GLBL 5004a, Writing Persuasively for Policy and Politics  David Morse

The primary objective is to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to write persuasively as policy professionals. This semester-long course is divided into three units: the policy memo; the argumentative essay; and the speech. For the policy memo, students choose a policy topic of their own, then carry out every step of the policy analysis process, from defining, framing, and analyzing the problem to identifying and evaluating possible solutions, to building a case for recommendations. For the policy-focused essay, students identify practical rhetorical strategies to argue persuasively about their chosen policy topic in the public domain. Students practice deploying both emotional and rational appeals while confronting difficult normative questions about how to write persuasively without manipulating readers or devolving into spin. Finally, for the speech, students study a variety of noteworthy speeches that have had a real-world impact.  Drawing on these insights, students craft their own speech. At the end of the semester, students have the option to present their speeches orally to the Jackson community. Students have the choice to take the course for a grade or Sat/Unsat. Priority is given to Jackson graduate students. In general, students are admitted based on the order in which they apply. Note: this course combines elements of two previous courses offered by the Jackson Writing Program: GLBL 5000, Professional Public Policy Writing, and GLBL 5001, Disinformation and the Craft of Ethical Persuasion.
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

GLBL 5005a, Fundamentals of Economics for Global Affairs  Jim Levinsohn and Lorenzo Caliendo

This course covers key economic theories/models used for the analysis of micro- and macroeconomic policy issues. We spend half the course covering microeconomics topics such consumer and producer choices, effects of market intervention, market competition, and issues with public goods. In the second half, we move to the larger (macro) economic picture and discuss topics such as measures of economic growth, inflation, the labor market, and the financial market. The course emphasizes training economic intuition and providing space for students to explore how these economic concepts relate to policy issues of their interest. The course also provides the economic background necessary to enroll in the Global Economics core GLBL 5010, taken in the spring term.
TTh 9am-10:15am

GLBL 5015a, Negotiation  Barry Nalebuff and Daylian Cain

This half-semester course presents a principled approach to negotiation, one based on game theory. The key insight is to recognize what is at stake in a negotiation—the unique value created by an agreement—what we call the “pie.” This lens changes the way students understand power and fairness in negotiation. It helps make students more creative and effective negotiators. The course provides several opportunities for students to practice skill via case studies and get feedback on what students did well and where they might improve.  ½ Course cr
Th 3:30pm-6pm

GLBL 5020a, Applied Methods of Analysis  Justin Thomas

This course is an introduction to statistics and their application in public policy and global affairs research. It consists of two weekly class sessions in addition to a discussion section. The discussion section is used to cover problems encountered in the lectures and written assignments, as well as to develop statistical computing skills. Throughout the term we cover issues related to data collection (including surveys, sampling, and weighted data), data description (graphical and numerical techniques for summarizing data), probability and probability distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, measures of association, and regression analysis. The course assumes no prior knowledge of statistics and no mathematical knowledge beyond calculus. Graded only, sat/unsat option is not permissible. 
MW 1pm-2:15pm

GLBL 5040b, Comparative Politics for Global Affairs  Katharine Baldwin

Economics can tell us with increasing precision what policies maximize growth, welfare, and productivity. But how are policies actually made? Why are so many poor policies adopted and good ones foregone? In this course students investigate how government organization and the structure of political competition shape the conditions for better and worse economic policy making across a range of economic policies including macroeconomic policy, corporate and financial regulation, industrial policy, and trade. Students consider these policy areas in democratic and nondemocratic regimes, and in developed and developing countries. Graded only, sat/unsat option is not permissible. 
MW 2:30pm-3:45pm

GLBL 5050a, Introduction to Python for Global Affairs  William King

In the second decade of the twenty-first century, “big data” analytics and techniques have fundamentally transformed policy decisions both in the United States and throughout the globe. NGOs, NPOs, political campaigns, think tanks, and government agencies more and more recruit policy analysts with the necessary skills to embrace novel, data-driven approaches to policy creation and evaluation. This course is designed to help students meet this growing demand. It is an introductory course in Python programming and data analysis for policy students with no prior coding experience. Unlike massive introductory classes, this course is deliberately small, designed to provide the necessary support for humanists to make a smooth and nurturing transition to "tech humanists." Ultimately, students should be comfortable using what they’ve learned in further Yale courses in programming and statistics, or in research and policy after leaving Yale. They should know enough to productively collaborate on projects with engineers, understand the potential of such work, have sufficient background to expand their skills with more advanced classes, and perform rudimentary data analyses and make policy recommendations based on these analyses.
F 1pm-2:50pm

