Course Description
From the atomic bomb to artificial intelligence, scientific breakthroughs constantly challenge global stability. How does the international community manage the emergence of new scientific possibilities and technologies that carry both immense promise and unprecedented peril? This course delves into the critical history of global efforts to govern science and technology for the sake of peace and security. We will journey through the history of pivotal moments where science and global policy collided, examining the successes and failures of international cooperation. No preliminary knowledge is required.

Background
In the aftermath of the Second World War, humanity faced an unprecedented challenge. The development of atomic weaponry during the Manhattan Project and the subsequent bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ushered in a new age. For the first time, humans held the capacity to destroy all life on earth. This stark reality gave birth to a new calculus of geopolitics, an arms race justified by the doctrines of “deterrence” and “Mutually Assured Destruction,” and the urgent, complex project of global governance.

Yet, this Cold War rivalry was not confined to terrestrial arsenals; it reached for the heavens in the Space Race. This competition, while fueling tensions, also paradoxically led to some of the earliest frameworks for international cooperation in a new domain, aiming to prevent the weaponization of space. At the same time, another revolution was quietly unfolding in molecular biology. The discovery of the DNA double helix launched a genetic age, offering the promise of curing diseases while raising profound ethical dilemmas about human engineering and biological warfare. A distinctive technoscientific culture of international governance emerged, mirroring this period of immense promise and peril, as societies grappled with how to manage these powerful new capabilities.

Today, we stand at the threshold of another profound transformation driven by artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, and even the prospect of “mirror life” (life made with an opposite chemical “handedness” that could pose environmental, ecological, immunological and other risks). These technologies are reshaping everything from economic production to biosecurity to the very nature of conflict, creating new domains of innovation, practice, and commerce that defy traditional borders and forms of control. From lethal autonomous weapons to AI-driven propaganda and the regulation of global tech giants, the international community is once again struggling to build governance frameworks for technologies it is still struggling to understand. And these challenges from different scientific fields often intersect in the realm of governance, regulation, and international relations.

Over the course of the term, we will survey the historical, technical, and moral dimensions of these successive and sometimes intersectional technological revolutions and their implications for global peace and security. We will pay special attention to the role of scientists and states; the tension between national security and international cooperation; the function of treaties and international institutions; and the ethical challenges posed by technologies that can fundamentally alter not only the global future but even the human future. By better understanding the history of global governance in the face of disruptive technology, we will be better equipped to analyze the complex legacies, crises, and choices we face at the current moment.

Key Topics

• The Nuclear Age: From the Manhattan Project to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, how did the world learn to live with the bomb? What does the imminent end of the age of nuclear treaties mean for global governance for peace and security today? Los Alamos, Trinity, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Bikini—familiar names in atomic history. But long before the atomic bomb indelibly associated radioactivity with death, many believed that radium might hold the secret to life. What happened, and how did this change? Through a series of case studies, we will survey the complex historical, political, environmental, cultural, and moral dimensions of the atomic age, from the discovery of radioactivity in the late nineteenth century through the Manhattan Project and the development of the atomic bomb and the subsequent arms race, up to the complex world of international relations we live in today.
• The Final Frontier: Nominally about civilian scientific achievement, the Space Race was also inescapably a national strategic military concern for many countries involved. How can we consider the lasting impact of the twentieth century space race in light of novel transformations of “New Space” bringing private investment rather than nation-states into space? What is the origin, winding path, and fate of the Outer Space Treaty seeking to prevent the militarization of space in such a world?
• The Genetic Revolution: Fifty years ago, scientists called for a moratorium on potentially hazardous novel work with recombinant DNA (genetic engineering). The 1975 Asilomar conference where they gathered has been understood, variously, as a model for international scientific cooperation, for self-regulation, or for elite capture of governance by those who stood most to benefit from the pursuit of the technology. And this was even before there was money on the table and biotechnology was only a nascent industry. Today, while the technologies related to biological engineering and dual-use concerns may have changed, the pressing questions are familiar—and have direct implications for both human futures and global equity.
• Today’s Frontiers: Contemporary governance challenges at the intersection of science and society are legion, and range from a proposed moratorium on “mirror life” and concern about other dual-use biotechnologies, to understanding the scope, impact, and potential regulatory and governance responses to the prospects of AI. How to maintain peace and security in a world of innovation and instability where the machinic algorithms seemingly outpace the human?

Course Objectives

• Who gets a seat at the table? Influence of experts, governments, NGOs, and citizens.
• What tools do we have? Treaties, hearings, science courts, advisory panels.
• Does it actually work? Evaluating governance effectiveness.
• How do interpretations of success and failure change over time?

