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CMIST Graduate Course Offerings

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84-604 In the News: Analysis of Current National Security Priorities

This discussion-based course will examine the headlines in international relations, defense, national security, and homeland security. We will follow major news stories, breaking down media coverage to go deeper, conducting our own unique analysis as a group but also…

84-605 The Future of Warfare

Warfare is constantly evolving. In the contemporary conflict environment, the prospect of large-scale conflict between near-peer states is converging rapidly with proxy conflicts and threats typically posed by nonstate and/or irregular actors and tactics. Competition…

84-606 Latin American Politics

The world's most unequal region is an area of contrasts. Ethnically diverse, stable and tumultuous, young and old, urban and rural, learned and illiterate, prosperous and poor, independent yet dependent. The social and material disparities that have characterized the…

84-607 Economic and Political History of Contemporary China

Global politics is increasingly being shaped by the arrival of China as an economic powerhouse, which is increasingly being viewed as a challenger to the Western model of governance and has been posited as an anti-western economic blueprint for development. To understand…

84-609 American Political Divides and Great Debates

This is a dynamic course that delves into the complexities of political polarization in the United States. This course is designed not only to educate but also to actively engage students in the analysis of some of the most divisive and challenging issues facing the nation…

84-612 Terrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa

The spread and growth of terrorism on the continent of Africa has increased substantially over the last decade; this mini is an introduction to the major terrorism groups that operate in sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout the course, we will examine the nexus of the terrorist…

84-617 Defense PPBE in the Age of Emerging Technologies

This course offers a comprehensive, strategic inquiry into the Department of Defense Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Policy. Focusing on the critical intersection of emerging technologies and the future of warfare, students will undertake a thorough…

84-618 Politics of Developing Nations

Be it on our feet, in our grocery bags, or in the news, our daily lives connect us to people in the developing world. Despite such an intricate relationship, we tend to know very little about developing nations and their challenges beyond a common stereotype of poverty.…

84-619 Civil-Military Relations

Why do militaries (people with guns) ever obey civilians (people without guns)? Can we have a military strong enough to protect civilians, yet not so strong as to ignore or subvert civilian authority? What is the dividing line between civilian and military spheres of…

84-622 Nonviolent Conflict and Revolution

How can everyday people promote justice, equality, and democracy? Throughout history, many have looked to armed struggle and revolutionary violence. But over the course of the last century, nonviolent "people power" movements -- from Gandhi's salt march to the Arab Spring…

84-623 War and Peace in the Contemporary Middle East

This course examines the drivers of war and peace in the contemporary Middle East. It is structured around a series of key debates about different facets of conflict and violence in the region, such as the causes of rebellion, the reasons resistance groups use terrorism,…

84-624 The Future of Democracy

After the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama famously argued that humanity had reached the "end of history" insofar as liberal democracy had become the last viable form of government. Yet today, illiberal democracies and dictatorships persist, the world has witnessed the return of…

84-625 Contemporary American Foreign Policy

This course provides a survey of American foreign policy since World War I as a means of explaining why American foreign policy looks the way it does today. We will cover topics such as America's perennial battles between isolationism and internationalism, the creation of…

84-628 Military Strategy and Doctrine

While major interstate warfare has markedly declined since World War II, recent events illustrate that the causes and dynamics of major war remain some of the most important topics in international politics. This course will survey how the causes, conduct, and termination…

84-629 Asian Strategies

What are the strategies of leading Asian countries?  How do they intend to pursue their economic, political, and military goals in the years ahead?  What role will technology and information play in advancing their strategic objectives?  These…

84-651 Bias, Objectivity, and the Media's Role in Politics

For decades, the pursuit of objectivity has guided media coverage, with organizations striving to present politics in a neutral, unbiased, and balanced manner. However, this modern development in news coverage has not been without its criticisms. This course offers an…

84-652 Representation and Voting Rights

What does it mean to be represented? Who is represented, who is not? What is the nature of that representation? In practice, does representation result in policy congruence? This course will explore the concept of representation, what it means in theory, and how…

84-654 The American Experiment: Unravelling the US Electoral System

In 2022, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer noted that Americans are participating in a democratic experiment that Thomas Jefferson launched with the Declaration of Independence. The same unique and improbable system outlined by the Framers of the Constitution…

84-655 Democracy’s Data: Analytics and Insights into American Elections

“Democracy’s Data: Analytics and Insights into American Elections” offers a unique blend of political science and data analytics, focusing on the American electoral process with a special emphasis on contemporary elections. This course bridges…

84-662 Diplomacy and Statecraft

Diplomacy and statecraft are the driving forces behind foreign policy and international politics. In the first part of the course, students are introduced to the concepts, theories, and history of diplomacy. Students survey examine key cases and statesmen and women in…

84-663 Click. Hack. Rule: Understanding the Power & Peril of Cyber Conflict

This course explores the multifaceted landscape of cyber conflict across three distinct layers of the Internet: the cyber-physical layer, the software layer, and the application layer. The course will investigate the strategic use of these Internet layers by governments,…

