Global Affairs

Global Affairs
https://mga.rice.edu/
180 Baker Hall
713-348-2367

Mark P. Jones
Faculty Director
mpjones@rice.edu

Abbey Godley
Assistant Dean for Student Programs
agodley@rice.edu

The Master of Global Affairs is a co-sponsored degree between Rice University's Baker Institute for Public Policy and the School of Social Sciences. The program offers graduate students a professional master's degree that simultaneously requires high standards of scholarship and practical training for careers in government, the private sector, and international organizations. 

The Master of Global Affairs is a two-year, 36 credit hour degree program. The program requires a non-credit bearing pre-term math boot camp held in the evenings before classes begin. The first year core-curriculum requires a sequence of 18 credit hours exposing students to a variety of topics in global affairs. The second year is reserved for pursuit of an Area of Study, participation in a required internship, and completion of a capstone project. The program is considered full-time with classes offered in the evening. 

Global Affairs does not currently offer an academic program at the undergraduate level.

Faculty Director

Mark P. Jones

Professor

Songying Fang

Lecturers

Cory Birenbaum
Yvonne Cruz
James P. Denicco
Scott McHugh
Daniel Potter

Baker Institute Fellows

Joe Barnes
Chris Bronk
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen
Jim Krane
Kelsey Norman
Tony Payan

For Rice University degree-granting programs:
To view the list of official course offerings, please see Rice’s Course Catalog
To view the most recent semester’s course schedule, please see Rice's Course Schedule

Global Affairs (GLBL)

GLBL 501 - GLOBAL SYSTEMS I

Short Title: GLOBAL SYSTEMS I

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Designed to help students think theoretically and analytically about leading issues in international affairs by introducing them to social science methods and scholarship, and exposes them to the uses of such concepts in practice, through examination of contemporary problems and relations between nation states. Introduces central concepts and approaches from a variety of social science perspectives, particularly comparative politics and international relations used to explain, analyze and evaluate international politics and economics. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 502 - INSTITUTIONS & DEVELOPMENT

Short Title: INSTITUTIONS & DEVELOPMENT

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course will explore a broad, multidisciplinary range methodologies and requisite analytical tools needed to identify, measure, and assess the determinants and effects of international development, the nature of change in the development process, and of the associated role of policy and institutional design. This will include the normative analysis of change (applying various concepts of well-being, efficiency, social justice and poverty), the application of economic concepts (to the interpretation of household and firm behavior, strategic interactions and economy-wide patterns), and the role of political, governmental and social behavior in shaping the possibilities for, drivers of and resistance to change. This will be undertaken through a mixture of discussion of overall patterns backed by a strong focus on case studies in particular country settings. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 503 - INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS FOR MASTERS STUDENTS

Short Title: INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course familiarizes students with basic concepts of research design and statistical methodology that used in policy analysis. It covers (1) fundamental concepts of scientific inference and barriers to inference in observational data, (2) the implementation and evaluation of experimental and observational research designs in policy analysis, (3) descriptive and graphical statistics, (4) statistical hypothesis testing, (5) elementary use and interpretation of the generalized linear model, and (6) using the R statistical software environment for data organization and analysis. It is strongly recommended that students complete this course in the fall semester of their first year; in all cases, it must be completed before the end of the first year. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 504 - QUANTITATIVE APPLICATIONS IN GLOBAL POLITICS AND POLICY

Short Title: GLOBAL POLITICS AND POLICY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: The course takes a problem-driven approach to practical applications of quantitative research methods in political and policy studies. Using a series of international and domestic policy topics, students will learn to apply and extend their knowledge of research design and statistics as part of developing a systematic approach to the study of global affairs. Student assignments will involve research related to the practice of global affairs, including comparative policy-making, political economy and security. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 505 - MACROECONOMICS AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Short Title: MACROECONOMICS&GLOBAL ECONOMY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Corequisite: GLBL 506

Description: This part develops our foundations on topics such as national product and income concepts, measurements, and relationships; interrelationships of the major segments of the national economy; forces affecting the general level of economic activity. Here we study how the major markets (those for labor, capital, and goods) operate. These markets are first studied in isolation. Why some countries have rapid economic development, and others low growth and pervasive poverty? We will explore the ways in which growing economic interdependence shifts global wealth. We will discuss the role of global energy supply and of ongoing technological progress as a force of change in the global economy. Masters of Global Affairs students only. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for GLBL 505 if student has credit for GLBL 524.

