The course presents the history of offensive and defensive strategic weapons systems from 1945 to the present, examining the political and technological context in which they developed, and their connections to nuclear power and space exploration. Students are expected to attend lectures and participate in class discussion. Individuals or groups will also be asked to gather information and report to the class, on an ad hoc basis. Outside class, students are expected to read assigned texts, and write a research essay and collaborate on editing and posting Wikipedia content connected to the course.