MVZ480 Perspectives on Foreign Policy Decision Making

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2013
Extent and Intensity
1/1/0. 6 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Eszter Simon, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Veronika Velička Zapletalová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Petr Kaniok, Ph.D.
Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Olga Cídlová, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Tue 8:00–9:40 P21
Prerequisites
Course description This course intends to familiarize students with theoretical approaches to the foreign policy decisionmaking process. The course starts with revisiting the grand IR theories (realism and liberalism) and then proceeds to critically review alternative approaches that build on factors (the individual, groups, organizations) not considered by grand theories. The course discusses such classical approaches to decision-making as analogical reasoning, bureaucratic politics, manipulation, and groupthink. In exploring these theories, the course relies on in-class situational exercises and, to a larger extent, historical cases studies (e.g. The Cuban Missile Crisis, Korean and Vietnam Wars or the Israeli Invasion of Lebanon in 1982).
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 20 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/20, only registered: 0/20
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Learning out comes By the end of the course students will be able to: * identify and describe theories of foreign policy analysis * be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of theories of foreign policy analysis * use these theories to explain historical events
Syllabus
  • Class schedule Topic In-class exercise Required reading/Quiz Deadlines 1 Course introduction Getting to know each other; 3 foreign policy events that come to their mind and why; What are their expectations toward the class; Explaining my expectations - - 2 Democratic Peace Discuss what liberalism is Milean dialogue as pair-work Maoz, Zeev and Bruce Russett. 1993. “Normative and Structural Causes of Democratic Peace 1946-1986” American Political Science Review 87 (3): 624-627 (until “Spatial and Temporal Domain”) & Immanuel Kant. 1795. “Perpetual Peace” Only Sections I and II at https://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/kant/ kant1.htm Exercise set 1 3 No class Yetiv, Steve A. 2004. Explaining Foreign Policy: U.S. Decision-Making and the Persian Gulf War. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 13-29. & Baylis, John, and Steve Smith. 2010. The Globalization of World Politics. An Introduction to International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 167, 169- 170, 172-176. Exercise set 2 4 Realism and rational choice Yetiv, Steve A. 2004. Explaining Foreign Policy: U.S. Decision-Making and the Persian Gulf War. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 30-57. Exercise set 3 5 What is fpa Levels of analysis, example Hudson, Valerie and Christopher S. Vore. “Foreign Policy Analysis Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.” Mershon International Studies Review 39 (2): 209-238 Quiz 1 6 Prospect theory Haas, Mark L. 2001. “Prospect Theory and the Cuban Missile Crisis.” International Studies Quarterly 45: 241-270. Quiz 2 7 Two-level games Falkland war exercise Putnam, Robert D. 1998. “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two Level Games” International Organization 42 (3): 427-460. Exercise set 4 8 Organizational Theory and Bureaucratic politics Allison, Graham T. 1969. “Conceptual Models and the Cuban Missile Crisis” American Political Science Review 63 (3): 689-718. Exercise set 5 9 Groupthink Janis, Irving L., 1982. Groupthink (2nd ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 14-47. Quiz 3 10 In-class group or pair-work Students are advised to review their notes. 11 Analogical Reasoning Yetiv, Steve A. 2004. Explaining Foreign Policy: U.S. Decision-Making and the Persian Gulf War. Baltimore MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 58-81. Quiz 4 3 Topic In-class exercise Required reading/Quiz Deadlines 12 Manipulating decisions Maoz, Zeev. 1990. “Framing the National Interest: The Manipulation of Foreign Policy Decisions in Group Settings.” World Politics 43: 77-110. Exercise set 6 13 No meeting in class (take-home paper)
Assessment methods
Detailed Requirements: • Regular class attendance Students may only miss two classes during the semester. Students should not submit any explanations of these two absences. Absence from class is not a legitimate reason for missing deadlines or other responsibilities delineated in this syllabus. Students with three or more absences can only pass the course if they have a valid reason (illness, death in the family etc.) and adequate documentation of their absence (doctor’s note, funeral invitation etc.). Should students miss any exercises as a result of a valid excuse, they will have a chance to submit them by an extended deadline agreed upon with the instructor. • Active in-class participation – 25% Since this course is based on the seminar format, its success heavily depends on the active contribution of each student. Therefore, students are expected to actively participate in class by asking and answering questions, working with each other, and offering comments on the readings and related issues. Students will not be evaluated on the basis of the correctness of their contributions. To foster in-class participation, students must bring a copy of the required readings to class. Although the most helpful is to bring a printed and marked-up copy to class, students are allowed to work with electronic versions in class (please note that smart phones are not allowed in the classroom, and students will not be able to use any electronic devices on week 10). • Weekly preparation exercises – 30% For the success of this course, it is essential that students prepare for class and read the required readings. Therefore, from week 2 on students will be given exercises that guide their preparations. These exercises will take two forms: o Four times during the term students will write 10-minute long quizzes. These will test whether students have read the required readings for that class. Quizzes do not test deep understanding of the readings. Each test will consist of five short questions worth 20 points (100 in total). Students cannot use copies of the readings in any form while filling in the quizzes. Any attempt to use the readings will result in zero points for the given quiz. There will be no make-up opportunities for missed quizzes. If a student presents valid proof for missing more than two classes, the preparation component of the grade will be averaged by the number of quizzes they actually wrote. The best way to successfully prepare for the quizzes is to read the required readings, prepare notes, and review them before the class. o While doing the readings, students will be asked to complete a short (no more than 5-question) exercise sheet to be handed in at the beginning of the class six times during the term. In general, students will be asked to summarize (parts of) the readings, and/or compare readings or parts of a reading. The best way to successfully complete these assignments is to first read the readings and, then, work around the exercise set. Exercise sheets shall be submitted through the information system. To avoid confusion, the table at the end of this syllabus lists the readings and the kind of preparation task due to the given week. All solutions – unless otherwise indicated – must be based on the weekly readings and not on external resources. The results of the worst two preparatory tasks will be automatically dropped when calculating the final grade. It is up to the student to decide to come to class each week and submit all the task/write each quiz and drop the worst two results or use their absences – in which case their preparatory task will earn them zero point – and drop those results. These exercise sheets will be distributed after class and will be due by Monday noon. Late submissions are not accepted although each student may ask a deadline extension once during the term (it must be requested prior to the deadline). • An in-class group or pair exercise ( week 10) – 20% For week 10 students will be randomly paired or grouped and given a short exercise set similar to the homework assignments explained above. Students will be allowed to use the readings (hard copies) and any in-class notes the students have taken. There will be five exercises of different levels of difficulty, including (1) one where concepts must be paired with theories, (2) students must tell which is the best theory to explain a particular segment of a text (historical case), and (3) compare two theories. Solutions shall be submitted by the end of the class. • Take-home paper – 25% During the last week of the term – week 13 – students will complete a take-home paper. The take-home paper will contain 5 shorter or longer exercises and will be completed individually. There will be an intentional time limit on this exercise – 24 hours. The class will not meet during the last week, and students will choose collectively the day of week 13 they wish the take-home paper to be distributed. Take-home papers shall be submitted through the information system.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2015.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Autumn 2013, recent)
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