Nuclear Weapons in International Politics: Past, Present and Future
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this 13-week graduate course on the technology, history, and politics of nuclear weapons. The first two weeks cover weapons design and production methods. The next five examine the Cold War arms race, the organizations that managed nuclear arsenals, delivery technologies, and methods for modeling nuclear force structures and exchanges. The final six weeks turn to decision making beyond the original five nuclear states, asking why some states pursue weapons while others forgo them, and the roles individuals, institutions, and new proliferation risks play. Materials include the full syllabus, readings, and assignments as published by MIT, with no enrollment fee since this is an OpenCourseWare archive of actual course content rather than a live instructor-led class. No certificate is offered.