Strategy And Policy

4 Credits.

This course is an introduction to strategic studies, which deals with the preparation and use of military power to serve the ends of politics. Two themes run throughout: (1) the nature of war based on the work of major theorists including Carl von Clausewitz, Sun Tzu, and Alfred Thayer Mahan, and (2) the evolution of warfare from the late nineteenth century to the present. Current day events and examples will be used throughout including the current Russia-Ukraine war, the Israeli conflict with Hamas, Iran, and others, and potential for conflict in East Asia. There are no prerequisites for this course; nevertheless, a basic grasp of 20th and 21st century history will help. This course is open to all students who want to learn about how military force is thought about and used and risks associated with militarized conflict.