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Instructor: Dr. Harbour
Office: East Ruffner 228
Office telephone: 395-2219
Office hours:
MWF 11:00-12:00 TR 9:30-10:30
harbourwr@longwood.edu
Table of Contents
Course
Description
Texts
Course
Objectives
Class
Schedule
Course
Requirements
Grading
Attendance
Policy
Honor
Code
Class
Discussion
Critical
Thinking Writing Exercises
Taking
Exams
Bibliography
Course Description:
A study of U.S. foreign policy with special attention to the policy making
process, current problems in foreign affairs, and the development of long-range
foreign policy.
Steven
W. Hook and John Spanier. American Foreign Policy Since
World War II.
Eighteenth
Edition. CQ Press: Washington, D.C., 2009.
David Bernell.
Readings in American Foreign Policy: Historical and Contemporary
Problems. New York: Person Longman,
2008.
Glenn Hastedt.
American Foreign Policy: Past, Present, Future. Seventh Edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Person/Prentice Hall, 2009.
Students
will also be required to purchase a discounted subscription to the New York
Times from the Bookstore. Being aware of current political developments
is important to good citizenship. Each exam will have at least one essay
question requiring students to reflect on current political news.
Other Reading:
Students are expected to keep up with current foreign policy developments and
may follow the news through the following online sites:
http://www.cnn.com/
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
http://www.gallup.com/
For U.S. State Department information on major international issues go to: http://www.state.gov/issuesandpress/
For U.S. State Department information on various countries go to: http://www.state.gov/countries/
Congressional Quarterly Library online at: http://library.cqpress.com/
After you login, click on The CQ Researcher (which is a valuable source
for articles on current political issues)
Students can also make use of Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports
and Issue Briefs found online at:
http://www.opencrs.com/ Many of these
reports are excellent reviews of foreign policy issues.
Click HERE for the Study Guide which contains questions for reading and thinking about the assignments, links to useful web sties containing materials on the topics being explored, and suggestions on developing your research for the critical thinking writing assignments.
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Demonstrate a capacity for critical and analytical thought about issues
central to
American foreign policy.
2. Demonstrate an ability to communicate their knowledge and beliefs about American
Foreign policy both orally and in writing.
3. Describe the essential features of American foreign policy.
4. Identify information regarding American foreign policy that is
necessary for useful
and responsible citizenship.
5. Discuss important philosophical and ethical issues associated with the
making and
substance of American foreign policy.
6. Discuss the major ways in which political scientists have tried to
understand
American foreign policy.
7. Discuss how American foreign policy has shaped and been shaped by the
dynamic
social forces contemporary society.
8. Demonstrate an awareness of the diversity of persuasions and interests
regarding
various aspects of American foreign policy.
9. Discuss elements of continuity and change within American foreign policy.
Part I Weeks 1-4 Historical Review
Week 1 (Aug. 24-28) Sources of American Foreign Policy; The Origins of
the Cold War
Read: Hastedt, Preface and Chpt. 1, Chpt. 2 pp.19-29, Chpt. 3
Hook and Spanier,
Chpts. 1, 2, 3,
Bernell,
Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19
Special Topics:
M: Introduction to American Foreign Policy; Competing Views on the
Sources of American Foreign Policy
W: American Foreign Policy Before and During WWII; The Origins of the
Cold War
F: The Doctrine of Containment; Economic Plans; Alliance Systems; Nuclear
Balance of Terror
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 1
Discuss the values and different beliefs about national interests and how the
world works that shape the competing views about whether or not the United
States should be actively involved in world affairs. What forces and
circumstances seem to shape which beliefs become dominant in different period
of our national history?
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 2 (Aug. 31 – Sept. 4) The Third World, Cuba, Vietnam, Détente, and
Continued Superpower Competition
Read: Hook and Spanier, Chpts.
4, 5, 6
Bernell,
Articles 21, 22, 23, 24, 25
Hastedt,
Chpt. 2 pp. 29-34
Special Topics:
M: America and the Third World; The Cuban Missile Crisis
W: Vietnam, Nixon, Détente
F: The Carter Years and the Collapse of Détente; The Reagan Years
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 2
Write a three page essay on why the United States failed in Vietnam and the
various lessons foreign policy analysts drew from that failure.
A good website with links to good research sources on the war in Vietnam may be
found at:
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/vietnam.htm
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on
Friday.
