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Ryan Moore

POL 695A

Dr. Paulette Kurzer

14 November 2021

Professional Reflection: Theatrics to International Security

Art to International Security

My path leading into the International Security Studies (ISS) Master program can be

classified as fairly nontraditional. During my undergraduate career I pursued varying interests in

service, medicine, and the fine arts; engaged in an internship within the medical field and applied

to one in the international security field; and ultimately received a fine arts degree. I currently

work for the University of Arizona School of Dance as a Senior Technical Director, which does

not deal with most of the topics covered in international security, but I have always maintained a

healthy interest in a wide variety of topics outside of the arts which expand my knowledge of the

world and its inhabitants. In order to satisfy my desire to learn more about the world and

different people, I have always sought employment opportunities that allow me to work with

individuals from diversified backgrounds as well as lean towards service-oriented occupations.

My work within the University requires me to critically assess situations, think quickly on my

feet, and act as a liaison between my department and various constituents from the campus and

greater community; all traits and skills used within the international security field.

A New Path

The ISS program offered me the opportunity to engage in courses that broaden my

understanding of security both internationally and domestically, as well as engage in discussions

that challenged my views of security. With this degree, I do plan to pursue a new career in the
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field of international security and national security. During the program, Dr. Sciabarra had

mentioned that through the combination of my studies within the program and my current

building management experience through my position at the University, a career option in

embassy management could be a possibility. This advice gave me a career path to investigate as I

knew I wanted to shift into a security-related career but was unsure of where to start. I used the

motivation from that conversation to engage in the Southern Arizona Intelligence Summit to hear

from professionals in the security and national defense field and begin networking with others in

security to explore which careers may be the best fit for me.

Prior to beginning my master’s degree, I felt my knowledge about international issues

was extremely basic and that I didn’t have a real grasp on how decisions about national security

or defense strategies were made. However, as I conclude the degree program, I can confidently

state that the courses provided me a deeper understanding about international issues, how

decisions for war or peace are approached, as well as the newer security threats facing the nation.

The topics covered in the cybersecurity courses gave me a comprehensive knowledge over the

development of not only cyberspace, but also cyberthreats and the possibility of cyberwarfare.

As the globe continues to move critical infrastructure, commerce, and daily functions online, the

conversations in the cybersecurity related courses will continue to be relevant and will assist in

my goal of shifting into a security-related field by understanding the intricacies of defining

borders or sovereignty in cyberspace, the varying rights associated to privacy online around the

globe, as well as steps that can be taken to prevent cyberattacks on critical systems.

Benefits of the ISS Program Courses

In my current role within my department, the courses I took from the ISS program benefit

me by granting me a methodology of understanding a topic deeper through cultural or normative

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traditions, refining my skills to hone in on relevant details from large quantities of data, and a

more refined ability to look at a larger situation from varying viewpoints to develop the most

operational solution. In the technical side of fine arts, most of the problems I must solve exist

with either too much or too little data, differences between performers and technicians about

expectations, and having to use a specialized skill set to collaborate on a larger vision. The

methodologies that were discussed in the ISS courses to determine the most influential types of

intelligence in a given situation directly translate to the fine arts when attempting to build show

elements or create outreach initiatives; you have to use the most abundant and verifiable data

first and supplement data drawn from additional sources that may not be fully verified to be

successful. For the ISS program, this translates to using the right “INT” for a situation and

supplementing with additional “INT’s” to make a more well-rounded, comprehensive action

plan.

However, the ISS program will most benefit me going into a new, security-driven career.

The POL 559A Comparing US and EU Democracy Promotion Policy in the MENA Region

course taught me that while democracy promotion may work in one region, that another region

with similar circumstances could find that democracy promotion fails due to outside political

influences and from long held agreements between nations. This course also taught me that

sometimes the combination of strategies from multiple nations for democracy promotion or

policy promotion more broadly can be more successful than a single nation’s ideologies for

policy promotion. Additionally, POL 516A Strategic Nonviolent Conflict taught me that

campaign strategies can/will change based on the socioeconomic standing of a nation, the ability

for a group to gain public support, NGO’s and third-party support, and through countless fluid

factors. This course emphasized that peace and violence are fragile and can transition between
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each other should it suit the needs of a movement. This knowledge will be carried into future

security careers to help develop security strategies, identify vulnerabilities in existing security

structures, and think more critically about current political issues so that they do not progress

into more violent outbreaks or newer security concerns.

Outside of the content of the courses, the ISS program has ultimately shaped my ability to

understand the nuances of governmental and security writing styles. Prior to starting this

master’s program, I understood how to formulate academic papers and scientific reports but

composing a security brief or technical summary was not something I was accustomed with or

comfortable creating. Dr. John Tidd’s course helped me write succinctly with incredible details,

Dr. Ryckman’s courses helped me focus on extracting the most important information from

multiple sources to give detailed summaries, and Dr. Boustead’s course introduced me to

effective policy brief writing where I now feel confident that I could write informative policy

briefs in a security related career.

Conclusion

Overall, the ISS program expanded my overall understanding of security and the world. I

now look at international and security issues from a new perspective and analyze news sources

and articles for the processes that governments may have used to make their decisions, rather

than just focusing on the decisions governments made. My confidence in technical writing has

greatly improved and my ability to critically think about concepts has been heightened due to my

time in the Master of Arts in International Security Studies program. This program has allowed

me to engage in rigorous conversations with individuals from a variety of military and security

backgrounds, as well as network within the security field to apply the concepts I learned in the

program to real-world applications. Leaving this program, I have the confidence that I can
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transition out of my current job in theatrical education and into a security-related field with a

knowledge base that prepares me to effectively analyze complex situations, offer tailored

suggestions for security/defense improvements, and communicate effectively within the security

community.