GOVT/HIST 448. 20th-Century American Foreign Policy. FALL 2001
COURSE OBJECTIVES: This course has two related purposes: to provide students with an historical account of US foreign policy in the 20th century, and to examine the institutions and processes through which these policies were formulated and implemented. Emphasis throughout the course is placed upon the perception, definition and pursuit of US national interest, as well the impact these policies have had upon the rest of the world.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Students are evaluated on their demonstrated understanding of material covered in the assigned readings and lectures, as well as on the satisfactory completion of a written assignment. The attached course schedule provides a description of topics and corresponding readings, and includes dates for scheduled examinations. The written assignment is described on separate sheets, and will be discussed thoroughly in class. The course requirements are designed to provide the means of accomplishing the course objectives. Failure to take these requirements seriously or to complete assignments on time will result in performance less than satisfactory to both student and teacher. Any questions or problems with course objectives, requirements, assignments or evaluation should be addressed promptly and fully in consultation with the professor. Please feel free to speak with me at any time (not only during posted office hours) or schedule an appointment for your convenience.
GRADING & EVALUATION: Course grades are based on a variety of criteria, including performance on quizzes, the midterm and the cumulative final examination, as well as class attendance and participation, and the written assignment.
The midterm and the final exam are assigned the following weights in the calculation of grades.
Midterm. 20%. Wednesday 10 October.
Final. 30%. Date TBA.
Class participation will account for 20% of your grade. This will include performance on unannounced quizzes on the reading and\or lecture material. Failure to attend class regularly will adversely affect your performance in all aspects of the course. Please consult the Campbell University Bulletin concerning official University attendance policy. I understand that policy to mean that students are not given a certain number of "cuts" during the semester; rather, absences from class should occur only for reasons of illness (documented by a doctor's excuse) or personal emergency (to be explained to me)--all others will be subject to penalty.
The written assignment will account for 30% of the final grade. Please take careful note of all requirements and relevant deadlines as described on sheets attached to this syllabus.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Paterson, Thomas G., J. Garry Clifford and Kenneth J. Hagan.
American Foreign Relations: A History Since 1895. Vol.
II.
5th Edition. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-93887-2
Abbreviated [P] in course schedule.
Rosati, Jerel A. The Politics of United
States Foreign Policy.
2nd Edition. Harcourt
Brace, 1999. ISBN 0-03-018063-5
Abbreviated [R] in course schedule.
Suggested sources:
Students of history, government, politics and foreign affairs should acquire the habit of remaining abreast of current events through daily consultation of quality news sources. Foremost among these is a national circulation daily newspaper. Several are readily available by subscription in hard copy or on-line, such as:
The New York Times. Especially important and useful as a newspaper of record; it will contain the text of important documents and speeches relating to national and foreign affairs. Its editorial page is perhaps the most influential in the country.
The Washington Post. Particularly useful for coverage of "inside the beltway" developments and national political personalities.
The Wall Street Journal. Although primarily devoted to business and financial affairs, it also covers national and world news.
The Christian Science Monitor. Its in-depth articles and color photography provide penetrating insight into national and world news.
Financial Times. London-based daily with thorough coverage of European and world affairs, along with information on industries and firms. Also often includes separate sections on numerous topics, including country surveys.
Weekly news magazines also provide useful synopses and occasionally valuable in-depth coverage of issues or events. The most notable of these include:
Time, Newsweek, US News and World Report, The Economist.
Relevant weekly or monthly news and opinion magazines include: The Atlantic Monthly, Commentary, The New Yorker, New Republic,
The Nation, Utne Reader, National Review.
The most prestigious journals devoted to world affairs and US foreign policy include:
Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, World Politics, Washington Quarterly, International Affairs, Current History, and various journals devoted to regional affairs, i.e. African Affairs.
Daily television and radio news broadcasts are also important news sources. Aside from regular morning and evening news programs, the major networks also produce news journalism shows sometimes dealing with foreign affairs, including "Nightline" and "Frontline". CNN provides news 24 hours a day, and C-Span covers US Congressional proceedings along with (taped) British parliamentary debates and the Moscow evening news.
