts, and... Read more about Foundations of Policy Writing and Analysis

American Foreign Policy

Semester: 

Fall

Offered: 

2017
Course Website
This course offers a general introduction to the history, traditions, and theories of US foreign policy. The class is divided in three parts. First, we draw on the foundational ideas in American political thought to introduce major foreign policy traditions throughout US history. Second, we examine key theoretical debates in international relations to ask if and how they affect American foreign policy making. Third, we focus on the domestic and geopolitical implications that set limitations to, and opportunities for, the US abroad. Some of the questions we ask throughout the semester are: How... Read more about American Foreign Policy