Weapons of Mass Destruction

1 Credit · Level: Undergraduate

For centuries, humans have threatened each other and their own existence with weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Nations and terrorists have created a variety of weapons, but only WMD have the potential to wreak illness and death on large numbers of people at once. The fear of annihilation is a powerful deterrent, and the threat of WMD has significant psychological effects on humans including numerous scientific misconceptions about WMD. Logic and critical thinking skills to improve students’ abilities to read scientific communication and understand technically complex topics will be learned. This course will explore the science and ethics behind WMD. We will learn about our own scientific misconceptions about WMD and the psychological effects that the threat of WMD has on us. We will determine which of these ideas about WMD are valid and which are false while discovering scientific disciplines such as virology, toxicology, radiation, and epidemiology. Specific examples of everyday life, such as the influenza vaccine and pesticides, will be used to elucidate the science behind WMD. We will learn about how science informs international affairs through nonproliferation treaties and weapons inspections. Lastly, we will discuss the philosophy and ethics of war, weapons, and WMD, learning how scientists have proliferated, protested, and protected us from WMD.