Courses

GMA 100:  INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: None

This course is an introduction to the principal concepts, theories, and issues in international relations. While frequent use will be made of current and historical events in the lectures and readings, the main focus of the course is to provide students with the tools and analytical framework with which to analyze the rapidly changing international arena. The class is divided into four parts. Part I will address traditional approaches to the study of international relations, focusing on the system, state, and individual levels of analysis. Part II will present an overview of economic globalization, and the impact this has had on issues such as the following: a) the political and security behavior of states, b) the future of the state as an economic entity, and c) the distribution of wealth between North and South. Part III will address traditional security concerns of states, from both the “realist” and “idealist” perspectives, as well as from an ethical point of view. Part IV will focus on global environmental concerns, including (but not limited to) global warming, ocean and fisheries degradation, and fresh water access. Throughout, we will view economic, security and environmental concerns in an interdependent context.

GMA 105: OCEAN POLITICS

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: None

This course addresses the economic, security, and environmental aspects of the world’s oceans within the framework of the International Relations discipline. It will focus on the international dimensions of a global resource, whose components are increasingly becoming scarce, and on the means–both cooperative and conflictual–by which these resources have been, and are likely to be, managed. The course is divided into three parts: I, Oceans and Economic Resources; II, Oceans and Conflict; and III, Oceans and the Environment. Parts II and III, which highlight non-violent means for resolving economic, security, and environmental disputes, will include international, regional, and non-governmental mechanisms of conflict management. This approach will include, but will not be limited to, the Law of the Sea Convention, the International Maritime Organization, and regional bi- and multi-lateral agreements.

GMA 200: ECONOMICS OF GLOBALIZATION

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: None

The course is an overview of theories and issues in contemporary international political economy. Throughout the course, we will be concerned with the general question of how the global economic system bears on the power of the state, along with the strategies states develop to deal with an international economy increasingly beyond their individual control. The course is divided into several parts. The first examines the development of the international economic system since the Great Depression, as well as the theories claiming to account for this development. The second part addresses current issues and challenges dealing with the process of globalization, including but not limited to the following: 1) global economic integration and new patterns of economic interaction, including the region state, the virtual state, and the world city; and 2) the globalization and computerization of financial markets. Part III examines regional issues in the context of globalization: specifically, the challenges the Euro, Russia, China, and Third World nations present to the existing global order. Additionally, we will examine environmental degradation in the context of globalization. The course ends with a discussion of the future of capitalism.

GMA 205: INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC POLICY

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: None

This course is an introduction to the public policy process in the United States. An important part of the course involves developing an understanding of what "political" and "public policy" mean. We will consider why some problems reach the public agenda, why some solutions are adopted and others rejected, and why some policies appear to succeed while others appear to fail. We will primarily examine policy making at the national level, but we will also look at examples at the international, state, and local level as the need arises during class.

GMA 210/GSMA CRUISE 1A: PORT ANALYSIS

CLASS HOURS: 1; CREDIT: 1

Prerequisite: None

Postrequisite: GMA 211

A two–semester-sequence course that provides an opportunity for sophomore GSMA majors to integrate their preparation for cruise in the Fall semester of the sophomore year with actual cruise coursework completed while underway during the Annual Training Cruise on the Golden Bear.  During Cruise 1A, students will prepare country and port analyses for the proposed cruise ports.  These analyses will be presented as part of an ongoing lecture series during the Training Cruise itself.  In addition, port visits, field trips, and the like will be set up prior to leaving on the Training Cruise.  Students will also complete an element of the curriculum in the Follow the Voyage series or complete a web-based component for posting during the Training Cruise itself. 

GMA 211/GSMA CRUISE 1B: SEA COMPONENT

CLASS HOURS: 2; CREDIT: 2

Prerequisite: GMA 210

During Cruise 1B, students will integrate the shoreside component of Cruise 1A by engaging in port and country briefings, providing materials for the Bear’s Tale and possible web posting, as well as engaging in field trips during port visits.  Directed reading, research, and writing will be assigned under the direction of a faculty member. 

GMA 215:  INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS

CLASS HOURS:  3; CREDIT:  3

Prerequisite:   None

The course provides an introduction to important themes of comparative political analysis, in order to identify and explain differences in political systems and political life across different states and regions of the world. The course focuses on the development of the fundamental elements of modern political systems:  state, nation, market, civil society, democracy, and authoritarianism. Throughout, close attention will be paid to interactions between these elements - for example, between states and markets, or between civil society and authoritarian regimes.  The course also focuses on the role of institutions, such as political parties and constitutional structures, in shaping these interactions.

GMA 300: U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisites: HIS 200, GMA 100

Examines the manner in which U.S. foreign policy is made and analyzes the implications of this policy-making process; with an emphasis on current issues in US foreign and international maritime policies. Focuses on the goals and inputs of US foreign policy to understand how international, domestic, and individual constraints affect the policy process and outcomes. Encourages students to think creatively about the choices available to political leaders and why, in the face of alternatives, a particular course of action or policy tends to be selected.

