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MIA Concentrations

Master of International Affairs

Master of International Affairs
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Concentrations are intended to give students at the Bush School of Government and Public Service more opportunities to fashion a specific program of study tailored to their needs and interests. Students are required to complete two concentrations for their degree. Each concentration consists of three courses, and the same course may not count as contributing to more than two concentrations. At least one of the concentrations must be in the student’s chosen track within the Master of International Affairs (MIA) program. The other concentration may be selected from the other track or from the concentrations in the Master of Public Service and Administration program.

Concentrations are defined as clusters of courses dealing with a common theme or topic. Most courses in MIA concentrations are Bush School courses, but some include seminars offered by other departments at the university.

Students may elect to add a third concentration to their degree plan. These concentrations may be chosen from the pre-arranged list; or, with the faculty advisor and department head’s approval, students may design their own concentration either from courses offered throughout the university or in combination with other Bush School courses.

Concentration Topics:

National Security and Diplomacy Concentrations

American Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor John Hennessey-Niland

All students presenting this concentration should take either INTA 603 or INTA 613 as a core course but both courses are recommended.

INTA 603 American Diplomacy (Hennessey-Niland) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 609 International Law (Sievert) Fall
INTA 613 Diplomatic Negotiations (Hennessey-Niland) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (TBD) Spring
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson) Fall
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) Spring
INTA 689 Foreign Affairs and the Constitution (Sievert) Spring
INTA 689 Indo-Pacific (Hennessey-Niland)
INTA 689 International Sports and Diplomacy (Hennessey-Niland)
INTA 689 Art of Diplomacy & Statecraft
INTA 689 International Law & Foreign Policy
INTA 689 U.S./Latin America Relations & the Illicit Economy (Teague)
INTA 704 American Grand Strategy (Schuessler) Spring
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft (Bartel) Spring
MGMT 639 Negotiations (MGMT faculty)

Cyber Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gary Brown

INTA 689 Cyber Law (Brown) Spring
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security – CORE COURSE (Brown) Fall
INTA 713 Advanced Cyber Policy (Brown) Spring
PSAA 608 Cybersecurity Issues & Operations
CSCE 702 Law & Policy Cybersecurity (Dewitte)

Grand Strategy and Defense Policy

Faculty coordinators: Professors John Schuessler and Jasen Castillo

Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)

INTA 612 US Law & Homeland Security
INTA 617 Deterrence and Coercion (Castillo) Summer for NSAP & Spring
INTA 620 International Security (Kanin – DC) Spring
INTA 623 Grand Strategy (Layne) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 631 US Military Power (Castillo) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) Fall
INTA 646 Foreign Policy Analysis (Hudson) Fall
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang) Fall
INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert) Spring
INTA 654 Military Strategy
INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) Fall
INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton) Spring
INTA 665 National Security and Defense Planning (TBD) Fall
INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris) Spring
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) Spring
INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause) Spring
INTA 689: War or Peace in the Space Domain (Jackson) Fall & Spring
INTA 689  Proxy Wars (Chinchilla) Spring
INTA 689  US/Latin America Relations and Illicit Economy Spring
INTA 704 American Grand Strategy (Schuessler) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) Fall
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 714 Defense Intelligence (Reilley) Fall
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
INTA 721 History, Strategy, and American Statecraft (Bartel) Spring
HIST 634 Maritime History and Sea Power
HIST 645 Modern Military History (HIST faculty)
NUEN 650 Nuclear Non-proliferation (NUEN faculty Dr. Sunil Chirayath)
PSAA 653 Weapons of Mass Destruction

*See Coordinators for Approval of Other Courses Not Listed

Intelligence as an Instrument of Statecraft

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gregory Vogle

INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert) Spring
INTA 652 Role of Intelligence (Vogle) – CORE COURSE Fall & Spring
INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World (Howell) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security Issues (Huang) Fall
INTA 696 Analytical Tradecraft (Weary) Fall
INTA 698 Advanced Analytical Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) Fall
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) Fall
INTA 710 Intelligence Collection Systems (Howell) Spring
INTA 711 Briefing Tradecraft (Weary) Spring
INTA 712 Introduction to Cyber for the Non-Technical (TBD) Fall
INTA 714 Defense Intelligence (Reilley) Fall
INTA 718 Counter Terrorism Financing (Howell) Fall
INTA 723 Covert Actions (Vogle) Fall & Spring

