Global Scholars Seminar

By introducing students to undergraduate research, providing them with opportunities to learn more about study and research abroad, and helping them think about ways they might integrate international into their post-graduate lives, the seminar serves as the foundation for the Global Scholars program.

2024 Seminar: Peace, War, and Security

Wednesdays | 4:00 - 6:30 | Nunemaker 102
Dr. Brittnee Carter, Associate Professor of Political Science

Global security challenges are among the most important issues of the contemporary world. Challenges such as armed conflict, civil war, political violence, terrorism, human security, and peacekeeping impact the lives of all communities across the globe.  These issues are not only high on the agenda of politicians and decision makers, but are also prioritized by the public as major issues of concern. As the world becomes more interconnected, security challenges become more complex and involve and impact more and more communities and actors. As such, contemporary issues in global security require a wide array of actors, intelligence efforts, technology, and innovation operating across local, national, and international levels of governance.   

This course explores contemporary issues in global security and examines the conceptual foundations and practical policy frameworks for issues of foreign policy, conflict management, defense and military strategy, political violence, human rights, and peacekeeping.  The course will facilitate an understanding of fundamental issues about the causes of conflict and political violence and foreign policy decision making, but will also consider rising challenges such as global health and migration (human security). This course combines scholarly inquiry from multiple disciplines (ranging from defense studies, crisis management, psychology, and ethics).  Students will learn frameworks of security decision making and apply them to real-life cases to explore and understand complex modern-day global security challenges.