The syllabi section contains course outlines from scholars around the world and two master syllabi produced by Peace Research Institute Frankfurt (PRIF) exclusively for the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium. Early-career academics may find those a useful source of inspiration for their
own classes. Topics range from arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament more broadly to nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction
more specifically.
Please be aware that the syllabi provided here are intellectual property of the respective scholars and may not be reused or distributed without their
permission. The two master syllabi produced by PRIF may be freely adopted and reused for university classes or other educational purposes if proper attribution to the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium and PRIF is provided.
If you are teaching classes on non-proliferation and disarmament issues and would like to see your syllabus on this website, please send an email to
support(at)nonproliferation-elearning.eu.
Master Syllabus
A Conventional Introduction to Arms Control
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt Summer 2022 This master syllabus offers a classic, primarily realist introduction into contemporary arms control issues. Level: Undergraduate Download Syllabus
Find out more »Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Summer 2022
This master syllabus offers a classic, primarily realist introduction into contemporary arms control issues.Level: Undergraduate
Download Syllabus
Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation – A Critical Perspective
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt Summer 2022 In drawing on a wide variety of theoretical outlooks, this master syllabus provides a range of critical perspectives on matters of arms control, disarmament […]
Find out more »Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Summer 2022
In drawing on a wide variety of theoretical outlooks, this master syllabus provides a range of critical perspectives on matters of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation.Level: Postgraduate
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Syllabi collection
Seminar Nuclear Weapons
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt Summer 2025 Based on the most-read texts according to our analysis of a large number of curricula. Level: for advanced students with prior knowledge in the […]
Find out more »Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Summer 2025
Based on the most-read texts according to our analysis of a large number of curricula.Level: for advanced students with prior knowledge in the areas of arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation
Download Syllabus
A Conventional Introduction to Arms Control (update 2025)
Peace Research Institute Frankfurt Summer 2025 This master syllabus offers a classic, primarily realist introduction into contemporary arms control issues. Level: Undergraduate Download Syllabus
Find out more »Peace Research Institute Frankfurt
Summer 2025
This master syllabus offers a classic, primarily realist introduction into contemporary arms control issues.Level: Undergraduate
Download Syllabus
Gender Perspectives, Feminist Theories and Nuclear Weapons
Jannis Kappelmann M.A., Researcher and PhD Student at University of Hamburg Summer 2024 Historically, the Global Governance of Nuclear Weapons has relied on gendered assumptions, practices and speech acts - […]
Find out more »Jannis Kappelmann M.A., Researcher and PhD Student at University of Hamburg
Summer 2024
Historically, the Global Governance of Nuclear Weapons has relied on gendered assumptions, practices and speech acts - and it does to this day. Feminist activists, since the very beginning of the so-called ‘nuclear age’, were among the staunchest opposition against nuclear weapons, as they would be incompatible with Feminist values, placing marginalised groups and individuals in the centre of their consideration. From this persistent activism, research on gender perspectives, feminist theories and nuclear weapons followed - focussing on language (e.g. Cohn), the legal framework (e.g. Biswas), (post-)colonial issues (e.g. Teiwa) or activism itself (e.g. Acheson). In this seminar, we want to dive into these diverse perspectives and explore why the global governance of nuclear weapons has always been a case for feminist engagement. With an intersectional aspiration, this seminar should provide both tangible examples of the application of feminist theory as well as insights into the global governance of nuclear weapons as part of the international order, or the governance international peace and security more specifically.Level: Students
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The Global Governance of Nuclear Weapons
Jannis Kappelmann M.A., Researcher and PhD Student at University of Hamburg Summer 2024 Ever since they were built, the Global Governance of Nuclear Weapons has been a contentious topic both […]
Find out more »Jannis Kappelmann M.A., Researcher and PhD Student at University of Hamburg
Summer 2024
Ever since they were built, the Global Governance of Nuclear Weapons has been a contentious topic both among politicians and political scientists. With realists frequently stressing the deterring power of nuclear weapons, liberal scholars referring to the resilience of the regime of nuclear weapons governance and critical scholars increasingly emphasising the humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons use, the topic is a major playground for theory application. The course will make use of a variety of historic and current cases to work both theoretically and empirically. From Iran to North Korea, from the India-Pakistan conflict over the Cold War up to the recent Nuclear Ban Treaty adopted at the United Nations, the course aims to cover a broad range issues.Level: Students
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The Purposes of Nuclear Arms Control: Achievements and Failures
Dr. Ulrich Kühn & Tim Thies Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH) Summer 2024 For more than a decade, nuclear arms control is […]
Find out more »Dr. Ulrich Kühn & Tim Thies Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg (IFSH)
Summer 2024
For more than a decade, nuclear arms control is in a crisis that saw the stagnation and even collapse of important arms control processes. At the same time, Russia’s war against Ukraine demonstrates that cooperative arms control regimes cannot stop determined aggressors. Against this background, the block course addresses the questions which objectives states can pursue through nuclear arms control, which purpose can nuclear arms control serve in an era of strategic rivalry, and which hopes connected to arms control have been disappointed in the past.Level: Students
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Biodefense Strategy
Gregory D. Koblentz - George Mason University Fall 2023 This lecture introduces students to the most important literature on biodefense that has emerged in recent years. It combines a variety […]
