Military Affairs Course Syllabus

[Jesse9252]

I am a sophomore at Tufts University and a member of a student initiative called ALLIES (The Alliance Linking Leaders in Education and the Services) aimed at strengthening civil-military relations on campus. In our experience, the Tufts community is woefully uninformed about the role our military plays in international affairs, the force it exerts on domestic politics, and the people that fill its ranks. We feel this is unacceptable in a school with a supposedly prestigious International Relations program, and a stated mission to produce well-rounded students capable of leading our country.

We are fortunate to have the opportunity to create a student-led class on military affairs--a subject that is rarely addressed at liberal arts universities. Given the breadth of knowledge on this board, we would be grateful to hear any suggestions for books or articles that we could include in the class syllabus. At this stage, we think the best place to start might be general introductions to the U.S. military and its varied roles in foreign policy, its evolution over time, and current and future challenges.

We are also looking at bringing in guest teachers from Tufts (including the Fletcher School) and the greater Boston area.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this. We look forward to any suggestions.