GLBL 506 - MACROECONOMICS FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

Short Title: MACROECONOMICS FOR GLOBAL ECON

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Corequisite: GLBL 505

Description: The second part of the course puts the markets studied in the first part together and studies their interactions. The key issues here are: (a) how macroeconomic variables behave and (b) how can policy affect these outcomes both domestically and internationally. Students will engage in a short team project to explore the role of economic development in international settings, including topics such as energy supply, labor and employment, population, education, health and nutrition. International economics: balance of payments, foreign exchange markets, international trade theory, tariffs, quotas, and exchange controls. The course will focus on the relationship between international policy and economics. North-South relations, including the US-Mexico economic relation will be discussed. Master of Global Affairs students only. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for GLBL 506 if student has credit for GLBL 524.

GLBL 507 - DECISION MAKING UNDER UNCERTAINTY

Short Title: DECISION MAKING UNCERTAINTY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: The course examines how leaders on the world stage-those in governments, international organizations, and non-state actors-make decisions that alter the course of international affairs. These decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty with limited information, elements of surprise about what will happen next, and often carry high degrees of risk. The course considers key theoretical models of uncertainty in decision making and examines specific foreign policy decisions that managed the uncertainty toward a successful outcome and those that ended in failure or expensive mistakes. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 510 - CULTURAL DIRECTIONS IN INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

Short Title: CULTURAL DIRECTIONS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Investigates the cultural and social dimensions of the development and implementation of international policy; emphasizes historical and ethnographic case studies to understand the variable impacts of policy implementation in different contexts. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 512 - INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT

Short Title: INTERNATIONAL CONFLICT

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Introduction to a broad range of areas related to the analysis and resolution of conflict, focusing on the interdisciplinary study of defining, understanding, and addressing conflict. International and community conflict, characteristics, negotiation, collaborative problem solving, process-advice. Students will research international conflict escalation, stalemate, de-escalation, settlement, resolution, or management; mediation skills to facilitate the resolution of disputes and differences, techniques of third party intervention with individuals and groups. Learning approach includes lectures, simulations, modeling and practice mediations. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 513 - INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Short Title: INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Study of theories and best practices from academia and governments/NGO’s related to international cooperation, including international law and treaties, international coalitions and sanctions, international and transnational organizations, translocal city and NGO partnerships, government and business partnerships, transnational governance and publicly diplomacy, including soft power and collective action for global public goods. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 514 - THE MIDDLE EAST CAULDRON AND UNITED STATES POLICY

Short Title: M. EAST CAULDRON & U.S. POLICY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course examines the expanding public dimension of diplomacy by investigating the growing global interests and trends in the 21st century’s diplomatic environment. This course also examines the underlying political, socio-economic, and cultural trends and surveys US national security interests, foreign policy, and public diplomacy around the world. For Master of Global Affairs Students Only.

GLBL 515 - ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Short Title: CONTEMP. US FOREIGN POLICY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 1.5

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: U.S. foreign policy is in transition. This process began long before President Joe Biden assumed office. We have moved decisively into what could be called “the post-post-Cold War” era. The global struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States ended 30 years go. But so has the “unipolar moment” that followed the Cold War, when the United States possessed unrivalled power in world affairs. The rise of China, the resurgence of Russia, and continuing turmoil in the Middle East confront U.S. policy makers with an array of complex challenges. This course focuses on these and other issues that are shaping U.S. foreign policy today. It will include discussions of topics “ripped from the news” whether we are talking about the war in Ukraine or Chinese saber rattling over Taiwan. Master of Global Affairs students only.

GLBL 519 - MASTER OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS INTERNSHIP

Short Title: MASTER GLOBAL AFFAIRS INTRNSHP

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Internship/Practicum

Credit Hours: 1-6

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: The Master of Global Affairs internship is a graduate-level supervised field experience for students in the MGA program. All internships must be preapproved and must be conducted after the student has completed a minimum of 18 credit hours in the program. Master of Global Affairs students only. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

GLBL 520 - MASTER OF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CAPSTONE

Short Title: MASTER GLOBAL AFFAIRS CAPSTONE

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: The Master of Global Affairs capstone course is the culmination of all graduate coursework and internship experience in the program; it is a significant piece of work than what is normally expected of a term paper. The capstone project must reflect a scholarly and professional analysis informed by the application of analytical strategies that address a real-world problem or public policy issue. All MGA students must complete the capstone in their final semester. Instructor Permission Required.

