National Security / International Relations and Diplomacy
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CURRICULUM 680/XX20P
EDUCATIONAL SKILL REQUIREMENTS (ESRs)

Graduates in this general field will have an understanding of U.S. policy objectives and the role of foreign policy in achieving them. Concentration in public policy, international relations, and law and diplomacy are equally qualifying in this area of general political science. As a generalist, the student should have some exposure to the following areas:

1. US SECURITY POLICY: Formulation and execution of US foreign and national security policy, including interaction among the executive departments/agencies and between them and the legislative branch of government in strategy, policy, and budget decisions.
   
2. MILITARY HISTORY AND DEFENSE POLICY: Study of American and world military history, including origins and evolution of current U.S. strategy and policy.
   
3. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Fundamentals of relations between states, including theories of international politics, causes and consequences of wars, origins of alliances, and the roles of international organizations.
   
4. CURRENT ISSUES: Major security issues in the world including political and military conflicts, insurgencies and terrorism, social and economic problems, and the evolving world situation.
   
5. PUBLIC MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION: Theory and practice of management in the public sector, including strategies and tactics of executive branch management and reorganization and problems of leadership in civilian agencies, including Congress.
   
6. DIPLOMATIC HISTORY: Origins and development of diplomatic relations between the countries of the world, including negotiations of peace settlements, military alliances, arms limitation agreements, economic arrangements, and human rights accords.
   
7. INTERNATIONAL LAW: Rudiments of international law including Law of the Sea and Laws of War.
   
8. WRITING SKILLS: The ability to write in a clear, concise manner, and to transform large quantities of information into short written summaries which can be used by key decision makers.
   
9. BRIEFING SKILLS: The ability to present oral briefings in a clear, concise manner, transforming large quantities of information into verbal summaries for key decision makers.

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