This module covers the basics of designing and evaluating physical protection systems for nuclear facilities. The module takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra.
Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra.
In this module, students will be introduced to the basic nuclear fuel cycle including the different processes involved and the basic physics of the fundamental components. The module takes approximately 5 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra and a basic understanding of physics and chemistry.
Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra and a basic understanding of physics and chemistry.
In this module, we will cover some of the basic concepts in statistics applied to measurements and derived quantities. The module takes approximately 2 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra and calculus.
Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra and calculus.
This module is an introduction to the terms and concepts related to nuclear security and safeguards. The module takes approximately 4 hours to complete.
This module describes the insider threats facing an organization and analyzes the complex nature of insider threats. It also describes how organizations and individuals can secure themselves against this threat and prepare to respond if an attack occurs. The module takes approximately 2 hours to complete. Students taking this course should have first completed the NSSEP Physical Security Systems module to understand the basics of multi-path analysis and the Adversary Sequence Diagram as it relates to outsiders attempting to gain access to materials in a facility.
Students taking this course should have first completed the NSSEP Physical Security Systems module to understand the basics of multi-path analysis and the Adversary Sequence Diagram as it relates to outsiders attempting to gain access to materials in a facility.
In this module, the elements of containment and surveillance, as used in nuclear safeguards, will be introduced. The module takes approximately 2 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a basic understanding of nuclear nonproliferation and applied nuclear material safeguards.
This is a beginner’s module for basic radiation detection. It covers the physical mechanisms behind the detection of gamma and neutron radiation and the different detectors used. The module takes approximately 6 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra and have completed the Introduction to Statistics and the Basic Nuclear and Atomic Physics NSSEP modules.
This module provided by the Centre for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives covers the basics of nuclear and atomic physics and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra.
This module provided by the Centre for Nuclear Security Science and Policy Initiatives explains the different types of statistical analysis used in nuclear safeguards and takes approximately 3 hours to complete. Students taking this module should have a working knowledge of basic algebra and calculus. They should have completed the NSSEP Introduction to Nuclear Safeguards and Security, Introduction to Statistics, and Nuclear Material Accountancy modules.
It is July 15, 1945. President Truman has asked you to prepare a decision memo for him discussing whether – as well as where (i.e. what kind of target) and how (i.e. whether to give the enemy advance warning, etc.) – to use the gadget.
To assist you in this task, your aide has provided you with some background materials in the form of three documents (see below). Using these materials, make a recommendation to the president.
Using the template provided, write a decision memo addressing the prompt below.
The following report serves as a handbook on the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference for participants in the course International Security in a Changing World (POLS 114S/HIST 104D) at Stanford University, originally designed and taught by Joe Felter, Scott D. Sagan, and Harold Trinkunas.
The structure of this handbook is twofold. First, we review important background information about the NPT Review Conference including a history of the Conferences since 1975, the organizational structure, key delegations, and coalitions of the conference. Second, we provide our recommendations on how the instructors may best execute a simulation of the NPT Review Conference with careful attention paid to student roles, assignments, negotiation issues, and educational goals.
The simulation starts with a one hour session in which the delegations make formal presentations to their Heads of State. The conference takes place over the course of two eight hour days.
This is a syllabus for a college course intended to provide students with a basic understanding of the theoretical issues surrounding nuclear weapons, their historical development, and the impact they have had historically on global politics and current policy debates. The course examines conceptual foundations, organizational structures and functions, decision-making processes, and priority issues in military strategies with a special focus on the role of strategic weapons in the nuclear age.
In the course, students are exposed to the science and technology behind the weapons, and the histories of the existing nine nuclear weapons states, and will build on the technical and case knowledge to explore critical issues of nuclear strategy. Topics include, but are not limited to, deterrence, compellence, nuclear use and non-use, and nuclear strategy. A significant amount of attention will also be paid to the theoretical debates, policy concerns, and historical evidence regarding the causes and consequences of nuclear proliferation. A significant amount of the course readings are drawn from both scholars and practitioners of international security and nuclear strategy. This course is suitable for students with a general background in international affairs and some familiarity with military strategy and should be of interest to students seeking to improve their understanding of nuclear security and arms control, and of particular utility to students considering careers in national and international security. The course is conducted as part lecture and part interactive undergraduate seminar.
