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.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• WF 1 p.m.-2 p.m.
• Instructor: Sarah M Holloway
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Campaign Management

Together we are going to learn how to plan, manage, and execute the major elements of a modern American campaign using skills that can be applied to all levels of the electoral process. What are the elements of a modern political campaign? How are those pieces executed? How do we get the people elected (or un-elected) which impacts Public Policy for decades? If you are interested in political campaigns, this is your chance to learn directly from top experts in the field about the various tools and strategies used in all aspects of American politics and campaigns today.
 
Although this is a course focusing on practical competence, empirical political theory and relevant political science will be applied to our work. Guest lecturers, simulations, and additional materials such as videos and handouts will augment the course. When we are done, you will know what you need to do, and where you need to turn, in order to effectively organize an election campaign. The curriculum is ambitious, specialized, and task-specific. This is not a course in political science, but rather a hands-on, intensive training seminar in campaign skills. By May, you will be able to write a campaign plan, structure a fundraising effort, hire and work with consultants, plan a media campaign (both paid and unpaid), research and target a district, structure individual voter contact, use polling data, understand the utility of focus groups, write press releases, conduct advance work on behalf of your candidate, manage crises, hire and fire your staff, and tell your candidate when he or she is wrong. Our aim is to make you competent and eminently employable in the modern era of advanced campaign technology. For the purposes of this class, you will design a campaign plan for a political race. To make this more interesting (and realistic), you will be provided with information and situations throughout the semester that will require you to plan, anticipate, and adapt your campaign plan to the changing realities inherent to every campaign.
 
The course will be co-taught by Jefrey Pollock, the Founding Partner and President of Global Strategy Group, a premier strategic research and communications firm, who has advised numerous local and national political candidates and organizations; as well as, Camille Rivera, Partner at New Deal Strategies, an experienced policy and political legislative director with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization managem

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• 3 points

Issues in US-EU Economic Relations

A short course on selected issues in current US-EU economic relations. Topics covered include: US-EU trade relations; US-EU differences in relations with China; climate policy and trade; the digital economy and data privacy; European competition policy toward U.S. high tech firms; dollar-euro diplomacy and the international roles of the dollar and euro; the economic dimension to transatlantic security after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• R 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Seamus C O'Cleireacain
  Info
• 1.5 points

Politics in the European Union

This course offers an overview of recent and contemporary politics in the European Union. On the basis of the assumption that the latter is inextricably determined by both supra-national and infra-national dynamics, it examines the European Union as a whole, as well as the politics of certain key member states. Classes are based on readings from foundational texts in the recent comparative politics and history literature on the European Union and its member states. They will involve initial lectures by the instructor and leave ample time for seminar-style discussion. In addition, students will be required to participate in a number of structured class debates, which will form an integral part of the pedagogy, and serve as one of the bases for individual evaluation. Throughout the duration of the course, students will also be working on a final research paper, whose topic will be determined individually with the instructor.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Carlo E Invernizzi Accetti
  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 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• F 12:20 p.m.-2:10 p.m.
• Instructor: John Liu
  Info
• 3 points

Critical Issues in Urban Public Policy

Critical Issues-Urban Pub Pol

This course is designed to prepare future policymakers to critically analyze and evaluate key urban policy issues in US cities. It is unique in offering exposure to both practical leadership experience and urban affairs scholarship that will equip students to meet the challenges that face urban areas. Students will read academic articles and chapters from books dealing with urban politics and policy, and will hear from an exciting array of guest lecturers from the governmental, not-for-profit, and private sectors. Drawing from his experiences as former Mayor of Philadelphia, Mayor Michael Nutter will lay out the basic elements of urban government and policymaking, emphasizing the most important demographic, economic, and political trends facing urban areas.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Michael A Nutter
  Info
• 3 points

Renewable Energy Project Finance Modelin

Renew Energy Proj Fin Modeling

Priority Reg: CEE Students.
The course is a practicum, exposing students to real-world tools of the trade as well as the theory underlying them. In place of a textbook, students will be provided with actual project documents used for a wind energy project constructed relatively recently. While some confidential information has been redacted, the document set is largely intact and akin to what one would encounter if working for a utility, project developer, project finance lender or infrastructure equity investment firm. Students will learn best practice financial modeling, suitable for use in other practice areas. The course is challenging but provides real-world skills.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 3 points

Energy Decarbonization

Priority Reg: CEE Students.
The course will provide students with an understanding of the energy decarbonization pathways needed to address the risks of climate change and the economic, scientific, and political barriers that stand in the way. It will dig into the technologies and strategies that can spur decarbonization in each of the major energy sectors. It will highlight the most critical public policies to reduce emissions effectively, efficiently, and equitably. It will describe historical failures, successes, and ongoing attempts to achieve energy decarbonization worldwide.

• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Noah Kaufman
  Info
• 3 points

Conduct of War

The conduct of war lies at the heart of international security policy. Even if never used, the capacity to conduct war successfully underpins deterrence and much of foreign policy. Creating and wielding this capacity is the ultimate purpose of most security policymakers’ jobs. The equipment, organization, recruitment and training of great power militaries are all shaped by the demands of conducting war. The agencies that field these militaries and shape these policies exist in large part to enable successful conduct in the event of war. A deep understanding of international politics thus requires awareness of the conduct of war and its demands. And the deepest possible knowledge of the theory and practice of modern warfare is among the most important skills a prospective participant in security policy making can bring to the enterprise – a sophisticated understanding of the conduct of war is foundational to almost everything else a security policy professional does. The purpose of this course is to provide a sufficient grounding in this essential material to enable students to participate effectively in the security policymaking process. In particular, the course is designed to equip students to shoulder the duties of an entry-level analyst or civil servant in the many executive branch agencies, legislative offices, think tanks, and international organizations whose duties involve the conduct of war. In the process, the course should give you the underlying intellectual foundations needed to learn more rapidly from your experience once you enter the field, and thus to graduate more quickly to positions of greater responsibility and influence within the field. But this is not a general education liberal arts course – while we will cover a body of important ideas about a major human enterprise, and while the course should sharpen students’ critical thinking skills, our priority will be pre-professional preparation for students who expect to work in the defense policy field after graduation.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Celestino Perez
  Info
• 3 points

