Certificate of Advanced Study in Security Studies

Using a series of case studies that jump off the front page, this course examines critically the hardest US national security law and policy challenges of the decades ahead. Topics include:

• Decisions to intervene and what laws apply if we do intervene in humanitarian crises, insurrections, or civil wars.
• Dealing with the “Arab Spring.”
• Dealing with Iran and North Korea, related to nuclear weapons.
• Anticipating and controlling new technologies in warfare and surveillance.
• Managing civil/military relations in protecting the homeland.
• Countering cyber threats to our infrastructure and cyber attacks waged by nation states, such as China and Russia.
• Managing public health as a national security issue.
• Resource depletion and global warming as a national security issue.

Offered by James Steinberg and William Banks.

This course has four separate units, which are intended to introduce you to the major issues in the study of civil-military relations:

1. Foundations: States, Militaries, Nations, and Military Professionalism
2. Who’s In Charge? Military Intervention and Civilian Control
3. Civil-Military Relations and the Use of Force
4. New Challenges in Civil-Military Relations

Most of these units could be courses in themselves, so this course will only scratch the surface of existing literature.

This course familiarizes students with some of the major theoretical approaches to the study of international security and some of the central issues shaping current debates about security and the use of force. We will investigate causes of war; strategies for avoiding conflict; and the impact of new technologies, actors, and ideas on calculations about the use of force.

Topics include:

• Anarchy and realism
• Alliances and security regimes
• The political economy of national security
• The democratic peace
• Nationalism and ethnic conflict
• Culture and security
• The impact of changing weapons technologies
• The impact of resources and migration on security
• International intervention
• The role of transnational actors in international security

 Offered by Renee de Nevers.

The National Security and Counterterrorism Research Center serves as a working research laboratory for law and other graduate students interested in national security and counterterrorism issues. Students will work in teams on research projects assigned by the director. Other faculty within Syracuse University and experts outside the University may also participate in the development and implementation of research projects. Typically, the projects will involve assessments of legal and law-related issues of concern to federal, state, and local government officials in responding to national security and terrorism threats. Other projects may examine private sector security concerns. Research projects may by arrangement with sources external to Syracuse University, while others may be developed from within the College of Law or the University.

A course that covers the fundamental topics in national security law, using case studies, simulations, and class discussions.

Part 1: Framework of National Security Law
Part II: International Law as ”Our Law”
Part III: Using Force Abroad
Part IV: Intelligence Operations and Collection
Part V: Homeland Security

Offered by William Banks and David Crane.

This course examines the Defense Strategy of the US and its allies and its implementation by military forces from 2001 to the present. Students will study national-level strategic guidance from the National Command Authority, and understand how national security is carried out by the Secretary of Defense, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commanders and subordinate units.

International security dynamics and military posture related to terrorism and proliferation of nuclear and other weapons of mass effect also will be examined. Students will participate in specific case studies of planning and execution of combat and humanitarian assistance operations with allied forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Africa, Haiti, the Far East, Colombia, and on the high seas.

This course examines the evolution of the US Intelligence Community since its inception in 1947 through the present day. Key phases and specific events will be explored, including efforts during …

• The Cold War
• The Cuban Missile Crisis
• The Vietnam Conflict
• The Church Committee
• The Balkans Conflicts
• Pre- and post-9/11 operations
• The 9/11 and WMD Commissions and the legislative overhaul mandated by Congress in 2004.

The course also will review governance and oversight of the intelligence community by the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and students will study the functional elements of intelligence tradecraft (human intelligence, signals intelligence, imagery analysis, etc.), and engagement with international counterparts. The class will participate in case studies that students will evaluate, provide briefings for, and make recommendations in regard to, both in terms of analysis- and intelligence-driven decision-making on policy and operations.

Offered by Robert Murrett.

This is a policy-oriented course in which students study a range of issues in the field of US national security and foreign policy. Using readings, case studies, exercises, simulations, personal experience, invited guest speakers, class discussion, and oral presentations, this course explores:

• The US  national security structure and strategy
• Threats to US national interest
• Diplomacy and the use of force
• Civil-military relations
• The place of the UN and other international organizations in US foreign and defense policy
• The role of human rights and morality in US policy
• Links between foreign and defense policy and homeland security
• US relations with allies and real and potential adversaries

Offered by Renee de Nevers