This course examines the role of diplomatic and military intelligence in the political history of major global events and developments from antiquity to the present day, but with a primary focus on the twentieth century. We will study the histories of several major intelligence organizations, as well as the roles played by smaller and non-institutional actors in the global production of intelligence. This course focuses on the interplay between intelligence, state policy, and information environments, in order to understand not only the role intelligence played in major events, but also how intelligence practices shaped and reflected political cultures across the world. Through course lectures, reading assignments, class attendance, and engagement in class discussion, students will develop both a large factual knowledge of the role of intelligence in global history, as well as conceptual understandings of how states and non-state actors come to make threat assessments and take decisions.

Tuesday/Thursday: 9:30AM-10:50AM

Instructor: Prof. James Brennan