UN Development System in Action: Governa

Priority Reg: IO/UNS Specialization. 
This course will focus on the work of the UNDS, its governance and funding at the global level, and results at the country level. The course will consider the UNDS’s role in tackling current development challenges, giving students the opportunity to learn from practical UNDS responses with partners to emerging crises and ongoing challenges. The class will examine the ongoing UNDS reforms and the importance of development, humanitarian, and peace actors working together. Readings will draw from scholarly literature on the history of the UNDS, case studies, country reports, and strategic and policy documents. Students will also analyze and work with guidance documents produced for UN staff and circulated as part of the UNDS’s operations.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Gulden Turkoz-Cosslett
  Info
• 1.5 points

US Role In World Affairs II

In this second semester of the full-year International Fellows course, “The Role of the U.S. in the World, II” students will be introduced to the challenges confronting the 47th American president at the start of his/her term and will follow the first 100 days of the new U.S. administration, along with international reaction to Washington’s policies.  Each week, the class will discuss current geostrategic and global challenges and opportunities for the U.S., and wrestle with the policy choices under consideration.  This will include following U.S. relations with Russia, Russia’s war in Ukraine, competition and the potential for conflict with China, a roiling Middle East, and U.S. relations with rising and hedging states and democratic backsliders.  The class will also cover the policy challenges presented by rapid advances in technology; a global economy which is trending more towards competition than cooperation; and the interlinked issues of climate change, the energy transition, food insecurity and record-breaking levels of global migration.  The goal is to put students in the minds of U.S. policymakers as they grapple with complex international leadership problems, alliance management, congressional and budgetary challenges and the need to work with countries around the world who are skeptical of or hostile to US leadership. The class will also examine how U.S. choices look to its allies and its adversaries, and how America’s actions affect the decisions of other states.  The Washington trip, a feature of IFP since the 1960’s, will give the class the opportunity to hear directly from current policymakers, former government officials, members of Congress and leading think-tankers and non-governmental players.  Throughout the semester, the class will also be invited to special sessions with outside speakers and team meals to further enrich their experience and help build lifetime camaraderie and professional bonds among classmates – a key goal of IFP’s founders.

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

United Nations & Globalization

Priority Reg: IO/UNS Specialization. 
This course introduces the various ways in which the United Nations affects global governance. Over the last decade, every aspect of global governance has been subject to review and debate: peacekeeping and peacebuilding, the future of humanitarianism, a new climate change architecture, human rights, a new sustainable development agenda, and the need for a new multilateralism. Part 1 of this course introduces the different actors, entities, and platforms through which the UN affects global governance. It establishes the conceptual foundations for the role of international organizations in today’s multiplex world. It sheds light on how the UN acts at various levels, in different forms, and with a varied set of partners to foster global public goods and global public policy. This includes discussions on the role of international law, goal setting, and frameworks, as well as the interlinkages between global-level interventions and regional, national, and local activities and outcomes. Part 2 applies the conceptual insights to specific issue areas. Discussions on global governance mechanisms in the areas of peace and security, humanitarian action, sustainable development, climate change, human rights, global health, and COVID-19 deepen the understanding of the role the UN plays in broader governance regimes. In addition to critical scholarship on international organizations and global governance, the course relies on students’ analysis of relevant proceedings and debates at the UN, original policy documents, and expert testimony from a range of guest speakers who share their extensive firsthand observations as actors in global governance processes. By these means,
United Nations and Globalization
offers insights into the processes, challenges, and impacts of UN activities to make global governance regimes stronger, more effective, and more accountable.

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

Women and Leadership: Designing Policy f

This course explores

how public policy can support the development of women leaders. In recent years, efforts to increase the number of women in senior leadership positions on corporate boards, in C-suites and in government, have reflected a call for gender equity in the spaces controlling levers of power.

• W 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Jeri E Powell
  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 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Kristy Kelly
  h-index: 3 Info
• 3 points

Transnational LGBTI Rights

LGBT Rights Internationally

In May 2016, a highly contested resolution passed the UN Human Rights Council condemning discrimination and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity and establishing the system’s first ever Independent Expert on the same themes.  The protracted fight for the resolution demonstrated how lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) rights were, and remain, among the most controversial issues in international human rights, law, and public policy. Contestations around LGBTI rights are frequently framed in terms of ‘human rights’ versus ‘traditional values’ which underscores a central challenge to LGBTI rights claims – how to make universalizing claims based on identities that are historically contingent and culturally produced. This course will explore how LGBTI rights impact mainstream debates, such as bilateral relations and good governance, while also teaching students to understand the challenges of fulfilling LGBTI rights, such as access to legal recognition for same-sex partnerships and transgender people. The course will also explore the ways in which anti-LGBTI animus is deployed for political effect and seek to understand the processes whereby LGBTI rights become lightning rods for broader social and political cleavages. This course offers students an opportunity to reflect, in-depth, on the challenges and opportunities of working on LGBTI rights transnationally, surveys debates within the field, and equips students to competently address LGBTI rights as they manifest across a range of academic and professional interests. Breaking news and contemporary debates will be integrated into the course work.

• Instructor: Jessica Stern
  Wikipedia h-index: 24 Info
• 1.5 points

Foundations of Cyber Conflict

Found. of Cyber Conflict

This class examines the dynamics of cyber conflict. We will focus less on the technology of cyberspace than the national security threats, challenges, and policy responses including lessons from history and other kinds of conflict. After taking this course, you will understand about the Internet and Internet-based attacks; how cyber conflicts unfold at the tactical and strategic levels; how cyber conflicts and cyber power are different or similar to conflict and power in other domains; the evolution of US cyber policies and organizations; as well as legal issues and the policies and organizations of other nations. The centerpiece of the course is an exercise to reinforce the fundamentals of national security response to a major cyber incident. Accordingly, you will demonstrate the ability to formulate policy recommendations in the face of the uncertainties of an unfolding cyber conflict.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Jason Healey
  Wikipedia h-index: 15 Info
• 3 points

