Politics of Policymaking: Developing Cou

Open to First-Year MPA Only. 
This course is an introduction to the politics of policymaking in developing countries. Public policymaking- the process by which political actors make decisions on a range of policy issues – affects nearly every aspect of our daily lives, including our access to safe air, water, food, education, and healthcare. This class examines how decision-makers in developing countries choose appropriate tools and strategies to address the persistent political, social, and economic problems affecting their citizens. The motivations, challenges, resources, and outcomes of public policymaking in developing countries often differ significantly from those in developed countries. In addition, policymakers are also embedded within their own knowledge environments, which determines how they bring systematic evidence and scientific knowledge to bear upon their understanding of social problems and their preferred solutions. This course examines how contextual factors condition processes and outcomes of policymaking in developing countries. Ultimately, public policy professionals need a conceptual foundation in identifying patterns of behavior and outcomes in policymaking alongside hands-on training in tools and analysis methods that facilitate deliberation and design, ultimately, the implementation of policymaking strategies in their specific political environments. This course provides the conceptual foundation and practical tools public policy professionals need to understand and operate in their political environment.

• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Rumela Sen
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 4 points

Viral Videos, Generative AI & Geopolitic

Viral Video, Gen AI & Geo

In the era of generative AI, deepfakes and disinformation, visual media have become an essential but perilous tool for human rights organizations, civil society, governments, media outlets, industry and our daily lives. Over the past decade, digital sleuths and journalists have developed methodologies and toolkits to analyze videos and photographs that prove chemical weapons use in Syria, help track human rights abuses in Ukraine, and document police brutality in the United States. And bystander videos continue to spark worldwide protests, as with the killing of George Floyd in 2020. But bad actors are increasingly using fake, distorted and synthetic media to influence narratives, deceive people, business and governments, and sow confusion and conflict in the international community. So how should stakeholders navigate the world of viral media when almost everyone has a camera in their pocket, and can easily and cheaply access image generators? This course will dive into the tools that can help you discover, debunk, verify and use viral videos, user generated content and synthetic media. The course takes advantage of guest speakers to have the most current takes on these issues, and so we will talk to leaders in the emerging industry that will dictate the future of our information ecosystem. Students pursuing journalism may want to tell compelling and trusted stories, while those on a policy track can focus on how to use this kind of media to inform or influence decision makers and the public. Others interested in government or the private sector will also need to address this rapidly changing environment to make critical decisions off of digital content. Through case studies and compelling guest speakers, we will analyze social, business, and geopolitical impacts of this exploding world of visual content, and look at emerging technologies that are helping or hurting people’s ability to trust what they see.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

Finance & Development: Impact Investing

Finance and Development

Pre-requisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist & Course Application. 
This condensed course provides a solid understanding of 
impact investing
 and 
financial innovation
, at the intersection of public policy, development, entrepreneurship, finance and law. We combine a 
theoretical approach, practical experience in emerging markets and case studies
 (e.g. education in Brazil, microfinance in Mexico and India, FinTech in Kenya and Brazil). Students are expected to develop personal projects in lieu of the exam (papers or business plans). We welcome students from SIPA and other schools.

Within the larger category of 
Sustainable Finance
, Impact Investing is attracting growing interest from investors, academia and the third sector. Impact investing allocates resources with a financial, social and environmental return, while the impact is both intentional and measured. We analyze the latest global trends in Impact Investing, its revolutionary proposal and its limitations.

Financial innovation
 plays a central role in the impact agenda, through innovative financial instruments such as 
social impact bonds
 or 
green bonds
, and through inclusive financial services boosted by 
FinTech
.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Storytelling and The Art of Creating Soc

Creating Soc Impact Campaigns

Pre-requisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist & Course Application. Priority Reg: LID and TMaC Specializations. 
Was the pro-life narrative strategy a decisive factor in overturning Roe v. Wade? After countless videos of police brutality, why did the video of George Floyd’s murder dramatically accelerate the pace of cultural and policy change? After years of campaigns to reduce teen pregnancy, how was it that a TV show became one of the main drivers of reducing teen pregnancy to the lowest point in recorded history?  After losing 31 state referendums, why did a new narrative approach enable the gay marriage campaign to start winning nationwide?  These questions and storytelling examples are part of broader social impact campaigns which combined the right mix of strategy and narrative to create change.  A social impact campaign is one that creates a significant change that addresses a pressing social issue. Often, there is too little focus on the power of narrative to change behavior and drive action.  

This class will explore all aspects of social impact campaigns that harness the power of “effective” stories to engage audiences and prompt action.  Additionally, we will investigate how corporations and brands develop campaigns and how they partner with the government, foundations and NGOs.  Students will have the chance to question some of the leading creators/practitioners as they create their own social impact campaigns.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Stephen Friedman
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Politics of Policymaking: Issues in Comp

Open to First-Year MPA Only. 
Policymaking—the process by which political actors make decisions on a range of issues—is strongly influenced by context. The political environment in which policymakers interact plays a central role in shaping agendas, strategies, and choices. To be successful, policy professionals must be able to navigate a complicated set of political institutions that can constrain the menu of policy options, engage with multiple actors and stakeholders, and become familiar with dynamically changing technological and media environments. This course will give students important foundational knowledge on the way in which political contexts shape policymaking around the world.

The course has four parts. The first will focus on the policy process. We will learn what factors commonly influence policymakers’ decisions and discuss how solutions to policy problems can be evaluated in a policy analysis framework. The second part will focus on democracy and democratic erosion. We will learn about the rise and decline of democratic institutions and discuss factors that have shown to weaken democratic processes around the globe, including corruption, identity politics and polarization, and mis/disinformation.

In the third part of the course, we will delve into politics in the era of artificial intelligence. We will learn how AI tools such as large language models are shaping policy around the world, and discuss their potential impact on the information environment in a range of political domains. The final part of the course will focus on contentious politics. We will learn about recent debates on the politics of immigration, as well as protests and activism around the world, and discuss their influence on policymakers’ decision making.

In addition to the material covered in the lectures, students will also attend a weekly recitation section. Recitation sections will help students gain a deeper understanding of concepts and topics discussed in the lectures that will be important for success in the final exam.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Tamar Mitts
  h-index: 5 Info
• 4 points

Impact Investing: Essential Skills

Impact investing is young but fast-growing industry. An increasing number of philanthropists, traditional investors, and asset managers look to impact investment as a compelling asset class. Entrepreneurs tackling social and environmental issues are finding in impact investors a more reliable and better-aligned source of capital to finance their ventures. The industry requires a committed, talented, and well-prepared pool of capital to continue evolving and growing. This class aims to provide the students with some of the essential skills and tools they will require to work and thrive in the impact investing industry. This is an experiential course designed to introduce students to impact investing and provide them with the skills used by impact investors every day. Students will work on the key "products" required in an impact investment transaction, including: assessing a possible impact investment; writing an investment memo with a full impact analysis, and presenting an investment proposal to a group of seasoned impact investors. COURSE DATES MAY VARY. SEE SYLLABUS FOR EXACT DATES & TIMES.

