Teaching a Lifelong Learning Class at Sierra College

I enjoyed standing in front of a class at Sierra College, teaching on the topic of Nuclear Deterrence Then and Now. Fewer people enrolled than I’d hoped, but one participant told me he was glad more people came than he’d expected. It seems the topic isn’t a trendy one, at least not for this type of class.

At the conclusion of the first class, which covered the history of nuclear deterrence during the Cold War, I drew together the threads of my talk . My final slide stated that the key issue is credibility. To avoid nuclear war, our enemies must be convinced we will respond to a first nuclear strike with a devastating response. Which raises the obvious question—would we really do that? The challenging paradox of credibility drove an evolution in the U.S. nuclear strategy, from the earlier threat of massive retaliation, then to a more flexible response, which eventually transitioned into a menu of options.

I suggested that the assumption of rationality by national authorities warrants sober reflection, especially in today’s world. Classical deterrence theory assumes rational actors. Is the Putin of today a rational actor? Will national leaders act rationally under enormous stress? Is it true of all countries with nuclear weapons? Such questions raise my level of concern.

At the end of the first class, I offered free copies of Atomic Peril, with the provision they’d read it. Everybody took one. One person emailed me during the two-week interval between the two classes. She wanted me to know she thoroughly enjoyed the book, probably in part because my wife helped me dumb down some of the science. She shared that the book took her on a thought-provoking journey, and she enjoyed every twist and turn. She also appreciated the way I interweaved the drama and the everyday problems for the hero of the story, scientist Steven Carter.

I realized that two hours of talking about nuclear deterrence might deter some people from returning for a second round, so I was gratified when everybody showed up again. And nobody fell asleep while I talked!

As we left Sierra College, I told my wife I was happy with my decision to offer this class. It was a lot of work to teach only a few people, but it also reminded me how much I enjoy teaching. I love seeing people’s eyes lighting up, and I like dialoging with thoughtful questioners. I’ve long believed that teaching is one of my strengths, and when I received my PhD in physics, I originally hoped to become a professor at a research university. When my life took a different course, I found other venues for teaching. From my perspective, my nuclear forensics thrillers constitute a form of teaching, because my goal is to embed some teaching while I entertain my readers.

Thank you for being one of my readers.