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Complete ACDIS Course Guide

This is a listing of all courses offered under the Global Studies (GLBL) course rubric at the University of Illinois, as well as other currently or recently offered security studies courses. Many of these courses have been taught by ACDIS-affiliated instructors or have been supported by the ACDIS program. Some courses may not be offered certain semesters.

GEOG/GLBL 110 (Geography of International Conflicts) Focuses on contemporary cultural conflicts, competition among nations for economic and mineral resources; treats territorial disputes from a cultural and geographic perspective. Case studies vary to illustrate types of contemporary conflicts. 3 hours.

GEOL/GLBL/ENVS 118 (Natural Disasters) Introduces the nature, causes, risks, effects, and prediction of natural disasters including earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, subsidence, global climate change, severe weather, coastal erosion, floods, mass extinctions, and meteorite impacts; covers geologic principles and case histories of natural disasters as well as human responses (societal impact, mitigation strategies, and public policy). 3 hours.

ANTH/GLBL 188 (Ethnic Wars and Globalization) Introduces the core concepts of social and cultural anthropology through intensive examination of ethnic conflict in a variety of world areas. Case studies demonstrate the importance of understanding kinship and social networks, the making of nation states, and globalizing processes in today's conflicts. 3 hours.

NPRE/GLBL 201 (Energy Systems) Examines patterns of energy production and utilization and discusses the technical aspects of renewable energy resources, advanced fossil fuel systems and advanced nuclear systems. 2 or 3 hours.

HIST/GLBL 251 (War, Military Institutions, and Society Since 1815) Land and naval warfare since Napoleon; technology, tactics, strategy, administration, and military institutions in themselves and as they relate to western and non-western societies; and conventional and nuclear warfare. 3 hours.

MATH/GLBL 267 (Math Issues in National Security) Applications of mathematics to aspects of physical, biological, and social sciences that affect national security. Prerequisite: completion of the Quantitative Reasoning 1 requirement, or consent of instructor. 3 hours. (see also MATH 490 below).

PHYS/GLBL 280 (Nuclear Weapons and Arm Control) Beginner’s course on the physics of nuclear weapons, nuclear weapon effects, delivery systems, and defenses against nuclear attack; non-technical, but about technology. Designed to assist students in making informed judgements about nuclear armaments and arms control; includes presentation of current issues. This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for an Advanced Composition course. 3 hours.

PS/GLBL 283 (Introduction to International Security) Surveys the major issues associated with arms control, disarmament and international security. Also examines the military, socio-economic, and political dimensions of weapons systems, military strategy, the ethics of modern warfare, nuclear proliferation, and regional security issues. 3 hours.

ARTH/GLBL 352 (Art, Propaganda, and War) Examines the relationship between the visual arts and propaganda, with special attention paid to images of war. It focuses primarily on art in Europe and the United States from the time of the French Revolution to the present, and on the ways in which artists have sought to justify or condemn the violence of war. 3 hours.

PS/GLBL 356 (Comparative Political Economy) Examines the effect of domestic political processes on economic performance, including monetary, fiscal, and trade policies. Topics include partisan influences on policy, interest group intermediation, political accountability for economic outcomes, and consequences of product and capital market internationalization. 3 hours.

PS/GLBL 357 (Ethnic Conflict) Explores the bases of nationalist and ethnic identities across a variety of different national and cultural contexts, and how these are related to conflict at the intrastate and interstate levels. Consideration is given to the characteristics and patterns of ethnic conflict with special emphasis on how and when ethnic tensions become manifested in violent conflict. The course concludes with consideration and evaluations of various domestic and international approaches to conflict management and resolution. 3 hours.

PHIL/RLST/GLBL 385 (The Ethics of War and Peace) brings students to an in-depth understanding of historical and current thinking on the ethics and morality of acts of war, and of refraining from acts of war in the face of an unjust peace. 3 hours.

RLST/GLBL 403 (Women in Muslim Societies) Examination of gender ideologies and social realities affecting the lives of women in various Muslim countries. Same as ANTH 403, GWS 403, and HIST 434. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: A course in Islam or the Middle East, or consent of instructor.

NPRE/GLBL/PS 480 (Topics in Energy and Security) Examines the interplay between security and supplies of energy, mineral resources, and water. Traces the evolution of thte importance of various fuels (including coal, oil, uranium, and natural gas) in the Franco-Prussian, First and Second World Wars, in subsequent conflicts in Asia and Africa, and in military planning for possible future conflicts. Reviews relevant theories of international conflict and examines the role of individual leaders versus institutional factors in the precipitation and outcome of pivotal wars. Reviews data and results of econometric analyses relevant to past and projected future energy use and discusses the role of policy formation and execution in influencing uncertainties about outcomes. Junior standing is required. Prerequisite: Composition 1 and Quantitative Reasoning 1. 3 hours.

NPRE/GLBL 481 (Writing Seminar on Technology and Security) develops writing skills in standard computer, desktop publishing, and electronic publishing formats, based on academic material identical to that covered in NPRE/GLBL 482 and NPRE/GLBL 483. That includes theory, global and regional security environments, and arms control and verification relevant to military uses of nuclear energy and the impact of the military uses of nuclear energy on the nuclear electrical power sector; and seminars on technology of domestic and international security and the regional and international contexts that influence the nature of security problems. For graduate credit, writing projects include documentation of computational work using software appropriate for typesetting of mathematical formulas. Credit is not given for both NPRE/GLBL 481 and either NPRE/GLBL 482 or NPRE/GLBL 483. 3 hours.

NPRE/GLBL 482 (Military and Civilian Uses of Nuclear Energy) examines theory, global and regional security environments, and arms control and verification relevant to military uses of nuclear energy and the impact of the military uses of nuclear energy on the nuclear electrical power sector. Topics include theory of international conflict, arms control agreements, delivery vehicles, fission and fusion reactions and the role of tritium, detection of fissile materials, and military and civilian uses of nuclear energy in South Asia, the Far East, the Middle East, Russia, and NATO. Junior standing is required. 1 hour.

NPRE/GLBL 483 (Seminar on Security) technology and security issues are analyzed through preparation of reports on a weekly seminar chosen from a regular seminar offering or an alternative approved list. Topics covered include technology of domestic and international security and the regional and international contexts that influence the nature of security problems. Prerequisite: junior standing and completion of the Composition 1 requirement; or graduate standing. 1 hour.

MATH 490 (Math Issues in National Security II) is a sequel to MATH 267 which goes more deeply into the underlying mathematical structure of the subjects introduced in MATH 267. These include ballistic missile defense, game theory, applications of probability to decision making and risk management, and applications to other aspects of physical, biological, and social sciences that affect national security. It is advised that students who take this course have recently studied differential equations. Prerequisite: completion of MATH 267 or consent of instructor. 1-4 hours.

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