• U noon-3 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Gender, Globalization, and Human Rights

Gender,Globalizatn & Hum Right

This course introduces students to fundamental human rights associated with gender and the global processes through which they have been shaped and reshaped. Focusing primarily but not exclusively on women’s rights and drawing on treaties, cases, programmatic documents, statistical data and other materials, we ask how gender inequalities are addressed at a global and regional level, how such commitments resonate at a national level, and how they are being challenged today. Why are specific measures are needed to protect against gender-based discrimination if human rights are putatively universal?  Does the current global gender rights framework work effectively for all those subject to gender-based discrimination?  Which points of view on gender does it incorporate and promote, and which does it  “silence”? How do factors such as citizenship, nationality, sexual orientation and gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion and class affect the protection of gender rights? How can the current global gender rights framework help address discrimination and inequality with respect to fundamental issues of personhood such as identity, bodily integrity, and the right to life? How can  it be deployed to address the implications of socioeconomic processes closely linked to globalization, such as migration or the emergence of markets in reproduction? Can it play a role in times of widespread political turmoil and of war?

• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Yasmine Ergas
  CULPA: 2 h-index: 10 Info
• 3 points

Civic Innovation: Design in Practice & I

Innovation & Imagination

Priority Reg: LID or TMaC Specializations. 
Civic Innovation: Design in Practice & Imagination is an introduction to how human-centered design methodologies are being used in government contexts and to the human questions that preoccupy designers working to innovate around policy and service delivery. The course explores the utility of design methods for addressing current-day public-sector and social challenges – and for inventing the policy and social solutions of the future. This new seminar course brings together readings in social theory, applied methods from design-driven innovation practice, and student-led case studies in current and future civic innovation efforts. Its particular focus is on broadening students' understanding of results-oriented civic innovation tactics to encompass ongoing debates around power, data, embodiment, community, craft, and meaning.

• F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 3 points

Children & Armed Conflict

This course will provide students with a comprehensive introduction to the impact of armed conflict on children, the United Nations’ children and armed conflict (CAAC) mandate, and efforts to end and prevent children’s suffering. Upon completing this course, students will have an understanding of: the six grave violations and other abuses impacting children in armed conflict; the legal and normative frameworks for protecting children in armed conflict; the key mechanisms and actors leading international efforts to protect children in armed conflict; contemporary challenges and ethical dilemmas undermining the effective protection of children in armed conflict.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Laura Perez
  Info
• 3 points

Migration and Human Development

Migration & Human Development

International migration's substantial economic and social effects are at the forefront of today's academic discussion, international debate as well as national policy strategies. This course introduces students to the key notions, norms, and narratives of international migration from economic, legal, sociological, international relations, and normative perspectives. Students will learn about transnational livelihood strategies and channels through which migration and migrants can enhance human development especially in their countries of origin, while creating better opportunities for themselves and contributing to their communities of destination. This includes in-depth discussions of the determinants, flows and effects of emigration, immigration, return, financial and social remittances, and diaspora investment. Highlighting migration phenomena in different scenarios in the global North, as well as in the global South, the course emphasizes the agency of migrants and gender differences in the experiences and effects, as well as the role their legal status plays. It will address the root causes of migration and the protection of migrants' human, social and labor rights. The course also furthers participants' understanding of the policy responses in both, the international and the domestic spheres. To this end, it introduces students to key policies and governance schemes, including temporary labor migration programs, bilateral labor migration agreements, and diaspora engagement institutions.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel Naujoks
  Info
• 3 points

Politics of Sustainable Development

Politics-Sustainable Developmt

This course is designed to provide an introduction to the process of political development. It introduces a set of analytic tools based on the strategic perspective of political science and political economy to evaluate the current debates in political development and to draw policy-relevant conclusions. Throughout the course, we will discuss the political dimensions and challenges of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, along with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and their transformations as modular building blocks. First, we explore the politics of economic development: the role of leadership, political systems, and institutions in promoting growth. We study the mechanisms that underlie the persistence of poverty. Utilizing numerous country case studies, we will answer: What is political development? What explains why some countries have prospered while others remain poor, violent, or unequal? Why do we observe growth, stability and freedoms in some and not in others? Second, we will explore the causes and consequences of the state, political institutions, and democracy. What is at the root of state capacity, political participation, and other aspects of political development? What is the role of property rights and rule of law in development? How do we promote gender equality and empowerment? How do we detect and mitigate the effects of corruption? How do we foster political stability? In the third part of the course, we will focus on policies that foster stability and development. We will critically examine the effects of Western intervention in the developing world, historical legacies of slavery and colonialism, and the various tools of foreign policy: aid, democracy promotion and military interventions. We will further explore the extent to which outside interventions alleviated poverty and whether it improved public goods provision or promoted political stability. Finally, the course will consider the role of emerging powers in the context of global governance and their influence on the future course of development in the Global South.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Gizem Acikgoz
  Info
• 3 points

Selected Issues on the Federal Reserve &

Sel Issues Fed Reserve & Finan

The seminar will offer an insider perspective on current Federal Reserve issues and detail the various interconnections between the Fed and financial markets.  The course will examine and compare the extraordinary policy actions of the Fed in response to recent crises: the global financial crisis of 2007-2009, the pandemic financial stress of 2020, and the banking crisis of March 2023.  In addition, the seminar will study the evolution of the Fed’s monetary policy framework, including specifics on the Fed’s market transactions. It will also explore key concepts of the financial system that are relevant to the central bank and fundamental to financial stability.   

Other topical issues relevant to the Federal Reserve will also be discussed. For the Fall 2024 semester, current issues include the shifting outlook for the Fed’s monetary policy, central bank independence and the politicization of the Fed, the escalating focus on the potential for central banks to issue digital currencies, and other emerging topics.

Given the short duration of the seminar, attendance from the first week is required, and students who miss the first week will not be admitted to the course.

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Patrick O Dwyer
  Info
• 1.5 points

Accounting for International and Public

Priority Reg: MIA and MPA. 
The purpose of this course is to enable you to become an informed user of financial information. To be properly informed you need to understand financial statements, the note disclosures and the language of accounting and financial reporting. We will focus on the three major financial statements – the balance sheet, the income statement and the statement of cash flows - that companies prepare for use by management and external parties. We will examine the underlying concepts that go into the preparation of these financial statements as well as specific accounting rules that apply when preparing financial statements. As we gain an understanding of the financial information, we will look at approaches to analyze the financial strength and operations of an entity. We will use actual financial statements to understand how financial information is presented.

• W 1:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Norman Bartczak
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Comparative Social Welfare Policy

Priority Reg: USP Concentration. 
This course explores welfare systems from a comparative perspective and analyzes the political, economic, socio-cultural, and historical factors that shape and sustain them in various parts of the world.  It pays particular attention to the development of critical national social welfare policies, such as social security, health care, unemployment insurance, social assistance, public employment and training, and emerging best practices and challenges in these areas.  The course also analyzes pressing global/regional trends (e.g., the greying of societies, labor market stratification, social innovation, and affordable housing).

