Diplomacy & International Affairs (DIAF)
DIAF 5001 Negotiation Theory Practice 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS class International Negotiation. The objectives of this course are to explore and discuss the various theories of and approaches to negotiation analysis and to assess how these theories are revealed in real world cases. It explores various theories about the many factors that influence the international negotiation process -- including power, the nature of the bargaining interaction, domestic politics, personality, and culture. It grapples with the factors that affect the process and outcome of international negotiations, and thereby enhance our ability to identify conflicts that are ripe for negotiation (and those that are not) as well as assess the dynamics and prospects of on-going negotiations. A better understanding of the negotiation process and the factors that determine outcomes may even make us more effective negotiators. Learning outcomes/subtopics: o Understand various theories of and approaches to negotiation analysis. o Analyze real world cases and understand how factors such as power, domestic politics, and the nature of bargaining interaction influence the international negotiation process.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5002 Conflict Management/Resolution 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS class Conflict Management and International Security. The seminar's central focus is the challenge of creating security and building peace in the 21st century. It will introduce students to the "intellectual map" of the peace-maker by exploring a wide range of literatures and cases to identify the roots and sources of conflict, and illustrate the varieties of third-party intervention for conflict management. Drawing upon readings and discussion, students will examine changing patterns of conflict and explore a range of institutions, techniques and strategies for responding to the challenge of disorder. Learning outcomes/subtopics: o Understand roots and sources of conflict. o Analyze the role of third-party interventions and how a range of institutions, techniques and strategies can be used to manage/resolve conflict.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5003 Negotn, Medtn Poltcl Persn 1.5 Credits
Full Course Name: Negotiation, Mediation & Political Persuasion For diplomats on the global stage, this course will provide an introduction to the conceptual frameworks, the theories, and tools that shape political engagement across a spectrum of issues and multiple approaches. The ability to negotiate and to engage successfully rests upon a combination of analytic, intellectual and interpersonal skills, each of which will be examined as part of this course. Successful engagement, whether formal or informal, requires the ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity, institutional and personal resilience, the ability to lead without the need to dictate, and a willingness to think strategically and work tactically.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5004 Conf Res in Dply Dvd Societies 1.5 Credits
Full Name: Conflict Resolution in Deeply Divided Societies
Our understanding of what drives political instability, civil war and violent conflict between different ethno-national groups has developed significantly over the last sixty years, catalysing a vast, multidisciplinary social science literature on conflict resolution and peace studies. In the post-Cold War period, academic interest in conflict resolution grew dramatically as Western states began to make conflict mediation central to the pursuit of what were increasingly interventionist foreign policies, framed in terms of liberal peace building, state building, and humanitarian responses to civil wars taking place in deeply divided societies. It was during this period that different forms of power-sharing became the favoured method of Western states intervening in efforts to end civil wars and resolve ethnic conflicts.
This course examines how national, religious and ethnic conflicts have been viewed and addressed in the contemporary world. A special emphasis will be laid on the historical nation state building failures that are at the heart of many of today’s contested national disputes, with focus on the applicability of theories of conflict regulation to a range of cases. It introduces you to scholarly debates over ethno-national conflict regulation, specifically consociational democracy, and applies this theory to several contemporary case studies in Europe and the Middle east. Focusing on the national, cultural and religious divisions that led to the outbreak of ethnic conflicts in the twentieth century, it examines third party intervention in Northern Ireland, Lebanon, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, and other cases. Conceptually, this course addresses theories of conflict regulation and the use of power-sharing as a means of ending civil war and bringing political stability to divided societies. Empirically, it applies in-depth comparative case study analysis, focusing on ending political violence and implementing peace agreements.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5010 Global Political Map 1.5 Credits