84-665 The Politics of Fake News and Misinformation

This course analyzes the drivers and dynamics of fake news and misinformation in social and political life. From conspiracy theories about COVID and climate change to misinformation about political violence and conflict, how can we characterize fake news and misinformation…

84-667 The Politics of Antisemitism

The course examines the phenomenon of antisemitism in contemporary international politics. Antisemitism is an old form of prejudice, but concerns about its growth and consequences are very present in the news today. Meanwhile, the term has also become something of a…

84-669 Decision Science for International Relations

Decision Science looks at choices from three interrelated perspectives: analysis, characterizing decision makers' options, in terms of expected effects on outcomes that they value; description, characterizing decision makers' beliefs and preferences; and interventions,…

84-670 Nuclear Security and Arms Control

This course introduces students to the importance and challenges of implementing safeguards surrounding nuclear energy and arms control. Students will learn the history of nuclear and conventional weapons proliferation, assess the effectiveness of current treaties export…

84-672 Space and National Security

Space systems contribute a great deal to America's security, prosperity, and quality of life. This course examines how space-based services provide critical support to military and intelligence operations and contribute to national security more broadly. The course is…

84-674 An Introduction to Technology and War

"Advancements" in military technology over time have enabled countries to kill quickly, with pinpoint precision, and on a massive scale from thousands of miles away. Today, emerging technologies also empower state and non-state actors to use lethal force via remote control…

84-680 US Grand Strategy

What role should the United States play in the world? Should the U.S. solely protect its own borders or advance democracy, promote human rights, and contain aggressive countries? These are questions that Americans have wrestled with throughout modern U.S. history. In this…

84-683 Cyber Policy as National Policy

The decisions nations make in cyberspace have profound implications for both prosperity and sovereignty. The internet is a digital thread tying together peoples. The nature of our participation in this ecosystem is determined by policy makers. Cyber policy mirrors the…

84-687 Remote Systems and the Cyber Domain in Conflict

This course analyzes the impact of remote systems and the cyber domain on national security. We will study the development of these technologies, how and why they have been used by state and non-state actors in conflict, their impact on the battlefield, and potential…

84-688 Concepts of War and Cyber War

This course examines traditional theories, concepts, and practices in international relations and warfare- conventional, unconventional, and modern- and relates them to the emerging dynamics of cyber war. The principle concepts examined in this course reflect, have shaped,…

84-689 Terrorism and Insurgency

This course provides an introduction to terrorism, insurgency, and civil war, covering the causes, dynamics, consequences, and policy responses to these forms of political violence. Insurgent and terrorist groups are some of the most important actors behind security…

84-690 Social Media, Technology, and Conflict

This course will examine the role that social media and technology have had on conflict at multiple levels, both between and within nations. Interconnectedness has expanded dramatically and continues to expand, allowing the formerly disconnected—individuals with…

84-693 Legislative Decision Making: US Congress

This course analyzes decision-making by the United States Congress. The course examines legislative behavior by focusing on the way Congress is organized (institutional and constitutional structure) and the ways legislators, voters, and various other parties interact…

84-702 Regression Analysis for Political Science II

By the end of RAPS II, students will be able to critically evaluate most studies that use statistical tools in political science research. Students will be able to design and carry out original research applying quantitative methods. There will be an emphasis in using…

84-711 Qualitative Methods in Social Science Research

In this mini course, we will explore research techniques that focus on empirical evidence but do not require quantification of data. The aim is to provide students methodological tools and practical experience to conduct qualitative research at a proficient level. We will…

84-720 International Security Graduate Seminar

This seminar is a graduate-level introduction to the field of international security. The course focuses on issues concerning the conduct of war and military strategy, surveying both classic texts and recent works on important security policy issues. The course has three…

84-726 International Relations Graduate Seminar

In this graduate seminar, we will explore major puzzles, problems, and questions that define the field of international relations (IR). IR is a diverse subfield of political science that attempts to explain the interactions of states and other actors across international…

84-740 Tracking Political Sentiments Using Machine Learning

Online social media provides a rich source of detailed data reflecting the evolution of political sentiments over time, and in response to various news events. This seminar course studies a diverse set of recent papers in the intersection of machine learning, natural…

84-781 MITS Capstone Project

In this required capstone project MITS students are expected to meet with their assigned teams as often as needed to finalize project outcomes, while providing timely updates to the project advisor. Registration in the MITS Capstone Project course is limited to those…

84-791 Policy Seminar I

The Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST) will host several lectures and speaker series that address topics spanning the intersection of security and technology, international relations, political science, and more. We will bring senior leaders to…

84-793 Policy Seminar III

The Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy & Technology (CMIST) will host several lectures and speaker series that address topics spanning the intersection of security and technology, international relations, political science, and more. We will bring senior leaders to…
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