Political science 373 A: american foreign policy
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- POLITICAL SCIENCE AND THE MIAMI PLAN FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION
- CLASS ENVIRONMENT
- STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND GRADING POLICIES
- ACADEMIC HONESTY AND ATTENDANCE
- TENTATIVE SCHEDULE TUESDAY
- Midterm Examination Oct 17 State: RS 4, AE 20; Abstracts Due
- Final Examination: Monday, December 11, 2006, 245PM
ABSTRACT This course is intended to serve as an introduction to the substance and study of U.S. foreign policy. It will integrate theory and history in an effort to build a set of analytic tools with which students may continue to examine American foreign policy. Our focus will be on both the substance of U.S. foreign policy and on the process by which foreign policy is made in the institutional and political context of the United States. We will focus on America's rise to global leadership; on its role in the changing global system; and on how that has and hasn’t changed since September 11th. We will pay special attention to the sources of foreign policy and how a focus on sources of foreign policy can lead to the development of explanations about patterns and processes of U.S. foreign policy. READINGS Stephen Ambrose and Douglas Brinkley, Rise to Globalism Ivo Daalder and James Lindsay, America Unbound: The Bush Revolution in Foreign Policy Jerel Rosati and James Scott, The Politics of United States Foreign Policy Glenn Hastedt (ed.), Annual Editions: American Foreign Policy 06/07
POL 271 is a prerequisite for this course (POL 141/241 would also be helpful). POL 373 is required for Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs majors, and may be taken as part of a political science major or minor, or as an elective. This course is part of the "Comparative Analysis of Foreign Policy" Liberal Education Thematic Sequence. Students in this sequence have already taken (a) POL 271 (world politics) and (b) POL 374 (comparative foreign policy) or POL 387 (comparative security issues). These courses set the broad context within which foreign policy fits. They develop concepts and theories that provide "intellectual leverage" for students in order that they will be better able to understand the processes of the international system. The courses (especially 374) also develop students' critical thinking skills as students begin to disaggregate the foreign policy process in a variety of national settings and as students are challenged to critically examine a number of competing forces in foreign policymaking and a variety of competing explanations of the foreign policies of nation-states. Further, these courses (especially 387) challenge students to critically examine the ways that nation-states define "security." The course also fits into the Thematic Sequence on "War: An Extension of Politics." POL 373 can be thought of as an application of the terms and concepts developed in these previous courses to the specific national setting of the United States. In this course, students will be challenged to continue to develop their (a) critical thinking skills by examining the panoply of forces that contribute to the making of foreign policy in the United States, and by exploring different explanations for the patterns and processes of U.S. foreign policy. Toward this end, students are encouraged to disassemble and reassemble theoretical interpretations of empirical patterns and processes in order to understand their underlying structure, and to attempt to apply some of these interpretive frameworks to cases of foreign policymaking in the United States, particularly since the end of World War II. This course seeks to contribute to students' ability to (b) understand contexts by examining the ways that U.S. foreign policy is (at least in part) a product of the U.S. national and societal setting, and is conditioned by domestic and international forces. Realizing the limitations imposed by fairly large class size, this course will try to provide opportunities for students to (c) engage with other learners through opportunities for class discussions. Finally, this course seeks to make a contribution to the students' abilities to (d) reflect and act. Students need not enter careers in government or international business for the concepts learned herein and the intellectual development that should take place within the context of this course (and this focus sequence) to contribute to an enhanced ability to appreciate the importance of context, the multi-causal nature of social and political phenomena, and the importance for an educated person to take political action and make political judgments based upon sound theoretical and philosophical foundations. This course endeavors to contribute to the continuing process of building such foundations within the traditions of liberal education. At the end of the semester, students taking this course as part of the Thematic Sequence in foreign policy will be asked, in addition to the course evaluation completed by all students, to complete a questionnaire that asks the students to evaluate the extent to which the course meets the goals of the Miami Plan and the Thematic Sequence. CLASS ENVIRONMENT The professor is committed to the department's policy of supporting the learning of all students, irrespective of gender, ethnicity, race, age, religion, handicapping condition, or sexual preference. Students should be able to expect that their learning environments are free from any form of prejudice. If prejudicial behavior occurs, you should talk to the professor and identify the specific offense or disparaging behavior. If you are not content with the resolution of your complaint you are encouraged to consult with the Department Chair. The university exists for learning and the free and open pursuit of ideas. Anything that impedes this mission is antithetical to the role of a university and will not be tolerated. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND GRADING POLICIES All students will be expected to take a midterm and a final examination, and to submit a written assignment of original work. Each student's final grade will be based on the ratios: midterm 30%, paper 30%, final 35%, participation 5%. I use a standard 10-point/grade scale with +/-. The written assignment is due in class on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Each student will write a paper of about 10 typed, double spaced pages in length (with one inch margins and a normal font; your name, date, and a paper title on a cover page will suffice; and staple it, please). These papers must be fully cited and be original work by the student. The topic on which each student will write will vary based on what essay in the Annual Editions reader he or she selects. The purpose of this assignment is to provide a vehicle for more in-depth understanding of a U.S. foreign policy topic of interest to the student and to develop writing and research skills. Each student will select a topic by picking a chapter in the Annual Editions reader. Excellent papers will begin by examining how the author(s) of the chapter discuss the issue of interest to the student, as well as how Rosati & Scott discusses the subject in the textbook. Outstanding papers will then extend this type of analysis by drawing on multiple outside sources. For example, a student might find the chapter on the U.S. nuclear arsenal interesting, and so discuss the current state of the arsenal and the politics behind that particular configuration, and link the discussion to Rosati’s & Scott’s discussion of defense budgeting and nuclear strategy. Then a good paper would turn to update the story of the next generation of nuclear weapons that may be under development now, using news and analysis and government docs, and turn a discussion of the role of Congress in this process. That’s just one example, and unlikely one for you to follow (I bet most of you won’t write about hardware). But see the logic of how a solid paper will flow. See the schedule for other due dates. Students' presence in class and ability to begin a dialogue about issues in the course is expected. Students will be called upon to begin or extend our class discussion. There will be no extra credit assignments. Late papers will not be accepted. There will be no make-up exams except under extraordinary circumstances, of which the professor should be informed before the exam. As for the final examination, the university rules stipulate that no student shall be required to take more than three (3) exams on any given day. If a student has four (4) exams scheduled for the same day, the professor may move an exam to a later time. The exam may be moved to an earlier time only with the permission of the professor and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. According to university rules, for those students with four or more exams in one day, the department whose course is nearest the ending of the alphabet needs to make the adjustment. Finally, students who require special accommodations should consult with the Rinella Learning Assistance Center immediately so we can best meet your needs; directions from the Center about necessary accommodations must be presented during the first two seeks of the semester. ACADEMIC HONESTY AND ATTENDANCE Students in the class are governed by the university rules pertaining to academic misconduct and class attendance (see Parts V and VII, Undergraduate Academic Regulations, The Student Handbook). Students are expected to attend all class sessions consistent with university rules there will be no penalty for missing absences on religious holidays (please notify me in the first two weeks of the term if you will miss a class for religious observance). According to The Student Handbook, a student may withdraw from a full-semester course through the ninth calendar week of the semester. After the end of the ninth week a student may not withdraw from a course unless a petition is approved by the Interdivisional Committee of Advisers. These and all other university rules are hereby incorporated by reference. TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Final Examination: Monday, December 11, 2006, 245PM Download 30.21 Kb. Share with your friends:
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