GLBL 5065a, Intro to AI: From Turing to ChatGPT  William King

The purpose of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive introduction to Artificial Intelligence including a history of general AI (from Turing and “the test” through the “AI winter” to present); the possibility and fears of an AI that could supplant humanity and the sceptics who mock those fears as irrational; and the current, more narrow definitions and technical applications of what is referred to as AI including deep learning, neural networks and machine learning. From these building blocks, students consider certain applications of AI to national defense, climate change, and government policies with an eye to the tension between technological capability and ethical imperatives. The goal of this course is for students to emerge first and foremost, with a more advanced tech literacy, if not fluency and to possess a strong AI- and machine-learning working vocabulary. Further, students learn how to effectively differentiate AI from ML, myth from reality, and rational fear from speculative science fiction.
F 10am-11:50am

GLBL 6115a, Topics in Computer Science and Global Affairs  Joan Feigenbaum and Ted Wittenstein

This course focuses on “socio-technical” problems in computing and international relations. These are problems that cannot be solved through technological progress alone but rather require legal, political, or cultural progress as well.  Examples include but are not limited to cyber espionage, disinformation, ransomware attacks, and intellectual-property theft. This course is offered jointly by the SEAS Computer Science Department and the Jackson School of Global Affairs. It is addressed to graduate students who are interested in socio-technical issues but whose undergraduate course work may not have addressed them; it is designed to bring these students rapidly to the point at which they can do research on socio-technical problems. Prerequisites: Basics of cryptography and computer security (CPSC 4670), networks (CPSC 4330), and databases (CPSC 4370) helpful but not required.
W 3:30pm-5:20pm

GLBL 6285a, China’s Challenge to the Global Economic Order  Hanscom Smith

In the decades after 1979, China’s adherence to key tenets of the US-backed liberal international economic system enabled it to achieve middle income status. After the 2008-9 global financial crisis, however, weaknesses in the US model combined with China’s own sustained growth increased Beijing’s confidence in an alternative, state-oriented model that increasingly underpins China's foreign economic engagement. This course examines the basis of China’s economic strength as a precursor to investigating the Belt and Road initiatives, trade, investment, and development policies, international organization advocacy, business practices, and other aspects of China’s growing international economic footprint. These factors are analyzed from the perspective of China’s internal dynamics, competition with the United States, and overall foreign policy goals and are evaluated for their impact on the prevailing global economic order. Planned guest speakers include senior representatives from the State Department and the Embassy of China in Washington, as well as experts on Chinese investment in the United States and Taiwan’s role in global technology supply chains. In-class simulations focus on China’s WTO accession and the Belt and Road Initiative versus the Indo-Pacific Strategy. The course is taught by a practitioner who spent over a decade managing US government economic policy in and on China.
T 1:30pm-3:20pm

GLBL 6610a, Artificial Intelligence, Emerging Technologies, and National Power I  Ted Wittenstein

This two-term course, featuring guest scholars and practitioners from across the university, examines how artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to alter the fundamental building blocks of world order. Machines capable of sophisticated information processing, towards the frontier of autonomy, pose tremendous opportunities for economic growth and societal well-being. Yet the potential risks also are extraordinary.  How can we build AI systems that are reliable, transparent, safe, scalable, and aligned with human values? Following an introduction to AI and survey of current research challenges, the seminar focuses on seven core areas where AI and emergent technologies already pose significant security concerns: (1) lethal autonomous weapons and the nature of conflict, (2) disinformation and the future of democracy, (3) competition and conflict in U.S.-China relations, (4) AI ethics and safety, (5) AI governance, (6) nanotechnology and quantum computing, and (7) outer-space development. For each of these sub-units, the goal is to equip aspiring leaders with requisite technical fluency, and to bridge the divide across the law, technology, and policy communities at Yale.
Th 1:30pm-3:20pm

GLBL 6620a, Macroeconomics and Security Policy  Marnix Amand

This course provides students with a non-technical but rigorous understanding of how economics impacts policy and security issues. Given the integrated nature of trade networks and global financial markets, industrial, monetary and financial policy choices in large economies such as the US, the EU, and China have security implications abroad. These policy choices can play a destabilizing role, fueling global imbalances and/or triggering crises in emerging economies. They also offer unique levers of power: large economies can use their extraterritorial economic influence, either benevolently or coercively, to pursue foreign policy or security goals. Understanding international economics is therefore relevant for a development, foreign policy, or security practitioner. The course builds up the necessary theory and background knowledge to understand the current state of play and focus on possible near-term evolutions. This course has no prerequisites, does not expect students to have an economics background, uses minimal math, and is geared towards M.P.P. and M.A.S. students. Not offered in 2026. 
M 9:25am-11:15am

GLBL 7020a, Negotiating International Agreements: The Case of Climate Change  Susan Biniaz