National Public Radio (NPR) analyzes US and world affairs; "Morning Edition" (6:00am) and "All Things Considered" (4:00pm).
SCHEDULE OF LECTURE TOPICS AND ASSIGNED READINGS.
Week 1. (20-24 Aug.) Course Introduction.
Syllabus. [R] Ch. 1 & 2.
Section I. The Emergence of the US as a World Power.
Week 2. (27-31 Aug.) War with Spain; the Canal; China & the Open
Door.
[P] Ch. 1 & 2.
Week 3. (3-7 Sep.) The US in WWI: Reluctant but Decisive Participant.
[P] Ch. 3.
Week 4. (10-14 Sep.) The US & the World, 1920-1939.
[P] Ch. 4 & 5.
Week 5. (17-21 Sep.) The US in a Two-Front War, 1939-1945.
[P] Ch. 6.
Week 6. (24-28 Sep.) Containment & The Early Cold War.
[P] Ch. 7.
Week 7. (1-5 Oct.) The Cold War Turns Hot.
[P] Ch. 8.
Week 8. (8-12 Oct.) Course Review, Midterm Exam & Fall Break.
Week 9. (15-19 Oct.) The US Confronts the 3rd World.
[P] Ch. 9.
Week 10. (22-26 Oct.) Nixon, Kissinger and the Legacy of Vietnam.
[P] Ch. 10.
Week 11. (29 Oct.-2 Nov.) The Cold War Resumed: Carter & Reagan.
[P] Ch. 11.
Week 12. (5-9 Nov.) The US & the Post-Cold War World.
[P] Ch. 12.
Section II. Formulation & Implementation of US Foreign Policy.
Week 13. (12-16 Nov.) The President & the Executive Branch.
[R] Ch. 3-7, 11.
Week 14. (19-23 Nov.) Military Establishment & Intelligence
Community.
[R] Ch. 8 & 9.
Week 15. (26-30 Nov.) Congress, the Public & the Media.
[R] Ch. 12, 14-16, 18.
FINAL EXAM. DATE TBA.
Written Assignment -- Foreign Policy Formulation
Government policy of any kind, including foreign policy, is made by officials acting in manner perceived by them as appropriate to the situation at hand. Therefore, any given policy results from the complex interaction of motives, means and circumstances--the mix of factors with which you will work on this project. This assignment asks you to select from the list of topics below and analyze in detail an important episode in 20th-century US foreign policy. Your report should include the following:
1) What happened--you should provide a detailed and coherent accounting of the actual events and historical circumstances surrounding them, including names, dates, locations and other salient characteristics of the episode in question. In addition to a clear and concise narrative of events and developments, such an account might also include maps, diagrams, charts or tables containing relevant objective information.
2) Relevant and detailed information on the principle US policymakers involved in the episode. This should include description and analysis of their background and personality relative to their approach toward foreign policy in general, and to their handling of the particular episode. More specifically, your task is to assess how those formulating and implementing the policy of the US in this instance perceived the situation, and why they adopted the objectives and goals that they did. Examples of such relevant information include discussion of the individual’s:
* upbringing and other experiences (education/ professional) important in shaping their attitudes and behavior.
* view of human nature.
* moral sense of right and wrong.
* religious beliefs (or lack of them).
* attitudes regarding race or ethnicity.
* feelings concerning the destiny or purpose of the United States in relation to rest of the world.
* sense of their own personal place or mission in history.
No single source will address all of these personal attributes directly, nor will your sources necessarily relate these aspects of the individual to the conduct of US foreign policy. Therefore, you must seek and find in your sources material relevant to the motives of the policymakers involved regarding their perception of US interests, especially relative to the episode in question.
3) An assessment of the means at the disposal of the policymakers in accomplishing their goals relative to the episode in question. Such an assessment is necessarily and explicitly interpretive, and should include a reasoned and balanced consideration of the following factors:
a) the resources that US policymakers had available to them, including;
1) political relationships and/or diplomatic contacts that might be used as leverage.
2) advantageous economic or financial connections.
