48 courses with the subject INTAF, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
This course provides a general overview of empirical research methods appropriate for international affairs specialists. The approach is hands- on, with a focus on learning practical skills for evaluating real-world events.
This course addresses the scientific theory and practical considerations necessary to manage water resources in an international sustainable development context.
Examines science and policy communities, importance of science and technology to international affairs, scientific issues likely to affect international policy.
Hotspots, tipping points, and international approaches to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hazards, disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies.
Theories of economic growth and established empirical evidence are used to explain differential levels of ecomnomic development across the world. INTAF 504 Political Economy of Development and Growth (3) This course examines the reasons why different nations realize diverse long-run levels of welfare. Possible determinants of the differential outcomes include different rates of accumulation in physical capital, rates of technological innovation, the impact of human and financial capital, and the impact of demographic changes with increasing levels of economic development. Further extensions include a consideration of the impact of the openness of economies, geographical location, and exposure to disease vectors. In addition, the course considers the impact of institutions, including domestic institutions, international institutions, as well as multilateral forms of cooperation between economies. Types of institutions to be considered will include micro-level institutions (those that function most obviously at the individual agent level), as well as institutions that govern societies at more aggregate levels. The course also examines evidence on whether there are interaction effects between the determinants of growth (for instance, whether the impact of openness is different under democratic or autocratic political governance). The course will consider relevant theory, but will place an emphasis on examining available data sources in order to test alternative explanations. Given the International Affairs context, particularly strong emphasis is placed on drawing from literatures that reflect the strong interdisciplinary nature of International Affairs programs. This includes perspectives from economics, law, political science and sociology.
or INTAF 513 Applied Time Series Analysis for Social Science
This course addresses the principles, policies, and practices in international trade and finance that are fundamental for understanding international economic relations and the future of the global economy. The course examines the economic principles underlying behaviors and policies in international and domestic public affairs and explains how to evaluate and conduct economic analyses.
This course will examine how domestic politics influences the formulation and implementation of foreign policy in the United States and other major powers. INTAF 508 Domestic Influences on Foreign Policy (3) This course will examine how domestic politics influences the formulation and implementation of foreign policy in the United States and other countries. Among the factors considered will be the role of lobbyists, special interests and bureaucratic politics. Among the major topics covered will be national identity, the politics of national security since World War II, foreign policy formulation in China, the domestic sources of American foreign policy, case studies in buying influence, the influence of think tanks, public opinion and ethnic groups, how other countries attempt to influence American foreign policy and how domestic groups in other countries try to influence their own foreign policy. This course will be extremely useful to any student wishing to understand how governments formulate and implement foreign policy and how that has been affected by domestic politics in the past and today. Students will learn about the history of political influences on foreign policy and how that had changed over time, especially since the end of the Cold War. Students will also develop their ability to think critically and to appl that thinking to historical and present-day examples of interest groups influencing foreign policy. The course will also emphasize professional skills including the development of the student's ability to write and to make in-class presentations.
Across the globe there are more laws and provisions in place to protect human beings from discrimination than at any other time in history and yet there are more incidents of conflict, intolerance, bias, and violence than ever. How are we to make sense of these two competing realities? How can we become ethical leaders in the face of such contrasts and complications? This course combines perspectives from communications, psychology, sociology, political science, law and legal studies, human rights, identity-based studies, media studies, and cultural studies to engage questions of how cultural difference and discrimination play a role in conflict and resolution. Topics to be covered are 1) how societies create inegalitarian categories of identity, 2) how those divisions create conflict, and 3) how those divisions Graduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 1221 hinder conflict resolution. The course will look at a variety of ways that societies come to categorize forms of human life according to religion, nationalism, patriarchy, ethnic identity, and other forms of social division and stereotyping. One key area we will address is the development of law and other instruments that both protect and disenfranchise vulnerable populations. We will also look at strategies for cross-cultural community development and peace building. The topics will be studied in a cross- cultural context allowing students to consider these issues from a range of global perspectives.