Terrorism & Counterterrorism

This course examines the origins and evolution of modern terrorism, challenges posed by terrorist groups to states and to the international system, and strategies employed to confront and combat terrorism. We assess a wide variety of terrorist organizations, and explore the psychological, socioeconomic, political, and religious causes of terrorist violence past and present. We also analyze the strengths and weaknesses of various counterterrorism strategies, from the point of view of efficacy as well as ethics, and look into ways in which the new threat of global terrorism might impact the healthy functioning of democratic states. The course is divided into two parts. Part I focuses on the terrorist threat, including the nature, roots, objectives, tactics, and organization of terrorism and terrorist groups. Part II addresses the issue of counterterrorism, including recent American efforts to combat terrorism, the strengths and weaknesses of counterterrorist tools and instruments, the issue of civil liberties and democratic values in confronting terrorism, and international strategies and tactics.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Stuart M Gottlieb
  CULPA: 12 Info
• 3 points

Conflict Resolution

Priority Reg: ICR Specialization. 
This course introduces the study and practice of international conflict resolution, providing students with a broad understanding of the subject and a framework for approaching more specific strands of study offered by CICR. Can a war be stopped before it starts? Is it realistic to talk about ‘managing’ a war and mitigating its consequences? What eventually brings adversaries to the negotiating table? How do mediation efforts unfold and how are the key issues resolved? Why do peace processes and peace agreements so often fail to bring durable peace? Students will address these and other fundamental questions in order to develop an understanding of international conflict resolution.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• 3 points

Macroeconomic Analysis for International

Open to MIA, MIA, and MPA-DP Only. Prerequisite Course: SIPAU6400 - Macroeconomic Analysis. Required for IFEP and DAQA.
 This course continues the one-year sequence initiated with SIPA U6400 and focuses on macroeconomics. The goal of this course is to provide students with the analytical framework to examine and interpret observed economic events in the global economy. The causal relationships between macroeconomic aggregates is based upon microeconomic principles. The subject matter always refers to concrete situations with a particular focus on the causes and effects of the current global financial crisis. The controversial nature of macroeconomic policies is central.

• MW 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• MW 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• TR 9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
• TR 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• TR 2:15 p.m.-3:45 p.m.
• R 12:40 p.m.-2:10 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5:40 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• F 10:40 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
• R 4:10 p.m.-5:40 p.m.
• R 6:10 p.m.-7:40 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
• F 10:40 a.m.-12:10 p.m.
• F 12:20 p.m.-1:50 p.m.
• F 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
• Instructor: Fernando Cirelli
  Info
• 3 points

Human Rights and the Politics of Inequal

Human Rights & Devpt Policy

This course investigates the relationship between human rights and key policies affecting economic and social equality and equity issues. In particular, the course will focus on how human rights criteria have been integrated into economic governance in various arenas, including trade, labor, development, and environmental policy. The course will introduce students to both theory and practical points of leverage for advancing human rights in the public and the private sector. Students will learn about the strengths, weaknesses and impacts of grievance mechanisms that are tied to economic policies, such as free trade agreements or World Bank complaint mechanisms. They will analyze the impacts of development and investment policies on human rights and strategies for incorporating human rights criteria into governmental and non-governmental decision-making processes.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• 3 points

Social Movements & Citizenship in Africa

Social Movemt & Citizen-Africa

This course focuses on social movements and citizenship in sub-Saharan Africa to examine how people form political and social movements and deploy citizenship strategies within social, historical, and economic structures that are both local and global. It draws on readings and lectures from scholars in history, political science, anthropology, sociology, and African studies to explore the following topics and themes: histories and theories of social movements and citizenship; cities and social movements and citizenship; citizenship outside the nation-state; social movements and democracy; citizenship as a creative enterprise that emphasizes claim-making and improvisation; citizenship within imperial, international, and national contexts; infrastructures, claim-making, and coalition building; opposition, leadership and democracy; and social movements of African youth and women. This course features guest lectures by and discussions with French and American scholars from Sciences-Po, Universite Paris 1, NYU, and Columbia, and is part of the Joint African Studies Program (JASP) at the Institute of African Studies that is supported by the Partnership University Fund (PUF) and the French Alliance Program at Columbia. It includes foundational readings on concepts, theories, and histories of social movements and citizenship in Africa as well as in-depth case studies on selective themes by various experts working on sub-Saharan Africa. It is unique insofar as it offers a strong foundation in social movements and citizenship while exposing students to in-depth case studies by leading experts working in a variety of disciplines and geographical contexts. All lectures and discussions are conducted in English.

• M 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Jinny K Prais
  Info
• 3 points

Universal Food Security

This course addresses the challenges and opportunities for achieving a productive, profitable, inclusive, healthy, sustainable, resilient, and ethical global food system. Our first class will provide a brief historical perspective of the global food system, highlighting relevant developments over the past 10,000 years and will explain key concepts, critical challenges, and opportunities ahead. For the ensuing few weeks, we will cover the core biophysical requirements for food production: soil and land, water and climate, and genetic resources. We include an introduction to human nutrition – 
Nutrition Week
 – that focuses on dietary change and food-based solutions to malnutrition. Building on this, the course will survey a selection of important food systems and trends across Asia, Africa, and Latin America that provide food security and livelihoods for more than half of the world’s population. Case studies and classroom debates throughout the course will explore the roles of science, technology, policies, politics, institutions, business, finance, aid, trade, and human behavior in advancing sustainable agriculture, and achieving food and nutritional security. We will probe the interactions of food systems with global issues including poverty and inequality, the persistence of chronic hunger and malnutrition, climate change, environmental degradation, international food business and value chains, biotechnology (GMOs), post-harvest losses, and food waste. With a sharp eye for credible evidence, we will confront controversies, reflect on historical trends, identify common myths, and surface little-known but important truths about agriculture and food systems. In our final sessions, we address the ultimate question: can we feed and nourish the world without wrecking it for future generations?