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Yumiko T Shimabukuro
  Info
• 3 points

EU Policymaking & New Global Challenges

EU Policymaking-Global Challen

This course explores the process of EU policy-making - how and why certain public policies are pursued by the institutions of the European Union - and analyses what the Union is doing to address a number of major policy challenges in today's interdependent world. After providing a general introduction to the overall policy process in the EU - looking at how policies are born, adopted, enacted, implemented and reviewed - this term's course will examine the specific policy agenda of the current European Commission (2019-24), led by Ursula von der Leyen, and do a 'deep dive' into EU action in three areas: the fight against climate change, the development of a 'digital Europe', and the EU response to the on-going coronavirus crisis. It will identify the key characteristics of these policies, assess how far they are succeeding or failing, and ask what they show about the evolving EU political system. The course will round off with an assessment of the growing emphasis on strategic foresight in the EU policy-making and identify new policies that are likely to be developed in coming years. Taught from a practitioner perspective by Anthony Teasdale, Director General of the European Parliament's research service, the course aims to provide a firm grounding in modern EU policy and should appeal to those interested both in EU politics and in the individual policy issues under discussion.

• SS 2 p.m.-3:50 p.m.
• 1.5 points

International Political Economy

Int'l Political Economy

• W 6:10 p.m.-9 p.m.
• Instructor: Arvid J Lukauskas
  CULPA: 2 Info
• 3 points

Sustainability Management

Priority Reg: MPA-ESP. 
The course translates the academic study of organization theory, bureaucracy, and public management into practical lessons for sustainability professionals. We develop a framework for understanding and applying tools that can be used to influence organizational behavior and obtain resources from the organization’s environment. Earth systems-related case studies present a set of problems for public managers to address. Case studies deal with public, private, and nonprofit environmental management, in the United States and internationally.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Howard N Apsan
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Climate Change, Rights, and Development

Climate Change, Rights, &

The fundamental behavior of the Earth's climate system is now quite well understood, including, in a first order way, the spatial and temporal scales of natural variability that occur from the rhythmic change of seasons to irregular El Nino cycles, longer period changes and the distribution and frequency of extreme events like cyclones, droughts and floods. From this basis it is possible to predict perturbations to the climate system in terms of climate zone spatial distribution and variability, including extremes. 

But there is far less agreement at the political and policy levels in terms of the consequences for human rights that climate change will bring about, and the relative responsibilities for mitigating climate change and financing adaptation. What is clear is that across the world the outcomes of climate change will be very uneven both in economic and human terms. The potential for vast global inequities in direct and indirect effects of global climate change is very real. This course will explore the critical nexus between climate change, development, and human rights. It will also, and importantly bridge, the science related to climate change; the many ways that changes in weather patterns affect humans; the global institutional architecture for addressing climate change; and the major debates on climate change that take place within the spheres of politics, economics, and civil society.

• M 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 3 points

Global Context of Policymaking

Priority Reg: Executive MPA. 
This course asks how global cooperation can help meet global challenges. The readings, lectures, and class discussions address ongoing debates over the prospects for global governance. Special attention is given to the role of international institutions, including the United Nations, regional organizations, and international financial institutions. We discuss global policies on investment and trade, combating poverty, and sustainable development. Pressing security issues are also discussed, including peacebuilding in war-torn societies, terrorism, cybersecurity, and weapons of mass destruction.

The format of the class combines open-ended lectures and interactive discussions of assigned readings. Each week, students discuss and debate three assigned articles that offer differing interpretations of the global dilemma addressed in the session. Assigned readings are carefully selected to convey of a range of opinions on controversial themes. Restricting the syllabus to several readings per week cannot do justice to the complexity of each topic.  However, a realistic reading assignment enables students to fulfill this requirement diligently, and you are expected to do so. Supplementary sources will be suggested, to encourage exploration of specific topics in greater depth.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Naomi Weinberger
  CULPA: 11 Info
• 3 points

Comparative Urban Policy: Global Develop

Studying developing cities, such as Johannesburg, Sao Paulo, and Shanghai, has never been more important. Over half of the world's population is now urban. As cities continue to expand, metropolitan areas around the globe face a growing number of challenges, including: sprawl, poor sanitation, poverty, pollution, corruption, and crime. This course in comparative urban policy will help you develop a keener understanding of these challenges. Our focus will be on how academics and analysts study and debate global developing cities. We will explore questions, such as: What accounts for the global pace of migration from rural to urban places in our time? What are the major challenges facing developing cities? What strategies do individuals, neighborhoods, and economic interest groups have available to influence, and to optimize their experiences in developing cities? How well are developing cities' urban governance and planning geared to resolve controversies and, where appropriate, implement effective remedies? What can we learn from innovative change initiatives?

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Vojislava Filipcevic
  Info
• 3 points

Environmental Science for Sustainable De

Enviro Science for Sust Devp

This course provides a rigorous survey of the key areas of natural science that are critical to understanding sustainable development. The course will provide the theories, methodological techniques and applications associated with each natural science unit presented. The teaching is designed to ensure that students have the natural science basis to properly appreciate the co-dependencies of natural and human systems, which are central to understanding sustainable development. Students will learn the complexities of the interaction between the natural and human environment. After completing the course, students should be able to incorporate scholarly scientific work into their research or policy decisions and be able to use scientific methods of data analysis. This is a modular course that will cover core thematic areas specifically, climate, natural hazards, water management, public health/epidemiology, and ecology/biodiversity. To achieve coherence across lectures this course will emphasize how each topic is critical to studies of sustainable development and place-based case studies in recitation will integrate various topics covered. In the lectures and particularly the recitation sections this course will emphasize key scientific concepts such as uncertainty, experimental versus observational approaches, prediction and predictability, the use of models and other essential methodological aspects.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: John C Mutter
  CULPA: 15 Info
• 3 points

Environmental Science for Sustainable De

Enviro Sci for Sus Dev Seminar

PhD Seminar for Environmental Science for Sustainable Development (SDEV U6240)

• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: John C Mutter
  CULPA: 15 Info
• 1 points

Housing Policy & the City

This seven-week course considers the impact of housing policy on communities and neighborhoods across the United States. We will discuss how local, state, and federal decisions about what we build, where we build, who we build for, and how we pay for it created the cities we live in today. The course will draw examples from small to large American cities and urban areas to examine the social, political, and economic forces that have shaped housing policy in the U.S. Given the time constraints, the course will focus on the American landscape; however, the material can be viewed through the prism of how government decisions impact the urban environment across the globe. Students are encouraged to share comparative perspectives of their own home cities and experiences in class discussions.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Annika N Lescott
  Info
• 1.5 points

Urban Economics

Urban economics explain the forces that make people want to live in close proximity to each other and the complex economic and social dynamics that ensue. First, urban economics explains the distribution of economic activity and population over space (typical question are: why do cities exists? What drives the location decisions of people and firms? What makes cities grow?). Second, it interprets how production activities and housing are distributed within a city, the value of land, and how it is allocated to what use. Third, it addresses questions of governance, political economy, and public finance: scope and limitations of local government intervention, provision of services, regulation, and governmental funding sources. Fourth, it confronts many fundamental economic and policy problems: transportation, crime, housing, education, homelessness, public health, income distribution, racial segregation, environmental sustainability, fiscal federalism, municipal finance, and others. This course covers the first three aspects of urban economics and a selection of topics from the fourth category. By the end of the course you will be able to: Have an understanding of introductory theoretical and empirical models of urban economics to interpret location decisions of people and firms (between and within cities); Evaluate local policy using efficiency and equity arguments; Apply your knowledge to a specific policy issue.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Francesco Brindisi
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Development Practice Lab II