Based on GU-Q class International Relations. This course begins with an overview of the major theories and approaches in the study of IR that examines foundational works and more current scholarship. This section focuses the most established key conceptual and theoretical schools in the study of IR – Realism and Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberalism and Liberal Institutionalism and Social Constructivism, as well as Small State, Soft and Normative power and external intervention theories. Subsequent sections apply these theories and approaches in IR to issues, events and processes in contemporary global politics with a special focus on the international politics and history of the Middle East from World War II up to the present day. The objective across these sections is to examine case studies that provide empirical evidence with which to evaluate the validity of different theoretical approaches to international relations and politics in the contemporary global strategic environment to provide students with an understanding of the global political system. Learning outcomes/subtopics: o Understand the major theories and approaches in the study of international relations. o Apply these theories and approaches to issues, events and processes in contemporary global politics with a special focus on international politics and recent history of the Middle East.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5020 Rfgs/MigrationHumanitarianCrs 1.5 Credits
Course Name: Refugees/Migration and Humanitarian Crises Based on SFS class Intro to Humanitarian Crises. This course provides an overview of major principles, theories, operational concerns, and public policy issues related to complex humanitarian emergencies. The course highlights selected contemporary crises, examining causes and consequences of these emergencies. Examples include Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chechnya, Indonesia, Haiti and Colombia. A particular focus is the role of humanitarian issues in foreign policy and international relations. Learning outcomes/subtopics: -Understand most significant public policy issues related to complex humanitarian emergencies. -Apply learning to analysis of contemporary crises and their impact on foreign policy.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5022 Food Sec, Water the Envimnt 1.5 Credits
Full Course Name: Food Security, Water, and the Environment
Overview
Food is more than just what we consume each day. It is the land, water and energy used in its production. It is the technologies behind its creation. It determines the viability and stability of national governments. It is a critical, if often unappreciated, component of international affairs and geopolitical strategy. In this unit we will examine elements and issues in the global food and food security systems and how they will be impacted by three critical and interrelated developments: growing water stress, a changing climate, and a technologic revolution.
Learning objectives
The class has three main learning goals:
Build an awareness of varied food and food security challenges and meanings,
Develop an understanding of the interconnections between food, energy, water, climate and politics and how solutions to food security can be found outside the food sector (and vice versa), and
Appreciate the need for both technical expertise and socio-political understanding in addressing food security issues.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5023 Global Environmental Security 1.5 Credits
Economic development, population growth, climate change and poor resource management have combined to alter the planet’s natural environment in dramatic and alarming ways. This course brings together contributions from a range of disciplines to present a critical and comprehensive overview of the research and debate linking environmental factors to regional and global security. It provides a framework for representing and understanding key areas of intellectual convergence and disagreement, clarifying achievements of the research as well as identifying its weaknesses and gaps.
The course will explore the various ways environmental change and security have been linked and will provide principal critiques of these linkages. It will also explore the linkage through analysis of key issue areas such as climate change, energy, water, food, population, and development. Finally, the course will conclude with a discussion of the value of this subfield of security studies, and with some ideas about the direction environmental security will take in the future.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in a Exec Masters in DIAF degree.
DIAF 5024 Global Health Diplomacy 1.5 Credits
Global health security and pandemic preparedness and response are rapidly becoming of foreign policy, requiring public health officials to operate within a broader political context. This course introduces students to the concept of Global Health Diplomacy and Global Health Security, starting with historical case studies of how diplomacy has been used to advance health agendas, and conversely, how health issues have been used to improve diplomatic relations between countries. We introduce students to formal health diplomacy, multi-stakeholder health diplomacy and informal health diplomacy, and provide comparative studies of how different countries have devised health diplomacy strategies to advance health security as well as reach foreign policy objectives. We will use current health emergencies and ongoing negotiations to strengthen the global health security architecture to explore core concepts and emerging challenges
Most importantly, this course will demonstrate the importance of combining diplomacy with technical understanding of science, technology, epidemiology and medicine in order to achieve outcomes that advance both population health and foreign relations. Now, more than ever, these skills are critical to saving lives, advancing foreign policy, and creating a stronger architecture for pandemic preparedness and global health security.