• TR 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• Instructor: Glenn Denning
  h-index: 14 Info
• 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

Asian Energy Security

Priority Reg: CEE Concentration.
This course surveys the distinctive character of Asian energy security requirements, how they change over time, what political-economic forces drive their transformation, and what those requirements imply for broader economic and political-military relationships between Asia and the world. The course gives special attention to Asia’s energy dependence on the Middle East and the extent to which Russia and alternative sources, including nuclear power, provide a feasible and acceptable alternative. Cross-national comparisons among the energy security policies of China, India, Japan, Korea, and Western paradigms explore distinctive features of Asian approaches to energy security.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Zongyuan Liu
  Info
• 3 points

Persistent Problems in the Global South:

Persistent Probs-Global South

This course, Persistent Problems in the Global South: Policies and Politics for Sustainable Development, examines the politics around some persistent policy problems in the Global South, against the background of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The term Global South, used mostly by intergovernmental organizations, refers to the economically disadvantaged countries also known as developing countries or the Third World. However, in recent years and within a variety of fields, Global South is also employed in a post-national sense to address spaces and peoples within the borders of wealthier countries negatively impacted by globalization. This course is explicitly comparative, and will draw on the histories and national experiences of developing countries around the world. Each week we will address one persistent sustainable development problem in the Global South in an empirically grounded case-based method, while also referring to solid theoretical frameworks and policy literature. Alongside recognizing national-level specificities, we will also examine how these countries face similar constraints arising from shared colonial experience, resource paucity and institutional barriers, which distinguish them from richer countries in the Global North.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Rumela Sen
  CULPA: 1 Info
• 3 points

Failures and Successes of Three Decades

Peacemaking Failures & Su

The return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan, coming after a twenty-year engagement of the international community, raised hard questions on the wisdom of intervening in the lives of others. Meanwhile, the wars in Syria and Yemen, in which there was no intervention, have generated immense humanitarian crises, while the short but decisive intervention in Libya, once trumpeted as an example of the responsibility to protect, has led to more than a decade of political crisis. At the same time, there is a return of older forms of conflict: interstate war, with the invasion of Ukraine by Russia; the Israel-Palestine conflict; a deterioration of relations between China and the United States that is sometimes described as a ”second Cold War.”  

Have we forgotten the lessons of the first Cold War? Have we unlearned the lessons from the crises of the 90’s (Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda…)? Or has the world changed so radically that the lessons of the 90’s no longer apply? At a time when geopolitical confrontation is deepening, do we have the right frame of analysis and the right tools in the new landscape? Are there new lessons that we should learn from the last two decades?

To answer those questions, we will go through several case studies – focusing on conflicts in which the United Nations has been involved only to better understand the causes of failure and, in some cases, of success but also to sharpen a definition of what can be called success. I will draw on my own experience as under-secretary-general for peacekeeping, as deputy of Kofi Annan when he tried to stop the Syrian conflict, and as chair of the board of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and CEO of the International Crisis Group. I will also call on a few experts and practitioners with specific experience in particular conflicts. Ultimately, we will test the validity of existing tools on several ongoing potential or active conflicts: Ukraine and Russia, Syria, Israel and Palestine.

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

Shock and Change: Strategic Surprises in

Strat Surprises: ME War P

A strategic surprise can be defined as a seemingly abrupt change during warfare or bilateral relations that is unexpected in timing, location, and scope. Traditionally, this term has been applied within the framework of decision-making and policy formulation during conflicts. However, a broader perspective sees strategic surprises not only as sudden attacks that fundamentally alter the conflict landscape but also as political developments that lead to dramatic paradigm shifts—such as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 or the end of the apartheid regime in South Africa.

This course addresses pivotal moments that have dramatically disrupted conventional paradigms in the Middle East conflict, a conflict marked by surprising events yet persistently resistant to long-lasting transformative progress. By examining occurrences of strategic surprise, including the wars of 1948, 1967, and 1973; Sadat’s peace initiative; the Oslo Accords; and the October 7 attack by Hamas, we will investigate the tension between a seeming stagnation and the potential for sudden shifts – for Peace or War. Through case studies and theoretical frameworks, students will analyze how these dynamics shape policy, conflict, and peace processes, gaining tools to critically address historical patterns and behaviors that continue to shape the region.

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

Gender and Finance

Money influences power. Access to capital and financial products and services determines who has the ability not only to best meet their basic financial needs, but to build and grow businesses, to become property owners, to invest and build wealth, to take risk, and to be full participants in the political and financial economy. This course will examine the role and impact of gender in the financial sector and its implications for gender equity more broadly. We will explore the implications of gender differences in financial experience, access, and opportunity. We will examine the historic and psychological underpinnings of gender inequities in the financial sector and their impacts in both the traditional and emerging financial sectors. We will look at what drives change in the financial sector, including the impact of seismic financial and societal transitions. Our goal will be to identify recommendations and opportunities to impact the financial sector toward greater gender equity.

• Instructor: Michelle Greene
  Info
• 1.5 points

Social Justice Movements in the Age of S

Social Justice & Social M

This course is an introduction to how emerging hybrid models of traditional and digital organizing and advocacy are building unprecedented social justice movements in the United States. During the first half of the course, students will examine the theory and practice of successful traditional offline organizing and advocacy campaigns as well as principles and characteristics of successful digital activism. In the second half of the course, students w2ill analyze contemporary social movements that have fused offline and online organizing and advocacy tactics, including ongoing activism for racial equity, drug policy reform, LGBTQ rights, criminal justice reform, gender equity, and immigration reform. Using a blend of book and journal readings, case studies, videos, and hands-on group project, and guest speaker practitioners, this course will paint a vivid picture of how social change happens in our age of social media coexisting within the practical realities of longstanding power dynamics.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Richard F Greenberg
  Info
• 3 points

Fighting Corruption: Concepts and Strate

Corruption undermines governance, saps resources and undermines development.  It is also exceptionally difficult to identify, address, and resolve due to the intrinsic opacity of its operative mechanisms, endemic nature inside systems, and persistence. This course will teach: How to identify corruption, both in general and in its particular manifestations; Current strategies to respond to corruption, particularly within developing countries; and, Expected/possible future trends in corruption. This course will also focus on practical problem-solving and policy-making solutions, including through classroom debate, scenario assessment, simulation, and paper-writing.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Richard Nephew
  Wikipedia Info
• 3 points

Rethinking Policing in the 21st Century

Rethinking Policing-21st Cent

Social movements and activists are reshaping the debate on the traditional role of policing in our society. The Black Lives Matter movement has been pivotal in leading the call for systemic change, accountability and transparency. A chorus of diverse voices has called into question unchecked police power. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and other Black and brown people has led to a breakdown of trust between the public and police. This course is designed to examine current police practices through the lens of history, race, recent events, and jurisprudence.  This class will serve as a laboratory of ideas and recommendations as we analyze police training, disciplinary procedures, use of force guidelines and other practices in an effort to foster and improve community - police relations. Several cities have deconstructed police authorities, focusing on a more democratic force and in some cases diverting funds towards a more non-violent and community-based approach to policing. Some governmental leaders have criticized recent movements for their lack of structure and stated objectives other than demanding change. This class will discuss common threads and differences between recent movements and those of the past. Lastly, this class will tackle those issues that have impeded progress in advancing a police force that promotes trust and service.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Basil A Jr Smikle
  Info
• 3 points

