Nuclear weapons are the result of applied science, but nuclear policymaking is only sporadically based on an understanding of the underlying scientific and technical issues. Too often, the two disciplines work at cross-purposes with each other—while policymakers are in many cases ignorant of work in the S&T community, scientists are equally guilty of coming up with technical solutions to nuclear policy challenges that ignore political realities. The course has two primary objectives: (1) To expose students to an understanding of how S&T communities affect states’ nuclear policymaking—both through their development of new technologies, and through the advice they provide to policymakers on nuclear issues; and (2) To provide students with a robust understanding of the science and technology underpinning the policies discussed in each topical session (e.g., nuclear forensics and attribution; nuclear weapons targeting policies and “overkill;” weapons complex and stockpile stewardship challenges; technical underpinnings of horizontal and vertical proliferation; global threat reduction programs; the CTBT ratification debate). While much of the course will focus on the United States as a case study, we will also discuss/compare/contrast the relationship between science and the state on nuclear issues in China, India, France, and Russia/the USSR.