This course will challenge students to read and interpret health related agreements, negotiate a position, and assess the policy context while trying to advance health security.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5030 International Law 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS course International Law. This course will provide a detailed examination of the fundamentals of public international law. It will discuss the sources of international law, the relationship of international law to domestic law, international personality, jurisdiction under international law-- including general principles of jurisdiction, extradition, the law of the sea, and air and space law, immunity from jurisdiction, state responsibility for injury to aliens, international human rights law, the law relating to the recourse to force, and the law concerning the conduct of hostilities. Learning outcomes/subtopics: o Understand the sources of international law. o Analyze specific areas of international law such as extradition, law of the sea, human rights law, and recourse to use of force.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5032 Intl Law Multilateral Dplmcy 1.5 Credits
Full Course Name: International Law & Multilateral Diplomacy A legal scholar claimed 100 years ago that the “breaches of international law have been so numerous and its violations so flagrant in character that many people have been led to think that international law at best have been of little worth and may now be regarded as a thing of the past.” Do these words hold true in 2022 and will they hold true over the next 100 years? In this course we will address what the future of international law and multilateral diplomacy might look like by examining specific issues in international law and how actors can work together to address them. We will examine the factors that influence international law and diplomacy’s reach into new and emerging areas of common concern, such as human rights, the use of force, and technological change.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5040 Development Studies 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS class Political Economy of International Development. The course begins with a study of institutions, i.e. the formal and informal constraints that shape political, economic and social interactions. Next, it will focus on role of the state, the rationale for state intervention in markets and societies, and examples of state interventions. This will pave the way for an exploration of some important contemporary topics in the study of developing countries: causes of government failure, causes of state failure, the role of interest groups and bureaucracies, the challenge of fragile and/or failed states, and the current architecture of international political institutions. The course will also highlight the relationship between political institutions and society at large by examining the importance of culture. It will conclude with some contemporary topics that are likely to emerge from the field in the next several years. Learning outcomes/subtopics: -Understand the institutions that shape political, economic and social interactions. -Analyze issues such as cause of state failure, role of interest groups and bureaucracies, and challenge of fragile or failed states.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5042 Trade Law Policy 1.5 Credits
This course focuses on the practice of international trade and investment policy from the viewpoint of a practitioner (government, business, NGO, etc.). It covers the basic elements of modern-day trade policy, including domestic policy mechanisms, regional or bilateral free trade agreements, and the World Trade Organization, as these address trade in goods, trade in services, private direct cross-border investment, the protection of intellectual property rights, and linkage between trade and social issues such as labor and environment.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5043 Intl Econ For Practitioners 1.5 Credits
The learning objective of this course is to provide foreign affairs practitioners with the skills and knowledge to understand essential issues in international economics empirically, as well as enhance their ability to think about these issues in a structured manner. This course will combine fundamental concepts of international economics, with real-world data, as we will look at some current news articles and information from different countries to concretize our learning. The first part of the course will focus on some key concepts and issues such as national accounts, balance of payments, exchange rates, exchange rate regimes, challenges, and financial crises in countries. Here, we will focus on some pertinent questions such as what causes countries to run trade surpluses or deficits with their trading partners? How are such imbalances resolved over time? What causes banking and currency crises in open economies? In answering all this, we will discuss the role played by exchange rates, and how adopting different exchange rate regimes can fulfill different policy objectives of the countries. The second part of the course will explore international trade theory and policy. We will explore how trade between countries can be explained by differences in comparative advantage, and/or differences in resources that a country is naturally endowed with. We will conclude this course with a final discussion on trade policy and see how countries use tariffs, subsidies, and quotas to influence trade patterns between themselves and their trading partners. Prior study of economics is not a requirement for this course.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5050 Sml States in the Intl. Sys 1.5 Credits
Small States in the International System:
Starting with the work by Baker Fox in the late 1950s and until the end of the Cold War, most scholarly literature assumed that small states had their policy choices constrained due to their limited capabilities and resources. The assumption was that small states only sought survival as independent states, a real concern in the context of Cold War hostilities. From the 1970s onwards, however, work on Europe’s Nordic and Scandinavian states started to challenge this view. Following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, and the move toward a multi-complex international system, the growing importance of international institutions and initiatives, and the rise of regional organizations (ROs) have all also led to a reassessment of the role that small states can play in global affairs. Most scholarship assumes that small states remain committed to a relatively limited number of policy goals both at home and especially abroad. Nevertheless, it also acknowledges that small states, including those in the Arab Gulf region, can undertake ambitious domestic and foreign policy programs and become leaders in a wide range of areas. This course will examine how small states have developed in their regional systems and on the international stage by undertaking an in-depth look at key issues including their traditional role approach to domestic and foreign policy issues, their more non-traditional sources of power, the ways small states build resilience and manage their resources and the options they have for achieving physical security.
