NPRE/GLBL 482 and 483, Fall 2008

for NPRE/GLBL 483, Seminar in Security for Fall 2008, click here

for NPRE/GLBL 481, Writing Seminar in Security, for Spring 2009, click here

for NPRE/GLBL 482, read from here on:

Military and Civilian Uses of Nuclear Energy
Fall 2008

Taught by Jeremiah Sullivan

Meeting Dates and Location

NPRE/GLBL 482 will meet in Fall 2008 in 359 Armory from 7:00-8:30 pm on Wednesday, August 27, and from 6:30-8:00 pm on subsequent Wednesdays in 359. Coming from the corner of the Armory Building nearest the Main Quadrangle, take the second stairway in the entrance area just inside the building, go to the third floor, and go west to the ACDIS offices in room 359, and go into the ACDIS conference room to the left.

Topics for NPRE/GLBL 482

For Fall 2008, NPRE482 will concentrate on existing nuclear treaties, the process of bringing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty into force, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency, ballistic missile defense, and proposals for working towards the abolition of nuclear weapons. Region-specific topics include U.S,-Russian relations, Iran, Israel, India, Pakistan, and North Korea. Topical readings will be assigned, which may include some of the materials listed below. There will also be a research paper assignment. Contact Jeremiah Sullivan <jdsacdis@uiuc.edu> for more information.

Updated by Clifford Singer on August 15, 2008

Text Resources for the previous, Spring 2007, Course Offering

Emerging from the Valley of the Shadow: Towards Comprehensive Global Nuclear Management in the 21st Century, ACDIS Course Reader, Clifford Singer (2002)

Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons ("NPT Treaty"; http://www.fas.org/nuke/control/npt/text/npt2.htm)

Strategic Offensive Nuclear Weapons Treaty ("Moscow Treaty"; http://www.state.gov/t/ac/trt/18016.htm)

START I Treaty (entered into force December 1994) Article II Section 1 and Article XVI (http://www.bits.de/NRANEU/START/documents/Start1.htm)

START Treaty Final Reductions (http://www.state.gov/t/ac/rls/fs/9624.htm)

Additional assignments may be given, depending on the relevant current material that becomes available.

Regular class meetings and paper and course notes reading assignments, for the Spring 2007 offering were as follows. The chapter numbers refer to Emerging from the Valley of the Shadow: Towards Comprehensive Global Nuclear Management in the 21st Century, ACDIS Course Reader, Clifford Singer (2002).

Lecture topics and assignments calendar for the previous, Spring 2007, offering

 Research Projects on Why Countries Use Nuclear Reactors for the previous, Spring 2007 offering

In the Spring 2007 offering of NPRE/GLBL 482, each student examined connection between civilian and military uses of nuclear energy in one of the countries that either has at least one nuclear electric power production reactors or has nuclear reactors for other purposes (i.e. "research reactors") and is planning to build nuclear electric power production reactor. Possible choices include Taiwan and the countries listed below. These reports were in a standard format that includes the following sections:

Executive Summary (1 page)
1. Introduction: a summary of the contents of the report (up to 500 words)
2. Data on research reactor construction, operation, and plans (including tabular Excel format)
3. Data on commercial reactor construction and plans (including tabular Excel format)
4. Analysis of the relationship between civilian and military uses of nuclear energy (1000–2000 words)
5. References and notes

Country Choices:
Australia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, North Korea, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam;
Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden;
Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Pakistan, Romania, Slovenia,
South Africa, SouthKorea, Switzerland, Yugoslavia

Grading for the previous, Spring 2007, offering

Grading for the Spring 2007 offereing of NPRE/GLBL 482 was based on weekly quizzes on the readings assigned for each day (typically 6-12 points each), the assigned paper (2 points for country preference list submission, 10 points for first draft of data tables, 30 points for the first complete draft, and 10 points for the final draft), and the course exam (50 points). Before submission, papers should be checked for spelling, grammar, and style, using the 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style (available in the ACDIS office and campus libraries) as a style guide as needed. A bibliography of research references used was attached to each report on a separate page, with references in the text in (author, date) style. Explanatory notes could be included with the references.