Course Meeting Times
Seminars: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.
Course Description
This course introduces the unique characteristics of militaries and explores the roles they play in the societies they are constructed to defend, with a special focus on the relationships between the military and their civilian leaders and popular publics. Topics include a modern history of relations between US presidents and the military, coups and military governments, public trust in the military, racial integration of the military, and the military-industrial (and tech!) complex. Students will debate the responsibility of civilian leaders and the public to oversee the military in a democracy and examine the issues and tradeoffs that industry and the public face when engaging with the armed forces.
Student Learning Outcomes
Through this course, students will:
- Have a deeper understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the US military and other militaries across the globe—and the duty of civilians to oversee them.
- Be familiar with the causes and consequences of military involvement in politics.
- Be able to identify and diagnose threats to “healthy” civil-military relations.
Grading Policy
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
Two memos (2–3 pages each) | 50% |
Oral presentation | 15% |
|
Class participation All students are expected to read assigned readings closely and participate regularly in seminar discussion. Students should share their questions and thoughts in class and respond to those of other students. Students are also encouraged to bring current events into discussion. | 35% |
For detail on the memos and the oral presentation, see the Assignments section.
Calendar
| SESS # | TOPICS | DUE DATES |
|---|---|---|
Part I: Intro to the Problem of Civil-Military Relations | ||
1 | Why Do Civil-Military Relations Matter? Democracy and Foreign Policy | |
Part II: Military and Politics | ||
2 | Causes of “Healthy” and “Unhealthy” Civil-Military Relations | |
3 | Consequences of Military Rule | |
4 | When Civilians Politicize the Military | Memo #1 due |
Part III: Interaction between Military and Society | ||
5 | The Debate over Who Can/Should Serve | |
6 | The Public’s View of the Military | |
7 | The Future of the Military-Industrial-Tech Complex | Memo #2 due |