Political Science Y360 US Foreign Policy (Preliminary Syllabus) [Revised]

Political Science Y360 US Foreign Policy

Fall Semester 2007

Professor James M. Lutz 481-6688

Class Hours: TR 9-10:15, MWF 10-11; WF 12-1:15

Office Hours: MWF 11-12, WF 1:30-2, other times by appointment

This course is designed to acquaint students with the basics of American foreign policy. The learning objectives of the course include, but are not limited to, students

1) becoming familiar with different theories that seek to explain foreign policy making in the United States;

2) being able to synthesize information from a variety of sources and apply the information;

3) be able to articulate and defend (in answers to essay questions on the exams and in the research paper) ideas, views, and opinions, supported by appropriate evidence;

4) understand the key government institutions involved in foreign policy making;

5) understand the roles that domestic interest groups play in foreign policy making;

6) be able to analyze current issues in the foreign policy arena and understand what policies were chosen, why they were chosen, and what some of the alternatives were (and to be able to do so in the future with issues that become salient); and

7) become aware that foreign policy is an interactive process involved foreign governments, foreign interest groups, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations.

The texts for the course are:

Steven W. Hook, U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power (CQ Press, 2005)

Ralph G. Carter (ed.), Contemporary Cases in U.S. Foreign Policy: From Terrorism to

Trade (CQ Press, 2005)

There are some additional readings placed on Reserve Express at the library, and they are noted on the syllabus.

Please use the above email address (lutz@ipfw.edu) rather than WebCT for any messages, questions about the material, or questions about the course or requirements.

Feel free to call my office number (260 481-6688) as well.

If you have trouble receiving the DVDs if you are taking the course in a distance format, please call Continuing Studies (481-6111 ). They are the ones that send them out. I am not involved in that part of the course.

There will be three exams. The first two will be during the course itself and will deal with the material covered in the sections. The third will be a final exam and will be comprehensive in that it will integrate material from various parts of the course, including the material covered after the second exam. These exams will have four essay questions—you pick the two that you want to answer or have the best chance of answering. The essays will require presenting information and defending a point of view to at least some extent (the most important causes, problems, possible outcomes) AND supporting that position with materials from the readings, the lectures, and any external information that might be relevant. The essays will require more than simply repeating information. You will have to analyze and critically assess information.

The days listed for the exams are very likely to be the days on which they will be given, but circumstances may require changes of the dates. Changes will be announced in class, and you are responsible for the information contained in all such announcements. For students in the studio classroom in the library, the test will be during the regularly scheduled class period on the day indicated. For students taking the course via TV or by watching video tapes or DVD, you will have to schedule a time at the testing center (481-6600) within a time frame of 10-14 days. More information on this procedure will be provided during the class, including the dates for the exams and the times that the testing center is open.

In addition to the exams, there will be a research paper for persons registered in POLS Y401. It will deal with some aspect of terrorism (a group, or types of groups, or groups in a country, or tactics, or comparisons across countries, groups, etc.).

The calculation of the final grade is as follows: the lowest of the four grades will count 20%, the highest 30% and the other two 25%.

Information on the layout and requirements of the paper will be provided early on in the class. Starting early on the research for the paper is always a good idea. The papers should be at least 15-20 pages in length with reasonable margins, print, and will require footnotes and a bibliography (in any acceptable style). If you turn your paper in late or take the final exam near or after the deadline for turning in the final grades, I will give you an incomplete on the course grade. I will remove the incomplete as soon as I have a chance to grade the materials.

Questions, comments, and differing points of view are always welcome in class. As should become obvious, there are many sides or aspects to many issues. I would anticipate that the topic itself would generate questions and discussions. For video or TV students, if you have a question or comment that you would like to have discussed in class, please feel free to email it to me.

The readings are assigned in blocs rather than day by day. There will be classes, even on the dates not listed with the exception of spring break. You will need to keep up on the readings, as I will cover multiple topics on some days in the summer. Some topics will obviously carry over into the next class day. Keeping up will help to focus the lecture materials. At times the lectures will parallel the readings, at other times add clarifications, and on yet other occasions introduce ideas or concepts not covered in the readings. I will supply many examples that are not covered in any great detail (or at all) in the readings. I have tried to arrange the readings in what seems to be the best order to approach them.

Aug. 21 Outline of the course

Aug. 23 Introduction: US Position in the World Hook, Chap. 1

Aug. 28 Expansion of US Power Hook, Chap. 2

Aug. 30 Decision Making Processes Hook, Chap. 3

Sept. 4 Presidential Power Hook, Chap. 4, Lantis and

Moskowitz, Chap. 4 in Carter, Lloyd

E. Ambrosius, “Woodrow Wilson

and George W. Bush: Historical

Comparisons of Ends and Means in

Foreign Policies,” Diplomatic His-

tory, Vol. 30, No. 3 (2006): 509-43

[On Reserve]

Sept. 13 Congress Hook, Chap. 5, Jones, Chap. 7 in

Carter, Jones, Chap. 8 in Carter,

Haney and Vanderbush, Chap. 10 in

Carter

Sept. 25 Bureaucratic Agencies Hook, Chap. 6, Hastedt, Chap. 6 in

Carter

Oct. 2 Public Opinion Hook, Chap. 7, Foyle, Chap. 1 in

Carter

Oct. 11 First Test

Oct. 16 Interest Groups Hook, Chap. 8, Blecker, Chap. 9, in

Carter,

Oct. 23 Intergovernmental Organizations Hook, Chap. 9

Oct. 30 National Security and Defense Hook, Chap. 10, Hendrickson, Chap.

3 in Carter, James and Ozdamar,

Chap. 5 in Carter; David Hastings

Dunn, “’Real Men Want To Go to

Tehran’: Bush, Pre-Emption and the

Iranian Nuclear Challenge,”

International Affairs, Vol. 83, No. 1

(2007): 19-38 [On Reserve]

Nov. 6 Global War on Terrorism Barry Buzan, “Will the ‘Global War

on Terrorism’ Be the New Cold

War?” International Affairs, Vol. 82,

No. 6 (2006): 1101-18; Holmes,

Chap. 2 in Carter; Cornet and

Gibnet, Chap. 15 in Carter

Nov. 13 The International Economy Hook, Chap. 11, Hook, Chap. 11 in

Carter, Scott and Carter, Chap.

14 in Carter; Jefrey A. Engel, “Of

Fat and Thin Communists:

Diplomacy and Philosophy in

Western Economic Warfare

Strategies toward China (and Tyrants

Broadly),” Diplomatic History, Vol.

29, No. 3 (2005): 45-74 [On

Reserve]

Nov. 27 *Second Exam*

Nov. 29 Other Policy Areas Hook, Chap. 12, Payne and Scott,

Chap. 12 in Carter, Jackson and

Carter, Chap. 13 in Carter; David F.

Schmitz and Vanessa Walker,

“Jimmy Carter and the Foreign

Policy of Human Rights,”

Diplomatic History, Vol. 28, No. 1

(2004): 113-44

Dec. 11 *Final Exam* (8-10 AM)