The Politics of American Foreign Policy
Dr. Mark A. Boyer
Fall 1995
Class Time: Tuesday and Thursday, 11-12:30
Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 10-11
Others by appointment
Rm. 110 Monteith
This course is designed to give the student an introduction to American foreign policy. At one level, the course will focus on the American foreign policy process in an effort to understand why particular foreign policy choices are made. This portion will include discussion of the roles of the President, Congress, interest groups, and others players in the outcomes we see in the international realm. We will also explore what effects a changing international environment has on American foreign policy. Put simply, we will ask the question: do our decision-makers make their decisions in a vacuum or are they influenced by the structure and forces of the outside world?
Throughout the course you will be engaged in a variety of forms of active learning. We will undertake a number of hands-on exercises relating to foreign policy decision-making, a bureaucratic politics simulation, and discuss and analyze numerous descriptive cases dealing with the goings-on of the American foreign policy process.
As for the case discussions listed in the syllabus, these assignments assume that you will learn more from actively participating in the process of foreign policy analysis than if you only passively listen to lectures. As a result, it is essential that you come to class having read the material and prepared to participate actively in the discussion. If you do not participate, you will be called upon to do so. Case discussions are a process involving group analysis of foreign policy events. Without active participation, our analysis will not be useful or successful.
Grading:
Case Memos 20%
***3 2-page essays on case discussions. Memos are due the session immediately following the class session when the case was discussed.
Midterm 25%
Simulation Briefing Paper 3%
Final 20%
Two foreign policy exercises 20%
Participation in case discussions 10%
Attendance at bureaucratic politics simulation 2%
Late Assignments: Grade drops one-half a letter grade for each day late.
Texts: All are available at the COOP.
John T. Rourke, Ralph Carter and Mark A. Boyer. (1994) Making American Foreign Policy.
Guilford, CT: Dushkin Publishing. (Denoted as "RCB" on the assignment list)
James Chace. (1994) The Consequences of the Peace. New York: Oxford University Press.
Pew and Kennedy School case packets.
Case Memo Assignments
Case memos are designed as "reaction papers" to the events and ideas raised by the cases we discuss in class. Each memo should be about 2 double-spaced typed pages. Papers are due the class session following the case discussion you have chosen to discuss in your paper.
The main goal of the case memo is to force you to integrate the conceptual and theoretical material we are discussing in the non-case parts of the class (i.e., lectures and readings) with the case events. In other words, this is an exercise in applying theory to practice. The following are a few questions to get you started.
* What do you see as the main theme or themes of the case and why?
* In what ways do these themes validate the ideas discussed in class readings or lectures? In what ways might the case invalidate the ideas of the theoretical and conceptual material?
* Is there is a "good fit" of theory to practice? Why or why not?
* If the case you are writing on seems to be at odds with the theory, why is that so? Is this case simply a unique instance (i.e., a deviant case) or does the theory need to be revised in some way to adequately account for the events described in the case?
You may have other ideas or ways of approaching your case memos. If you are not sure you are going in the right direction, don't hesitate to come in and discuss your ideas with me.
Also, do not feel that you must apply the theoretical material that was discussed near the case on the course outline. If you see insights from other portions of the course, feel free to apply them in the memo.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
PART I: The Setting of American Foreign Policy
Sept. 1 and 6 - Introduction
Sept. 8, 13, and 15 - The Historical and Social Context
RCB - Chaps. 1-4
Sept. 20 - Case Discussion
Pew Case: Should the Reagan Administration Have Signed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea?
Sept. 22 - The Human Dimension
RCB - Chap. 5
Sept. 27 - Case Discussion
Kennedy School Cases: George Marshall AND George Washington
****NOTE THAT 2 CASES ARE ASSIGNED****
PART II: The American Foreign Policy Process
Sept. 29 - Modeling the Foreign Policy Process
RCB - Chap. 6
Oct. 4 - The Presidency
RCB - Chap. 7
Oct. 6 - Congress: Carving Out a Foreign Policy Role for Itself?
RCB - Chaps. 8 and 9
Oct. 11 - Case Discussion
Pew Case: The US-Japanese FSX Fighter Agreement
Oct. 13 - The Foreign Policy Bureaucracies
RCB - Chap. 10
Oct. 18 - Case Discussion
Kennedy School Case: The Pentagon and the War on Drugs: A and B
Oct. 20 - Midterm Exam
Oct. 25 and 27 - Bureaucratic Politics Simulation
***Simulation Briefing Papers Due on Oct. 25th***
Nov. 1 - Nongovernmental Actors in the Foreign Policy Process: Interest Groups and the Media
RCB - Chap. 11
Nov. 3 - Case Discussion
Kennedy School Case: Siege Mentality
Nov. 8 - What About Direct Democracy? Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
RCB - Chap. 12
Nov. 10 - Public Opinion Poll In-Class Work Day
Nov. 15 - Poll Analysis
PART III: The Tools of American Foreign Policy
Nov. 17 - Diplomacy
RCB - Chap. 13
***Public Opinion Analyses Due***
Nov. 29 - Foreign Economic Policy
RCB - Chap. 14
Dec. 1 - Case Discussion
Kennedy School Case: Revving Up for Relief: Parts A, B, and Sequel
Dec. 6 - The Instrument of Violence
RCB - Chap 15
***Foreign Aid Exercises are Due***
PART IV: Conclusions and Questions
Dec. 9 and 13 - James Chase. The Consequences of the Peace.
***Read entire book before the Dec. 9 class***