Rethinking Policing in the 21st Century

Rethinking Policing-21st Cent

Social movements and activists are reshaping the debate on the traditional role of policing in our society. The Black Lives Matter movement has been pivotal in leading the call for systemic change, accountability and transparency. A chorus of diverse voices has called into question unchecked police power. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner and other Black and brown people has led to a breakdown of trust between the public and police. This course is designed to examine current police practices through the lens of history, race, recent events, and jurisprudence.  This class will serve as a laboratory of ideas and recommendations as we analyze police training, disciplinary procedures, use of force guidelines and other practices in an effort to foster and improve community - police relations. Several cities have deconstructed police authorities, focusing on a more democratic force and in some cases diverting funds towards a more non-violent and community-based approach to policing. Some governmental leaders have criticized recent movements for their lack of structure and stated objectives other than demanding change. This class will discuss common threads and differences between recent movements and those of the past. Lastly, this class will tackle those issues that have impeded progress in advancing a police force that promotes trust and service.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Basil A Jr Smikle
  Info
• 3 points

Benchmarking Skills for Process & Organi

Benchmarking Skills-Proc & Org

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the structural basis of benchmarking.  Using a public sector-based case study with “hands-on” group activities, as well as various other examples given by the instructors, this course will teach students the benchmarking process along with the different tools and techniques to be used in  implementation.

• F 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
• 1 points

Collaborative Social Justice and Health

Collab Social Justice & H

“Collaborative social justice” is an innovative program model where practitioners from different fields break down traditional disciplinary silos to join forces to tackle poor health, poverty, homelessness, discrimination, and other destabilizing social conditions. This course explores how policy practitioners can use this interdisciplinary program model to promote social justice.

• FS 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
• Instructor: Rose C Goldberg
  Info
• 1 points

The Tenets and Dilemmas of Humanitarian

Humanitarian Action

Never have more people been in need of humanitarian assistance globally. The impact of conflict, natural disasters, climate change and governance crises has led to the largest ever global Humanitarian Needs Overview and appeal in 2022. But is the system functioning the way it should, and has humanitarian action been shielded from politization and power dynamics?

The course will allow students to examine the history, norms, principles, actors and governance of the international humanitarian system, to assess with a critical lens whether the norms and actors established yesterday are still the ones needed today. Through a combination of thematic sessions and case studies, it will provide insights into how humanitarian responses are governed, implemented and coordinated, and help students understand the dilemmas faced by humanitarian actors on a daily basis. Students will be asked to reflect on the key issues, challenges and prospects facing the humanitarian system.

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

Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy Pra

Hum Rights & Hum Pol Practicum

This 1.5 credit, 7-week course is designed as a forum in which human rights practitioners, humanitarian aid workers, practitioners and academics share their professional experiences and insights on the modern development of international human rights and humanitarian law, policy, and practice. The Practicum plays an important role in the Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy Concentration as a means by which students: 1. interact with speakers and gain an understanding of the different roles that humanitarian aid workers and actors play in a variety of contexts, and 2. examine current trends in the human rights field and remain informed on the different roles that human rights actors play in a variety of contexts. The Practicum is designed, therefore, to enhance students’ abilities to think critically and analytically about current problems and challenges confronting the field, and to do so in the context of a vibrant community of their peers. Whereas most courses integrate conceptual and theoretical perspectives of human rights, the Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy Practicum is meant to emphasize the processes of implementing human rights from the practitioner’s perspective.

• R 4 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Laura Perez
  Info
• 1.5 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 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Doru Cojoc
  Info
• 3 points

Quantitative Analysis II for Internation

Priority Reg: DAQA Specialization or IFEP-Econ Policy Concentration. Pre-req: SIPA U6500 - Quant I.
 This course introduces students to regression analysis as a tool for policy analysis and program evaluation (i.e., econometrics). As future practitioners and policymakers, your professional decisions will impact the world in many ways. This course will equip you with the empirical skills needed to evaluate these impacts and assess the causal effects of programs and policies.

The first half of the course will focus on the fundamentals of multiple regression analysis (including a review of Quant I), emphasizing causal inference. The second half builds on this foundation, introducing experimental and non-experimental methods widely used in empirical research and program evaluation.

Note that this is not a math course. Instead of solving math problems, you will be asked to articulate the statistical concepts we have learned and how they relate to different policy settings. Beyond the technical and conceptual foundations, a key emphasis is developing the ability to apply and explain statistical concepts in non-technical language. This skill is crucial for communicating effectively with policymakers who are not statistical experts, as you would be expected to do in many jobs and with most audiences. This course will also prepare you to take any of SIPA’s Quant III courses. This course aims to achieve three broad goals: 


Develop the technical foundations and intuition to become intelligent consumers of statistical analysis for policy research and program evaluation. This enables you to assess empirical studies and articulate findings in non-technical language critically.

Understand causal thinking and its role in interpreting data analysis and empirical studies.

Build the skills to apply and explain statistical concepts in accessible language, fostering effective communication with policymakers and non-experts.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• W 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• F 1 p.m.-2:50 p.m.
• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• M 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Alan S Yang
  CULPA: 5 Info
• 3 points

Applying Machine Learning

The spread of information technology has led to the generation of vast amounts of data on human behavior. This course explores ways to use this data to better understand and improve the societies in which we live. The course weaves together methods from machine learning (OLS, LASSO, trees) and social science (theory, reduced form causal inference, structural modeling) to work on real world problems. We will use these problems as a backdrop to weigh the importance of causality, precision, and computational efficiency.

Pre-requisites:
Quantitative Analysis II, Microeconomics, and an introductory computer science course (INAF U6006 or equiv). Students who have attained mastery of the prerequisite concepts through other means may petition for an exception to the prerequisites using the form: 
https://bit.ly/applyingMLpetition

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 12:10 p.m.-2 p.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel C Bjorkegren
  Info
• 3 points

Python for Public Policy

This 7-week mini course exposes the students to the application and use of Python for data analytics in public policy setting. The course teaches introductory technical programming skills that allow students to learn Python and apply code on pertinent public policy data. The majority of the class content will utilize the New York City 311 Service Requests dataset. It’s a rich dataset that can be explored from many angles relevant to real-world public policy and program management responsibilities.