International Law and Organizations

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ronald Sievert

INTA 612 US Law and Homeland Security (Sievert) Fall
INTA 643 International Organizations
INTA 650 National Security Law (Sievert) Spring
INTA 657 Terrorism in Today’s World (Howell) Fall
INTA 689 Foreign Affairs and the Constitution (Sievert)
INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) Fall
INTA 706 Cyberspace Implications for National Security (Brown) Fall
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
PSAA 604 Emergency Management and Homeland Security (TBD)
PSAA 605 Homeland Security (TBD)
PSAA 608 Cyber Security for Managers (Davis)
PSAA 640 Energy and Security (Griffin)
PSAA 655 Domestic Intel Operations
PSAA 656 Fundamentals of Homeland Security (Davis)
PSAA 660 Domestic Terrorism (Davis)
PLAN 616 Analyzing Risk/Hazard (PLAN faculty) (can take the place of PSAA 647 Risk and Public Policy)
PLAN 649 Organizational and Community Response to Crisis and Disaster (PLAN faculty)

Both NSD/IDEP Concentrations

Conflict and Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Reyko Huang

Core Courses – students must take at least one of the core courses, listed in BOLD (but **please note,** there is no core course requirement for those graduating in 2024 or 2025):

INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu) Spring
INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios) Fall
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios) Spring
INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie) Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) Fall
INTA 647 State-Building & State Failure in the Developing World (Huang) Spring
INTA 648 Contemporary Civil Wars (Huang) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) Fall
INTA 689 SPTP African Politics (Laurienti) Fall
INTA 689 SPTP Gender & Armed Conflict (Lee) Spring
INTA 689 SPTP Foreign Aid (Denly) Spring
INTA 689 SPTP U.S/Latin America Relations and the Illicit Economy (Teague) Spring
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle) Fall
INTA 703 Clientelism in the Developing World (Hamie) Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring
INTA 720 Human Trafficking (Hamie) Fall

Pandemic Preparedness and Disaster Response

Faculty coordinator: Professor Andrew Natsios

INTA 635 Great Famines, War, and Humanitarian Assistance (Natsios) Fall
INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery & Development (Hamie)
INTA 702 Infectious Disease in the Developing World – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 705 Bioterrorism (Parker) Fall
TBD    Outbreak: A One Health Field Investigation (Coats, Parker, Hamer)
ENTO 635 Vector-Borne Disease Management and Response in Human and Animal Systems (ENTO faculty – Coates)
PHEB 615 Disaster Epidemiology (School of Public Health faculty – Clendenin)

Women, Peace, and Security Concentration

Faculty coordinator: Professor Valerie Hudson

INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Robertson) Spring
INTA 641 Globalization, Workers, and Development (Robertson) Spring
INTA 644 Post-Conflict Recovery & Development (Hamie) Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations – CORE COURSE (Hudson) Fall
INTA 659 Transnational Security (Huang) Fall
INTA 670 Capstone for WPS Students (prerequisite INTA 645) (Hudson) Spring
INTA 689 Special Topics in Women, Peace, and Security
INTA 689 Classic Readings in Feminist IR/Political Science (Hudson) Spring
INTA 689 Gender & Armed Conflict (Lee)
INTA 701 Women, International Development and Environmental Conflict (Ruyle) Fall
INTA 720 Human Trafficking (Hamie) Fall

NOTE: Instructors of the following courses may require you to obtain their permission to enroll in these courses:

COMM 634 Communication and Gender (COMM faculty)
EHRD 634/WGST 634 Gender and Education (EHRD faculty)
EHRD 649/WGST 649 Feminist Pedagogy (EHRD faculty)
ENGL/WGST 680 Theories of Gender (ENGL faculty)
HLTH 634 Women’s Health (HLTH faculty)
LAW 652 Gender and the Law (LAW faculty)
POLS 660 Diversity in Politics (POLS faculty)
POLS 673 Seminar in Gender and Politics in Comparative Perspective (POLS faculty)
SOCI 661/WGST 661 Sociology of Gender (SOCI faculty)
SOCI 610/WGST 610 Reproduction, Birth, and Power (SOCI faculty – Morris)
WGST 650 Gender and International Education (EHRD faculty)

*Other courses not listed here may be approved by petition to the faculty coordinator of the concentration.