Open to MPA-DP Only. 
Development Practice Labs I & II are two full-semester, 3-credit courses with a first-year spring course focused on skills and tools for project design and a second-year fall course focused on skills around organizational management and leadership. The DP-Labs will bookend MPA-DP students’ 3-month professional summer placements, allowing for DP-Lab I skills to be applied over the summer and for DP Lab II to process those experiences as real case studies and examples. These skills will be applied to final semester capstone projects and allow students to synthesize lessons learned for their eventual job search and career development. DP-Lab II teaches students skills and tools needed for effective and inclusive organizational management for social impact. It will allow students to process the lessons learned during their summer placements and use those experiences as case studies to understand the skills needed for effective leadership and management.  Throughout the semester students will receive hands-on training by experienced practitioners on different topics, while looking at leadership and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as cross-cutting themes.  The course will run for 13 weeks with each week focused on introducing students to a core topic with class activities including guest practitioners and lecturers, case studies, ethics discussions, role plays, and guided group work.

• R 1 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Adaptation to Climate Change

Climate change policy in recent decades has centered on two core concepts, mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere) and adaptation (coping with the impacts that these gasses have and will produce). This course concentrates on the latter. It familiarizes students with current approaches to projects and programs that promote adaptation, showing both the utility of the approaches and some of their limits. The concepts of vulnerability, resilience and adaptive capacity are studied in detail; students learn to engage critically with these concepts.

• M 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Ben S Orlove
  Info
• 3 points

Disasters and Development

The course begins with a series of lectures that link natural extremes with disasters consequences in the development context. We explain the physical phenomenology of natural extreme events, how and why they originate, the limits to which they can be predicted and the extent to which measures can be taken to reduce their harm.  The focus is on those extremes that have historically proven to have the greatest consequences - earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and droughts. We then describe the social phenomenology especially the macroeconomic consequences of disasters.  Here we are in relatively new territory and we will call on analogies with well-established economic shocks such as currency slums and financial crises to explain how disaster shocks might differentially impact societies at varying development levels. We then discuss how the UN and other international agencies deal with disasters.

• MW 6:10 p.m.-7:25 p.m.
• 3 points

Meeting the Climate Challenge at all Lev

Meeting Climate Challenge

This course examines the role of states, cities, and other sub-nationals in crafting and implementing the policy, technical, and behavioral changes necessary to address the climate crisis. While this topic has received increased attention since the election of Donald Trump in the United States, the reality is that cities, states, and other sub-nationals would still have an enormous, if not leading, role to play even with a cooperative federal government. Indeed, one could argue that subnationals represent the front lines in the fight. Substantively, our focus will be on the role of these actors in driving the necessary transition to clean energy, perhaps the key component in the overall effort to combat climate change. The energy sector is also particularly fertile ground for state and city action since states and cities oversee their power grids, establish building codes, and regulate electric and other utilities. Many of the issues and dynamics we will examine in the energy area also have direct application to other aspects of climate policy, such as food and agriculture and land use. The goal of the course is to get students to think more deeply about climate change and the complex intersection of science, economics, and politics that makes policy in this area so interesting and, at the same time, so difficult.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Adam Zurofsky
  Info
• 3 points

Introduction to Data Analytics for Publi

Data Analytics-Public Pol

This course aims to establish a first-principles understanding of qualitative and quantitative techniques, tools, and processes used to wield data for effective decision-making. Its approach focuses on pragmatic, interactive learning using logical methods, basic tools, and publicly available data to practice extracting insights and building recommendations. It is designed for students with little prior statistical or mathematical training and no prior pre-exposure to statistical software.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Poranee Kingpetcharat
  Info
• 1.5 points

Introduction to Database Design, Managem

Database Design Mgmt & Se

The goal of this course is to train advanced students on the principles, practices, and technologies required for good database design, management, and security. An introduction to the concepts and issues relating to data warehousing, governance, administration, security, privacy, and alternative database structures will be provided. The course concentrates on building a firm foundation in information organization, storage, management, and security. Students planning to enroll in this course should be comfortable with the fundamentals of programming and basic data structures. This course prepares students to build and administer a database and covers representing information with the relational database model, manipulating data with Structured Query Language (SQL), database design, and database security, integrity, and privacy issues.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Poranee Kingpetcharat
  Info
• 1.5 points

Methods for Defense Analysis & Assessmen

Method-Defense Analysis/Assess

The course is designed to teach you the skills and methods you will need to handle the responsibilities of an entry-level defense analyst in the government or an outside think tank, and to equip you to compete successfully for such positions after graduation. In particular, the course will emphasize military modeling and simulation, and the use of such techniques to answer defense policy questions in modernization, force planning, campaign planning, defense budgeting, and doctrine development, with an emphasis on the importance of research design for defense analysis, and a focus on the influence of design choices on findings and policy recommendations. We will not do much actual math, but this is a methods course which will emphasize skills, not policy substance - it is not a class on topics in contemporary defense policy. You should leave the course with the ability to use sophisticated models yourself, to serve productively on a study team that uses such methods, to critique the results of others' analyses, and thereby to participate more effectively in a wide range of defense policy debates where these skills are in demand.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Stephen Biddle
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Microeconomics for International and Pub

Open to MIA, MIA, and MPA-DP Only. Students in IFEP or DAQA
cannot
take this course. 
This course is the first part of a one-year economics sequence and focuses on microeconomics. The objectives of the course are (i) to provide you with the analytical tools that are needed to understand how economists think and (ii) to help you develop an open-minded and critical way of thinking about economic issues. The course content also links to public policy and considers various applications and normative viewpoints. At the end of the course, you will understand the concepts that underlie microeconomics models and the jargon used in the economic profession. Most importantly, you will be able to assess arguments made in current policy debates critically.

• MW 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• MW 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• MW 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
• TR 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• TR 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• R 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• R 2:35 p.m.-4:05 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-7:40 p.m.
• F 10:40 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
• F 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
• Instructor: Thomas Groll
  h-index: 7 Info
• 3 points

Corporate Finance

Pre-requisite Course: SIPAU6200 - Accounting. 
Corporate finance is an introductory finance course and a central component for students pursuing the international finance track of the International Finance and Economic Policy (IFEP) concentration. This course covers key areas of business finance essential for all managers, regardless of their specialization in finance. Three fundamental questions are addressed: how much funding a firm requires to carry out its business plan, how the firm should acquire the necessary funds, and whether the business plan is worthwhile even if the funds are available.

To explore these questions, the course will cover topics such as analyzing historical uses of funds, formulating and projecting funding needs, analyzing working capital management, choosing among alternative sources of external funding for company operations, identifying costs of funds from various sources, valuing simple securities, evaluating investment opportunities, and valuing a company based on its projected free cash flow.

