Wiegand Receives Grant from the Stanton Foundation to Develop Nuclear Security Course
The University of Tennessee Howard H. Baker Jr. School of Public Policy and Public Affairs (Baker School) recently received a grant from The Stanton Foundation to support the development of a new course on nuclear security.
Dr. Krista Wiegand, Baker School professor and director of the Center for National Security and Foreign Affairs, used the funding to develop HBS 456/556: Nuclear Policy and Deterrence. The course, which will be offered for the first time in January, aims to teach students to apply concepts and theories about nuclear politics, nonproliferation, and deterrence to the policy process. It will cover topics including nuclear deterrence strategy, extended deterrence, Cold War nuclear politics, U.S. nuclear strategy, nuclear coercion and blackmail, deterrence-nonproliferation debate, nuclear threats, nuclear terrorism, and case studies.
“The Stanton Foundation grant allowed me to create a new course on nuclear deterrence policy, a topic that is increasingly critical in today’s geopolitical context,” Wiegand said. “With North Korea and China updating their nuclear weapons, Russia threatening use of their weapons, and Iran continuing to enrich uranium, nuclear security is a top priority for the U.S. and its allies and partners.”
The Stanton Foundation was created by Dr. Frank Stanton, who is widely regarded as one of the television industry’s founding fathers. His involvement with nuclear issues began with his appointment to a committee convened by President Dwight Eisenhower to develop the first comprehensive plan for the survival of the U.S. following a nuclear attack. In accordance with Stanton’s wishes, the Foundation funds work in nuclear security, including support for new course development of nuclear security-related topics at schools and universities both within the U.S. and abroad.
Wiegand spent part of the fall semester developing the course with the assistance of Graduate Teaching Assistant Jackson Scott. It is a co-convening course open to both undergraduate and graduate students and could be applied to the Nuclear Security Certificate and National Security Certificate programs.
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