Find out more »Gregory D. Koblentz - George Mason University
Fall 2023
This lecture introduces students to the most important literature on biodefense that has emerged in recent years. It combines a variety of literary works in the fields of social sciences, global health security and nonproliferation in order to facilitate a contemporary approach to biological warfare and its health hazards, as well as its security implications. Gregory D. Koblentz is an associate professor and director of the Biodefense Graduate Program at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government and a member of the Scientist Working Group on Biological and Chemical Security at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation in Washington, DC. Level: UndergraduateDownload Syllabus
Fundamentals of Arms Control
James W. Davis Fundamentals of Arms Control University of St. Gallen Spring 2023 This lecture provides an overview about key literature of late 20th-century arms control, aiming to establish a […]
Find out more »James W. Davis
Fundamentals of Arms Control
University of St. Gallen
Spring 2023
This lecture provides an overview about key literature of late 20th-century arms control, aiming to establish a profound understanding of fundamental ideas and strategies that advanced arms control efforts between adversarial nations during the Cold War. Subsequently, the lecture shifts focus to the contemporary challenges facing arms control in the early 21st century, stemming from the declining commitment of states to this discipline. Since students of this course aim to follow a career in practice, the readings are a mix of academic and more policy-oriented articles.Level: Postgraduate
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Issues in nuclear security policy
Prof. Dr. MUSTAFA KİBAROĞLU MEF University Spring 2023 This course introduces undergraduate students of Political Science and International Relations to the existing and emerging threats posed to International Security by […]
Find out more »Prof. Dr. MUSTAFA KİBAROĞLU
MEF University
Spring 2023
This course introduces undergraduate students of Political Science and International Relations to the existing and emerging threats posed to International Security by Nuclear Weapons and their proliferation. Core topics of this seminar include the proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and their delivery vehicles, the current status of the nuclear Non-proliferation regime, military and political implications of Iran’s nuclear program for the Middle East; India’s and Pakistan’s nuclear capabilities and many more questions regarding Nuclear Security topics. This course is supported by “The Stanton Foundation”, created by Dr. Frank Stanton, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA with a grant offered to Prof. Kibaroğlu in 2015 as part of its “Course Development Program” in the field of Nuclear Security Studies.Level: Undergraduate
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Weapons Of Mass Destruction Counter Proliferation: Interdiction, Deterrence And Defense
Paris School of International Affairs/Fouad El Khatib Spring 2023 This course examines core issues of the Counter-Proliferation of WMDs. In order to prepare students of this class for real professions […]
Find out more »Paris School of International Affairs/Fouad El Khatib
Spring 2023
This course examines core issues of the Counter-Proliferation of WMDs. In order to prepare students of this class for real professions in the fields of International Security, most lessons are paired with a case study that helps to understand the dynamics of WMDs, related missile programs, networks and international implications.
Fouad El Khatib displays a robust expertise in governmental advisory and diplomacy for International Security topics. Among previous assignments, he was UN Chief inspector for the disarmament of Iraq, Special adviser for counter-proliferation at the SGDSN (Office of the French Prime minister) and more recently Deputy-Director for Regional Affairs at the General Directorate for International Affairs and Strategy issues (DGRIS) of the French ministry of defense.
Level: Undergraduate
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Conflicts in the Digital Age: Information Operations and Cyber Warfare
Dr. Michael Raska/ S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University Singapore Winter 2022/23 This course offers an introductory view on the evolving concepts, processes, and debates of information […]
Find out more »Dr. Michael Raska/ S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University Singapore
Winter 2022/23
This course offers an introductory view on the evolving concepts, processes, and debates of information and cyber conflicts whether in political, military, socio-economic, and intelligence domains that are shaping international security. The goal is to provide students with an overall but solid knowledge of cyber and information operations and to encourage them to find their own personal interest in the broad variety of topics these areas offer. Specifically, the first half of the course is devoted primarily to excavating the historical, theoretical, and conceptual components of cyber and information operations. The second half of the course then focuses on particular case studies of both state and non-state actors – how they conceptualize, plan, integrate, and exploit varying cyber-enabled means to advance their political objectives. The highlight of the course will be the SIMULATION EXERCISE; the “game” will focus on the use of cyber strategic interactions and political decision-making in a crisis situation. Dr Michael Raska is currently Assistant Professor and Coordinator of the Military Transformations Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His research interests focus on defense and military innovation, the effects of emerging technologies and open source-based intelligence assessments on emerging threats.Download Syllabus
“Star Wars“: Outer Space and Spaceflight in Peace and Conflict Studies
University of Duisburg-Essen/Arne Sönnichsen Winter 2022/23 This Seminar supplemented the Lecture “International Relations and Global Governance” at University Duisburg-Essen. It connects fundamental knowledge about Peace- and Conflict Studies with Outer […]
Find out more »University of Duisburg-Essen/Arne Sönnichsen
Winter 2022/23
This Seminar supplemented the Lecture “International Relations and Global Governance” at University Duisburg-Essen. It connects fundamental knowledge about Peace- and Conflict Studies with Outer Space and Spaceflight. In order to understand how new technological developments influence wars and conflicts, the development of Space Technologies was exemplified for this seminar. With the help of several case studies, this seminar aimed to first contextualize Space as a geopolitical area of conflict, while secondly analyzing the relevance of Space for conflicts on earth. This lecture was held in german.