The course will combine lectures and in-class case discussions, for which students should prepare fully. The goal is to provide students with an understanding of both sound theoretical principles of finance and the practical environment in which financial decisions are made.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Deborah McLean
  Info
• 3 points

Quantitative Techniques

Open to Executive MPA Only. 
The use of quantitative research techniques, statistics, and computer software in designing public policies and in evaluating, monitoring, and administering governmental programs. Practical applications include research, design measurement, data collection, data processing, and presentation of research findings.

• S 3 p.m.-5 p.m.
• S 5:10 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Instructor: Stuart E Ward
  Info
• 3 points

Quantitative Techniques and Systems Anal

Research Methods & Quant Techn

Open to MPA-ESP Only. 
Students learn quantitative techniques of organizational decision-making, including how to formulate and design policy questions amenable to empirical inquiry, as well as how to identify and apply specific measurement and analytic methods appropriate to particular questions. Students are also introduced to the foundations of systems analysis: how to model and understand the design, operation, and impact of a system.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Eren Selcuk
  h-index: 4 Info
• 3 points

Nonprofit Financial Management

Priority Reg: MIA and MPA. 
Nonprofits are businesses – corporations in fact – driven foremost by mission and their ability to achieve it, but also critically needing access to, and the ability to effectively manage, financial resources, in order to fulfill that mission. Therefore, successful nonprofits and their managers, supporters, overseers, regulators, and even their employees – basically anyone who has a financial relationship with nonprofits needs not only to understand the enterprise’s success in achieving its mission, but just as importantly, the skills to understand the nonprofit’s finances. If engaging with nonprofits is something you do, have done, or aspire to, then a basic understanding of nonprofit finances is essential, and this course is for you. The course provides an introduction to the finances of nonprofits: understanding and analyzing financial statements, budgets, cash flow, audits, overhead and cost allocation, and why these are all important. The course is practical, hands-on, and – believe it or not – fun! Please note: this course focuses on nonprofits and their financial management as regulated in the United States. While the concepts here have value globally, the legal and regulatory structures discussed are specific to the United States and may not be the same in other countries.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Lawrence S Rosenblatt
  Info
• 3 points

Political Context of Environmental Manag

Political Context: Enviro Mgmt

Many of the decisions we make and actions we take have profound environmental effects, yet economic and political considerations often dominate decision-making in a way that fails to take into account the environmental foundation of our livelihoods. A slow, yet steady extension of environmental imperatives into previously ‘non’ environmental sectors such as agriculture, trade and energy production, provide some movement towards sustainability. This class explores how the political system identifies public issues as problems requiring public action, and creates and implements policy solutions. It assesses what conditions foster change by anticipating likely outcomes and effective points of intervention to achieve policy goals. It emphasizes the politics of environmental policymaking, using energy, agriculture and forestry as cases of global enterprises with local to global scales of inquiry. We will explore the tension between the market and economic models and politics and political models of policymaking; interests and interest-group politics; the connections among expertise, knowledge, and policymaking; and the particular politics of policy issues that cross jurisdictional boundaries, including federalism and globalization. We will start the semester considering two contrasting theories of policymaking: an economic, market-based approach with application in environmental policy issues and a political approach. The latter constitutes a critique of the economic paradigm and sets up the tension between the concerns for policy efficiency and effectiveness stemming from the economic model, and those of equity, representation, and consensus derived from the political model. Participants will develop a sense of the history of environmental activism, relevant actors in environmental politics and management, their roles, sources of power and influence, the effects of formal political processes and the sources of potential conflicts.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Sara Tjossem
  Info
• 3 points

Budgeting & Financial Management for Gov

Budgeting & Fin Mgmt for Govt

Priority Reg: MIA and MPA. 
Public sector budgeting in the United States, and perhaps globally, has become increasingly contentious in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis and subsequent recession. This course introduces students to budgeting and fiscal management in the public sector. We will look at the particular challenges of developing a budget within a political environment and the techniques used for reporting, accountability, and management control. Domestically, the landscape for government budgeting is being tested in unprecedented ways. Fiscal pressures at the federal and state levels have increasingly pushed responsibilities for program funding to the local level. Municipal bankruptcy, once a theoretical and untested concept, has emerged more frequently as a solution despite its long-term consequences. Selected topics will include inter-governmental relationships, taxes and other revenues, expenditure control, audits, and productivity enhancement. Lectures will also address current events related to public sector budgeting at all levels, especially as the world emerges from the COVID-19 global pandemic and the ensuing economic and fiscal crises. This course seeks to provide students with practical budgetary and financial analysis knowledge. Drawing from theory and case studies, students will acquire valuable skills to help them design, implement, and assess public sector budgets. The practical nature of the subject requires the students’ active, hands-on participation in assignments such as in-class debates, case analyses, and a budget cycle simulation. By the end of the semester, conscientious students will be able to formulate budgetary recommendations backed up by cogent analysis and calculations. 

Special thanks and credit to the late Steven Levine, SIPA professor and longtime official in the New York City Office of Management and Budget, for originating and refining this course syllabus.

• R 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: John Liu
  Info
• 3 points

Carbon Pricing

Priority Reg: CEE Concentration. Suggested Prerequisite: INAFU6071 - Fundamentals of Environmental Policy
. 
This course will take a deep dive into a 10-step set of decisions involved in designing and implementing an effective carbon market or tax system across a range of conditions and sectors from power and industry to transportation, waste, forestry and agriculture. The course will consider emissions trading, carbon taxes, and hybrid and complementary programs in an integrated manner. The class will highlight real-world examples throughout and identify lessons learned and common challenges based on international experiences with carbon pricing to date across Europe, North and South America, Asia and Oceania. Students will learn design principles and tradeoffs, perspectives of key stakeholders, and modeling tools and frameworks to inform policy choices and market participants’ decisions. The course will include a hands-on emissions trading simulation exercise as well as guest talks by market actors to illustrate concepts in practice. By the end of the course, students will have evaluated alternative policies and be prepared to understand, navigate, and potentially shape future carbon pricing policy developments.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Ruben N Lubowski
  Info
• 3 points

Financing the Energy Transition in Emerg

Financing Energy Transiti

Prerequisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist & Course Application.
This class will look at the obstacles and opportunities for financing the energy transition in emerging markets. We will start by studying what the energy transition is, how it relates to climate goals, and what it entails to understand what needs to be financed. The course will then look at the different estimates of how much will the energy transition costs and what this means for emerging markets. The class will survey the current financial energy landscape to assess what is working, what is missing, and the potential governance structures that are needed to mobilize such financing. We will survey the existing sources of financing from the private sector, development agencies, and international financial institutions to understand the specific challenges and opportunities for each source of financing. The course will also look at the financing toolkit available, from blended finance vehicles, de-risking instruments, and the new ones that are being deployed, like ESG investing and thematic bonds. The course will also introduce students to carbon markets and the role they can play in financing the energy transition in emerging markets. Lastly, the course will also survey the financing of transition assets to understand how and when capital should be deployed and what this means to retire or retrofit existing fossil fuel assets.

