POLITICAL SCIENCE 535
& 635
AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
WEDNESDAYS AT 6:30PM
FALL 2011
(Please note that graduate student requirements,
grade calculations and so forth may differ from
this syllabus. Graduate students should refer to the hard copy of their
syllabus for details on that information.
However, this syllabus contains the same information on topics covered, exam
times and so forth)
Dr.
Dennis V.
Hickey
Office: Strong 325
Fall
2011
Tel: 836-5850
Email:
dennishickey@missouristate.edu
Home Page:
http://courses.missouristate.edu/DennisHickey/hickey.htm
Office Hrs: Tuesday 3:00-5:00 and Wednesday 12:00-3:00 or by appointment
Strong Hall
Class Objectives: This course is designed as an introduction to American foreign policy. As such, it complements the university’s public affairs mission by promoting cultural competence among students and advancing the internationalization of this institution. First, we explore the various governmental institutions and societal forces that play a role in the shaping of American foreign policy. Special attention will be devoted to the powers of the executive and legislative branches in developing policy. Second, we will focus upon the substance of American foreign policy--we will briefly examine the foundations and evolution of America's containment policy and attempt to determine how America has moved "beyond containment." We will also discuss current security and economic policy issues. Third, we will explore current policy toward a number of selected world regions and/or nations. Emphasis is upon the problems and substance of policy, although students are invited to bring theoretical or methodological interests to bear on any issue. Finally, students will acquire skills in the rudiments of staff analysis, program assessment, and policy decision-making. You will learn how to identify foreign policy issues, gather relevant information on them, assess the various options available for action and make well-informed and well-reasoned recommendations.
Books:
(1) Steven W. Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, 3rd Edition, Congressional Quarterly Press, 2010.
(2) 2011 Annual Editions, AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
(3) Note: These two readings are available as a package in the university bookstore.
Hand-outs: From time to time, hand-outs will be distributed in class. Students are expected to read/study these materials. Also, some materials will be emailed to students.
Web-based Readings: Some readings will be posted on the world
wide web. Alternatively, readings may be forwarded by email. Details will be
presented in our seminar.
Films: From time to time, we will watch some documentary films. Students are expected to pay attention and take notes during films.
Attendance: Attendance is always important. But it is critically important when a class meets only once per week. Moreover, evening classes are not for everyone. If you cannot or will not attend class, please drop this class. Be forewarned, some questions on the exams may be from material NOT covered in your texts. Disruptive behavior (including chatting in class, playing on Facebook or your computer, chronic late arrival) is not tolerated. For information explaining how those engaging in disruptive behavior will be removed from the class, please see the link at http://www.missouristate.edu/registrar/classdis.html
Exams: Three examinations (essay). Weekly reading assignments are essential preparation for each class meeting and examination. Some questions may be drawn from materials presented only in class. Please budget your time. Following the exam, we will take a short break and then begin the next section of the course.
Briefing Books: Rather than a traditional term paper, each student will prepare a "briefing book." The briefing book should be 15-20 pages for undergraduate students (20-30 for graduate students), typewritten (double spaced) and turned in on time. At least twenty sources must be cited in the briefing book. Student must use footnotes (not endnotes) and may follow any acceptable style (Chicago manual of Style preferred). I suggest that you begin thinking about your briefing book long before it is due--all late books will be penalized. Proposals are due on October 5, 2011 (instructor reserves the right to approve or reject proposals). The book itself may be submitted anytime, but no later than class on November 16. All students must adopt the approach outlined at the back of this syllabus for the briefing book—no exceptions to this rule. The books will be returned during the final exam. Please do not ask for your grade or briefing book before the final.
Grades: Each exam (including the final) will be weighed equally (each counts about 25% of your semester grade). Also, the briefing book is worth 25%. So, your final grade will be determined as follows:
Exam 1: 25%
Exam 2: 25%
B.Book: 25%
Exam 3: 25%
Plus and Minus Grading (new to MSU): MSU switched to the “plus and minus” grading system a few years ago. The system used in this seminar is as follows:
93-99% A
90-92% A-
87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82% B-
77-79% C+
73-76% C
70-72% C-
67-69% D+
60-66% D
Graduate Student Discussion Leaders: From time to time, graduate students will be expected to summarize readings and lead class discussion. The instructor will appoint discussion leaders—especially during PART II and III of the class. The graduate student should prepare a short talk outlining the major points of the article and distribute a short handout to students and the professor. A power-point presentation is acceptable.
