FORWARD ENGAGEMENT: THE STUDY OF LONG-RANGE DEVELOPMENTS AS FACTORS IN CONTEMPORARY NATIONAL POLICY

6 ECTS credits

The objective of this course is to accustom students to thinking in an integrated way about potentially major societal events in the longer-range future, and simultaneously, to consider initiatives that might be taken in the present to better devise public policy for meeting these contingencies. In the real world, issues are far more inter-connected than our specializations suggest, and to filter out these connections imperils our ability to appreciate what is shaping our lives. Therefore, Forward Engagement does not relate only to security issues: it tries to comprehend major developments in the broad categories of defense, economics, science and technology, and governance – and it also strives to understand how these developments interact. This approach will complement the training of students who are preparing for careers in government or who are seriously interested in public policy though enrolled in other specializations.