Living at the Nuclear Brink

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Free Online Course: Living at the Nuclear Brink provided by edX is a comprehensive online course, which lasts for 10 weeks long, 1-4 hours a week. The course is taught in English and is free of charge. Upon completion of the course, you can receive an e-certificate from edX. Living at the Nuclear Brink is taught by William Perry.

Overview
  • The key goals of this course are to warn you of the dangers you face and to give you some insight on what could be done to avoid those dangers. My challenge in this course is to make vivid to you that the dangers of nuclear weapons, far from being historical curiosities, are existential dangers today. You will have the opportunity to engage in discussions about these topics with both world experts and peers from around the globe.

    You can take this course any way you wish. We have organized the course segments in a logical order, both chronologically and thematically. However, each segment stands alone and can be viewed independently.

Syllabus
  • Week 1: Introduction; What Are Nuclear Weapons and Why Were They Developed?

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. Joseph Martz; Dr. Siegfried Hecker

    Week 2: Nuclear Proliferation in the United States and Around the World

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. Joseph Martz; Dr. Siegfried Hecker

    Week 3: Under a Nuclear Cloud: Early Cold War

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. David Holloway

    Week 4: Fear and Loathing and Relief: Later Cold War

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. David Holloway

    Week 5: A Lack of Intelligence

    Dr. William J. Perry; Philip Taubman

    Week 6: Dilemmas of Nuclear Policy

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. Scott Sagan; Dr. David Holloway; Dr. Andre Kokoshin

    Week 7: New Nuclear Dangers: Nuclear Terrorism

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. Martha Crenshaw; Dr. Siegfried Hecker

    Week 8: New Nuclear Dangers: South Asia and Proliferation

    Dr. William J. Perry; Dr. Scott Sagan; Dr. Martha Crenshaw; Dr. Siegfried Hecker; Dr. Andre Kokoshin

    Week 9: What Has Been Done, and Can Be Done, about Nuclear Dangers

    Dr. William J. Perry; Amb. James Goodby; Secretary George Shultz

    Week 10: What Next?

    Dr. William J. Perry; Joseph Cirincione