The war in Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza War have highlighted an increasing polarization over national security issues in the U.S. This course will seek to illuminate the reasons for this polarization, which began over the Cold War and then Vietnam. Covert actions by the CIA, the Cold War policies of Ronald Reagan, Iraq, and Afghanistan intensified key differences between Progressives/Liberals and Conservatives. These differences were not about policy, but rather values: Conservatives saw “freedom” as their touchstone while the New Left, after 2002 called Progressives, emphasized “equality,” and these values affected how they believed the U.S. should interact with the world. As polarization has worsened, it has affected the very language used by both sides to talk about each other and about national security issues. This course will follow the development of national security polarization through an examination of the history of Conservative and Progressive national security policy and end by asking whether we can heal the chasm that divides America today.

COURSE FORMAT
This is an interactive online seminar course that meets weekly over 8 weeks. Live online sessions will use the zoom platform. Weekly reading or other forms of materials may be assigned. Weekly sessions will be recorded and available for registered participants to access throughout the course.
There are no papers or grades. This course does not offer any credits or certificates. This course is intended for learning for the love of learning.

COURSE MATERIALS
This course will have all reading materials supplied by the instructor
Registrants will receive access to the course website and the zoom links about two weeks before the course starts.

COURSE CANCELLATION POLICY
Registrants can cancel and receive a full refund up to March 3. After March 3, there will be no refunds issued.
Yale Alumni College courses are subject to schedule changes as well as cancellations. If Yale Alumni College must cancel any course prior to its start due to low enrollment, you will be notified of this by the cancellation date. Upon cancellation of a course, registrants may transfer their registration to another available course or have the registration fee fully refunded.

In the event of a disruption to the original course schedule, including but not limited to; Professor absence, hazardous weather conditions, or local travel restrictions, Yale Alumni College will do its best to reschedule the missed class for the week immediately following the original end date at the same course time and day.