• T 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Aidan Feldman
  Info
• 1.5 points

Data Science & Public Policy

This course will bridge the gap between data science and public policy in several exciting ways. By drawing on a diverse student body – consisting of students from SIPA and the Data Science Institute – we will combine domain-level policy expertise with quantitative analytical skills as we work on cutting-edge policy problems with large amounts of data. Throughout the semester, students will have the opportunity to analyze real-world datasets on a broad range of policy topics, including, for example, data on Russian trolls disseminating misinformation on social media, data on Islamic State recruitment propaganda on the Internet, and granular information on natural disasters that can facilitate preparedness for future hazards. In addition, students will work in interdisciplinary policy – data science teams on semester-long projects that develop solutions to policy problems drawing on big data sources. By the end of the course, students will gain hands-on experience working with various types of data in an interdisciplinary environment – a setting that is becoming more and more common in the policy world these days.

• W 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Tamar Mitts
  h-index: 5 Info
• 3 points

Using Big Data to Develop Public Policy

Big Data to Develop Pub Policy

Prerequisites: SIPA U6500 Data are a critical resource for understanding and solving public policy challenges. This course provides an applied understanding of data analytics tools and approaches to policy. This course is designed to bridge the gap between the statistical theory and real-world challenges of using data in public policy. The course leverages the DATA2GO.NYC data set. DATA2GO.NYC was developed with the intention of empowering community members to understand the areas in which they work, play, and live by providing open access to aggregated city data. You will use the data set to conduct the in-depth analysis of an issue and ultimately develop a policy proposal or policy evaluation.

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

Basics of Cybersecurity

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Elizabeth Cartier
  Info
• 1.5 points

Intro to Infographics and Data Visualiza

Intro Infographics & Data Vis

Priority Reg: DAQA and TMaC Specializations. 
This is a seven-week course that introduces students to design principles and techniques for effective data visualization. Visualizations graphically depict data to foster communication, improve comprehension and enhance decision-making. This course aims to help students: understand how visual representations can improve data comprehension, master techniques to facilitate the creation of visualizations as well as begin using widely available software and web-based, open-source frameworks.

• M 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Douglas Williamson
  Info
• 1.5 points

Data Driven Approaches for Campaigns and

Data Driven Approaches-Campaig

It is strongly recommended that students have completed Quantitative Analysis before taking this course. This class will focus on properly understanding a wide range of tools and techniques involving data and analytics in campaigns. We will study evolutions and revolutions in data-driven politics, including micro-targeting, random controlled trials, and the application of insights from behavioral science, as well as more current approaches using modern statistical techniques, machine learning/AI, and natural language processing/large language models. Our primary focus will be on developments in US political and advocacy campaigns, but we will also examine the uses of these tools in development and other areas. The course is designed to provide an informative but critical overview of an area where it is often difficult to separate hype from expertise. The purpose of the course is to prepare students to understand the strengths and limitations of Big Data and analytics, and to provide concrete and practical knowledge of some of the key tools in use in campaigns and advocacy. Students will be expected to examine the use of data in practical case studies and distinguish between proper and improper uses. The course includes a track to analyze data and will spend more time giving students practical experience with current data and analytic approaches.  Sample code will be provided, and students will be asked to execute and make minor revisions to the code to gain familiarity. Sample R projects will include reading and analyzing polling data, developing predictive models of voter behavior, and analyzing data from social media.  Students will leave with a set of applications that can be customized to work on new data sets.

• M 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Mark Steitz
  Info
• 3 points

Text as Data

This course is an introduction to the quantitative analysis of text as data – a rapidly growing field within the social sciences. The availability of textual data has grown massively in recent years, and so has the demand for skills to analyze it. Vast amounts of digital content are becoming increasingly relevant to various policy-relevant questions. For example, social media data are now commonly used to understand public opinion, engagement with politics, behavior during natural disasters, and even pathways to extremism; candidates’ statements and rhetoric during elections are useful for estimating policy positions; and large amounts of text from news sources are used to document and understand world events.

While the wealth of information in text data is incredible, its sheer size makes it challenging to summarize and interpret without quantitative methods. In this course, we will learn how to quantitatively analyze text from a social-science perspective. Throughout the course, students will learn different methods to acquire text, how to transform it to data, and how to analyze it to shed light on important research questions. Each week we will cover different methods, including dictionary construction and application, sentiment analysis, scaling and topic models, and machine learning classification of text. Lectures will be accompanied by hands-on exercises that will give students practical experience while working with real-world texts. By the end of the course, students will develop and write their own research projects using text as data.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Tamar Mitts
  h-index: 5 Info
• 3 points

Cyber Risks & Vulnerabilities

The purpose of this course is to familiarize SIPA students with the protocols and devices used in the function of the internet while focusing on the flaws and vulnerabilities. This course will approach each session in the following manner: discussion of the topic to include what the topic is and how it is used, vulnerabilities and specifically, and example, and will follow up with a video or other demonstration of a common hacker technique or tool to illustrate the problem so the students can better understand the impact. This course is intended to complement Basics of Cybersecurity with a tighter focus on specific vulnerabilities and how these can be exploited by hackers, criminals, spies, or militaries. This course is intended to be an introduction to cybersecurity and is thus suitable for complete newcomers to the area. It is a big field, with a lot to cover; however this should get students familiar with all of the basics. The class is divided into seven topics; the first five iteratively build on each other. Session six will look to future technologies. Session seven will challenge students to understand the authorities encountered and the friction between the authorities and agencies in responding to a cyber incident. Many cyber jobs are opening up with companies that need international affairs analysts who, while not cybersecurity experts, understand the topic well enough to write policy recommendations or intelligence briefs. Even if you don’t intend your career to focus on cyber issues, having some exposure will deepen your understanding of the dynamics of many other international and public policy issues.