3) military or technological assets that realistically could be employed.
b) the constraints upon US policymakers, including:
1) political or diplomatic considerations limiting policy options.
2) economic or financial concerns that might exclude possible courses of action.
3) military, technological or logistical factors rendering certain policy options difficult or impossible.
c) the domestic political climate, as it might either encourage or militate against particular policy options relative to the episode in question. Such considerations would include:
1) the express attitude or will of Congress.
2) the express will or attitude of affected economic interests.
3) the express will or attitude of affected political or social groups.
4) public sentiment.
4) Conclusions: Draw together the main points of the description and analysis provided, and include as well your own assessment of US policy in this instance.
Requirements and Deadlines
In order to complete this assignment in a satisfactory and timely fashion, you will need to work on it diligently throughout the semester. Adherence to the schedule below will encourage you to do so. Take careful note of all requirements and deadlines, as I will evaluate your performance on the entire project, most especially the final product. I will discuss the project in class, and will be available in my office throughout the semester for consultation.
While the exact length of each of the 4 main sections of the project will vary according to topic, they probably will require on average 1000-1500 words apiece. Therefore, I imagine that completed papers will turn out to be of similar size; approximately 4000-6000 words excluding the bibliography and supporting materials such as maps, charts, etc… Factors such as font size, line spacing, margins, etc., affect the exact translation of words into pages, but a rough guide is 250-300 words per page.
Topic Selection due: Friday 31 August.
Choose and submit in writing one of the topics from this list.
1) The US Role in the Panamanian Insurrection and the Canal.
2) Wilson, Submarine Warfare and US Entry Into World War I.
3) Versailles Treaty, dispute over US Role in League of Nations.
4) The Stimson Doctrine and US Relations with Japan before WWII.
5) FDR, the Neutrality Acts, and US Entry into World War II.
6) FDR, Churchill and Stalin: US-Allied Relations during WWII.
7) Harry S Truman, General MacArthur, and the Korean War.
8) Eisenhower, J.F. Dulles and US Relations with China.
9) JFK, Khrushchev, Castro and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
10) LBJ and US Military Involvement in Vietnam, 1964-1968.
11) Jimmy Carter and the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
12) Ronald Reagan and US confrontation with the “Evil Empire”, 1981-1984.
13) The US Role in the Gulf War, 1990-91.
14 The US Intervention in Somalia, 1992-1994.
15) US Involvement in the Balkans, 1993-present.
Preliminary Bibliography due: Friday 14 September.
Provide in proper bibliographic form a list of all sources identified that you have good reason to believe will be relevant to your topic. Include in it books, articles in scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, government documents or other official reports, documentary film or video, etc. If internet sources are used, please submit to my email address an electronic copy containing active hyperlinks to the sources.
Annotated bibliography due: Friday 5 October.
Provide in proper bibliographic form a complete typewritten list of sources to be used in the paper. After each entry, give evidence that you have actually located and consulted each source on the list, indicating clearly and explicitly the relevance of all sources to the paper. If internet sources are used, please submit to my email address an electronic copy containing active hyperlinks to the sources.
Rough Draft due: Friday 2 November.
This draft should be as close as possible in form and content to the final product. Spare no effort to insure that this typewritten draft contains no errors of fact and is correct in grammar, syntax, spelling, etc. Include a complete list of sources, provide all maps, charts, and figures, number all pages and attach a title page. Do not lose or destroy this draft, you are asked to submit it along with your final product.
Final Draft due: Friday 30 November.
This version of the paper should be completely free of errors of any kind, and incorporate all changes requested on the rough draft; include the rough draft along with the final product. This last draft represents the fruits of your work over the entire semester, and should be as near to perfection as you possibly can make it.
NOTE: THE FINAL DRAFT OF YOUR PAPER MUST BE GIVEN BY YOU TO ME PERSONALLY, OR WILL BE COUNTED AS NOT SUBMITTED. PAPERS MAY NOT BE: TURNED IN BY ANYONE BUT YOU, PUT IN MY MAILBOX OR UNDER MY DOOR, GIVEN TO THE SECRETARY OR STUDENT WORKER, ANOTHER PROFESSOR, ETC.