FSS:IREn5024 Grand Strategy - Course Information

IREn5024 Grand Strategy

Extent and Intensity

2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Synchronous online teaching

Teacher(s)

Mgr. Kateřina Fridrichová, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Bradley Thayer, Ph.D. (lecturer), Mgr. Kateřina Fridrichová, 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.
Supplier department: Department of International Relations and European Studies – Faculty of Social Studies

Timetable

Mon 16. 2. 10:00–11:40 bude_upresneno, Mon 16. 3. 10:00–11:40 bude_upresneno, Tue 17. 3. 10:00–11:40 bude_upresneno, Wed 18. 3. 10:00–11:40 bude_upresneno, Thu 19. 3. 10:00–11:40 bude_upresneno

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 40 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 34/40, only registered: 0/40

fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with

there are 13 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display

Abstract

This course examines how great powers develop and implement grand strategies—the comprehensive approaches states use to identify their vital interests and deploy political, economic, and military resources to protect them. Students will explore the critical relationship between grand strategy and international stability, investigating whether clearly articulated strategic frameworks reduce or increase the likelihood of conflict.

The course analyzes the grand strategies of major powers through historical and contemporary lenses, with emphasis on three key areas: the domestic and international factors that shape strategic decision-making; the strategic approaches of major powers during World War II; and ongoing debates about American grand strategy in the post-Cold War era. Through this examination, students will gain insight into how states balance ambitions, resources, and threats in the international system.

Learning outcomes

 grand strategy and its key components (interests, threats, and means) in the context of great power politics

 the relationship between grand strategy formulation and international stability, including whether coherent strategies reduce or heighten conflict risks

 the grand strategies of major powers during World War II and assess the factors that shaped their strategic choices

 competing arguments and debates about U.S. grand strategy in the post-Cold War era

 grand strategy frameworks to analyze both historical cases and contemporary international relations challenges

Key topics

Course Outline: Part One: Introduction to Grand Strategy and the Major Factors That Affect It Session One : Introduction to Grand Strategy and State Interests and Threats, Systemic Influences on Grand Strategy, and Unit Level Influences Thomas Christensen and Jack Snyder, “Chain Gangs and Passed Bucks,” International Organization, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Spring 1990), pp. 137-168. Robert Jervis, The Meaning of the Nuclear Revolution: Statecraft and the Prospect of Armageddon (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989), pp. 1- 45. Part Two: Comparative Grand Strategies Session Two: Grand Strategy in World War II: Germany and the United States Wilhelm Deist, “The Road to Ideological War,” in Williamson Murray, MacGregor Knox, and Alvin Bernstein, eds., The Making of Strategy: Rulers, States, and War (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994), pp. 352-392. Eliot Cohen, “The Strategy of Innocence?,” in Murray, et al., eds., The Making of Strategy, pp. 428-465. 2 Part Three: The Grand Strategy of the United States Session Three : U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World—The Case for Primacy Bradley Thayer’s chapters from Christopher Layne, Bradley A. Thayer, American Empire: A Debate (New York: Routledge, 2007), pp. 1-50, 103-119. Bradley A. Thayer, “In Defense of Primacy,” The National Interest, No. 86 (November/December 2006), pp. 32-37. Session Four : U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World—The Cases for Alternative Grand Strategies, Isolationism and Offshore Balancing Christopher Layne’s chapters from American Empire, pp. 51-102, 121-137. Session Five : U.S. Grand Strategy in the Post-Cold War World – How Long Will Primacy Last, and Evaluating the Grand Strategic Choice of the United States Hal Brands and Peter Feaver, “Stress-Testing American Grand Strategy,” Survival, Vol. 58, No. 6 (December 2016-January 2017), pp. 90-120. Stephen M. Walt, “Keeping the World ‘Off-Balance’: Self-Restrain and U.S. Foreign Policy,” in G. John Ikenberry, ed., America Unrivaled: The Future of the Balance of Power, (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2002), pp. 121- 154. Session Six: Final Examination

Approaches, practices, and methods used in teaching

• synchronous online lecture
  
• reading of assigned texts

Method of verifying learning outcomes and course completion requirements

Course Requirements: The course language is English. An examination will be given in class. This will count for the student’s grade.

Language of instruction

English

Study support

https://is.muni.cz/auth/el/fss/jaro2026/IREn5024/index.qwarp

Further comments (probably available only in Czech)

Study Materials
The course is taught once in two years.
Information on the per-term frequency of the course: 1-8 March 2021.
General note: 1-8 March 2021.

Teacher's information

Professor: Bradley A. Thayer Course: Grand Strategy Contact information: thayerllc@gmail.com

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