Nuclear Proliferation and International Security

This graduate seminar examines classic and contemporary scholarship on nuclear strategy and proliferation. The course will familiarize students with salient theoretical perspectives and arguments, with an eye toward conducting original research and contributing to contemporary debates. Course topics include the spread of nuclear weapons technology, the evolution of nuclear strategy, the role nuclear weapons play in international politics, the risks posed by nuclear arsenals, and the policies and strategies in place to mitigate those risks. Course readings include a range of qualitative, quantitative, and experimental methods; as well debates over the best scholarly methods to answer nuclear questions.