Starting with the work by Baker Fox in the late 1950s and until the end of the Cold War, most scholarly literature assumed that small states had their policy choices constrained due to their limited capabilities and resources. The assumption was that small states only sought survival as independent states, a real concern in the context of Cold War hostilities. From the 1970s onwards, however, work on Europe’s Nordic and Scandinavian states started to challenge this view. Following the end of the Cold War in the 1990s, and the move toward a multi-complex international system, the growing importance of international institutions and initiatives, and the rise of regional organizations (ROs) have all also led to a reassessment of the role that small states can play in global affairs. Most scholarship assumes that small states remain committed to a relatively limited number of policy goals both at home and especially abroad. Nevertheless, it also acknowledges that small states, including those in the Arab Gulf region, can undertake ambitious domestic and foreign policy programs and become leaders in a wide range of areas. This course will examine how small states have developed in their regional systems and on the international stage by undertaking an in-depth look at key issues including their traditional role approach to domestic and foreign policy issues, their more non-traditional sources of power, the ways small states build resilience and manage their resources and the options they have for achieving physical security.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5052 Chinese Diplomacy Goes Global 1.5 Credits
This course will examine the foreign policy of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) with special attention to the Middle East. The course will identify major trends in the PRC’s foreign relations during the past seventy years and address the following questions: What drives PRC foreign policy? Who runs it? What major security challenges does the PRC face domestically, in its immediate neighborhood, the wider Asia-Pacific region, and the Middle East? What strategies has the PRC adopted to address these challenges? The instructor teaches graduate level classes on Chinese Foreign Policy and Chinese Military Power in the School of Foreign Service Asian Studies Program and serves as Distinguished Fellow, China at the US Institute of Peace.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5060 Dip. Pblc Dim. in the Dgtl Age 1.5 Credits
Public Diplomacy 3.0: Diplomacy’s Public Dimension in the Digital Age Responding to the rise of geostrategic competition in a media saturated age, increasingly disruptive transformations in communications technologies, and the emergence of a new “networked” or socialized diplomacy, this course examines the practice of diplomacy's public dimension in the digital age. It focuses specifically on efforts to inform and influence public perceptions in support of national policies, interests, and values in complex information environments. This course relies on historical and contemporary case studies to assess the use of public diplomacy as a tool of statecraft. This course is relevant for students with an interest in government or private sector engagement in global affairs, to include public diplomacy and strategic communications.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5061 Energy and Diplomacy 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS class Energy and International Security This course will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of energy and how it affects international relations. The course will provide students with an introduction to the basics of oil, gas, electricity and non-fossil fuel energy. It will also focus on the challenges faced by oil and gas exporting states (especially in governance and economic stability), as well as the challenges faced by importing states as they seek both to secure sufficient energy for their nations’ futures, and to respond to the emerging threat of climate change. Learning outcomes/sub-topics: o Understand the fundamentals of energy and how it affects international relations. o Analyze the different forms of energy and the challenges faced by exporting and importing states.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5062 AI National Security 1.5 Credits
In this course, we will examine one of the topics most central for the future of national security policy: artificial intelligence, or AI. We will begin first by examining what AI is and isn’t, and discuss how the underlying technology works. We will then proceed to survey the national security landscape and consider how AI will impact key policy and strategy decisions in the near future. Topics discussed include autonomous weapons, intelligence collection and analysis, massive cyber attacks, propaganda, and technology competition. We will also focus on the AI strategies of two major nations, the United States and China. No technical background is required for this class, though we will introduce some important ideas that are relevant to how AI works.