MVZ201 United States Foreign Policy

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2009
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 7 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
David McCuan, PhD. (lecturer), PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D. (deputy)
Guaranteed by
PhDr. Petr Suchý, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Timetable
Thu 8:00–9:40 U42
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 35 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/35, only registered: 0/35
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
America’s foreign policy is an expression of its goals in the world and how it proposes to achieve these goals. Thus, US Foreign Policy reflects the mix of preferences among institutions, actors, and processes which influences the shape and dimensions of foreign policy. The complexity of foreign policymaking has greatly increased with the blurring of the distinction between foreign and domestic issues. Economics (especially trade issues and issues around globalization) is just one of the areas where foreign and domestic concerns intersect. In addition, while the end of the Cold War initially created opportunities for a more cooperative approach to peace and security, it also created an era of uncertainty. Issues related to nationalism, regional conflicts, nuclear proliferation, human rights, trade, the realities of globalization and international chaos are all challenges for United States foreign policy today. Of course, the ‘The Long War,’ also known as the ‘Global War on Terrorism’ (GWOT) also evokes many questions about the direction of US foreign policy.
During the course, students will learn to examine the theories in international relations, the institutions, and actors that determine U.S. foreign policy; to understand the complexity of U.S. foreign policy process; and to evaluate struggles within the bureaucracies and between the branches of government. Students will learn to interpret the historical review of U.S. foreign policy leading up to WWII; to outline the development and carrying out of a Cold War foreign policy; to evaluate the consequences the Cold War for other regions of the world (Indochina, Central America, the Middle East, Africa); to formulate the issues confronting the United States today in different regions of the world, with a focus on security issues, geopolitical objectives, economic objectives, human rights; and finally to analyze some of those “transnational” issues confronting US foreign policy today.
At the end of this course, student should be able to answer following questions: What are United States’ interests in this international arena? What are the appropriate uses of U.S. military force? What is the role of ‘unilateralism’ in United States foreign policy or a policy of pre-emption? What can the United States expect of its allies? What are the relevant “domestic” factors guiding United States foreign policy today (including elections). What are the ethical issues arising from superpower status?
Syllabus
  • Lecture Schedule & Topical Outline: Part I Introduction, “Foreign Policy Goals of the U.S.” Readings Required: None Recommended: Spanier, ch.1; Hook, chs. 1&2; Spanier Chapter 2 is also recommended for discussion of Prelude to the Cold War: Marxism, & the Russian Revolution Policymaking: Theories of Decisionmaking in US Foreign Policy Recommended: Hook, ch.3 Institutions: Presidential Powers & Congressional Powers & the Bureaucracy Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Hook, chs.4, 5, & 6 “Grand Strategy for a Divided America”: The Culture War in Foreign Policy Required: Assigned by the Instructor Sources of Foreign Policy: Public Opinion and Interest Groups Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Hook, chs. 7&8 Intergovernmental Organizations Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Hook, ch. 9 Policy Domains: National Security/Defense; Economic Policy; Globalization & Transnational Challenges Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Hook, chs. 10, 11, &12 Part II The Cold War & Containment The Truman Doctrine, & NSC 68: Implementation of Containment Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Spanier, ch.3 Eisenhower Doctrine: The Third World (focus on the Middle East) Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Spanier, ch.4 Nixon Doctrine: Asia: Korea\China\Indochina Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: chs.5&6 Carter’s Idealism: North-South Debate, etc. Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Spanier, ch. 7 Reagan Doctrine: East/West Tensions Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Spanier, ch.8 New World (Dis)order: Bush & Clinton & Bush II Required: As assigned by Instructor online Recommended: Spanier, chs.9-11 Part III Regional/Bilateral Issues of Today & Guideposts for the Future: Critical Themes of US Foreign Policy The New US Foreign Policy Regime Under Obama - “Global Threats” versus Relations to Specific Policy: Disconnects of USFP “Realists” & Ideological Extremists as Policy Makers Violation of International Law as the Norm Was the Election of 2008 a Foreign Policy ‘Norm’ or ‘Aberration?’ Recommended: Spanier, chs.13&14; others as assigned by Instructor Required & Recommended Texts: To maintain lower costs for students, the Instructor will provide weekly readings available via online sources from the electronic resources of Masaryk University. Most of these documents will be in PDF or HTML format. In addition, a number of articles will be provided by the Instructor for students to access via online course reserves managed by the Instructor. There are several key texts however that are helpful and can serve as broader references for your studies. These include among many others: Hook, Steven. U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2000; 2005). Spanier, John and Steven W. Hook. American Foreign Policy Since World War II (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007; 2009). Bruce Jentleson, American Foreign Policy (Norton, 2000).
Literature
  • Hook, Steven. U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2000; 2005)
  • Bruce Jentleson, American Foreign Policy (Norton, 2000).
  • Spanier, John and Steven W. Hook. American Foreign Policy Since World War II (Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly Press, 2007; 2009)
Teaching methods
class discussions as an integral part of the course design; lectures involving practical analyzis of the week's major events; essential role of reading; homeworks - update with major online news outlets and sources; regular attendance necessary
Assessment methods
Course Requirements: Students are expected to stay abreast of current events related to United States foreign policy. Time will be taken during each class to discuss and analyze the relevance of the week's major events. Since class discussions will be an integral part of the course design, attendance is important. Students will want to update themselves with major online news outlets and sources in order to supplement this component of the course. It is essential that the participants read the required literature as preparation for the course and come to class prepared to discuss the readings and the themes of the weekly topics. Since we are having a midterm exam with materials drawn from the readings and lectures (scheduled sometime during late October, early November), it is imperative to attend class and do the course readings. YOU CAN ANTICIPATE 40-80 pages of reading per week. The instructor also will take every effort to screen out cases of plagiarism. These will be dealt with according to university regulations. Plagiarism has been understood as any usage of text of other author(s) without proper referencing in your work. The final grade for this course is a composite of the following values: In-class attendance: 10% In-class participation: 15% Midterm Exam: 30% Final Exam, January 2010: 45 % For the midterm examination, you will be provided through electronic means a “Review Sheet” about one week before the exam. Typically, there is an objective section of either matching or true/false or multiple-choice format, based on assigned readings and lectures. For the Final Exam, there will be essay format questions based on readings and lectures (that is, covering material and ideas not necessarily found in the readings). Thus, attendance at lectures is extremely important if not essential to doing well on exams. Other than the essays on exams, there is no separate “paper” required for the course. There is no prerequisite for the course, but background and intellectual curiosity in modern history and/or IR will help.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
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