Famines around the world have long made news headlines, and in recent years the news includes a discussion of the so-called "diseases of affluence" that come about, in part, due to an overabundance of food (i.e., Type II diabetes, heart disease). While, the natural environment affects regions of food security and insecurity, the policy environment plays an equally strong role in constructing our global food systems. For example, how have changing agricultural policies shaped our food safety problems, such as E. coli contaminated meat or spinach? How have government policies related to labeling of organics shaped the growth of consumer demand for organic agriculture and food products? This class analyzes the socio-economic, political, and cultural construction of our food systems and the ways in which institutions and individuals involved with these systems have experienced dramatic changes in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We also explore and evaluate the ethical dimensions of agriculture and food policy at the global, regional, and national levels and the ways these policies impact the flow of food around the world (e.g., the World Trade Organization, transnational corporations, NAFTA, the European Union, and national governments). By the end of this course, students will be able to describe the institutions and organizations that are involved in the provision of food at national and international levels, identify problems with the dominant agriculture and food system, and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of many of the proposed solutions for creating a more sustainable and equitable food system.
y Over the past two decades, the phrase ¿Institutions matter¿ has become a leitmotif in economics and policy circles. This course is an overview of the research (both theoretical and empirical) on institutions as the fundamental driver for economic development, with a particular emphasis on institutional change and institutional/policy reforms. The purpose of the course is to develop an understanding of the institutional foundations of an economy while critically assessing the conventional discourse in the discipline. Throughout the course, we approach institutional change from a historical perspective. Our focus is on institutional challenges faced by developing nations. In light of the recent institutional turmoil in Western countries, we also discuss institutional erosion and the rise of populism in developed nations.
This course is designed to introduce the modeling challenges presented by time series data, and panel data with a large time dimension. Emphasis is placed on developing an understanding of the distinction between stationary and nonstationary (constant mean, variance vs.
Africa (Oil and Mining) Given the rising global demand for energy and resources, Africa's production of oil and solid minerals has already produced very significant positive as well as negative impacts on the continent's political, economic, and social conditions. This seminar examines the extractive industry-driven changes in Africa's political economy, as well as in the continent's foreign relations. Students will examine the institutional basis under which the expansion of the industry is taking place in Africa. This will involve discussions of the institutional characteristics of Africa, including issues of land tenure and property rights laws, how institutional systems are changing in order to facilitate the industry's expansion, and the repercussions of these changes upon society. The course also interrogates the relevance of international efforts to mitigate some of the adverse impacts of the industry. Among such efforts is the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. Overall this seminar examines the industry's impact on Africa's socioeconomic development and global relations, and concludes with how African countries might deal with the adverse impact of the Oil and Mining industry. Cross-listed with: AFR 534, PLSC 534
This seminar provides a general and cumulative investigation into the phenomenon of terrorism from a Political Science perspective. It is a study of terrorism with an attention to what it is 'theoretically, conceptually, empirically' and how and why it is used by nonstate actors; its political, economic, and social root causes; its consequences to political, economic, and social institutions and outcomes; and the implications of current research on terrorism and counterterrorism. Although the study of terrorism has a long pedigree in the social sciences, research by political scientists became more extensive following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. This course critically evaluates this new literature, noting its contributions, limitations, gaps, and opportunities for future discovery. Much of the contemporary scholarly literature on terrorism makes use of state-of-the- art political science research methods and quantitative analysis. Cross-listed with: PLSC 567
This course examines the causes and consequences of terrorism, and the responses to terrorism from a psychological perspective, to include Christian extremism, Islamic Fundamentalism, Jihadism, Left wing extremism and Marxist terrorism, Right wing extremism, and single- issue terrorism. It draws on research from a variety of disciplines in order to examine terrorist ideologies; the motives, strategies, and behaviors of terrorists and terrorist leaders; how people come to join terrorist groups; methods of recruitment; terrorist tactics; the psychological consequences of terrorism on individuals, communities, and global societies; psychological counterterrorism; reactions to counterterrorism efforts; terrorism prevention; and possibilities for disengagement and deradicalization. Cross-listed with: PLSC 568, PSY 568
Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.
