Instructor Insights

Instructor Insights pages are part of the OCW Educator initiative, which seeks to enhance the value of OCW for educators.

Course Overview

This page focuses on the course 17.478 Great Power Military Intervention as it was taught by Professor Roger Petersen and Professor Barry Posen in Fall 2013.

This course examined systematically, and comparatively, great and middle power military interventions, and candidate interventions into civil wars from the 1990’s to the present. This course also asked what the experiences of the 1990’s can teach us about similar, but not identical, subsequent interventions and candidate interventions.

Course Outcomes

Course Goals for Students

By taking this course, students should gain a broader overall understanding of broad trends in international politics and globalization. They should also gain a grasp of the interaction between domestic politics and international politics, as well as more nuts and bolts issues of military power projection.

 

Curriculum Information

Prerequisites

  • Permission of the instructor

Requirements Satisfied

The Classroom

  • Small black chairs surround tables arranged in the shape of a rectangle.

    Room 1 of 1

    Seminar

    This course was taught in a small-sized classroom equipped with a chalkboard and a projector.

 

Student Information

12 students took this course in Fall 2013.

Typical Student Background

This course is designed for beginning level graduate students as well as advanced undergraduates and others with an interest in or experience with interventions. In addition, several visiting military fellows usually take this course.

 
 

How Student Time Was Spent

During an average week, students were expected to spend 12 hours on the course, roughly divided as follows:

Seminar

2 hours per week
  • Met once a week for 2 hours per session; 13 sessions total; mandatory attendance.
  • All students were expected to participate in class, and to complete the readings.
  • One or more students per week were asked to make a 10-minute presentation outlining the key issues raised in the reading.
 

Out of class

10 hours per week
 
 

Semester Breakdown

WEEK M T W Th F
1 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
2 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
3 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT.
4 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
5 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
6 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
7 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
8 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
9 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
10 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
11 No classes throughout MIT. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
12 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
13 No session scheduled. Lecture session. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
14 No session scheduled. Student presentations. No session scheduled. No session scheduled. No session scheduled.
15 No session scheduled. Student presentations. No session scheduled. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
16 No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT. No classes throughout MIT.
Displays the color and pattern used on the preceding table to indicate dates when classes are not held at MIT. No classes throughout MIT
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when seminar sessions are held. Seminar session
Displays the color used on the preceding table to indicate dates when no class session is scheduled. No class session scheduled
Displays the symbol used on the preceding table to indicate dates when student presentations are held. Student presentations