• M 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 1.5 points

Geopolitics of Energy Transition and Cli

Geopol of Energy Trans &

Priority Reg: CEE Concentration. Prerequisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist & Course Application.
Geopolitics is complicating the already difficult task of moving from a carbon-intensive energy system to one of net-zero emissions. Today's geopolitical tensions risk slowing the urgently needed clean energy transition, while certain dynamics in this transition exacerbate some of the most problematic geopolitical forces. Competition between great powers, a defining feature of the emerging global order, now risks slowing the transition through trade tensions and national security concerns. Additionally, the uneven energy transition is creating friction between the developed and developing worlds. War and conflict divert resources and focus from the urgency of achieving net-zero emissions. Concerns about the costs of the transition are giving an electoral boost to political parties that often place less emphasis on addressing climate change. This course aims to demonstrate that a better understanding of the entanglement of geopolitics with energy and climate change is crucial for a successful clean energy transition.

The course will include guest speakers and discussions on recent issues in geopolitics and energy transition. Through this course, students can expect to gain a deep understanding of the intricate relationship between geopolitics and the energy transition, which is essential for navigating today’s complex global landscape.

• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Jason E Bordoff
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

US Role in World Affairs I

Open to International Fellows Program Only.
On the eve of America’s Revolutionary War in 1776, Thomas Paine exclaimed, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” Two centuries later, in the post-Cold War 1990s, the United States stood alone as the world’s unrivaled global hegemon, dominant in economic, military, and cultural power. Presidents of both parties began promising a permanently transformed “new world order” based on American ideals, with the United States acting as the world’s “indispensable nation.” The quarter-century since has not been easy – terror attacks followed by multiple foreign wars; a U.S.-driven global financial meltdown; rising global and regional powers like China, Russia, and Iran; emerging threats from new cyber technologies and climate change; along with growing restiveness and anti-liberal populism from within the United States itself. And yet, despite these challenges and setbacks, the United States remains the most important actor in international relations; the one county whose power, purpose, and policy choices impact nearly every issue of global significance, and whose role will necessarily shape the future of world politics. Understanding this uniquely consequential role of America in world affairs – how it developed, the ideals and interests guiding it, and the challenges and adaptations over time – is the goal of the International Fellows Program (IFP). Though America never relinquished the radical sentiments espoused by Paine, the manner in which it fashions its foreign policy is – and has always been – shaped by multiple influences and tensions, including international threats and opportunities, and a rambunctiously democratic political system that orients itself toward passionate disagreement, partisan conflict, and a penchant for new ideas. Members of the IFP will explore these foundations, trace the rise of U.S. power along with changing conceptions of its role in the world, and ultimately assess the utility, viability, and sustainability of America’s current and future role in world politics. The IFP extends over the entire academic year. The single most important requirement for IFP members is to participate actively in our weekly meetings, most of which will consist of a roughly 50-minute lecture followed by one hour of class discussion of assigned readings and lectures. The fall semester will focus on America’s unique historical foundations

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Victoria Nuland
  Info
• 3 points

Engaging Non-State Armed Groups: Lessons

Engaging NonState Armed Groups

Over the past decade, the number of civil wars globally has increased dramatically, driven by a proliferation of non-state armed groups, illicit transnational networks and regional actors. The rise of civil wars has meant conflicts are not only harder to resolve via traditional forms of diplomacy, but also more likely to relapse; in fact, 60 per cent of the civil wars that reached peace agreements in the early 2000s have since fallen back into conflict. As an organization created to prevent wars between states, the UN has struggled to meet the challenges of today’s conflicts, particularly when it comes to engaging non-state actors. At the same time, the UN is often uniquely positioned to make contact with armed groups that may be blacklisted by key member states, and it is often UN peace operations that are best placed to implement strategies to address the various threats they pose.

What are the origins of the growth of today’s form of non-state armed groups and why have they increased in relevance in recent years? How has the rise of rebel and so-called “terrorist” groups affected the character of war today, and what implications does this have for conflict prevention and management? What challenges (and opportunities) do non-state actors pose to traditional forms of conflict resolution, and what can be learned from the UN’s experiences in places like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Mali?

Drawing on a mix of academic literature, case studies and first-hand accounts of those involved directly in UN-led operations in the field, students will explore these questions and grapple with the very real predicaments that face today’s mediators and peacekeepers around the world. By the end of this course, students will have a firm grasp of the core theories and concepts that drive UN engagement with non-state actors, how the UN and its partners have developed strategies in asymmetrical and complex environments, and a practical experience of the difficulties of applying principles to reality.  This course will be of interest to those wishing to pursue academic research on the UN, scholars of critical studies of international relations, and those hoping to build a career in conflict resolution and management.

• SU 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Adam Day
  Info
• 1.5 points

Global Economic Governance

This course aims at familiarizing students with major issues surrounding global economic governance, exploring both the issues that have been or are now subject to current debates, as well as the institutional questions involved. “Global economic governance” is understood in a broad sense, and thus includes not only global but also regional frameworks, and both formal institutions as well as informal groupings of countries (such as the G7/8 and the G20) and rules of international transactions that have been left to bilateral agreements or are under the domain of national sovereignty but do have global implications. “Economics” is also understood in a broad sense, to include social and environmental issues.

It will start with three general lectures that will place the debates on global governance in relation to those on globalization, and will give a first look at the objectives of international cooperation, the historical evolution of the current governance and typologies of the different rules, organization and governance structures that have been created at varied times. It will then deal in detail with major issues that international cooperation: the role of the UN system, development cooperation, global monetary and financial management, trade and investment, international tax cooperation, and climate change. It will end with discussion of the governance of the system, and a recapitulation of governance issues and reform proposals in light of the global economic developments in the 2008-2019, during COVID-19, and during the current crisis that mixes geopolitical issues with an economic crisis.

• T 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Jose A Ocampo
  Wikipedia h-index: 77 Info
• 3 points

Gender, Conflict, and Peacebuilding

Gender, Conflict, & Peacebuild

October 2023 marks 23 years since the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. An additional 9 resolutions have since been adopted. This agenda is the first time in the UN’s 50-year history that women’s experiences and particularly their contributions to the promotion of peace and security in contexts of violent conflict, closed political space and rising extremism is acknowledged. It is also the first time that the need for women’s protection was noted strongly. The resolution marks a clear watershed in the evolving efforts to promote human security as a normative framework for the international community. Although the primary focus is on women, the emerging discourse has drawn increasing attention to the need for gendered analysis – i.e., addressing the conditions/experiences of women, men, intersectionality - in conflict and peacebuilding. The agenda has been prescient for understanding and addressing conflict and insecurity in recent decades. Yet with the abandonment of Afghan women during the US negotiations with the Taliban, and the outbreak of the Ukraine war, the WPS agenda and related human security and peacebuilding agendas of the international system have been under severe strain. 

This intensive 2-day seminar (14 hours) & online review/teamwork will provide an overview of the evolving field of gender, peace and security.  Drawing on empirical research and practice, the modules will address the following issues:


Historical and geopolitical evolution and context in which the WPS and GPS fields have arisen;

Attaining SCR 1325 and the expansion of the WPS policy agenda with attention to subsequent resolutions and key pillars of this agenda – notably women’s participation in peace and security, protection issues, peacekeeping and conflict prevention including conflict related sexual violence.

