Year
2011
Abstract
A graduate-level science course tailored towards future nonproliferation policy analysts commenced in Spring 2011 at the Monterey Institute of International Studies (MIIS) which is a required course for the new Masters of Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies. This course’s mission sought to bridge the gap between policy analysts and scientists in the realm of nonproliferation, and to build constructive, sustainable dialogue between these two often intertwined disciplines. The course also sought to provide graduate-level nonproliferation policy students tools necessary to better grasp relevant scientific concepts inherent to nonproliferation research, and also to bolster their abilities to interact effectively with scientists and practitioners in the field. The course took a unique approach towards presenting science to a largely non-scientific audience: an emphasis was placed on science sharing similarities to learning a foreign language-complete with its own alphabet, vocabulary and structure. The course commenced with a presentation of scientific vocabulary, advanced to practical terminology usage, and finally ended with nonproliferation case-study contextualizations. The ultimate goal sought to prepare future policy analysts to successfully engage in in constructive dialogues with biological, chemical, and nuclear subject experts. Students were encouraged to begin “speaking” this new language from the first session, through interactive demonstrations, group and individual assignments. The unique course was designed and team-taught by four professional scientists representing physics, chemistry and biology; who all brought their cumulative experiences as practitioners in the field to the students. This paper will report on the experiences of teaching this multi-disciplinary course, the feedback from the inaugural student class, and explore the applicability of such a course to larger nonproliferation policy analyst audiences.