• T 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Elizabeth Cartier
  Info
• 1.5 points

Cybersecurity & Business Risk

This course will examine cybersecurity and threats in cyberspace as a business risk: that is, the potential and consequent magnitude of loss or liability arising from conducting business connected to the Internet. Many organizations have traditionally viewed cybersecurity as a technology problem, “owned” by the Information Technology department. However, doing business connected to the Internet can create non-technical problems: legal, regulatory, financial, logistical, brand or reputational, even health or public safety problems. Increasingly, organizations are treating cybersecurity and cyber threats in a broader manner, viewing cyber as a risk to be managed, and owned ultimately by the most senior ranks of corporate governance. An example might be a bank managing cyber operational risk similarly to managing credit and market risk. However, organizations continue to face challenges as they try to translate, measure, manage, and report a risk that is highly technical, and still somewhat foreign to most risk managers. The objective of this course will be to introduce you to basic concepts of cybersecurity and threats in cyberspace, and enable you to apply them to tools, techniques, and processes for business risk management. It assumes no technical knowledge of cybersecurity, nor a deep understanding of risk management. Students will learn about the basic principles of cybersecurity, the main actors in the business and regulatory spheres, and approaches to business risk management: how to understand, describe, measure, and report risk in a cybersecurity context. Students will also understand different models and approaches used by leading institutions in various industries, including the financial services sector, critical infrastructure providers, high-technology companies, and governments.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Neal Pollard
  Info
• 3 points

Post-Soviet Geopolitics

Instructor: Renata Mustafina.
This 7-week class is designed as a journey through the complex geopolitics of the post-Soviet region, mediated by cultural artifacts, infrastructural objects, specific sites, and landscapes. The class adopts a bottom-up approach to geopolitics, moving beyond state-centric or national-level understandings of international politics to focus on the everyday experience of geopolitics at the micro level (Bono & Stoffelen, 2020; Dodds, 2019; Gaufman, 2023*). Each session aims to locate the “international” and ground various geopolitical processes in both practice and place. This perspective provides a starting point for discussing major geopolitical issues such as war, political violence, ethnic conflict, and energy crises. The six case studies—varied in both time and space—are carefully selected to offer students a glimpse of the diverse geopolitical dynamics in the region, as well as analytical frameworks that can be useful in approaching these dynamics. The seminar adopts an interdisciplinary perspective, engaging with political science, anthropology, literature, geography, and law. In addition to academic research, the seminar will incorporate visuals (photos, maps, videos) to help convey this often physically distant social reality.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Renata Mustafina
  Info
• 1.5 points

Global Reliance on Russian Energy

Globl Reliance-Russ Enrgy

Russian unprovoked war in Ukraine dramatically changed the world energy landscape and created one of the primary energy crises in the world. Russian Federation is the world's largest energy exporter of fossil fuels. However, shocked by the war, the West imposed sanctions on the Russian energy sector. The course will discuss a significant energy geopolitical shift happening worldwide because of the war. We will focus on how the EU navigates this crisis and how Russia tries to escape sanctions. What new energy alliances appear, and what disappear because of this war?

• W 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• Instructor: Natasha Udensiva
  Info
• 3 points

Law and Politics of Spying and Lying

As far back as the Revolutionary War, American citizens have been engaged in secret intelligence operations in wartime. Over the past eighty years, the US government has made secret intelligence and covert operations a regular part of its toolkit for dealing with foreign challenges or domestic threats in peacetime as well as wartime. Reconciling these secret activities and the institutions and individuals responsible for them with a democratic Republic based on checks and balances and electoral accountability has been a ceaseless work-in-progress, whose tempo increases or decreases depending on world and domestic events.

Regardless of the tempo, however, the overarching question is unchanged: Can secret intelligence activities–including lying to deny or mask the government’s involvement–be reconciled with American democracy? This seminar examines the law, policy, and history of U.S. intelligence activities. It explores such issues as the constitutional allocations of power for intelligence, the evolution of American intelligence organizations over time, dilemmas created by new surveillance technologies and ways to address them (or not), congressional oversight of covert action–including lethal force–in which the U.S. government intends to hide its hand, and the roles of courts and the press as checks.

This is a joint offering between SIPA and the Law School, because the history, policy, and law of American intelligence activities are so intertwined. To understand the future in this area, one must understand those interconnections.

• W 10:10 a.m.-noon
• Instructor: Timothy Naftali
  Info
• 3 points

Artificial Intelligence and Climate Chan

AI and Climate Change

Pre-reqs:


Energy Systems Fundamentals (INAF U6072), 

or Fundamentals of Environmental Economics and Policy (INAF U6071)

or Energy Markets and Innovation (SUMA K5155), 

and Application with Instructor Permission


Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic. Over 200 million people now use ChatGPT each month, tens of billions of dollars have poured into AI projects over the past year, and policymakers around the world are considering how best to respond to AI’s rapid growth.

At the same time, countries are grappling with the urgent challenge of climate change. Based on global average temperatures, July 22, 2024, was the warmest day ever recorded; 2023 was the warmest year ever recorded; and the 10 warmest years on record are the last 10 years. Despite encouraging developments, such as the dramatic drop in renewable energy costs over the past decade, global greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise.

Can AI help reduce greenhouse gas emissions? Will the increased power demand for AI result in more emissions, offsetting any benefits? Can AI aid in climate change adaptation? Should policymakers encourage AI use to combat climate change while discouraging AI applications that may increase emissions? If so, how?

This advanced seminar will explore these questions. After an introductory session on core AI concepts, we will examine how AI could reduce emissions and aid adaptation to climate change, as well as the ways AI could contribute to increased emissions. We will discuss barriers to using AI in climate action, risks associated with AI in this context, policy options to address these risks and barriers, and strategies for stakeholders to collaborate in leveraging AI tools to combat climate change.

• T 4:10 p.m.-6 p.m.
• 1.5 points

AI: A Survey for Policymakers

AI for Policy Makers

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning have emerged as increasingly ubiquitous technologies in a wide range of areas, such as finance, healthcare, workforce management, and advertising, in addition to several domains in the public sector, including but not limited to criminal justice and law enforcement. In the past several years, ethical questions about how and whether to use AI for particular tasks have become much more prominent, partly due to its widespread use and partly due to publicly documented failures or shortcomings of a number of systems that can negatively impact people in sometimes serious ways.

This course will provide a broad overview of practical, ethical, and governance questions related to AI — such as those related to privacy, cybersecurity, fairness, transparency, and more — with a view towards policymaking. Policymaking will be interpreted broadly, including both the public and private sectors. The course will include a survey of how machine learning works so as to ground the discussion, as well as a wide range of concrete, real-world examples and case studies.

