Fall 2021  |  POL 4891 Section 001: The Politics of Nuclear Weapons (33586)

Instructor(s)
Class Component:
Lecture
Credits:
3 Credits
Grading Basis:
Student Option
Instructor Consent:
No Special Consent Required
Instruction Mode:
In Person Term Based
Times and Locations:
Regular Academic Session
 
09/07/2021 - 12/15/2021
Tue, Thu 04:00PM - 05:15PM
UMTC, West Bank
Blegen Hall 5
Enrollment Status:
Closed (55 of 55 seats filled)
Also Offered:
Course Catalog Description:
Nuclear weapons have been a feature of international politics since the first use of nuclear weapons against Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II. But how exactly do nuclear weapons affect international politics? Are they a force for peace or for instability and war? How likely is nuclear war or nuclear terrorism? How dangerous is nuclear proliferation? Why does the United States have so many nuclear weapons? Is nuclear disarmament possible or desirable? This course examines these questions. We will first examine the the technologies that underpin nuclear weapons and their effects and the major theories used to understand the ways in which nuclear weapons affect international politics. Second, we will examine the major historical episodes of the nuclear age, including the Manhattan Project and bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the evolution of nuclear strategy and the arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States; the proliferation of nuclear weapons to regional powers and the development of the global non-proliferation regime; nuclear crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis and Korean War; and the rise of arms control. Finally, we'll consider a range of contemporary issues, including nuclear terrorism; the role nuclear energy will (and should) play in the future, the feasibility of nuclear disarmament; the role of nuclear weapons in India-Pakistan and future US-China relations; and the possibility of nuclear deals with so-called "rogue states" like Iran or North Korea.
Class Notes:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?msbell+POL4891+Fall2021
Class Description:
How do nuclear weapons affect international politics? How likely is nuclear war or nuclear terrorism? How dangerous is nuclear proliferation? Is nuclear disarmament possible? Is it desirable? This course examines these questions.

The course is organized loosely into three sections. In the first section, students are introduced to the major theories used to understand nuclear weapons. They will be exposed to the technological underpinnings of nuclear materials, nuclear weapons, and their effects; the classic theory of the nuclear revolution and more recent criticisms of it; deterrence theory; theories of escalation and nuclear strategy; and theories of why and how countries seek nuclear weapons. The goal of this section is to give students the technical and conceptual tools needed to understand nuclear weapons and the way they have affected international politics.

The second section introduces students to the history of the nuclear age. Major historical episodes and the political, strategic, and ethical debates surrounding them will be discussed. For example, the course will cover the Manhattan Project and bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; the evolution of nuclear strategy and the arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States; the proliferation of nuclear weapons to regional powers and the development of the global non-proliferation regime; nuclear crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Suez Crisis, and Able Archer; and the history of arms control and detente. The goal of this section of the course is to give students a solid empirical understanding of the nuclear age that will enable them to evaluate, use, and understand the limitations of the theories and concepts introduced in the first third of the course.

The third section considers a range of contemporary issues, including nuclear terrorism; the role nuclear energy will (and should) play in the future, the feasibility of nuclear disarmament; the role of nuclear weapons in future US-China relations; the role of nuclear weapons in South Asia; the Iran nuclear deal and potential future proliferation; and the ways in which current and future technological developments may impact nuclear issues. In this section of the course, we will use understanding of both history and theory to evaluate the importance and impact of these ongoing and future challenges.
Who Should Take This Class?:
There are no formal prerequisites for the class, but students who have taken a previous class on international politics (for example, POL 1025: Global Politics, POL 1026: U.S. Foreign Policy, POL 3835: International Relations, POL 3810: International Law, or POL 4885: International Conflict and Security) will likely get the most out of the class. If you don't have any background of this sort, it would be advisable to speak with the TA or instructor before committing to take the class.
Textbooks:
https://bookstores.umn.edu/course-lookup/33586/1219
Instructor Supplied Information Last Updated:
15 October 2019

ClassInfo Links - Fall 2021 Political Science Classes

To link directly to this ClassInfo page from your website or to save it as a bookmark, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=4891&term=1219
To see a URL-only list for use in the Faculty Center URL fields, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=4891&term=1219&url=1
To see this page output as XML, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=4891&term=1219&xml=1
To see this page output as JSON, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=4891&term=1219&json=1
To see this page output as CSV, use:
http://classinfo.umn.edu/?subject=POL&catalog_nbr=4891&term=1219&csv=1
Schedule Viewer
8 am
9 am
10 am
11 am
12 pm
1 pm
2 pm
3 pm
4 pm
5 pm
6 pm
7 pm
8 pm
9 pm
10 pm
s
m
t
w
t
f
s
?
Class Title