Week 3 (Sept. 7-11) Superpower Confrontation and Conciliation; The End of
the Cold War, The 1990s
Read: Hastedt, Chpts. 2 pp.
34-55, 4
Hook and Spanier, Chpts. 7, 9
Bernell,
Article 27, 28
Special Topics:
M: No class on Monday - Labor Day
W: The G. H. W. Bush Years
F: The Clinton Years
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 3
Write a three page essay in which you explain the most important lessons for
American foreign policy that one should learn from the cold war.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 4 (Sept. 14-18) International Institutions, Multilateralism,
Unilateralism
Read: Bernell, Articles 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 43
Spanier,
Chpt. 11 pp. 260-269
Congressional Quarterly
Library online at: http://library.cqpress.com/
After you login, click on The CQ Researcher (which is a valuable source
for articles on current political issues) where you then can do a search for
the following article: Jost, K. (2007, February
2). Rethinking foreign policy. CQ Researcher, 5,
97-120. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2007020201
Special Topics:
M: The United States and International Institutions; Multilateralism vs.
Unilateralism
W: The G. W. Bush Administration
F: NOTE: You will have your first
test on Friday, Sept. 18. This test will count for 1/6 of your semester
grade.
Part II Weeks 5-8 Contemporary Issues After the
Cold War
Week 5 (Sept. 21-25) The United States after the Cold War
Read: Hook and Spanier,
Chpts. 10, 13 pp. 320-328, 14
Bernell,
Articles 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 44
Special Topics:
M: Unipolarity and unexpected consequences
W: What are the most important WMD proliferation issues facing the United
States today?
F: Global instability
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 4
Write a three page essay in which you explain the principal threats to the
security of the United States today.
This assignment is due by the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 6 (Sept. 28 - Oct. 2)Terrorism; the Middle East and the
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Read: Hook and Spanier, Chpts.
11 pp 269-288, 12, 13 pp 328-331
Bernell,
Article 35
Mary Crane,
"Does the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Have Ties to Terrorism?" at
Council on Foreign Relations website at:
http://www.cfr.org/publication/9248/
Robert S. Leiken and Steven Brooke, "The Moderate Muslim
Brotherhood" in Foreign Affairs March/April 2007.
Congressional
Quarterly Library online at: http://library.cqpress.com/
After you login, click on The CQ Researcher (which is a valuable source
for articles on current political issues) where you then can do a search for
the following articles:
Jost, K. (2006, November 3). Understanding
Islam. CQ Researcher, 16, 913-936. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2006110301
Katel, P. (2006, October 27). Middle East Tensions. CQ Researcher, 16,
889-912. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2006102701
The Council On Foreign Relations has established, in cooperation with The Markle Foundation, a new online encyclopedia on terrorism
at:
http://www.terrorismanswers.com/home/
Students
interesting in background information on various terrorist organizations may
look at the following online sites: http://www.cfr.org/issue/135/terrorism.html
and http://www.tkb.org/Home.jsp
Special Topics:
M: What are the issues involved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
W: What issues face American foreign policy with the rise of Islamism and the
War on Terror?
F: What are the stakes involved in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 5
Write a three page essay in which you explain why the United States is so hated
in much of the Middle East. Then explain how you would advise President
Obama, if asked, as to what should be done about this.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 7 (Oct. 5-9) American Relations with
Russia, China, India and Japan
Read: Bernell, Articles47, 48
Hook and Spanier, Chpt. 13 pp 331-334, 14
Congressional
Quarterly Library online at: http://library.cqpress.com/
After you login, click on The CQ Researcher (which is a valuable source
for articles on current political issues) where you then can do a search for
the following article: Katel, P. (2005,
November 11). Emerging China. CQ Researcher, 15,
957-980. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2005111101
Special Topics:
M: What are the most important issues at stake in American relations with
Russia?
W: What are the most important issues at stake in American relations with
China?
F: What are the most important issues at stake in American relations with
India and Japan?
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 6.
Write a three page essay in which you discuss the most important issues at
stake in American relations with China. Explain how you would advise
President Obama, if asked, as to what policies we should have regarding China.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Fall Break October 12-13 No Classes
Week 8 (Oct. 14-16) America and Western Europe
Read: Hook and Spanier, Chpt. 10
Special Topics:
W: What are the most important issues involved in American relations with
Western Europe?
