Course Schedule and Catalog

Department: Political Science

Meeting: 11:00AM - 11:50AM MWF (11-JAN-2027 - 23-APR-2027) 

Part of Term: Full Term

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Distribution Group: Distribution Group II

Method of Instruction: Face to Face

Credit Hours: 3

 

Section Max Enrollment: 39

Section Enrolled: 0

Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99) 

Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.

Enrollment data as of: 2-NOV-2026 8:00AM

 

 

Final Exam: No Final Exam

 

Description: How does an issue become a problem for global public policy? When individuals-in-collectives engage in "global affairs," what spontaneous and skilled behavior do they exhibit? Where does the bundle of activities we call "global affairs" take place? What kind of knowledge, skills, and attitudes must you as students of global affairs develop to articulate and join projects of responsible global public policy? In this gateway course, we understand "global affairs" broadly as the peaceful and violent (collective) struggle over ideas, resources, and political voice. Said struggle is global when it connects individuals and movements across all scales of social life, from the local to the planetary. The course organizes 3 concerns: First, we assemble a menu of processes by which public concerns become global. Instead of simply positing that "all politics has become global," we step back and ask what this means and under what conditions global public policy arises. As we do this, we collect a set of heuristics for global systems thinking. Second, we disassemble global public policy into the skilled (and sometimes spontaneous) actions that constitute it. Instead of confining the conduct of global affairs to a particular site, for example the boardroom of a multinational corporation or the assembly hall of an international organization, we survey a broader set of locales from which global action springs. Third, we confront the practical and ethical dilemmas engendered by distinct types of global action. Instead of reducing global public policy problems to easy fixes, we hone our ability to discern and weigh conflicting values that are deeply held. In doing so together, we learn to practice democratic judgment. Students will actively participate in the course, regularly reflect on the materials in writing, and work together in teams to conduct interviews with global affairs practitioners.