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5070 Public Cultural Diplomacy 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS class Public Diplomacy. Public diplomacy is an instrument used by states and non-state actors to understand others' cultures, attitudes, and behavior; build and manage relationships; and influence thoughts and actions to advance their interests and values. Drawing on the experiences of diplomats and a growing body of literature, we will explore what this means for the changing actors, issues, methods, and environments of diplomacy in the 21st century. The course focuses on: 1) perspectives on public diplomacy and related concepts: public affairs, public relations, strategic communication, soft power, information operations, psychological operations, and propaganda; 2) the practices of public diplomacy: listening, advocacy, cultural and exchange diplomacy, and international broadcasting; 3)public diplomacy’s context: networks, globalization, non-state actors, and social media; comparative public diplomacy: large and small states, regional entities; 4) organizational considerations for public diplomacy;5) how nations organize for public diplomacy; and 6) the future of public diplomacy: critical issues in study and practice. Learning outcomes/sub-topics: o Understand the role of public diplomacy to build and manage relationships and influence thoughts and actions to advance interests. o Analyze public diplomacy in terms of perspectives, practices, context, organizational considerations, how nations organize it, and its future. Should these changes be applied to existing sections?: No Please list the term(s) and corresponding CRN(s) following the example format below:
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5071 Leadership Crisis Management 1.5 Credits
Diplomatic leadership – in an embassy, the foreign ministry, or the broader foreign policy-making community – requires exceptional planning, communication and analytical skills. This course focuses particularly on diplomatic leadership during times of crisis, and uses cases studies to delve into the types of challenges faced by the foreign policy community. Special attention is paid to honing the skills needed to navigate through diplomatic crises while protecting national interests. Learning outcomes/sub-topics: -Understand the types of crises faced by diplomats working in embassies, foreign ministries, and the broader foreign policy-making community. -Analyze case studies and practice the planning, communication and analytical skills needed to navigate through diplomatic crises while protecting national interests
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program may not enroll.
DIAF 5080 Nuc Wpns Pol: Tech,StratGov 1.5 Credits
Nuclear Weapons Policy: Technology, Strategy, & Governance This course provides a comprehensive exploration of nuclear weapons policy, covering the technological foundations, strategic doctrines, and governance mechanisms that shape global nuclear politics. It begins with an introduction to the historical and regional contexts influencing nuclear dynamics before delving into the technological aspects of nuclear weapons development and their humanitarian and environmental impacts. Students will analyze the causes and patterns of nuclear proliferation, examining the political and technical drivers behind the spread of nuclear weapons. The course also investigates the role of deterrence and strategic doctrines in shaping the policies of nuclear-armed states. A significant portion of the course is dedicated to nuclear governance, exploring international treaties and regimes such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), arms control agreements, disarmament initiatives, and regional nuclear-weapon-free zones. Additionally, the intersection of civilian nuclear energy with military applications is examined, focusing on safeguards against nuclear material diversion. The course concludes with an in-depth regional focus, analyzing nuclear politics in the Middle East through case studies of Israel’s and Iran’s nuclear programs. By the end of the course, students will have a nuanced understanding of the complexities of nuclear weapons policy, equipping them to critically assess global and regional nuclear challenges.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program may not enroll.
DIAF 5081 Undstndng Trrsm Countertrrsm 1.5 Credits
Based on SFS course Terrorism: Middle East and North Africa. Terrorism has long been a means of political expression in the Middle East and has flourished throughout the region from antiquity to the present. This seminar surveys the arc and evolution of terrorism from the Sicarii and the assassins through the violence and rebellions in Egypt and Palestine of the 1920s through the end of World War II; The anti-colonial campaigns in both those places as well as in Algeria and Yemen; The persistence of both Palestinian and Jewish extremist violence; The emergence of Hezbollah in Lebanon; Salience of state-sponsored terrorism across the region, the insurgencies in Iraq; The rise of Al Qaeda and ISIS; And the ongoing upheavals in Syria, Libya, the Sinai, and Yemen. Learning outcomes/sub-topics o Understand terrorism as a means of political expression. o Analyze specific case studies of terrorism.
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5090 Policy Making Intl Inst. 3 Credits
Full Course Name: Policy-Making and International Institutions
Capstone Residency in Washington DC
Level: Graduate, Undergraduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the EMDIAF-DIAF program.
