POLITICAL SCIENCE 181 SECTION 3 : AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
FALL 2003
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Tuesdays and Thursdays 11.00 A.M-12:15 P.M.
Phone:
753-7057
E-mail:
ampcrocker@attbi.com
Office
Hours: T- 12.30~1:30 P.M.
Th.
9:30-10:30 A.M.
This course will study and discuss a number of theories and approaches to help interpret American foreign policy. While the central emphasis is on American Foreign policy, a range of theoretical approaches or models, including international relations theory, foreign policy decision-making, and world political economy will be incorporated to this course to help students acquire a broader understanding of the United States’ extensive role within the international environment.
This course has three key objectives. First, to provide the necessary theoretical tools for students to understand general trends in American foreign policy. This information will be presented through lecture. There is also material covered by Karen Mingst’s (2001) required textbook. However, students should take thorough notes of the information presented in class to complement what is covered in the textbook.
Second, in order to provide students with a practical way of applying their theoretical knowledge, there will be in class discussion of case studies. The cases include either Pew studies from the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, or issue cases from John T. Rourke’s required textbook. To facilitate and coordinate these discussions, the instructor will provide students with a set of questions. It will then be the responsibility of the students to consolidate their ideas and present them to class in an open forum. In addition, case discussions will at times include group simulations.
Finally, every other week, we will discuss newspaper articles, preferably from the New York Times. Students will be encouraged to bring an article or two to class, briefly summarize the articles’ facts, and simply react to the articles, or interpret the newspaper clips through one of the theories we have discussed in class.
Overall, I hope students will leave the course with the ability to identify the theoretical perspectives and concepts that underlie various arguments made about American foreign policy and to use these theoretical models critically when attempting to understand world events.
REQUIRED
COURSE MATERIALS
The two required textbooks and the Pew case studies are available for purchase at the university bookstore.
1. Karen Mingst. 2001. Essentials of International Relations (2nd edition) New York: W.W. Norton.
2. John T. Rourke. 2002. Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American Foreign Policy. (2nd edition). Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill Duskin.
3.
Pew
Case Studies: # 170, 258,
and 521.
4.
Daily edition of the New York Times.
Available free of cost at www.nytimes.com
. You must register and select a
password to access the website. There
is also a reduced rate subscription for students who prefer to receive a daily
copy of the newspaper. The newspaper is also available at the library.
There are two required written assignments for this class. The first is written examinations. There will be a midterm and a final exam. The midterm will be given on Tuesday, October 9. The final exam will be administered on Tuesday, December 9.
Second, there will be two
written assignments. Written assignments are MANDATORY. The lack of completion of one of the
assignments will receive a 0 %. The
written assignments will include the completion of two short papers and a
journal. The two short papers are due
at the beginning of class on October 21 and December 2. The short papers will count as 10 percent each
of the course grade. Second, there is
the completion of a journal due on November 25, worth also 10 percent of the
total grade. For more information on
the written assignments, see pages nine and ten of the syllabus.
Third, class participation
will contribute to 20 percent of the grade.
Participation means regular attendance, no more than four absences, AND
offering thoughtful opinions and comments on the assigned discussions.
In general relevant in-class
participation will be evaluated according to the following scale:
A= regular and thoughtful
participation
B= occasional and thoughtful
participation
C= regular attendance
D=less than regular
attendance
F=little or no attendance
There may also be occasional
quizzes on case discussion days. To
reward those students keeping up with the material, the final grade for quizzes
will be based on class average.
Students with a B- to A average will have their final course grade
raised one half letter. Individuals
with a C- to C+ will not have their final grade changed. Class members with an average quiz grade of
D or F will have their course grade lowered half a letter.
MIDTERM EXAM= 25 PERCENT Essay 1 = 10 PERCENT
FINAL EXAM =25 PERCENT Essay2 =
10 PERCENT
PARTICIPATION =20 PERCENT Journal =10
PERCENT
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Plagiarism is the most serious form of academic cheating. The NIU undergraduate catalog states: “
students are guilty of plagiarism, intentional or not, if they copy material
from books, magazines, or other sources without identifying and acknowledging
them. Students guilty of, or assisting
others in, either cheating or plagiarism on an assignment, quiz, or examination
may receive a grade of F for the course involved and may be suspended or
dismissed from the university.” If students wish to do some library research to
support their analytical essays for the class , they must remember to observe
proper rules of citation.