Level: Undergraduate
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Politics of Nuclear (Non-)Proliferation
Michael Smetana Charles University Prague Winter 2021/2022 Politics of Nuclear (Non-)Proliferation is a course about the role of nuclear weapons in international relations that should provide the students with a […]
Find out more »Michael Smetana
Charles University Prague
Winter 2021/2022
Politics of Nuclear (Non-)Proliferation is a course about the role of nuclear weapons in international relations that should provide the students with a basic introduction into the world of arms control diplomats, disarmament activists, nuclear experts, and scholars studying the causes and consequences of the spread of nuclear weapons. The course is recommended for active students who enjoy interactive teaching methods, challenging debates, and international security puzzles.Level: Postgraduate
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Space Security
Charles University Prague/ Bohumil Doboš Winter 2021/22 This course aims to introduce students to the field of Space Security, covering the secure access to space, operations in space, and space-related […]
Find out more »Charles University Prague/ Bohumil Doboš
Winter 2021/22
This course aims to introduce students to the field of Space Security, covering the secure access to space, operations in space, and space-related threats. The main topics are concentrated on counterspace activities; the dual-use nature of space systems; the indispensability of space services to terrestrial applications (both civil and military); challenges associated with space situational awareness; space debris; planetary defense; anti-satellite weapons and early warning systems in relation to the strategic stability on Earth; the geopolitics of outer space; and new risk considerations related to the “New Space” phenomenon.
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Nuclear Weapons and Word Politics
Daniel Deudney Johns Hopkins University Fall 2021 This course examines the impact of nuclear weapons on international politics and world order. Topics to be considered include theories of deterrence, proliferation, […]
Find out more »Daniel Deudney
Johns Hopkins University
Fall 2021
This course examines the impact of nuclear weapons on international politics and world order. Topics to be considered include theories of deterrence, proliferation, the development of new weaponry, terrorism, defense, arms control and abolition. The effect of nuclear weapons on the existing state system and prospects for new configurations of world governance will also be addressed.Level: Undergraduate
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Deterring and Influencing Terrorism and WMD
Jeff Knopf Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey Fall 2021 This seminar examines deterrence and other strategies for responding to security threats, with a focus on how those strategies […]
Find out more »Jeff Knopf
Middlebury Institute of International
Studies at Monterey
Fall 2021
This seminar examines deterrence and other strategies for responding to security threats, with a focus on how those strategies might be adapted to deal with the dangers posed by terrorism and WMD proliferation. The course will survey existing research on deterrence and alternative policy tools such as coercive diplomacy, assurance, and positive incentives. It will introduce some of the latest thinking about whether these tools are useful for influencing actors away from support for terrorism or WMD acquisition or use.Level: Postgraduate
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Readings in Cooperative Security,Arms Control, and Nonproliferation Policy
Nancy Gallagher University of Maryland Fall 2021 The course first examines various ways of thinking about international security cooperation developed during and after the Cold War. The second part considers […]
Find out more »Nancy Gallagher
University of Maryland
Fall 2021
The course first examines various ways of thinking about international security cooperation developed during and after the Cold War. The second part considers policy options to reduce different types of nuclear risks, including bilateral strategic instability, proliferation, terrorist access, and dual-use capabilities in countries like Iran. The third part focuses on emerging security challenges from the spread of powerful multi-use technologies and other dangerous processes, like civil conflict, climate change and global pandemics that need new forms of cooperation.Level: Postgraduate
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Nuclear Weapons: Politics and Proliferation
Sharon Weiner American University Fall 2021 This course will help students understand the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. decisions about national security, including the politics of nuclear weapons decision […]
Find out more »Sharon Weiner
American University
Fall 2021
This course will help students understand the role of nuclear weapons in U.S. decisions about national security, including the politics of nuclear weapons decision making in the United States, the role of nuclear weapons more broadly in U.S. strategy, and explanations for why other countries pursue, develop, or forego nuclear weapons.Level: Postgraduate
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Security in a Nuclear-Armed World
Benoît Pelopidas and Kjølv Egeland Sciences Po Spring 2021 This course will introduce the main debates about nuclear weapons and their effects on international security. Every session will be devoted […]
Find out more »Benoît Pelopidas and Kjølv Egeland
Sciences Po
Spring 2021
