Global Nuclear Security Policies Course Instruction at Penn State

Global Nuclear Security Policies course introduces students to global policies and laws for nuclear security that are intended to provide a secure environment for the pursuit of legitimate nuclear activities. This course briefly reviews basic concepts of domestic and international political theory as they relate to the issues of nuclear security and then builds on these concepts to understand the international nuclear security environment. This course was offered at Penn State with 13 graduate student enrolments in Fall 2014. Three of the graduate students were from The Dickinson Law School, School of International Affairs. After an introduction of perspectives on international relations on nuclear security, domestic and international laws and policies are discussed in details. The US national security structure and strategy are examined. Also, the role of roles of various national and international agencies enhancing global nuclear security, including the DHS, the DOE, the NRC, the DOD and the IAEA are examined. Some examples of the topics of student reports are: Why do states seek to acquire nuclear weapons? How do the theories of international relations and policy making inform our understanding of the behavior of states and the policy decision making process; What is the U.S. policy to address the urgent issue of nuclear terrorism around the world? What threats still remain and what policy decisions can be made to further improve global nuclear security; What are the role nuclear weapons in national security strategy and how has it changed over time? What is the connection between grand strategy and national security strategy and decision making; How can the US strengthen the IAEA mission with regards to global nuclear security including IPPAS; Discuss a path forward on implementing Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty; Discuss a path forward for ratification and implementation of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty in the US; Impact of NPT and Additional Protocol for enhancing the nonproliferation regime; What are the impacts of dual use technologies on the nonproliferation regime; How can the control of dual technologies be improved with enhanced policy implementation?