IMPORTANT DATES:
Midterm
exam: October 9.
First Short
Paper Due: October 21
Journal
Due: November 25.
Second
Short Paper Due: December 2
Final
Exam: December 9
WEEK 1
August 26
Course introduction
August 28
Frames of Reference.
Distribution of the Melian Dialogue
Class discussion: Current Events. bring
NYT article!!
Discussion: The Melian Dialogue.
.
Lecture: American Foreign Policy as Realism. Mingst, pp.67-69 , pp.103-104, and 238-239.
American Foreign Policy as Realism (continued). Mingst. Pp.69-71, pp.86-94, and
pp. 152-153, 160-162.
Discussion:
* John T. Rourke (2001). Taking Sides : Clashing Views on
Controversial Issues in American Foreign Policy. 2nd edition. Should the United States Seek Global
hegemony? Pp.16~35
Current Events:
bring NYT article!!
American Foreign Policy as Liberalism. Mingst, pp.63-66, 10,
154-156.
Class assignment: read the
Declaration of Independence on-line at:
http://www.house.gov/house/Declaration.html.
September 18
Case # 258.
Eric K. Leonard. Establishing
an International Criminal Court: The
Emergence of a New Global Authority?
WEEK 5
American Foreign Policy as Liberalism (continued). Mingst 84-86 and pp.241-248.
Case # 170,
Part A. Eric A. Hy. Values Versus
Interests: The U.S. Response to the Tiananmen Square Massacre
Current events: bring NYT article!!
Lecture: the
Global South’s view of American Foreign Policy. Mingst, pp.71-75,p.104, and
pp.94-96 .
Issue #7: Should
the United States Move to Substantially Ease Current Sanctions Against Cuba?
Pp.116-133.
Midterm Examination Review
Midterm Examination
** The midterm exam is given at this time so that
students will have a graded assignment prior to the University’s withdrawal
deadline: October .
Current Events: bring NYT article!!
Theory in Action: Analyzing terrorism from
contending theoretical perspectives
“Annual Editions: Violence and Terrorism”. Pp. 114-116, 202-214- ON RESERVE-.
Alternative Modern Perspectives: Constructivism and
Feminism in International Relations.
Pp. 76-77, 10-11, 213-214,
272-273.
Taking Sides: Issue 19…Should the United States
Ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW)? Pp. 348-355.
** The first
short paper due at the beginning of
class!
Lecture:
American Foreign Policy as Rational
Choice. Mingst pp.119-122.
Current events: bring NYT article.
October 30
Lecture: American Foreign Policy as Organizational
Behavior. Mingst pp.122-124
WEEK 11
November 4
Lecture: American Foreign Policy as Governmental
Politics.
American Foreign Policy as Crisis Decision-Making.
Current events: bring NYT article.
American Foreign Policy as Free Trade
Liberalism. Mingst 186-187, 190-192, and 203-209.
Taking Sides
: Issue #12 .Is Economic
Globalization a Positive Trend for the United States? Pp. 208-218.
American Foreign Policy as Strategic
Competition. Mingst,pp.184-186 and
pp.195-202.
NO CLASS
Happy Thanksgiving!!…
*Journal due today at the beginning of class!
American Foreign Policy as imperialism and
neo-imperialism.
Mingst pp.187-189, 192-195, and 209-212.
** Second Paper due at the beginning of class!
OPEN DAY
December 4
Review for Final Examination.
WEEK 16
FINAL
EXAMINATION: TUESDAY DECEMBER 9,
10-11:50 A.M!
GUIDELINES FOR SHORT PAPER ASSIGNMENTS
THE GOAL OF
THE PAPER: The purpose of this
assignment is to write an analytical analysis where you will use a major theory
or concept discussed in class to explain a contemporary issue related to American
foreign policy.
A good paper requires the following elements:
1.
It
should be creative, well written, and carefully constructed.
2.
It
should be based upon the following theoretical frameworks: a) realism, liberalism, radicalism, constructivism, or feminism; b) decision-making theories: rational actor, organizational
process, or governmental politics models;
c) economic frames of reference: neomercantilism, free trade liberalism,
or imperialism-neoimperialism. On the
second paper, students should select a
different theoretical approach or analytical tool.
3.
