POL
10500Professor Richard Robyn
Section
002303 Bowman Hall., x. 28948
3
creditsE-mail:
rrobyn@kent.edu
T
Th 1:45 - 3:00 p.m.Website:http://www.personal.kent.edu/~rrobyn/
BOW
317Office hours: MWF 10:00-11:00 a.m.
TR
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Course
Syllabus
U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
In a fast-paced age of globalization that still
includes significant threats as well as great potential benefits, the way
the U.S. interacts politically with the rest of the world is of critical
importance.This course will examine
concepts and theoretical issues basic to the formulation and conduct of
that interaction, otherwise known as foreign policy.A
review of the history of U.S. foreign policy will be included, not forgetting
to touch on the policies of the new administration.General
trends in world politics will be considered, as well as the foreign policies
and practices of some of the more prominent countries and other nonstate
actors with which the U.S. must deal.
One emphasis of this course will be to make plain
the practical as well as the theoretical aspects of U.S. foreign policy.To
that end, a semester-long simulation of an important arm of the U.S. foreign
policy establishment, the National Security Council, will be carried out
(details below) that will attempt to provide a hands-on orientation to
the ways that foreign policy is formulated.
Course
Requirements:
Attendance:
You are required to attend classes.You
are permitted 3 absences -- after that your grade will suffer (please note:
attendance is 10% of your final grade).If
you have an emergency that precludes your coming to class, please let me
know as soon as you can.
Readings:All
readings listed in the syllabus are required and should be read
before the class session for which they are assigned.Lectures
and class discussions will follow from, build on, or provide background
for, the reading material, but they generally will not duplicate it.You
are responsible for all material, whether from class or the readings.
Texts:The
following required texts are available in the college bookstore.
$American
Foreign Policy,
Bruce Jentleson. 2000. (New York: WW Norton).
$American
Foreign Policy: Readings and Cases,
Bruce Jentleson. 2000. (New York: WW Norton).
$American
Foreign Policy Since World War II,
Steven W. Hook and John Spanier. 2000. Washington DC: Congressional Quarterly.
Assignments:
In addition to attendance, there will be five graded assignments in this
course.You must complete all
five assignments in order to earn a passing grade.
Exams:There
will be two mid-term exams and a final exam for this course,
made up from material from readings and lectures (which do not always coincide).Exams
are usually identification/short answer/essay type, and so require that
you purchase and bring a blue book.There
may on occasion be a small quiz or two, particularly if participation in
class seems to be flagging due to inattention to readings.
Simulation:
Throughout the semester there will be assignments that relate to an on-going
simulation on foreign policy formulation.The
assignments will vary, depending upon the particular role you are to play,
but will at least involve the writing of a 10-page “memorandum”
on a national security policy matter.This
memorandum will be the equivalent of a research paper, and should be treated
as such.Near the end of the semester,
there will be a simulation of a meeting of the National Security
Council in which your viewpoints will be presented, along with others,
to the President of the United States.Your
participation in this semester-long activity will be graded for preparation,
active involvement in a variety of meetings in and out of class, and written
memo.
NB:
If you must miss any assignment, you must discuss this with me in
advance and receive permission to take a make-up.Unless
there are reasonable extenuating circumstances, failure to arrange this
in advance will result in a failing grade for that assignment.
Grading:
Course grades will be assigned on the following basis:
Attendance
& Participation10 %
Exam
#120 %
Exam
#220 %
Memorandum20%
Simulation10
%
Final
exam20 %
________________________________________
Total100
%
This
is the total number of assessments available for your course grade.I
do not award extra-credit points.
The
grading scale I use is:
A100-90
B90-80
C80-70
D70-60
Fbelow
60
Students
with Disabilities: In
accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability
and require accommodations to obtain equal access, please contact the instructor
at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which
an accommodation is required.
Schedule
of Events and Assignments
DATEACTIVITIES
& ASSIGNMENTS
PART
1.THE
CONTEXT FOR US FOREIGN POLICY
T
1/16Orientation to course.
R
1/18Context: The Structure of World
Politics
Assignment:
J1,
pp. 2-10.“IR Terms” (WEBSITE).
T
1/23Theoretical Context: IR Schools
of Thought
Assignment:
J2,
Chapter 1.
R
1/25Schools of Thought, continued.
Assignment:H&S,
chapter 1.
T
1/30Foreign Policy Dilemmas
Assignment:
J1, 19-24.
R
2/1The Domestic Context: Does Politics
Stop at the “Water’s Edge”?
Assignment: J1,
26-28; J2, CS2.
T 2/6 Foreign Policy Players:
The Executive Branch. Orientation
to Simulation.
Assignment:
J1, 37-43.
R 2/8 Foreign Policy Players:
The President and Congress. The
New President and Foreign Policy. Simulation:
sign up groups and choose leaders.
Assignment:
J1, 28-36; Simulation materials (HANDOUTS).
T
2/13Discussion and review.
R
2/15Examination 1.
T
2/20Foreign Policy on the Web.Memo
writing.
Assignment:
"Some Possible Websites"; Foreign Policy on the Web "Search Questions"
(HANDOUTS).
R 2/22 Historical Context: Great
Debates in US Foreign Policy
Assignment:J1,
66-67.
T
2/27Isolationism vs. Internationalism
Assignment:J1,
67-71; S&H, chapter 1.
R
3/1Power and Peace.
Assignment:
J1, 72-75.
T
3/6Great Debates
Assignment:J1:
remainder of chapter 3.
R
3/8Two Seminal Events: The Cold War
and Vietnam
Assignment:
J1, chapter 4.
T
3/13The Cold War: The Post-Cold War
World Order
Assignment:
H&S, chapters 2-4.
R
3/15How Did the Cold War End?
Assignment:
J1, 165-177; S&H, chapter 9.
T
3/20The Cold War Foreign Policy Consensus
Assignment:
J1, 119-131.
R
3/22Vietnam: Foreign Policy Setback
and its Legacy
Assignment: J1, chapter 5; S&H,
chapter 5.
March 26 - March
30 SPRING BREAK 
T
4/3Discussion and Review.
MID-TERM
COURSE EVALUATION.
R
4/5Examination 2
PART II: THE CONDUCT OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY
T
4/10Foreign Policy Politics: The Executive
Branch.Simulation Discussion.
Assignment:J1,
198-208.
R
4/12Foreign Policy Politics: Presidential-Congressional
Relations.
Assignment:
J1, 188-197.
T
4/17Foreign
Policy Politics: The Other Players.
Assignment:
J1, 209-225; J2, 6.1.
R
4/19Simulation: The National Security
Council Presentation.
Assignment:prepare
for presentation.
T
4/24Simulation debriefing.
Assignment:
no additional readings.
R
4/26Peace: Building a Post-Cold War
World Order?
Assignment:
J1, chapter 7.J2, CS7 (skim).
T
5/1Principles: A Democratic Century?
Assignment:
J1, chapter 10.
R
5/3Policy Strategies: Promoting Democracy.Discussion
and Review.
Assignment:
no additional readings.
W
5/9Final Exam Time (12:45-3:00).