F: Second Test
Note: You will have your second test on Friday, Oct. 16.
This test will count for 1/6 of your semester grade
Part III Weeks 9-13 Decision Making Institutions and Players
Week 9 (Oct. 19-23) Domestic Forces Influencing Foreign Policy
Read: Hastedt,
Chpt. 5
Bernell,
Articles 10, 11, 12
Go to the websites for various think tanks.
Very good articles on international issues and American foreign policy may be
found at the site of The Council on Foreign Relations: http://www.foreignaffairs.org/
The Council has also established, in cooperation with The Markle
Foundation, a new online encyclopedia on terrorism at:
http://www.terrorismanswers.com/home/
Very good articles on international issues and America foreign policy (and
links to public opinion polls on the views of ordinary Americans and elites on
those issues) may be found at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs site at:
http://www.ccfr.org/
You may find useful material at the Trilateral Commission website at: http://www.trilateral.org/
You may read studies representing contemporary liberalism by going to the
online site of the Center for American Progress at:
http://www.americanprogress.org/ and Brookings at: http://www.brookings.edu/
You may read studies
representing contemporary conservatism by going to the online site of The
Heritage Foundation at:
http://www.heritage.org/ and the American Enterprise Institute For
Public Policy Research at: http://www.aei.org/
Neoconservative views may be found at the website for the Project for a New
American Century at: http://www.newamericancentury.org/
Libertarian and neo-isolationist views may be found at the website of the Cato
Institute at: http://www.cato.org/
Special Topics:
M: The Media and Public Opinion
W: Interest Groups
F: Think Tanks
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 7
For this assignment you are to write a three page essay in which you explain
the impact of interest groups, elite organizations, and think thanks such as
the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, the Brookings
Institution, and the Heritage Foundation to the making of American foreign
policy. Go to the web sites of these and other organizations, find out
about their missions, history, and membership, and then look up the backgrounds
of the key foreign policy individuals in the current and recent administrations
in order to develop some ideas for this essay.
This assignment is due by the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 10 (Oct. 26-30) Presidential Primacy versus Congress
Read: Hastedt, Chpts. 6, 7,
8
Bernell,
Articles 7, 8
Go to the following
online site for a Congressional Research Service Report on
the War Powers Act and
Presidential Compliance: http://www.fas.org/man/crs/IB81050.pdf
Congressional Quarterly
Library online at: http://library.cqpress.com/
After you login, click on The CQ Researcher (which is a valuable source
for articles on current political issues) where you then can do a search for
the following article: Jost, K. (2006, February 24). Presidential power. CQ Researcher, 16,
169-192. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2006022401
Special Topics:
M: The Constitution and the Debate over War Making Powers
W: The Role of the Presidency
F: The Role of Congress
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 8
Write a three page essay in which you discuss the basic issues at stake in the
debate over presidential war making powers.
This assignment is due by the beginning of class Friday.
Week 11 (Nov. 2-6) Institutional Forces; The Bureaucracies; Policy
Instruments
Read: Hastedt, Chpts, 9,
12, 13, 14, 15
Bernell,
Articles 9
Congressional
Quarterly Library online at: http://library.cqpress.com/
After you login, click on The CQ Researcher (which is a valuable source
for articles on current political issues) where you then can do a search for
the following article: Katel, P. (2007,
February 23). New strategy in Iraq. CQ Researcher,
17, 169-192. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2007022301
Special Topics:
M: The State Department, Diplomacy, and Economic Tools
W: Intelligence Agencies and Covert Action
F: The Pentagon and Use of Force
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 9
Write a three page essay on the principal problems involved in the gathering
and analysis of intelligence data and what these problems mean for policy
makers.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 12 (Nov. 9-13) Models of
Policy Making; Rational Choice and Game Theory
Read: Hastedt, Chpt.
10
Take a look at the following
web site that provides a good introduction to game theory:
http://www.econ.rochester.edu/eco108/ch17/micro17/index.htm
Also go to the Britannic
website, click under History & Humanities, search under game theory <http://search.britannica.com/search?query=game+theory>
and study material under the following sites: <http://www.britannica.com/bcom/eb/article/5/0,5716,117275+1+109420,00.html?query=game%20theory>
<http://search.britannica.com/frm_redir.jsp?query=game+theory&redir=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/game-theory/>
<http://www.britannica.com/bcom/magazine/article/print/0,5746,213696,00.html>
Special Topics:
M: Competing Models of Policy Making
W: Introduction to Rational Choice Theory;
Applications of Game Theory to Decision Making in Foreign Policy
F: NOTE: You will have your third
test on Friday, November 13. This test will count for 1/6 of your
semester grade.