Students
should select an event or issue to analyze based on a news article from the New York Times or another paper or
record the instructor has approved .
4.
Papers
should be at least three, but no more than five, word processed pages. The pages should be double spaced,
approximately 12 font, and contain one- inch margins.
5.
Citations
should be used when five or more words are taken from another author. A quote must always appear in quotation marks.
GRADE: Each paper is worth 10 percent of the final course
grade. The grade will be based upon the following components: 1) A thesis statement that introduces the
reader to the paper. 2) A body where evidence is presented to support the
thesis. 3) A conclusion that summarizes
the argument and evidence presented in the paper. 4) Quality : a) the paper should be analytically sound.
It should explain the logic behind a statement and offer evidence to
demonstrate why the statement is in fact true;
b) as mentioned above, the paper
should also be well-written and carefully constructed.
CURRENT EVENT JOURNAL
The current event journal will include 10 newspaper
entries from the New York Times or other newspaper approved by the
instructor. The journal should indicate
the title, author, date and source for each article. The article should be neatly clipped with the entry. Students should summarize the entry in no less
than six sentences and should critically analyze the article through one of the
theories, approaches, or models we discussed in class.
LOOSE ENDS
(1)
Makeup
Exams: Makeup exams will only be given
in extraordinary circumstances. If such
circumstances arise, please contact the instructor as soon as possible and
before the scheduled exam. To keep the
process fair for everyone in the course, students may be asked to support
request for makeup exams with documentation.
A missed final examination without prior notification and a documented
excuse will result in zero and a grade of “F” as opposed to an incomplete.
(2)
Students
with Disabilities: The instructor
recognizes that some students require special testing environments because of
documented physical and learning disabilities.
If such arrangements are necessary, the instructor should be informed
early in the semester. Please do not
wait until exam time.
(3)
Late
Papers: A writing assignment submitted after due date will be penalized by a
deduction of ten points or one letter grade per day. Since students will have had several weeks to write their papers,
this standard will be waived only in extreme circumstances.
(4)
Submitting
Papers: Assignments should be handed in to me personally, or given to a
department secretary to be time-stamped.
Assignments placed under my office door or sent with a friend tend to
disappear at times. If a student
selects one of these modes of delivery, he or she does so at their own risk.
(5)
Extra
Credit: Extra credit assignments will
not be given on an individual basis to raise final course grades. Like make-up exams, such projects raise
serious questions of equity. In the
unlikely event such a project is made available, every member of the class will
be given the opportunity to complete it.
(6)
Handouts: Handouts, including study guides, are a
privilege for those students who attend class on a regular basis. No student is entitled to supplemental
materials simply because they are registered for the course.
(7)
Incomplete
Requests: Such petitions will be
granted rarely and only in extraordinary circumstances. The instructor reserves the right to ask for
documentation to verify the problem preventing completion of the course by the
normal deadlines. If the student does
not present documentation from a university office or official, the matter will
be left to the instructor’s discretion.
(8)
Undergraduate
Writing Awards: The Department of
Political Science will recognize, on an annual basis, outstanding undergraduate
papers written in conjunction with 300-400 level political science courses or
directed studies. Authors do not have
to be political science majors or have a particular class standing. Winners are expected to attend the
Department’s spring graduation ceremony where they will receive a certificate
and $ 50.00, which can be submitted by students or faculty, must be supplied in triplicate to a Department’s Secretary by February 28. All copies should have two cover pages –
one with the student’s name and one without the student’s name-. Only papers written in the previous calendar
year can be considered for the award.
(9)
Statement
Concerning Students with Disabilities:
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIU is committed to
make it reasonable accommodations for person with documented disabilities. Those students with disabilities that may have
some impact in the coursework and for which they may require accommodations
should notify the Center for Access-Ability Resources (CAAR) on the fourth
flour of the Health Services Building. CAAR will assist students in making
appropriate accommodations with course instructors. It is important that CAAR and instructors be informed of any
disability-related needs during the first two weeks of the semester.
(10)
Department
of Political Science Web Site: undergraduates are strongly encouraged to
consult the Department of Political Science web site on a regular basis. This
up-to-date, central source of information will assist students in contacting
faculty and staff, reviewing course requirements and syllabi, exploring
graduate study, researching career options, tracking department events, and
accessing important details related to undergraduate programs and
activities. To reach the site, go to http://polisci.niu.edu