Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Course at UTK

In spring 2012 a political science course, “Arms Control and Non-Proliferation,” was taught at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK) for the first time. The course was taught by Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr., former acting director for the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and UTK Political Science Associate Professor Brandon Prins and was co-sponsored by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the Y-12 National Security Complex. The course is designed to expose students to many critical issues in nuclear security, including US global efforts to control nuclear weapons and technology and the international regimes intended to prevent proliferation. In addition, the course highlighted regional conflicts and emphasized the creation of a Middle East nuclear-weapon-free zone through 5 weeks of simulated negotiations. This paper provides an overview of the course, analysis of its initial offering and conclusions regarding next steps for a follow-up course to be taught in 2013.