Week 13 (Nov. 16-20) Globalization, Economics, and the Environment
Read: Hook and Spanier
Chpt. 13 pp 334-345
Bernell,
Articles 17, 18, 20, 26, 36, 45, 46, 49
Katel,
P. (2006, July 21). Change in Latin America. CQ Researcher, 16,
601-624. From CQ Researcher Online, http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/cqresrre2006072101
Special Topics:
M: Globalization, American Policy, and The World Economy
W: Globalization, Economic Growth, and Poverty (Look at particular issues in
Latin America and Africa)
F: Globalization, Environmental and Health Issues (Look at particular issues in
Latin America and Africa)
Critical Thinking Writing Exercise No. 10
Write a three page essay on the principal problems that globalization pose for
American foreign policy.
This assignment is due at the beginning of class on Friday.
Week 14 (Nov. 23-24) Military Doctrine, Power, and Arms Control
Read: Hastedt, Chpts. 15, 16
M: Military Doctrines, Application of
Power, Arms Control
Thanksgiving Vacation Nov. 25-29 No
Classes
Part IV Weeks 14-15 The Future
Week 15 (Nov. 30 - Dec. 4) Democratization, Human Rights, Humanitarian
Intervention; Economic Issues; Future Issues
Read: Hastedt,
Chpt. 17
Hook and Spanier,
Chpt. 13, 14
Bernell,
Article 15, 34, 50
Special Topics:
M: Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention (Look at special issues in
Africa)
W: Should American foreign policy attempt to promote democracy?
F: Alternative Futures
Classes end Dec. 4
Reading Day: Dec. 5
Exam Period: Dec. 7-11
Final Exam: The final exam will be on Monday, Dec. 7
at 3:00 P.M. - 5:30 P.M. The final exam will be worth 1/6 of your
semester grade.
Course Requirements:
Three tests
Ten Critical Thinking Writing Exercises
Final comprehensive examination
Class discussion
Grading:
Your semester grade will be based on three tests, the combined score on 10
critical thinking writing exercises, the final exam, and your contribution to
class discussion. Each will count for 1/6 of your semester grade.
Attendance Policy:
The attendance policy for this course is the University policy found in the University
Catalog and Student Handbook:
Students are expected to attend all classes. Failure to attend class
regularly impairs academic performance. Absences are disruptive to the
educational process for others. This is especially true when absences cause
interruptions for clarification of material previously covered, failure to
assume assigned responsibilities for class presentations, or failure to adjust
to changes in assigned material or due dates. It is the responsibility of
each instructor to give students a copy of his or her attendance policy in the
course syllabus. Instructors may assign a grade of “0” or “F” on work missed
because of unexcused absences. Instructors have the right to lower a student's
course grade, but no more than one letter grade, if the student misses 10
percent of the scheduled class meeting times for unexcused absences.
Instructors have the right to assign a course grade of “F” when the student has
missed a total (excused and unexcused) of 25 percent of the scheduled class meeting
times. Students must assume full responsibility for any loss incurred because
of absence, whether excused or unexcused. Instructors should permit students to
make up work when the absence is excused. Excused absences are those resulting
from the student's participation in a University sponsored activity, from
recognizable emergencies, or from serious illness. Faculty may require
documentation for excused absences in their attendance policy. Student Health
Services can provide documentation only for students hospitalized locally or
absent at the direction of Student Health Services personnel.
Honor Code:
Students are expected to live by the Longwood University Honor Code. All work
done for the class must be pledged. Your instructor will not tolerate any form
of cheating.
Class Discussion:
Your instructor values class participation. Students are encouraged to ask
questions and to express their knowledge and beliefs about the material and
issues being dealt with in class. Students are expected to make contributions to
class discussion.
Your grade in this regard (which is worth 1/6 of your semester grade) will be based upon your daily contributions during
the semester.