Implications of the Afghan withdrawal, Ukraine conflict, rising authoritarianism and extremisms on gender, peace and security issues.

Gender analysis and the practical application of a gendered lens to key mediation, security and peacebuilding and security processes.

Experiences and lessons from women’s peace coalitions and women’s contributions to peacebuilding including countering/preventing violent extremism

Discussion of Sexual violence in conflict

Women and peacekeeping including issues of sexual exploitation and abuse

• S 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Sanam Naraghi-Anderlini
  Info
• 1.5 points

Mainstreaming Gender in Global Affairs

Mainstream Gender- Global Affr

This course introduces students to gender mainstreaming, gender analysis and intersectionality as theory and method, as well as the associated set of strategies, tools and skills applicable to international and public policy contexts. Through a combination of empirical research, structural theorizing, social critique, and case studies, students will become acquainted with the global dimensions of feminist organizing and policy-making necessary for working in a variety of specialty policy fields such as education, public health, international finance, sustainable development, peace and security, organizational management and economic development.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Kristy Kelly
  h-index: 3 Info
• 3 points

Writing About War: Seeking Narratives in

This intensive writing seminar explores the special challenges of creating narrative and assessing truth claims in the context of violent conflict. In this course, you will grow as a writer through extensive practice reporting, writing, revising your work, and editing your peers. We will engage with a pressing matter of our age: how to evaluate facts and context and create compelling and precise narratives from the fog of war. A growing swathe of the world, including many countries that are nominally not at war, are currently experiencing pre- or post-conflict conditions. Through discussions, reading, and writing, seminar participants will learn the mechanics of covering conflict and the politics of war- and peace-making. We will read accounts produced in journalism, policy analysis, advocacy, literature, and philosophy. Students will produce original reported narrative writing about conflict, which they may try to place for publication. Students will have to write or revise an original piece almost every week. The skill set cultivated by this class will help anyone write about violent conflict (which includes its prelude and aftermath), whether they plan to do so for a reporting-driven NGO, as a policy analyst, or as a journalist. This course emphasizes good writing and critical thinking; grades will reflect participation, effort, clarity of thought, originality of reporting, and successful narrative craft. Students can draw on their own experiences and contacts – as well as the great wealth of resources in New York City – for story ideas and sources

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Athanasios Cambanis
  Info
• 3 points

Microeconomic Analysis for International

Open to MIA, MIA, and MPA-DP Only. Required for IFEP and DAQA. 
The objectives of the course are: (i) To provide you with the analytical tools needed to understand economic models (ii) To help you develop an open-minded and critical way to think about economic issues (iii) To help you understand motivations and consequences of microeconomic policies (iv) To facilitate your understanding of the concepts underlying microeconomics models and make you familiar with the jargon that is used in the economic profession (v) To get you used to work effectively with diverse groups.

• TR 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• TR 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• MW 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• MW 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• MW 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5:40 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• F 12:20 p.m.-1:50 p.m.
• F 3:40 p.m.-5:10 p.m.
• R 2:20 p.m.-3:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Emanuele Gerratana
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

State and Society in the Developing Worl

State & Soc - Developing World

This lecture course presents different political economy perspectives on the dynamics between state and society involved in governance around the efforts at sustainable development or other goals to improve how each society defines their wellbeing. This course requires familiarity with basic social science theories and methods and the core readings are all scholarly work from the social sciences and mostly political science. The course emphasizes comparative methods and introduces students to a wide range of social science theories applied to different issues, which have important effects in the policymaking process of developing countries.

• W 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• R 4:15 p.m.-5:45 p.m.
• Instructor: Maria Victoria Murillo
  h-index: 37 Info
• 3 points

Global Health and Public Policy

Global Health & Public Policy

This course will provide students with an overview of the most important health challenges in low and middle income countries. Student will gain insight into the burden of disease on vulnerable populations and how interventions have evolved to tackle them. We will discuss international strategies and programs that promote human health, and will review both best practices and pitfalls of Global Health implementation programs. Specific areas of focus will include disease profiles, technological interventions, health systems design, and key stakeholders in the global health arena. Following this course, students will be able to understand the broad scope of health challenges and think strategically about solutions.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Communicating in Organizations

Priority Reg: Executive MPA. 
Communicating in Organizations is a survey course that explores aspects of day-to-day managerial communication relating to presentations and other high-profile moments and more familiar elements of interpersonal communication. The course uses many teaching techniques: short lectures, individual and group exercises, video-recorded presentations, role plays, case discussions, video clips, and writing assignments. It is highly experiential, with exercises or presentations scheduled in most sessions. Initially, we’ll focus on the communication skills and strategies that help you present your ideas to others.  I’ll ask you to do two benchmark assignments―a letter and a brief presentation―to assess the abilities you bring to the course. In several of our class sessions, you’ll be the one “in front of the room,” delivering either a prepared talk or brief, impromptu comments. Such assignments will allow you to develop your skills as a presenter.  I’ll also discuss the link between listening and speaking, showing you how developing your listening skills will improve your effectiveness as a speaker.  And we’ll explore several elements of visual communication, including how to design effective visual aids and written documents. To communicate effectively in such roles as coach, interviewer, negotiator, or facilitator, you need to be skilled at listening, questioning, observing behavior, and giving feedback.  We’ll practice each of these skills in-class exercises and assignments. The Social Style instrument will provide detailed feedback about how others view your communication style. You’ll discover how style differences may lead to miscommunication, missed opportunities, or mishandled conflict.

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Joann P Baney
  Info
• 3 points

East Asian Security

This course explores the principal hard power security issues facing East Asia: the rise of China; the US relationship with its allies and security partners in the region; Japan’s security strategy; the political-military disputes centered on the East and South China seas, the Korean peninsula, and the Taiwan Strait; and military strategies in the region. Through a set of readings and discussions, students will come to a deeper understanding of the major issues in the region’s security; how the histories and domestic politics of China, Japan, the two Koreas and Taiwan shape and impact on the region’s security; and how some of the major scholars and practitioners who have thought about the region have viewed its security problems.