GLBL 521 - DIRECTED READING IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Short Title: DIR READING IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3-6

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Graduate level independent reading course. Topics vary. Master of Global Affiars students only. Instructor Permission Required. Repeatable for Credit.

GLBL 523 - QUANTITATIVE APPLICATIONS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS

Short Title: QUANTITATIVE APPLICATIONS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: The course takes a problem-driven approach to practical applications of quantitative research methods in political and policy studies. Using a series of international domestic policy topics, students will learn to apply and extend their knowledge of research design and statists as part of developing a systematic approach to the study of global affairs. Student assignments will involve research related to the practice of global affairs, including comparative policy-making, political economy and security.

GLBL 524 - MACROECONOMICS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY

Short Title: MACROECONOMICS GLOBAL ECONOMY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course develops our foundations of aggregate economic analysis; use of the aggregate demand/aggregate supply model for the determination of output, employment, and prices. The focus will be on topics such as national product and income concepts, measurements, and relationships; interrelationships of the major segments of the national economy; forces affecting the general level of economic activity. Here we study how the major markets (those for labor, capital, and goods) operate. These fundamental concepts will be used to analyze international economic policy. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for GLBL 524 if student has credit for GLBL 505/GLBL 506.

GLBL 525 - INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Short Title: INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course covers two general areas in International Security: (1) traditional (i.e., "state-centered") and (2) non-traditional security issues. The first half of the course is devoted to recent developments in the study of interstate security. We will contemplate unipolarity, American security policy, the rise of some peer competitors, and the changing nature of interstate relations in the 21st century. The second half of the course will explore the growing significance of a number of emerging non-traditional security concerns. In this portion, we will discuss counterinsurgency, civil war, terrorism, humanitarian intervention, among other developing issues.

GLBL 531 - WORLD POLITICS AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Short Title: CHANGE IN WORLD POLITICS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course has three parts: First, it will engage cutting edge research on the causes and dynamics of interstate conflict and civil war. Second, it will discuss theories and practices of international organizations such as the UN, IMF, and WID. Finally, with the background knowledge from the first parts, the course will discuss how China's rise may bring changes to both dimensions.

GLBL 532 - INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT AND GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOVERNACE

Short Title: INT'L BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This is a comprehensive course in how governance of the global economy affects business and investment decisions. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of the main international economic institutions that have been developed to oversee the global economy, and how these institutions affect the international business and investment climate. Lectures and class discussions will focus on real world examples of the impact of the international trade and financial institutions (the G-8, G-20, WTO, IMF, and World Bank) on global and individual country economic environments, with particular emphasis on non-OECD countries.

GLBL 533 - SUSTAINABILITY AND GLOBAL ISSUES

Short Title: SUSTAINABILITY & GLOBAL ISSUES

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MGA program. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course aims to familiarize the student with current Sustainability debates as well as with conceptual origins, history and principles. We will study important global and regional landmarks, conferences and agreements that have brought Sustainability to the forefront of the political, private and public spheres. Moreover, this class is expected to provide a systems approach that will help students develop a comprehensive understanding of how local to regional challenges need to be addressed under sustainable frameworks.

GLBL 542 - INTERNATIONAL MACROECONOMIC POLICY FOR MASTER'S STUDENTS

Short Title: INTL MACROECONOMIC POLICY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: How does exchange rate policy fit into a country's macroeconomic environment? How do international capital markets constrain policy space? Students will model the linkages between exchange rates, interest rates, capital flows, and prices. The course will emphasize emerging economies.

GLBL 543 - ENERGY GEOPOLITICS

Short Title: ENERGY GEOPOLITICS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Energy is credited with many contradictory properties. It is a curse that enables dictatorship and war, undermines the work ethic, and taints our environment. It is also the world's largest business and a chief ingredient of state power, stitching together disparate countries in webs of mutual dependence. Energy shapes our physical landscapes and personal habits, providing services that make us comfortable and secure, while producing waste that threatens this way of life. These are the areas where energy and politics intersect, the topics of concern to this course. Mutually Exclusive: Cannot register for GLBL 543 if student has credit for GLBL 541/POST 401/POST 501.