This course will introduce the main debates about nuclear weapons and their effects on international security. Every session will be devoted to a crucial problem of the ‘nuclear age’ which is still relevant to contemporary security policymaking. How do we know that something “is nuclear” or not? Is there a “nuclear revolution” and if so, what does it mean? How do nuclear weapons affect military strategy? How to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons? How can we explain the nuclear arms race? What is at stake in the debate about nuclear disarmament and the nuclear ban treaty? Why have nuclear weapons not been used in anger since 1945? What are the political implications of referring to “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMD)? These questions will be introduced through the study of concepts as well as historical events and their political operationalization.Level: Postgraduate
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Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction
Gregory D. Koblentz George Mason University Spring 2021 Since September 11, 2001, the United States has viewed terrorist acquisition and use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons as […]
Find out more »Gregory D. Koblentz
George Mason University
Spring 2021
Since September 11, 2001, the United States has viewed terrorist acquisition and use of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) weapons as one of the gravest threats to national security. This course provides an in-depth understanding of the history of CBRN terrorism, the current challenges posed by this threat, and the range of national and international policy tools available to address this threat. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with the influence of strategy, technology, organization, psychology, ideology, and economics on the threat of CBRN terrorism and the strategies for managing this danger.Level: Postgraduate
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Perspectives on Arms control, Disarmament and Non-proliferation
Jens Bartsch Goethe University Frankfurt Spring 2021 This seminar will introduce students to fundamental issues and enduring controversies of arms control, with a special focus on nuclear weapons as the […]
Find out more »Jens Bartsch
Goethe University Frankfurt
Spring 2021
This seminar will introduce students to fundamental issues and enduring controversies of arms control, with a special focus on nuclear weapons as the paradigmatic case of arms control. It will explore cross connections between the development of arms control and International Relations theory as well as recent challenges posed by technological and political developments, including controversies over “nuclear justice” or the geopolitical implications of arms control negotiations. At the end of the seminar, students should have a solid base of knowledge about key arms control regimes, both historical and current, in addition to insights into the practical activities of arms control professionals and the debates surrounding arms control within IR.Level: Undergraduate
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Weapons of Mass Destruction
Gregory D. Koblentz George Mason University Spring 2021 This course examines the threats posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, commonly known as weapons of mass destruction […]
Find out more »Gregory D. Koblentz
George Mason University
Spring 2021
This course examines the threats posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, commonly known as weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and how these dangers can be managed. The course provides an in-depth understanding of the history and technology of each of these weapons, the current challenges posed by these weapons, and the range of national and international responses to these threats. The goal of the course is to familiarize students with the influence of strategy, technology, politics, organizations, and norms on the causes and consequences of the proliferation of WMD.Level: Undergraduate
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International Politics and the Nuclear Age
Jan Ruzicka Aberystwyth University Winter 2019/2020 The module examines key historical developments of the nuclear age. It looks at various factors which have shaped this period (the end of the […]
Find out more »Jan Ruzicka
Aberystwyth University
Winter 2019/2020
The module examines key historical developments of the nuclear age. It looks at various factors which have shaped this period (the end of the World War II; the onset, conduct and the end of the Cold War; the post-Cold War period). It shows how nuclear weapons and concerns about their spread have informed state policies, led to the formation of international agreements and regimes, and shaped the involvement of non-state actors in international politics. The module also highlights the normative dilemmas presented by the onset of the nuclear age. It will focus on state policies, institutional mechanisms, economic and societal constraints, and ideas influencing the humanity’s life with the bomb.Level: Undergraduate
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Arms Control and Nonproliferation: Contemporary Challenges
Richard Cupitt George Mason University Fall 2019 The United States and many other countries have identified the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as the gravest threat to international peace […]
Find out more »Richard Cupitt
George Mason University
Fall 2019
The United States and many other countries have identified the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction as the gravest threat to international peace and national security, but the international efforts to slow, halt, or reverse the spread of these weapons and their means of delivery have been under intense strain in recent years. The course explores these nonproliferation regimes and the many challenges they face.Level: Postgraduate
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Disarmament, Arms Control, and Nonproliferation
Trevor Findlay Carleton University Fall 2014 The course is intended to impart a comprehensive academic understanding of the origins, theory and practice of disarmament, arms control and nonproliferation. Students will […]
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