Introduction to National Security Research Methods

This course introduces the range of methodological approaches used to study national security and prepares students to critically evaluate and apply them in research and analysis. Students examine case studies, interviews, surveys, modeling, wargaming, quantitative and qualitative analysis, and emerging applications of artificial intelligence.

Discussions address the strengths, limitations, and best practices associated with each technique, illustrated through applied examples. Through research design exercises, students develop coding schemes, models, and data instruments to analyze security issues rigorously. By the end, they gain the skills to design, assess, and interpret national security research grounded in sound empirical methods.

Note: This course is only open to MNSP students.