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Critical Thinking Writing Exercises:
There will be 10 critical thinking writing exercises. These papers will usually
be 3 pages in length and be handed in at the beginning of class on the day they
are due. They are not to be sent as an email attachment. Late
papers will lose points. They will be done in Microsoft Word with a Font size
12 and double spaced. Any documentation for these exercises will be done
according to the Turabian format for a research
paper. Failure to cite sources properly will cost points and may result in a 0
for the paper. A shorter version of that style manual can be found on the
History style manual at the following web address: <http://www.longwood.edu/history/HDPTSTS2.htm>
Taking Exams:
All tests and exams must be taken on time. You are expected to provide proof
for any legitimate reason (illness, participation in a University sponsored
activity, or recognizable emergency) you have for missing a test or exam.
Critical thinking writing exercises handed in past the time they are due will
lose points.
Required Texts:
Steven W. Hook. U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power. CQ
Press: Washington, D.C., 2005.
Bruce W. Jentleson, American Foreign Policy: The
Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century. Second
Edition. W.W. Norton &
Company: New York, 2004.
The 9/11 Commission Report (authorized edition) Final Report of the
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon
the United States
Additional Material:
Graham T. Allison, Albert Carnesale & Joseph
S. Nye, Jr. Editors. Hawks, Doves, and
Owls: An agenda for avoiding nuclear war. New York: W. W.
Norton, 1985.
Graham Allison and Gregory F. Treverton.
Rethinking America’s Security. Editors.
New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1992.
Gar Alperovitz. Atomic
Diplomacy. New York: Vintage Books, 1967.
Richard Betts. Conflicts After the Cold War:
Arguments on the Causes of War and
Peace. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1994.
Zbigniew Brzezinski. Power
and Principle. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 1983.
Colton C. Campbell, Nicol C. Rae, John F. Stack,
Jr. Congress and the Politics of Foreign
Policy. Upper Saddle River, Jew Jersey: Prentice-Hall,
2003.
David Louis Cingranelli. Ethics,
American Foreign Policy, and the Third World.
New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1993.
Cecil V. Crabb, Jr. The
Doctrines of American Foreign Policy. Baton Rouge: Louisiana
State University, 1982.
David A. Deese. The New
Politics of American Foreign Policy. New York: St. Martin’s
Press, Inc., 1994.
From Foreign Affairs – America and the World: Debating the New Shape
of International Politics. Introduction by Foreign
Affairs Managing Editor Gideon Rose.
William J. Fulbright. Arrogance of Power. New
York: Random House, 1966.
Morton H. Halperin. Bureaucratic
Politics and Foreign Policy. Washington, D.C.:
Brookings Institution, 1974.
Harvard Nuclear Study Group. Living
with Nuclear Weapons. Cambridge Mass.:
Harvard University Press, 1983.
Irving Janis. Groupthink: Psychological Studies of Policy Decisions and
Fiascoes.
Boston: Houghton-Mifflin, 1983.
Bruce W. Jentleson. Editor.
Perspectives on American Foreign Policy: Readings and
Cases. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2000.
Robert Kennedy. Thirteen Days. New York: W. W. Norton, 1971.
Henry A. Kissinger. Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy.
New York: Harper &
Brothers, 1957.
Henry A. Kissinger. The White House Years.
Boston: Little, Brown, 1979.
Walter Laqueur. The Age of
Terrorism. Boston: Little, Brown, 1987.
Robert J. Maddox. The New Left and the Origins of the Cold
War. Princeton, N.J.:
Princeton University Press, 1973.
Richard Nixon. RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. New York: Grosset & Dunlap,
1978.
Joseph S. Nye. Nuclear Ethics. New York: The
Free Press, 1986
Joseph S. Nye, Jr. The Paradox of American Power.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2003..
Richard Smoke. National Security and the Nuclear Dilemma.
Third Edition, New York:
Random House, 1993.
Donald M. Snow. National Security: Defense Policy for a New International
Order.
Third Edition. New York: St. Martin’s Press,
1995.
John Spanier and Eric M. Uslaner. American Foreign
Policy and the Democratic
Dilemmas. Sixth Edition. Pacific
Grove, California: Brooks/Cole Publishing
Company, 1994. Richard Smoke.
Eugene R. Wittkopf and James M.
McCormick. The Domestic Sources of American
Foreign Policy: Insights and Evidence. Third
Edition. Lantham, MD: 1998.
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