Spies

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

Spies hold a particular fascination in political life and popular culture: inhabiting a shadowy world of danger, intrigue, and adventure, the spy is to many the ideal person, career, or figure of veneration, a hero or a patriot for their country or cause. On the other hand, spies are also seen as traitors, turncoats, moles, or villains. This course will examine the worlds of spies and espionage, and how ideas about spying influence a wide variety of areas of everyday life. We will cover, amongst other things, spying, secrecy, security clearances/security classifications, surveillance, espionage, cryptography, research ethics, identities, methods, clandestine worlds and organizations, tradecraft, and fictional and real spies like James Bond, Mata Hari, Aldridge Ames, The Cambridge Five, and George Smiley (to name but a few).