POLITICAL SCIENCE 181: AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
Spring 2004
NORTHERN
ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30~10:45 A.M.
Phone: 753-7057
Office Hours: T~TH 10:50 A.M~12:00
E-mail: ampcrocker@comcast.net P.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 or KSG studies, or topic debates 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 Tuesday morning at the beginning of class, 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, models, or approaches 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/KSG 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
Cases # 170, and 521, and KSG # 279.
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 Thursday, February 26. The final exam will be administered on Thursday, May 6.
Second, there will be two
written assignments. Written assignments are MANDATORY. The lack of completion of one of the
assignments will receive a 0 % grade.
The written assignments will include the completion of two short papers
and a journal. The two journals are due
at the beginning of class on March 18 and April 20. The journals will count as 10 percent each of the course
grade. Second, there is the completion
of a short paper due on April 29, worth 15 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 15 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 a number of quizzes on case discussion days that will count as part of the final participation grade. 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 participation final grade raised one half letter. Individuals with a B to C- will not have their participation final grade changed. Class members with an average quiz grade of D+ to F will have their participation grade lowered half a letter.
MIDTERM EXAM= 25 PERCENT Journal 1 = 10 PERCENT
FINAL EXAM =25 PERCENT Journal2
= 10 PERCENT
PARTICIPATION =15 PERCENT Paper =15
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: February 26.
First Journal
Due: March 18
Second
Journal Due: April 20.
Short Paper
Due: April 29
Final Exam:
May 6
WEEK 1
January 13
Course introduction
January 15
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.
NYT discussion
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.
February 5
John T.
Rourke Issue # 18: Should the United States ratify the International
Criminal Court Treaty? Pp. 332-347
WEEK 5
Current events: bring a NYT article!!
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:
March 5.
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.
Current events: bring a NYT article!!
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
journal due at the beginning of class!
Lecture:
American Foreign Policy as Rational
Choice. Mingst pp.119-122.
Current events: bring NYT article.
March 25
Lecture: American Foreign Policy as Organizational
Behavior. Mingst pp.122-124
WEEK 12
March 30
Lecture: American Foreign Policy as Governmental
Politics.
KSG Case #
279: “Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs.”
Current events: bring NYT article.
American Foreign Policy as Crisis Decision-Making.
( video: groupthinking)
VIDEO:
related to decision-making policy. TBA
( These are not “blow-off” classes. Some of the exam questions may be based on
audiovisual material)
NYT: bring 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.
* 2nd Journal due
today at the beginning of class!
American Foreign Policy as
Strategic Competition.
Mingst,pp.184-186 and 195-202
American Foreign Policy as imperialism and
neo-imperialism.
Mingst pp.187-189, 192-195, and
209-212.
April 29
** Paper due at the beginning of
class!
Review for Final Examination
WEEK 17
FINAL
EXAMINATION: THURSDAY MAY 6, 10-11:50
A.M!
CURRENT EVENT JOURNALS
Each of the TWO current event journals will include
10 neatly clipped newspaper entries from the New York Times or other newspaper
approved by the instructor. The journals
should indicate the title, author, date and source for each article.
Accompanying the article should be a well-written, well-developed paragraph (
of at least six to eight sentences) that react to or analyzes the selected news
story. For instance a journal entry can
tie a selected article to a course reading, draw a connection to a theory or
concept discussed in class, relate the article’s significance to present or
future foreign policy, or convey how a policy maker should address a given
foreign policy issue. Whatever approach
is selected, the paragraph must exhibit independent thinking and be well
constructed or thought out. The goal of the journal is to share one’s thoughts
or information learned from class rather than to repeat what the article
says. All journal entries should be
word-processed and related to American Foreign policy. The exact way in which
the journal is assembled and presented for submission is for each student to
decide. However, the ten written
entries for each journal should be representative of the entire term up to the
journals’ due date instead of simply a few weeks. Each assignment is worth ten
percent of the final grade.
GUIDELINES FOR SHORT PAPER ASSIGNMENT
THE GOAL OF
THE PAPER: The purpose of this assignment
is to write an analytical paper 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.
3.
Students
should select an event or issue to analyze based on news articles from the New York Times or another paper or
record the instructor has approved. The
paper should include at least three related newspaper articles on the selected
topic. So, you should follow a given
topic/event carefully throughout the semester.
You could also include other bibliographical sources such as on-line
news, books, or academic journals.
4.
Papers
should be at least four word processed pages.
The pages should be double spaced, approximately 12 font, and contain
one- inch margins.
5.
The
paper should have a bibliography.
Endnotes, in-text notes, or footnotes are also required. Use a citation method such as APA or
MLA. A quote must always appear in
quotation marks.
GRADE: The paper is worth 15 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.
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