GMA 305: U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisites: HIS 200, GMA 100

This course examines the manner in which U.S. national security policy is made and analyzes the implications of this policy-making process.  The goal of the course is to encourage students to think critically about the choices available to political and military leaders and why, in the face of alternatives, a particular course of action or policy is selected.  To this end, we begin by focusing in Part I on the goals and inputs of U.S. national security policy, in a historical framework, in order to understand how international, domestic, and individual constraints affect the policy process and, consequently, policy outcome.  In the second half of the course we will apply this framework of analysis to several recent and current security issues faced by the United States, including the following: a) the challenges of global terrorism; b) recent U.S. military interventions, including the use of U.S. troops for humanitarian and peacekeeping missions; and c) future security threats faced by the United States: specifically, those presented by rogue states.

GMA 310: THE GEOPOLITICS OF ENERGY

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: GMA 100

Oil has been the most important natural resource of the twentieth century. Its price and availability determine the macroeconomic health and stability of economies; access to it determines the foreign policies of many nations; and nations have been willing to go to war to secure its guaranteed access. This course explores the history of oil exploration, the policies that have informed national and international attention to energy procurement (or acquisition), and the geopolitics that have accompanied the development of the world’s oil industry.

GMA 320: OCEAN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: GMA 105

The marine environment is becoming increasingly stressed by growing global populations and industries. The world population has witnessed spectacular growth in the twentieth century, and may double in size by the middle of the twenty-first. This growth, combined with economic development and modernization, places extreme stress on all natural resources, ocean resources included. In this class, we will look at environmental issues such as maritime pollution; ocean oil, gas, and natural resource exploration; global warming; habitat conservation; and species conservation. We will also explore and analyze the various solutions proposed to deal with them. Designed for students with little or no scientific background, the course provides basic science education integrated with major international environmental concerns, ecological principles, population, food, pesticides, forests, bio-diversity, water, atmosphere, ozone, global warming, energy, waste management, and sustainable development.

GMA 400: SENIOR SEMINAR I: METHODS AND DESIGN

CLASS HOURS: 3, CREDIT: 3

Prerequisites: Senior Class Standing, Completion of Co-Op

A two–semester sequence-course that provides an opportunity for senior GSMA majors to integrate their basic understanding of the fields and curricular emphases that comprise the major by exploring the interrelationship between the substantive sub-fields, basic concepts, and the major modes of analysis in practice today. Directed reading, research, and writing culminating in the preparation of a senior thesis under direction of faculty adviser. The course culminates in a capstone thesis project.

The focus in GMA 400 is on research methods and thesis design. Students are expected to accomplish the following tasks: a) formulate a research question, b) discuss why the question is important, c) explain how the question can be answered, d) research and present a bibliography, and e) select the most appropriate methodology.

GMA 401: SENIOR SEMINAR II: RESEARCH PROJECT

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: GMA 400

The focus in GMA 401 is on the writing of the senior thesis, based on the research design completed in GMA 400. Students will be held to a writing deadline and will be expected to turn in written outlines and drafts of their thesis, as well as make class presentations on their work at appropriate intervals.

GMA 405: INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: GMA 100

Examines both the theory and practice of international organizations, including analysis of formal, informal, and quasi-governmental entities. Topics include theoretical explanations of gains from exchange, the effects of barriers to cooperation, coercion, and the functioning of the international system. The focus on theoretical explanations of recent political and economic transformations that affect the environment of these organizations is also examined.

GMA 410: INTERNATIONAL TRADE

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisites: ECO 100, GMA 200

Introduction to the main multilateral organizations and institutions governing international trade. Analyzes why governments have established these intergovernmental organizations, how they affect the behavior of member governments, and how they can resolve problems in international relations. The course focuses on trading law arrangements in a formal, legalistic setting such as the GATT, WTO, and related agreements relevant to trade and investment; specific trade laws; case histories; and dispute settlement procedures. Familiarizes students with the nature and structure of international rights and obligations in the field of international trade and investment, and the relationship between domestic law and international rules and obligations. Attention is also given to regional trading arrangements, the laws and agreements that govern such arrangements, and their relationship to the international institutions and laws covered in other course modules.

GMA 430: MARITIME SECURITY

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: GMA 100 or GMA 105

Recommended: GMA 300, GMA 305, HIS 300

Explores the emerging threats to global maritime trade, specifically those to the world’s sea lanes of communication and chokepoints.  Threats include, but are not limited to, the following: a) increased demand (leading to larger numbers of collisions); b) state threats that may lead to armed conflict such as those that exist in the South China Sea; c) non-state threats such as maritime piracy and terrorism.  The role of the ISPS, MTSA, bilaterial agreements, international organizations and international law in resolving these issues is explored.

GMA 450: SPECIAL TOPICS IN MARITIME POLICY

CLASS HOURS: 3; CREDIT: 3

Prerequisite: Upper-Class Standing

This course will provide a forum for the study of a single issue in maritime policy: one for which there may be neither the demand nor the resources to justify a regular course. Topics may include (but are not limited to) the following: marine invasive species, maritime labor issues, fisheries management, port security, and other timely topics in maritime affairs as they arise. Students may repeat the class for credit as the topic changes.