Total Credits 36 Approval to take BOTH INTAF 505 and INTAF 513 rather than an applied STAT course is possible upon application to the Director if justified by intended career path and plan of study.
/Maximum of 12 Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction, including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required.
/Maximum of 9 Creative projects, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and that fall outside the scope of formal courses.
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently.
/Maximum of 24 Courses with a research orientation offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
/Maximum of 12 Foreign study and/or research approved by the graduate program for students enrolled in a foreign university constituting progress toward the degree.
Addresses the central tenets of diplomacy and international relations and theories and concepts that underpin the study of international relations. Graduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 1223
An approved applied statistics course selected in consultation with 3 your adviser.
Integrated B.A. in Sociology and M.I.A. in International
This course explores the economic, political, and strategic implications of ongoing trends in global energy markets, particularly oil and gas markets.
Analytical methods to estimate future conditions as they might influence international policy, negotiations, or strategic planning.
This course examines how governments gather intelligence, how it is analyzed and what impact it has on policy makers.
This course focuses on the strategic challenges facing U.S. policymakers in one of the world's economically, politically, and strategically most important regions. INTAF 814 U.S. Policy in the Middle East (3) This course explores the strategic challenges facing U.S. policymakers
This course examines how wars begin, how they end and the responsibility of the international community in bringing an end to the fighting and dealing with the effects of the conflict. INTAF 816 War and Peace (3) The course will examine the types and causes of war and how they are brought to an end. It will consider the role of the international community and international organizations in mediating the conflict and helping to bring about peace both through formal negotiations by governments (track I diplomacy) and through the efforts of third parties and nongovernmental entities (track II diplomacy.) It will also address the evolving role of the international community, the concept of responsibility to protect, and how and when outside interventions are undertaken. It will look at war and the origins of humanitarian intervention, conflict analysis, methods and techniques of peacemaking in international conflict including mediation, the role of the UN in conflict peacekeeping and peace-building, and democracy and the economics of war.
Although no nuclear weapon has been used in war in 73 years, they are used every day to affect international security decisions. This course will explore how nuclear weapons revolutionized thinking about war and peace among major powers and how they can become a primary focus of international diplomacy. It will examine why WMD programs (perhaps incorrectly) have come to be seen as a potential cause of war in some contexts and as a primary deterrent to war in others. The course will provide students with the technical understanding of the major classes of WMD (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons) and their effects and it will examine the evolution of international security thinking about their role. It will look both at how major powers (the U.S., Russia and China) conceive of the role of WMD and also how other countries and sub-national groups might consider them. The course will look at how nuclear and biological weapons in particular are for the first time in a generation becoming of increasing concern to strategic thinkers. Finally it will look at the means the U.S., other major powers and the broader international community have developed to limit and perhaps someday to eliminate the threat WMD pose to international peace and perhaps to human existence.
This course examines: 1) how states fight wars and use force; 2) how the characteristics of nuclear and conventional weapons affect strategic thinking; 3) the manner in which the states match interests with capability and domestic politics, 4) civil military relations and 5) how wartime assessment influences policy, and 6) how to present and write professional briefings. The course will focus on both the general pattern among all states and the application of these concepts to U.S. national security. Students will be expected to develop the knowledge and skills to think, speak, and write knowledgeably about the dynamics of U.S. national security specifically and international security more generally.
This course is about the grand strategies of the world's major powers- states that independently exercise significant influence over their external environments in ways that help shape the overall character of global politics; depending on its foreign policy orientation, such a state may also be described as either an established or rising power. The course develops a framework for understanding and explaining a nation's foreign policy and applies it to analyzing the grand strategies of the most important established and rising powers in contemporary world politics.
This course provides an overview of the economics of environmental policy by focusing on the issue of environmental/resource management and sustainable development. It discusses the role of government interventions in addressing environmental problems, such as pollution, climate change, resource management, etc. The course seeks to convey some of the basic concepts of environmental and resource economics and initiate discussions about environmental policy through real-world examples.