International Development and Economic Policy Concentrations

International Economic Development

Faculty coordinator: Professor Ren Mu

INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu) Spring
INTA 632 Advanced Economic Development (Mu) Spring
INTA 630 International Development Economics (Serra) Spring
INTA 635 Great Famines (Natsios) Fall
INTA 636 International Development in Theory and Practice (Natsios) Spring
INTA 640 The Politics & Practice of Democracy Promotion (TBD) Spring
INTA 641 Globalization, Workers and Development (Robertson) Spring
INTA 644 Post Conflict Recovery and Development (Hamie) Fall
INTA 645 Women and Nations (Hudson) Fall
INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (TBD) Fall
INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (Robertson) Spring
INTA 689 Foreign Aid (Denly)
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
PSAA 636 Grant and Contract Management (PSAA faculty)
HLTH 607 International Health (HLTH faculty)
PLAN 623 Development & Planning in Developing Countries (ARCH faculty)

Foreign Economic Policy

Faculty coordinator: Professor Luis Espinoza-Bardales

INTA 625 International Trade Policy (Espinoza-Bardales)
INTA 630 International Economic Development (Serra) Spring
INTA 641 Globalization, Workers and Development (TBD) Spring
INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (TBD) Spring
INTA 689 Foreign Aid (Denly)
ACCT 647 Financial Statement Analysis (ACCT faculty)
ECON 617 Economics of International Firms (ECON faculty)

Regional Concentrations

(NS&D and IDEP students both welcome to take one of these) – One course must be a Bush School course and only one course may be undergraduate. See Peg Hosea for instructions on how to make the undergraduate course graduate credit.

China and Indo-Pacific

Faculty coordinator: Professor William Norris

INTA 616 Economic Development in China (Mu) Spring
INTA 621Chinese Foreign Policy (Norris) Fall
INTA 672 East Asian Security (Norris) Fall
INTA 673 Chinese Domestic Politics (Norris) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 689 Indo Pacific
INTA 689 US-China Relations
INTA 689 China Study Abroad – (Norris) Spring (odd-numbered years only)
INTA 709 China’s Military (Norris) Fall

The following courses that are offered intermittently on main campus may also be counted:

COMM 460 Gender, Media, and Modernity in East Asia (COMM faculty)
COMM 663 Media Studies/China (COMM faculty)
HIST 481 Twentieth Century China (HIST faculty)
HIST 639 Readings in Asian History (HIST faculty) – may count with concentration coordinator’s approval
HIST 647 Research Seminar in Asian History (HIST faculty – may count with concentration coordinator’s approval
HIST 689 Politics and Culture in Modern China (HIST faculty)
SOCI 463 Gender in Asia (SOCI faculty)
SOCI 689 Population and Society of Modern China (SOCI faculty)

Europe

Faculty coordinator: Professor Gabriela Marin Thornton

INTA 655 Nationalism, Immigration and Terrorism in the European Union (Thornton) – CORE COURSE
INTA 661 NATO: From Military Alliance to Collective Security (Thornton) Spring
INTA 686 Russia and International Politics (Chinchilla) Fall
INTA 689 Eastern European Politics (Shynkaruk)
INTA 689 Eurasian Security (Lemon) Spring
INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)
HIST 402 History of Modern Germany from 1815 (HIST faculty)
HIST 403 History of Nazi Germany (HIST faculty)
HIST 405 History of the Holocaust (HIST faculty)
HIST 410 Russian History to 1801 (HIST faculty)

Latin America

Faculty coordinator: Professor Aileen Teague

INTA 694 Economic Restructuring in Latin America (TBD) Spring
INTA 689 US/Latin America Relations & the Illicit Economy (Teague)
INTA 689 Latin American Politics (TBD)
INTA 716 Latin American Democracy and Development (TBD) Spring
INTA 719 US-Mexico Relations (Teague) Spring

The following course will be considered/counted on a case-by-case basis by the faculty coordinator:

INTA 722 The Politics of Immigration (TBD)

The following courses that are offered intermittently on main campus may also be counted with permission of the faculty coordinator:

HIST 441 Mexican History since 1821 (HIST faculty)
HIST 615: Colonial Latin America (HIST faculty)
HIST 617: Latin America: The National Period (HIST faculty)
POLS 423: U.S.-Latin American Relations (POLS faculty)
POLS 624: Regional Seminar: Latin American Politics (POLS faculty)
POLS 650: Graduate Seminar in Latin American Political Philosophy (POLS faculty)
SOCI 402: Sociology of Latin America (SOCI faculty)

Middle East

Faculty coordinator: Professor Mohammad Tabaar

Core Courses – students must take at least one of the following (listed in BOLD)

INTA 604 The Politics of the Contemporary Middle East (Tabaar) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 671 The Political Economy of the Middle East (TBD) – CORE COURSE Fall
INTA 674 US Foreign Policy in the Persian Gulf (Tabaar) Spring
INTA 675 Religion and Politics in Iran (Tabaar) Fall
INTA 676 International Politics of the Middle East (Gause) – CORE COURSE Spring
INTA 668 The Politics and History of the Arab Spring (TBD) Spring
INTA 689 Understanding Terrorism (Howell)
INTA 689 US in the Middle East (Pino)
INTA 707 The Politics of Egypt (TBD) Fall