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New course offerings at Fletcher go boldly where no APSIA school has gone before
In response to concerns about expanding class size, the
Curriculum Committee has introduced a new slate of classes for the Spring 2010
schedule. These courses will build on Fletcher’s signature interdisciplinary
approach by crossing fields, disciplines, and occasionally planes of reality.
“We hope that these courses shall truly become the basis for a new understanding
of global affairs,” said Dean Peter Uvin as he unveiled the new classes at a
recent town hall. “Some of these things in the syllabus, I don’t know what they
are, but I look forward to seeing how Fletcher students will apply them in the
interests of peace and security.”
The classes will be taught by a combination of existing Fletcher faculty and
visiting expert practitioners.
The Role of "the Force" in International Politics: Seminar on Non-State
Actors in Inter-Galactic Conflict
Post-Clone War inter-galactic relations have been heavily influenced by the
growing power of non-state actors. This seminar will examine the patterns and
evolution of these groups and how they have affected galactic politics. The
class on corporate corruption and governance will examine the history and
politics of the Cloud City in the pre- and post-Calrissian eras. Classes on the
military role of non-state actors will examine the proliferation of bounty
hunters and narco-traffickers, paying particular attention to the role of Jabba
the Hut. Further attention will be paid to the differences between
quasi-anarchic groups (e.g. Tuscan Raiders) and counter-imperialist movements
(e.g. the so called "Rebel Alliance"). The role of religion and ideology, in
particular the dark and light sides of the Force, will be examined in the
context of different conceptions of the national interest. Finally, imperial
attempts to deny safe havens to rebel groups will be discussed, paying special
attention to Imperial pre-emptive action against the sovereignty of the planets
of Hoth, Yavin, and Endor. Spring Semester. Darth Richard Schultz
East vs. West Conflict in Middle Earth
The conflict between the allied races of the West and Mordor has been a defining
feature of international politics since the end of the Second Age. Beginning
with a historical overview, this course will explore the East vs. West conflict,
examining the role of charismatic leaders, covert action, the use of proxy
states & towers, and the proliferation of magical knowledge. Of particular
interest will be the role of Elvish migratory policy, Shire dependency theory,
and the Mordorian policy of "one Ring to rule them all." Spring Semester. Andrew
Hess, of Bag End.
Seminar on Child Soldiers in Supernatural Conflicts
The co-option of the world's youth into today's supernatural wars will be the
sole focus of this seminar (cross listed with the Elliot Pearson School of Child
Development, as well as The Friedman Nutrition School, Boston Campus). The
course will begin with a close examination of the historical precedents, as
reflected in the seminal work Speaker for the Dead. After a thorough discourse
on these precedents and frameworks, our attention will turn to the current
situation at the so called "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry", where
children are removed (sometimes forcibly) from their guardians, instructed in
the violent applications of magical force, and forced into dependence on various
intoxicants (from butterbeer to the potent narcotic felix felicis). Further
study will be devoted to the dehumanization of "the other" within these child
soldiers through the act of "name denial" (vis-a-vis "He Who Must Not Be
Named"), and the radicalizing impact of propaganda as displayed in the "Daily
Tattler". Spring Semester. Team taught by Professor Wormtail and Visiting
Professor Ender Wiggin.
Civil-Military Relations in the Post-Cylon Galaxy
Relations between members of the armed forces and the civilian leadership of the
Twelve Colonies have never been more important. This seminar will evaluate
relations between the two parts of society before the First Cylon War, during
the inter-war period, and after the surprise Cylon attack on the Twelve
Colonies. Case studies will include relations at all levels, relations among
different vessels in the Colonial fleet, perceptions of civilian control in the
military, and perceptions of military execution among the civilian population.
The final case study will incorporate recent developments, focusing on the
impact of Cylons' human-like appearance and their sophisticated infiltration
into the Colonial fleet. Following the case studies, the course will conclude
with a simulation exercise, putting students in the place of civilian and
military leaders in both combat and peacetime operations. Enrollment limited to
20 students. Spring Semester. Professor Bill Adama.
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