GLBL 551 - INTERNATIONAL POLICY ON SCIENCE, INNOVATION, AND TECHNOLOGY

Short Title: INTNL POLICY ON SCIENCE & TECH

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course is a small section intensive, interdisciplinary research seminar on the relationship between international relations and humanity's march forward in science and technology. Students will work with the instructor to complete a major research paper on a topic of their choosing that involves scientific and technological issues. This is an opportunity for students to further develop qualitative and quantitative research skills in topic areas such as the environment, computing and information, energy, and public health.

GLBL 552 - INTERNATIONAL SECURITY: DE-RISKING NATIONAL THREATS AND BUSINESS THREATS

Short Title: INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course seeks to define the risks and risk-mitigation strategies employed by both nation-states and multinational businesses. We will examine how businesses control their risks by following compliance laws around the world. We will also examine what a superpower is within the context of the geopolitical challenges America is facing (fracturing of national institutions/will/consensus, our potential relative decline, shifting alliances, China's rise, the European Union stagnation and diminution, and Russian aggression) as we look to answer the following question: who would even want to be a superpower.

GLBL 553 - INTERNATIONAL CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN A MULTI-RISK, INTER-CONNECTED WORLD

Short Title: INTERNATIONAL CRISIS MGMT

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Approximately 85% of the nation's critical infrastructure (water, electricity, food/agriculture, energy, finance, IT, communication, medical, transportation, chemical, etc.), and nearly all of the global banking system is owned and operated by private corporations. How do these corporations prepare for a crisis even that impacts national security, national economic issues, or public order/safety/health, and therefore requires an integrated joint partnership with the government or other organization(s) to plan for and manage the crisis incident?

GLBL 554 - UNDERSTANDING TERRORISM AND COUNTERTERRORISM

Short Title: COUNTERTERRORISM SEMINAR

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: This course reviews the history of terrorism and counterterrorism and focuses on the experience of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel. The course will include topics such as the evolution of terrorism, intelligence collection and analysis, the use of technology, and policing.

GLBL 555 - HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN SECURITY IN A CHANGING MIDDLE EAST

Short Title: MIDDLE EAST SECURITY & HUMAN R

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 3

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: The Middle East and North Africa remains in a state of transition more than a decade after the Arab uprisings of 2011 with important implications for human rights, women’s rights, domestic and regional economies, and international relations. This course offers a survey of critical political, social, and economic topics in the Middle East and North Africa region with a particular focus on the impact of foreign aid, conflict and displacement, social movements and changes to women’s rights, international and regional security, and authoritarian retrenchment. Over the semester, students will gain an understanding of the intersecting drivers of change in the region and the ability to put them into historical and comparative context. The course also will equip students with the skills to analyze cross-cutting conceptual developments and to identify nuance and variation in their public policy applicability across the region.

GLBL 573 - NON-THESIS GRADUATE RESEARCH

Short Title: NON-THESIS GRADUATE RESEARCH

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Course Type: Research

Credit Hours: 3-9

Restrictions: Enrollment limited to students in the MAGA or MGA programs. Enrollment is limited to Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Individual research for graduate students in the Master of Global Affairs.

GLBL 677 - SPECIAL TOPICS

Short Title: SPECIAL TOPICS

Department: Global Affairs

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Internship/Practicum, Laboratory, Lecture, Seminar, Lecture/Laboratory, Independent Study

Credit Hours: 1-4

Restrictions: Enrollment is limited to Graduate or Visiting Graduate level students.

Course Level: Graduate

Description: Topics and credit hours vary each semester. Contact department for current semester's topic(s). Repeatable for Credit.

Description and Code Legend 

Note: Internally, the university uses the following descriptions, codes, and abbreviations for this academic program. The following is a quick reference: 

Course Catalog/Schedule 

  • Course offerings/subject code: GLBL

Department (or Program) Description and Code

  • Global Affairs: GLBL

Graduate Degree Description and Code

  • Master of Global Affairs degree: MGA

Graduate Degree Program Description and Code

  • Degree Program in Global Affairs: GLBL 

CIP Code and Description1

  • GLBL Major/Program: CIP Code/Title: 45.0901 - International Relations and Affairs