Learning Outcomes
Our class is designed to engage your intellect in many different ways, but one of its primary goals is to introduce you to the core theories and real-world challenges of global governance for peace and security. This course explores how major technological and scientific revolutions—from the atomic age and the space race to the genetic revolution and the rise of artificial intelligence—have shaped international relations and created new dilemmas for humanity. A significant part of this course is thus an exploration of interdisciplinary research, analytical, and critical thinking skills. As you develop these skills, you will learn:

• How to gather and interpret complex, interdisciplinary data from scientific, political, historical, and ethical sources.
• How to craft compelling arguments from fragments of information, and over time come to offer new interpretations and ask new critical questions.
• How contemporary assumptions and disciplinary frameworks (from international relations, history, and science & technology studies) shape the questions we ask and our interpretations of the past and future.

By the end of the semester, students will be able to:

• Describe the key moments, figures, technologies, and institutions that have defined the pursuit of global governance, from the post-WWII atomic era to the contemporary challenges of cyberspace and AI.
• Distinguish, contextualize, and evaluate different types of primary documents (e.g., policy papers, UN resolutions, scientific reports) and secondary texts.
• Identify an author’s perspective and thesis in a text, monograph, or scholarly article and situate it in its broader intellectual and political context
• Distinguish various analytical frameworks and methodologies from international relations, security studies, and science & technology studies.
• Utilize a range of tools and methods for understanding the varied technological, strategic, legal, moral, environmental, and policy dimensions of the atomic age, the space race, the genetic revolution, and artificial intelligence.
• Pose critical questions about peace and security, evaluate competing narratives and the evidence used to support them, and use scholarly literature to situate an argument within key policy and academic debates.
• Independently articulate and write a clear and substantiated scholarly argument, supported with appropriate and thorough evidence and demonstrating the proper use of sources, that reaches a convincing conclusion.
• Challenge commonsense assumptions and oversimplifications about nuclear deterrence, the weaponization of space, genetic engineering, and the governance of AI.
• Synthesize course concepts to analyze emerging global challenges and evaluate potential frameworks for international cooperation and security.

Required Texts

There are no required textbooks for purchase for this class. Instead, we will be reading a variety of primary and secondary sources that will be provided to you (see lecture schedule below). The primary platform for this class will be Moodle, which will contain all of our assigned readings and materials, including assignments. Readings are to be completed prior to the class they are assigned. Please note that the amount of reading for each class meeting may vary considerably (and some readings are entirely optional). Plan accordingly.

Assignments and Grading Policy

• Papers (3 papers, each worth 15%): 45%
• Midterm: 20%
• Final Exam: 25%
• Summaries/Attendance/Engagement: 10%

Papers
Papers. Over the course of the term, you will be assigned three papers in which you will conduct your own analysis, drawing on the assigned readings and lecture material (approximately 5-7 pages each). You will have approximately two to three weeks to complete each paper. Further instructions and expectations for papers will be shared later during the term

Reading Summaries
Reading Summaries. There will also be occasional “quizzes,” which will consist of a one-paragraph summary and reflection on one of the day’s assigned readings (your choice). This is primarily intended as a study tool for your own edification. A quiz/summary must be written before class, and must be ready for immediate submission if requested. If you have done the assigned reading and prepared a summary, you will be fully prepared for the prospect of a “quiz.” There is a one-in-four chance of a “quiz” on any given day of lecture. As a reward for having read the syllabus carefully up to this point, you may use the phrase “San Servolo” as your answer on any one quiz this term. This will count for full credit on one day when you have forgotten your summary

Midterm and Final Examination
Midterm and final examinations will have questions drawn from the lectures, readings, and discussions.

Lecture Schedule

A detailed weekly schedule of readings and topics will be provided.

Main topics:

Inventing the Cold War World: Science, Secrecy, and Nuclear War
The Use of the Atomic Bomb: Trinity, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki
The Human Cost: Downwinders, Survivors, and Sacrificial Landscapes
Bombs as Guarantors of Security: Deterrence, the Arms Race, and Atoms for Peace
The Nuclear Legacy: Accidents, Activism, and Advocating for an Anxious Future
The Dawn of the Space Age: Sputnik and Cold War Rivalry
Governing the Cosmos: The Race to the Moon and International Law
From Cooperation to Congestion: The ISS and the New Space Race
The Rise of Eugenics and the Politics of Heredity
The Double Helix, and Eugenics in the Molecular Vision of Life
Governing the Gene: Who Decides? The Asilomar Conference and the Recombinant DNA Debate
The Genomic Age: Mapping Humanity and Claims to “Own” Life
The Future of the Human in Global Governance: Gene Therapy, CRISPR, and Bioethics
The AI Revolution: Governance, Security, and the New Arms Race
The Ethics of the Unknown: Governing Synthetic Biology and AI

Last updated: March 30, 2026