Courses | Online Master's of International Administration (MAIA) | University of Miami

This course examines the structure of the U.S. Intelligence Community, the national security enterprise as a whole, and the objectives, priorities, and instruments of American foreign policy. Students in this course will examine the missions and methods of the principal national security agencies (the CIA, Defense Department, and State Department) and how intelligence professionals and analysts interact with national decision-makers to shape debates and policies.

This course covers the spectrum of international organizations, theoretical and practical issues relating to international organizations including peace and security, human rights, and economic development, culminating in an experiential exercise in which students will demonstrate their ability to identify, analyze, and manage a global organization’s response in confronting a complex multi-national problem.

Presents a broad overview of concepts, theories, processes, and practical global challenges confronting professional public/nonprofit managers and mission-driven entrepreneurs; discusses contemporary issues facing multi-national corporations, non-government organizations, and public agencies; and analyzes the process of establishing organizations that address social issues on both local and global scales.

An overview of world religions and cultures as a backdrop of effective communication for international professionals. Religious and political conflicts have increasingly become a staple of our complex, globalized world. As a result, it is important for professionals working with international and non-governmental organizations to understand the religions and the cultures of the world to better facilitate their work in different societies in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Americas. Since religion is an integral part of many cultures, understanding the religious implications of certain activities is important in navigating certain societies and facilitating the work of professionals, especially in regions where religion and political violence dominate foreign relations and foreign policy.

This course introduces the conceptual basics of international relations and trains students in analytical and critical thinking skills through familiarity with the broad palette of issues and actors that make up today's world politics. Topics include the origins of the state and its changing role in today's world and an examination of the actors in international relations and the issues before them.

Reviews the essentials of international economics. It then provides students with an operational understanding of the theory of comparative advantage and its application to policy issues.

The concepts of environmental sustainability and energy security will be explored. The importance of energy and the mitigation of climate change in formulation of country strategies, advancement of national interests, and shaping of the international system will be stressed.

Theoretical approaches and the major global threats to human security along with some of the most promising policy solutions will be explored. Some of these human security threats are well known, like genocide, and others, like cybersecurity, are newly emerging. Focus will be placed on key human security topics such as war, terrorism, human trafficking, climate change, famine, violence against women, and infectious and non-infectious diseases.

This course examines the preparedness and management of civil crises issuing from violent human actions, natural disasters, and threats to public safety and health, providing a framework to examine emergency preparedness, the security of civil spaces, and actions threatening public order and individual safety. Emphasis will be placed on the burdens of critical incident management and the elements central to its success. These elements—planning and contingency, leadership and management, intelligence and analysis, as well as operations and communication—will be engaged from an operational perspective.

This course examines the management of disasters from natural causes. It is focused primarily on the theory and practice of response. At the center of this investigation is a difficult question: how to help? The answers are not obvious. Through the vocabularies of practitioners and the frameworks offered by academic literature, we will explore the ways in which responders respond, the lessons learned and the best practices that have emerged in the field of disaster response and humanitarian intervention.