The instructor served as the first Director of AI for New York City and will also draw on this experience, which included collaborations with a number of other city governments internationally. The course will also include several guest speakers who directly engage with significant AI or AI policy projects in various areas.

• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Neal P Parikh
  Info
• 3 points

Building AI Tools with Large Language Mo

In the past two years, Large Language Models (LLMs) built using transformer frameworks have emerged as the fastest-growing area of research and investment in AI/machine learning. Recent releases of chatbots such as ChatGPT (OpenAI), Bing (Microsoft), and Bard (Google) quickly reached hundreds of millions of users and have become the face of artificial intelligence for consumers. There has also been an explosion in the number of applications that depend on LLMs for a variety of more specialized tasks. Recent models have shown impressive performance on both canonical machine learning tasks and for everyday use, yet are in many ways poorly understood and, in some cases, exhibit unexpected and potentially harmful behavior. 

Policymakers, analysts, and non-profit and industry leaders need an understanding of these models to take advantage of the opportunities they present and to mitigate potential harms. This course provides an overview of Large Language Models and gives students hands-on experience with various ways of interacting with LLMs. Students will learn to interpret model evaluation metrics, and we will discuss safety and ethics in applied contexts. Prerequisite: Working Python knowledge OR Python for Public Policy (U6504) OR Intro to Text Analysis in Python (U6502).

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Mike Q Zhu
  Info
• 1.5 points

Artificial Intelligence Institutions

AI Institutions

Pre-requisites: Microeconomics. Students would benefit from previous coding experience, but software development is not a strict requirement.
Our institutions were developed in a context with different technologies: where travel and communication were slow and expensive, and thinking had to be done by humans. New technologies afford—and may require—different ways of organizing society. We will consider historical episodes of technological change and our current era, following how shifts in technology can shift the economy and society. We will first use this course itself as a laboratory to explore the impacts of AI on education. We will then consider how AI may reshape other sectors, including governance, transportation, and defense; and the cross-cutting questions it raises about values, economic wellbeing, and purpose.

• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Daniel C Bjorkegren
  Info
• 3 points

Putin and Global Anti-Americanism

Putin & Global AntiAmeric

This course explores the development of relations between Russia and the United States from the end of the Cold War to the present day. It also reveals a broader trend: in the early 1990s, it seemed that Western liberal values were triumphant worldwide. However, as Russia failed to transition into a democratic state, anti-Americanism and revanchism began to flourish. After becoming president, Vladimir Putin exploited these sentiments, ultimately making anti-Americanism a central aspect of his international political agenda. Russian propaganda has not only influenced the Russian population but also seeks to spread these ideas and conspiracy theories beyond Russia’s borders. As an inherently unstable political system, Russia aims to destabilize the West. The course concludes with an analysis of present-day dynamics.

• W 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Mikhail Zygar
  Info
• 1.5 points

Politics of the Caucasus

This course tracks the trajectories of politics in the Caucasus, focusing on the political development of the independent states of the South Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. While the focus is on contemporary political dynamics, the course considers the mechanisms through which the legacies of Imperial Russian expansion and Soviet structures interact with current mechanisms of interest articulation and power. Students in this course will examine the contours and mechanisms of the collapse of Soviet hegemony in the South Caucasus, spending some time examining the conflicts that accompanied this process and persist today. The course will address the country contexts both individually and comparatively, thereby encouraging students to delve deeply into the politics of each state, but then also enabling them to find continuities and contrasts across major thematic considerations.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• Instructor: Julie George
  Info
• 3 points

Data Collection for Evaluation, Policy,

Priority Reg: DAQA. Pre-req: Quant I.
Research is an important part of the policy process: it can inform the development of programs and policies so they are responsive to community needs, reveal the impacts of these programs and policies, and help us better understand populations or social phenomena. This half-semester course serves as an introduction to how to ethically collect data for smaller research projects, with an in-depth look at focus groups and surveys as data collection tools. We will also learn about issues related to measurement and sampling. Students will create their own focus group protocol and short survey instrument designed to answer a research question of interest to them.

• R 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Rachel Swaner
  Info
• 1.5 points

R for Public Policy

This 7-week mini-course leads the students into the R world, helps them master the basics, and establishes a platform for future self-study. The course offers students basic programming knowledge and effective data analysis skills in R in the context of public policy-making and policy evaluation. Students will learn how to install R and RStudio, understand and use R data objects, and become familiar with base R and several statistical and graphing packages. The course will also emphasize use cases for R in public policy domains, focusing on cleaning, exploring, and analyzing data.

• W 6:10 p.m.-8 p.m.
• Instructor: Mike Q Zhu
  Info
• 1.5 points

Economic Development for International A

The course has two objectives: 1) to explore how economics can be used to understand development and 2) to provide tools and skills useful in policy work. In the course we will describe the basic facts surrounding the development process, and use economic theory to make sense of these facts and to identify gaps in our understanding. We will also learn about the toolkit of development economists that are used to fill in those gaps. These will include analyzing real world data and thinking in terms of causality and its relevance for policy.

• R 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• R 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• F 9 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
• F 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Andrew Simons
  Info
• 3 points

Data Analysis for Policy Research Using

Data Analysis Using R

Prerequisites: Instructor-Managed Waitlist, Course Application, and SIPAU6501 - Quantitative Analysis II.
This course will develop the skills to prepare, analyze, and present data for policy analysis and program evaluation using R. In Quant I and II, students are introduced to probability and statistics, regression analysis and causal inference. In this course we focus on the practical application of these skills to explore data and policy questions on your own. The goal is to help students become effective analysts and policy researchers:  given available data, what sort of analysis would best inform our policy questions? How do we prepare data and implement statistical methods using R? How can we begin to draw conclusions about the causal effects of policies, not just correlation? We’ll learn these skills by exploring data on a range of policy topics: COVID-19 cases; racial bias in NYPD subway fare evasion enforcement; the distribution of Village Fund grants in Indonesia; US police shootings; wage gaps by gender/race; and student projects on topics of your choosing.

• T 11 a.m.-12:50 p.m.
• T 2:10 p.m.-4 p.m.
• Instructor: Harold B Stolper
  Info
• 3 points