Strategic South Asia is a free online course produced by the Stimson Center South Asia Program’s Strategic Learning initiative. Strategic South Asia is the most comprehensive collection of perspectives regarding India and Pakistan’s strategic and nuclear trajectories available online. It includes video interviews with more than 80 leading practitioners and scholars from India, Pakistan, and the United States, including former senior diplomats and military officers. In addition to lectures, the course includes multiple-choice quizzes, recommended readings, and a pass/fail final exam. Strategic South Asia’s chapter learning objectives are also available for download.
The Strategic Learning initiative also offers a flexible edition of Strategic South Asia. This edition is meant for instructors, professors, and students seeking flexible, customizable content for online learning. It is identical in content to “Strategic South Asia: Complete Edition,” but does not require sequential progress through course content, and does not offer a certificate of completion.
Course Syllabus:
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO STRATEGIC SOUTH ASIA
CHAPTER TWO: SOUTH ASIA’S NUCLEAR HISTORY
CHAPTER THREE: NUCLEAR POLICIES AND POSTURES
CHAPTER FOUR: THE GLOBAL NUCLEAR ORDER
CHAPTER FIVE: NUCLEAR CRISES AND CRISIS MANAGEMENT
CHAPTER SIX: CONFIDENCE-BUILDING AND NUCLEAR RISK-REDUCTION MEASURES
CHAPTER SEVEN: SOUTH ASIA’S STRATEGIC FUTURE
FINAL EXAM
Deterrence in Southern Asia is an online course produced by the Stimson Center South Asia Program’s Strategic Learning initiative. Deterrence in Southern Asia goes beyond the India-Pakistan dyad to study deterrence relationships in the context of a larger strategic chain that includes China and the United States. It covers deterrence theory, deterrence relationships among nuclear-armed states, and case studies from the Cold War and Southern Asia through video interviews with more than 60 leading scholars and practitioners from India, Pakistan, China, the United States, and beyond. Deterrence in Southern Asia’s chapter learning objectives are also available for download.
Upon completion of Deterrence in Southern Asia: Complete Edition, students will earn a certificate from the Stimson Center. Only students enrolled in the Complete Edition are eligible to earn a certificate.
We also offer a special Flex Edition of Deterrence in Southern Asia for instructors, professors, and students seeking flexible, customizable content for online learning. It is identical in content to Deterrence in Southern Asia: Complete Edition, but does not require sequential progress through course content, and does not offer a certificate of completion.
SYLLABUS
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO DETERRENCE IN SOUTHERN ASIA
CHAPTER TWO: THEORIES OF COERCION
CHAPTER THREE: THE IMPACT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS
CHAPTER FOUR: DETERRENCE STRATEGIES AND NUCLEAR DANGERS
CHAPTER FIVE: COMPLICATING AND ENHANCING DETERRENCE
CHAPTER SIX: DETERRENCE IN THE COLD WAR
CHAPTER SEVEN: DETERRENCE IN SOUTHERN ASIA
CHAPTER EIGHT: CONCLUSION
OPTIONAL CONTENT
Strategic Learning is an online initiative produced by the Stimson Center’s South Asia Program to sharpen understanding of strategic concepts and coercive dynamics in Southern Asia and beyond. Strategic Learning pursues this mission by making diverse viewpoints accessible via open online courses, nurturing vibrant communities of “strategic learners” on social media, and providing opportunities for students to engage with experts in the field.
As an additional resource accompanying our free online course, Deterrence in Southern Asia, we offer free, downloadable versions of the 13 expert-authored case studies that are featured in the course. These case studies draw from academic literature on deterrence, coercion, and strategic competition to analyze deterrence dynamics in a range of historical conflicts and crises, from the height of the Cold War all the way to more recent India-Pakistan crises. Each crisis case study includes:
Whether taken all together or studied individually, Deterrence in Southern Asia’s crisis case studies are excellent learning and teaching resources.
Table of Contents (in order of author last name):
The Strategic Learning initiative’s online course, Deterrence in Southern Asia, goes beyond the India-Pakistan dyad to study deterrence relationships in the context of a larger strategic chain that includes China and the United States. It covers deterrence theory, deterrence relationships among nuclear-armed states, and case studies from the Cold War and Southern Asia through video interviews with more than 60 leading scholars and practitioners from India, Pakistan, China, the United States, and beyond.