This seminar is for those who are interested in property ownership and the role that it plays in economic development. Case studies will be taken from across the developing world, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Caribbean. Since the time of the philosopher and social reformer, Jeremy Bentham, we have understood that the poor, like others, are more likely to invest in property if they own it. Hernando De Soto has famously argued that non-transparent legal systems, and titling systems in particular, pose severe impediments to the participation of the poor in capitalist economies. Without title, the poor are less likely to invest in their properties and are often unable to access credit. De Soto estimates that for the developing world, the total value of real estate held by the poor (but not formally titled) is more than 20 times foreign direct investment and more than 90 times all foreign aid for the last 3 decades. The extent of De Soto's influence can hardly be overstated. In the policy world, his work has inspired decades of World Bank-funded titling programs across several continents. In the academic world, his work has inspired soul-searching among economists and development scholars across the methodological spectrum. Some have argued for communal systems of collective land tenure. Others dispute his estimates of property currently owned by the poor and argue that granting legal title Graduate - The Pennsylvania State University 2026-2027 1225 has not improved credit access. Some have also argued that titling systems simply replicate current inequalities. Moreover, in societies where women work the land but do not have equal status in society or in law, their land claims are unlikely to be recognized. Yet others have criticized De Soto's emphasis on titling arguing that land titling by itself is unlikely to make a significant impact on poverty reduction without parallel reforms such as improving access to the formal banking system, financial literacy and streamlining business regulations. Finally, others question whether extensive investments in titling systems represent a prudent investment in the conditions of extreme economic scarcity that characterize many developing countries, suggesting that in such circumstances, a more "modest" approach to legal reforms may be more prudent. In summary, this seminar will focus on De Soto's ideas on the importance of property reform in combatting poverty and the critiques, particularly in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean.
This course traces the history of political reporting in a global context, addresses challenges brought on by the rise of social media and fake news, covers issues of propaganda and censorship, and offers students an opportunity to hone their own skills as political reporters. The course helps students develop a thorough understanding of the way politics and government are reported in the media as well as gain the confidence to make reasoned judgments about the truth and relevance of media coverage, particularly in an international context. Students will develop an appetite for monitoring, analyzing and reacting to current changes in the relations between politicians and political journalists. Students will develop critical thinking skills about political issues and dynamics, strong instincts for finding good political stories, and sharp writing skills with an attention to detail and nuance in reporting.
This course focuses on how global human rights movements are strengthened by using nonviolent activist tactics. Students will spend the first half of class studying historical examples of non-violent human rights movements and the second half of class analyzing effective activist tactics for contemporary human rights struggles.
Corporations are critical actors in global affairs across issues ranging from climate change to geopolitical competition. While traditional approaches to international relations often sideline corporations from the analysis, this course centers them and explores questions of 1.) how international relations shape the global business environment; 2.) how corporations become instruments of state economic and political strategy 3.) when the decisions of corporations, markets, and technologies indirectly reshape geopolitics; 4.) how corporations actively attempt to shape global affairs and public policy; and finally 5.) why corporations take on the responsibility for governing issues themselves. This course unpacks these questions by exploring conceptual and theoretical tools for analyzing the roles of corporations in global affairs while contextualizing these approaches with contemporary cases.
This course provides a broad exploration of the relationship between engineering, policy, and law. From driverless cars to AI-powered systems, engineering is transforming public and private spaces. As these new technologies leave the lab and operate in new spaces, each new technology represents a system within that larger, higher-order system. The transformation of these spaces and the interaction of these once- separate systems will be shaped by, and in turn will shape, the public policies of local, state, national, and global policymaking systems. This interdisciplinary course has two objectives. First, it considers the classic engineering problem of integrating subsystems into a larger, higher- order system. In this class, the larger system includes not only other physical systems in the operating space, but also social, legal, and political systems. Second, it considers traditional legal and policymaking institutions as constrained optimization problems. This course identifies the legal and political constraints engineering solutions must satisfy in order to come online. Cross-listed with: LPE 853
LER 475H 3
/Maximum of 9 Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject with a professional orientation that may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or semester.
/Maximum of 24 Courses with a professional orientation offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
Source: Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Erie-Behrend College's catalog, linked per course · table learning_unit · CourseShelf publish 59