This class is a practical introduction to the negotiation of international agreements, with a focus on climate change. Through the climate lens, students explore cross-cutting features of international agreements, the process of international negotiations, the development of national positions, advocacy of national positions internationally, and the many ways in which differences among negotiating countries are resolved. The seminar also examines the history and substance of the climate change regime, including, inter alia, the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, the 2015 Paris Agreement, and recent developments. There are two mock negotiations.
M 1:30pm-3:20pm

GLBL 7055a, Global Crises Response  Harry Thomas

With a special emphasis on the United States, this course explores how the international community responds to humanitarian crises and military interventions. We examine the roles and responsibilities of members of the diplomatic corps, senior military officials, nongovernmental organizations, and international financial organizations in order to understand the skill sets required for these organizations to be effective. Through readings, discussions, role-play, writing exercises, and other tools, we learn how organizations succeed and sometimes fail in assisting individuals and nations in peril. We examine emerging regional hot spots, with an emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia. We explore the challenges facing the governments, civil society organizations, and businesses in the aftermath of crises and the impact on citizens. We review the effectiveness of regional organizations like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the African Union (AU) in assisting governments rebuild and stabilize their societies. We have several role-playing simulations during which students play the role of an individual or organization responsible for briefing counterparts on key events.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

GLBL 7070a, Russian Intelligence, Information Warfare, and Social Media  Asha Rangappa

This course explores the evolution of information warfare as a national security threat to the United States and democratic countries around the world. Beginning with the KGB’s use of “active measures” during the Cold War, the course looks at how propaganda and disinformation campaigns became central to the Putin regime and how social media has facilitated their expansion. We examine the psychology of disinformation and how media “bubbles” and existing social fissures in the United States, such as racism and political polarization, provide ripe vulnerabilities for exploitation by foreign actors. Using Russia’s efforts in U.S. presidential elections, during COVID, and in Ukraine as examples of this new form of warfare, students explore potential policy solutions in the realm of Internet regulation, civic education, media literacy, and human “social capital” as defenses against this growing threat. Guest speakers with expertise in Russian intelligence, information warfare, psychology, and other disciplines complement the discussion.
T 3:30pm-5:20pm

GLBL 7150a, Managing the Clean Energy Transition: Contemporary Energy and Climate Change Policy Making  Paul Simons

This seminar explores the principal challenges facing key global economies in managing their respective transitions to a clean energy future and the goals of the Paris agreement, while simultaneously meeting their energy security needs and keeping their economies competitive. By the end of the course, students should be familiar with key features of the global energy and climate change architecture, principal challenges facing policy makers around the world in balancing energy and climate goals, and prospects for the development of key fuels and technologies as we advance toward a net zero emissions world. After a solid grounding in energy and climate scenarios, the course explores the role of electricity and renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean energy technologies in the clean energy transition; corporate and financial sector climate initiatives; economic tools including carbon pricing; and the shifting roles of fossil fuels in the clean energy transition.
F 9:25am-11:15am

GLBL 7165a, Earth System Science for Public Policy  Jessica Seddon

Environmental change is accelerating. Ongoing shifts in temperature, rainfall, storm intensity, seasonal patterns, species ranges and interactions, ecosystem health, and more already represent a profound shift in humans’ “operating environment,” to borrow a phrase from the authors of the planetary boundary’s framework. And the science suggests that the pace will not let up. If anything, we can expect more sudden and irreversible changes—tipping points—that will affect economies, polities, and societies as well as human health and wellbeing. This course seeks to build public policy professionals’ familiarity with policy-relevant aspects of earth system dynamics through reading of recent scientific papers, guest lectures by climate scientists, ecologists, and other experts, and explanatory lectures that connect concepts such as earth’s energy imbalance, atmospheric chemistry, the hydrologic cycle, carbon cycle, and to contemporary public policy pressures and opportunities.
W 9:25am-11:15am

GLBL 7290a, Ethical Choices in Public Leadership  Eric Braverman

All public leaders must make choices that challenge their code of ethics. Sometimes, a chance of life or death is literally at stake: how and when should a leader decide to let some people die, or explicitly ask people to die to give others a chance to live? At other times, while life or death may not be at stake, a leader must still decide difficult issues: when to partner with unsavory characters, when to admit failure, when to release information or make choices transparent. The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and continued instability around the world all make clearer than ever the consequences of decisions in one community that can affect the entire world. This interdisciplinary seminar draws on perspectives from law, management, and public policy in exploring how leaders develop their principles, respond when their principles fail or conflict, and make real-world choices when, in fact, there are no good choices. Both permission of the instructor and application are required. Attendance at first session is mandatory.
F 8:30am-11:15am