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Global Agenda 2003

Following the terror attacks on New York and Washington in September, 2001, Americans and others have asked whether vaunted U.S. intelligence gathering machinery failed to note and warn of signs of trouble. The Central Intelligence Agency, the FBI, the National Security Agency and many other government services have been questioned about what they knew, when they knew it, and whether they "connected the dots" successfully and quickly. Congress and the news media have demanded to know why the American government and people were caught so unaware.

This weekly seminar focuses on the history and challenges of espionage and intelligence gathering by the United States about the world beyond U.S. borders. Attention will be paid to terrorism, but also to other aspects of intelligence ranging from aerial photography to cryptography in the information age, as well as to the history of espionage in the cold war.

Approximately every other week, guest lecturers, practitioners or critics of the intelligence community, visit the UD campus to explore with students their experience with intelligence and espionage problems and the media's role in dealing with them. Students in this seminar will attend exclusive small-group talks and private dinners with visiting speakers, and will be joined by members of the university and public community who are invited to the series of Wednesday evening lectures.

On intervening weeks, the seminar will explore topics upcoming and just passed in the speaker series. This course is appropriate for Juniors and Seniors interested in geopolitics in policy and journalism who are eager for lively interaction with our visiting speakers.


Please note the mechanics of the course:

This class will meet once a week, on Wednesdays in Gore Hall 219.
In weeks when there is a guest speaker, students are required to attend the following events with the speaker:

  • seminar, with limited enrollment to allow lots of interaction with the guest (begins at 3:30pm) - 219 Gore Hall
  • informal reception, exclusive to students in the class, to allow off-topic discussions (5:00-5:30pm) - Clayton Hall
  • dinner with the guest, exclusive to students in the class, to allow informal continuing discussion (begins at 6:00pm)
    • NOTE: To make the event a rich opportunity for discussion, the dinners will be small. Approximately 10-12 students will be able to attend each dinner; a rotation system will be established early in the semester to assure all students have ample opportunity to converse with our guests. - Clayton Hall
  • formal evening lecture, open to students outside the class and to the general public (begins at 7:30pm) - 128 Clayton Hall

In weeks when there is no guest speaker, the class will meet in Gore Hall 219 on Wednesday at 3:30pm for discussion of the upcoming guest's topic and review of the previous week's speaker. This will be a standard-length class. (3:30-4:45pm)

There will be readings - including several books and from current-affairs publications - and several papers, but no final exam.

Registration is limited.