DIAF 5091 US ForPlcy Pol fr the Prctnr 1.5 Credits
US Foreign Policy & Politics for the Practitioner This course will cover important background and contemporary issues in U.S. politics and U.S. foreign policy of interest to practitioners. Students will learn to see the world from the eyes of policymakers, politicians, staffers, and activists inside the Beltway and throughout the USA. Subjects covered will include the politics of the contemporary presidency, the role of Congress in foreign policy, foreign relations with state and local governments, and the potential future directions of U.S. foreign policy after the midterms and beyond.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
DIAF 5092 Disinfo in the Middle East 1.5 Credits
Disinformation, Deception, and Information Disorder in the Middle East The information environment is now a core domain of strategic risk. State and state-aligned actors, PR firms, digital mercenaries, platform companies, and generative AI tools operate together as what this course calls the deception order, an industry that manufactures pseudo-reality in the service of political and commercial power. This intensive equips executives to recognize, investigate, and understand disinformation, computational propaganda, and influence operations as they affect organisations, markets, elections, and geopolitics. The week moves from foundational concepts (misinformation, disinformation, malinformation, and the post-truth condition) through the techniques of computational propaganda (bots, trolls, sockpuppets, coordinated inauthentic behaviour, and generative-AI personas), the actors behind influence campaigns (from governments to private corporations), exploring global case studies with a focus on the Gulf region. From Operation Arab AIEye and the Gulf Crisis, to the 2024 'Haitians eating pets' breakout, the varied nature of information operations are explored.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5500 Foundations in Int'l Relations 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5501 Financial Integration:Asia-Pa 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Students cannot enroll who have a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5502 DefensePolicyintheAsia-Pacific 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5504 Int'l Relations: Asia-Pacific 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5510 Diplomacy Case Study 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5511 TradeInvestmentinAsia-Pacific 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5512 Geoeconomics and China 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
DIAF 5514 Tech Policy in Asia-Pacific 1.5 Credits
This course examines the dynamic interplay between technological innovation, policy frameworks, and diverse societal experiences across the Asia Pacific. It moves beyond the dominant economic framing of technology in much of this region and adopts a socio-technical approach to interrogate how power structures, historical context, and culture collectively shape - and are shaped by - technology as well as the policies that mediate its development. Students will take a critical, inter-disciplinary lens to policy challenges related to digital infrastructure, AI ethics and governance, as well as cybersecurity against the backdrop of intensifying geopolitical fragmentation.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
DIAF 5515 RelMgmt,MdrnProtocol,Bus Etiqu 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
DIAF 5516 MaritimeIssuesinAsia-Pacific 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5520 Geopolitics of the Middle East 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5521 Geopolitics of Energy 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment limited to students in the Diplomacy International Aff department.
DIAF 5522 Climate Policy Diplomacy 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5523 International Law 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5525 Public and Cultural Diplomacy 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5526 Negotiation Theory Practice 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5527 Int'lEconomicsforPractitioners 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5530 Int'lPolEconinAsia-Pacific 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
DIAF 5531 LeadershipandCrisisManagement 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5540 CrisisSimul: NegotiatingasaDip 1.5 Credits
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
DIAF 5542 AI and National Security 1.5 Credits
This course examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping national security strategies, decision‑making, and global power dynamics across the world. Students will explore the capabilities and limits of current AI systems, including intelligence analysis, cybersecurity, autonomous weapons, and information operations. The ethical, legal, and geopolitical implications of deploying AI in defense contexts will be analyzed through case studies, policy debates, and interactive simulations. Students will assess emerging risks, design responsible governance frameworks, and understand how AI will influence future conflict and stability.
Level: Graduate
Grading: Main Campus (UGrad, Grad)
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.
DIAF 5550 Policy-Making Int'l Inst. 1.5 Credits
TBA
Level: Graduate
Grading: Pass/Fail Default
Course registration restrictions:
Enrollment is limited to students with a major in Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff, Diplomacy International Aff or Diplomacy International Aff.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.