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Scott W Harold
  CULPA: 3 Info
• 3 points

Current Environmental and Natural Resour

Enviro Issues in Latin Am

In this course, students will acquire an understanding of Latin America’s principal environmental issues, focusing on the challenges related to the management of natural resources. To that end, using an economic framework, case studies will be discussed to understand policy and economic instruments applied by the state and decentralized solutions implemented in the region.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Maria Alejandra Velez
  Info
• 3 points

Foreign Policy and Domestic Politics in

Foreign Pol & Domestic Po

Henry Kissinger remarked in the 1970s that "Israel has no foreign policy, only domestic politics." Moshe Dayan, a well-known Israeli general, observed that "Israel has no foreign policy, only a defense policy with international implications." These statements highlight an enduring question for the Middle East: What explains Israeli foreign policy? How do history, security challenges, ideology, and domestic politics influence Israel's position in a globalized world? This question carries special relevance when considering the war in Gaza. Since late 2023, Israel and the Middle East have been engulfed in a highly consequential conflict, with various actors - Hamas launching the October 7 attack, Iran, the Houthis of Yemen, and Hezbollah - engaged in active hostilities. These events have refocused attention on the history and dynamics of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the decades-long successes and failures in the peace process. We will explore significant episodes that reflect the intersection of Israel's foreign policy and domestic politics, specifically within the context of the Middle East peace process. Analyzing how Israeli politics has shaped major regional shifts over the last four decades, we'll debate whether the predominance of a fragmented political system necessarily leads to a crisis of national strategy or might ensure a more flexible and adaptive foreign policy.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Nadav Eyal
  Info
• 1.5 points

Conflict in the 21st Century: Rethinking

After a long period of decline, conflict is on the rise; the nature of conflict is also evolving, as new actors and new battlefields emerge, blurring the line that separates war and peace. We must adapt our strategies and tactics for conflict prevention and conflict resolution. The course will help students develop a conceptual framework for the understanding and resolution of contemporary conflicts, but it will be taught from a practitioner’s perspective, with a strong emphasis on policy challenges and dilemmas. When possible, practitioners who have been involved in the resolution of conflicts will contribute to the discussion. Each class discussion will be structured by specific questions which will confront students with conceptual, operational and ethical choices.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Jean-Marie Guehenno
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Economic Espionage

Intelligence activities are traditionally thought to comprise the activities of a nation state’s intelligence organizations attempting to steal secrets, usually those pertaining to national security, from the organizations of another nation state.  However, intelligence activities have seldom, if ever, been confined to the government sphere.  Most nation states have employed their national intelligence systems to steal privately held economic information from other countries to benefit their economies: many continue to do so. Private enterprises have long employed methodologies associated with “traditional” intelligence to obtain trade secrets from domestic and foreign competitors.  The establishment of a legal and ethical framework to govern this activity –- the discipline of “competitive intelligence’, is a relatively recent phenomenon. This course will examine in depth the interaction of intelligence and private sector on these three levels.  Part one of the course will cover economic espionage: the deliberate targeting of private sector entities by foreign intelligence services.  Soviet/Russian and Chinese conduct of Economic Espionage will be discussed in detail.  A separate class will examine the prevalence of economic espionage among democratic nations, usually considered allies of the United States in both theory and practice.  The U.S. attitude towards economic espionage, and the U.S reaction to the threat, will be the subject other class meetings. The course will then move on to industrial espionage, companies spying on other companies, and its’ more socially acceptable counterpart, competitive intelligence.   The course will conclude with an in-depth look at the development of the private intelligence sector, and rare instances of private sector espionage against a government entity, including the notorious “Fat Leonard” conspiracy to penetrate and suborn the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: David Gutschmit
  Info
• 3 points

Humanitarian Engagement-Armed Actors

Upon completing this course, students will have an understanding of: Why engagement with armed actors is essential for humanitarian action, and what the normative bases for such engagement are; What Civil-Military Coordination comprises, how it works, and what elements need to be integrated in an assessment and strategy; How to address the challenge of non-state armed groups and their role and obligations in the conduct of hostilities, and towards the civilians under their control; What the limits of engagement are, but also how armed actors can, at times, support humanitarian action.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Ezequiel Heffes
  Info
• 3 points

Human Rights Research and Reporting

Human Rights Research & Report

In the global context of the rise of anti-rights populism, human rights activism requires increasingly sophisticated approaches on the part of human rights activists. Technological developments have enabled new kinds of cybersurveillance and other threats to human rights; as well as new methodological approaches for documenting human rights violations from geo-spatial analysis to open source investigations. Emerging areas of work from disability rights to a growing focus on economic and social rights has created demands for new approaches to identifying, documenting and rights violations. The seasoned human rights activist needs quantitative skills as well as the ability to sensitively interview victims and witnesses or assess a morgue report. An ever more hostile environment for human rights with “fake news” deployed as rebuttal by autocrats – as well as the possibility of creating “deep fakes” through artificial intelligence - has intensified the stakes for research and the need for rigor. This course seeks to introduce practical skills of a human rights investigator: how to identify and design a research project, how to conduct the research, and how to present compelling findings and principled but pragmatic recommendations to the public, media and advocacy targets. There will be a strong emphasis on practical engagement, and students will be expected, in group work, to develop project concepts and methodological approaches to contemporary human rights problems. Each week, they will review and discuss in class new reporting from human rights investigations by journalists and human rights activists. They will also hone their writing skills to present human rights findings in a clear, concise and compelling manner, whether in internal memos, press releases, or detailed public reports. Guest speakers from diverse parts of the global human rights movement will present their experiences and advice.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew C Heinrich
  Info
• 3 points

Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Glo

Intl Hum Law & Crim Law

This course explores both foundational and advanced aspects of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) within the context of contemporary warfare and provides an overview of International Human Rights Law (IHRL). It elucidates the mechanisms that establish, apply, and enforce rules in both domains. The course develops students' critical analytical and research skills. Contemporary warfare case studies are used methodically, supplemented by interactive activities and simulations. It also addresses the roles and capacities of international courts and tribunals in prosecuting perpetrators.

The structure, content, and methodology of the course are designed to achieve specific objectives and outcomes for students, enabling them to navigate complex humanitarian landscapes effectively. By the end of the course, students will not only understand IHL’s core concepts and terminology but will also have developed analytical thinking regarding key rules and relevant international bodies. They will enhance their collaboration and communication skills through practical activities aimed at addressing global challenges in the protection of victims. They will practice formulating law-based, action-oriented proposals and key research questions, which are central to further work at Columbia, as well as international organizations, the media, and humanitarian institutions. The course uses interactive elements such as a whiteboard platform, simulations of current conflict case studies, and peer teaching, fostering an engaging and collaborative learning environment. Through a case analysis framework—specifically developed by the professor for this course—students will gain the capacity to properly approach the IHL elements of humanitarian crises, outlining the steps to
follow and the skills to apply.

The course examines the challenges to IHL and the application of protective rules in major wars and armed conflicts, such as those in Ukraine, Gaza, Ethiopia, Congo, Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar. Fundamental questions guide the exploration of current global challenges and tendencies resulting from these wars in ensuring adherence to international legal standards. Broader areas essential to understanding and addressing these challenges in legal protections and mitigating the impacts of warfare will be coherently discussed. Some of these fundamental questions include: What protection do the Geneva Conventions provide to internees, prisoners, and hostages, and what are the challenges in ensuring humane tr

• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Horst Fischer
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Quantitative Analysis I for Internationa

Open to MIA, MPA, and MPA-DP Only. 
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of statistical analysis. We will examine the principles and basic methods for analyzing quantitative data, focusing on applications to problems in public policy, management, and the social sciences. We will begin with simple statistical techniques for describing and summarizing data and build toward more sophisticated methods for drawing inferences from data and making predictions about the social world. The course assumed that students have at least high school algebra. Students will be trained on STATA. This powerful statistical package is frequently used to manage and analyze quantitative data in many organizational/institutional contexts. A practical mastery of a significant statistical package is an essential proficiency.

• M 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• R 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• W 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Doru Cojoc
  Info
• 3 points