Non Discrimination Statement: Missouri State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance procedure available to any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries or concerns about possible discrimination to the Office for Equity and Diversity, Park Central Office Building, 117 Park Central Square, Suite 111, (417) 836-4252. Other types of concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic nature) should be discussed directly with your instructor and can also be brought to the attention of your instructor’s Department Head. Please visit the OED website at www.missouristate.edu/equity/.
Disability Accommodation: To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact the Director of Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), www.missouristate.edu/disability. Students are required to provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations. Disability Services refers some types of accommodation requests to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact the Director of the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, (417) 836-4787, http://psychology.missouristate.edu/ldc.
Academic Dishonesty: Missouri State University is a community of scholars committed to developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice personal and academic integrity. You are responsible for knowing and following the university’s student honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, available at www.missouristate.edu/assets/provost/AcademicIntegrityPolicyRev-1-08.pdf and also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library. Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions as described in this policy. Plagiarism on your briefing book could earn you a failing grade on the project and/or in the seminar.
Dropping the Class: It is your responsibility to understand the University’s procedure for dropping a class. If you stop attending this class but do not follow proper procedure for dropping the class, you will receive a failing grade and will also be financially obligated to pay for the class. For information about dropping a class or withdrawing from the university, contact the Office of the Registrar at 836-5520.
Cell Phones, Pagers, etc: .As a member of the learning community, each student has a responsibility to other students who are members of the community. When cell phones or pagers ring and students respond in class or leave class to respond, it disrupts the class. Therefore, the Office of the Provost prohibits the use by students of cell phones, pagers, PDAs, or similar communication devices during scheduled classes. All such devices must be turned off or put in a silent (vibrate) mode and ordinarily should not be taken out during class. Given the fact that these same communication devices are an integral part of the University’s emergency notification system, an exception to this policy would occur when numerous devices activate simultaneously. When this occurs, students may consult their devices to determine if a university emergency exists. If that is not the case, the devices should be immediately returned to silent mode and put away. Other exceptions to this policy may be granted at the discretion of the instructor. For example, Dr. Hickey will make allowances for sick child or immediate relative, pregnancy, and so forth. Discuss your situation with him.
Emergency Response Syllabi Statement: Students who require assistance during an emergency evacuation must discuss their needs with their professors and Disability Services. If you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements in case the building must be evacuated, please make an appointment with me as soon as possible. For additional information students should contact the Office of Disability Services, 836-4192 (PSU 405), or Larry Combs, Interim Assistant Director of Public Safety and Transportation at 836-6576. For further information on Missouri State University’s Emergency Response Plan, please refer to the following web site: http://www.missouristate.edu/safetran/erp.htm.
Class Schedule: A class schedule follows. Please note, however, that this schedule (including examination dates) is subject to change. For example, cataclysmic world events (turmoil in western China, a bigger war in the Middle East, snow in Springfield, etc.) and/or class discussion may necessitate a change in the schedule. In this respect, attendance may be of critical importance--all changes in schedule will be announced in class.
PART I: The Making of American Foreign Policy
During these meetings, we are scheduled to discuss the topics listed below.
1. The Constitution, the President, the National Security System and Foreign Affairs
Read: Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapter 4 and Chapter 21, “The Carter Syndrome,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012
2. The Foreign Policy Bureaucracy
Read Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapter 6.
3. Congress: Its Constitutional Role and The Way It Works
Read Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapter 5. and Chapter 20, “Waiting Games: The Politics of US Immigration Reform,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 27, “When Congress Stops Wars: Partisan Politics and Presidential Power in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012.
5. Other Influences on American Foreign Policy: Interest Groups, the Media and Public Opinion.
Read Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapters 7, 8 and 9 and Chapter 18, “The War We Deserve,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, Chapter 19, “The Evangelical Roots of US Africa Policy, in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012,
EXAMINATION I: September 28, 2011 (subject to change)
During these meetings, we are scheduled to discuss the topics listed below.
1. The Historical Setting: Containment & Beyond Containment
Read Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapters 1 and 2.
2. US Defense and Security Issues/Arms Control
Read Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapter 10.
Read Chapter 23, “The Homeland Security Hash,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 25, “Lost for Words: The Intelligence Community’s Struggles to Find its Voice,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 39, “Nuclear Disorder: Surveying Atomic Threats,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 40, “Nuclear Abolition: A Reverie” in in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 41, “Low Cost Nuclear Arms Races,” in in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Article 37, “Preemption Paradox,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS, 2011/2012.
3. The US & International Political Economy
Read Hook, US FOREIGN POLICY: PARADOX OF WORLD POWER, Chapter 11.
Read Chapter 31, “America’s Sticky Power,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012,
And Chapter 32, “The New Axis of Oil, in in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012,
And Chapter 33, “The Coming Financial Pandemic,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and “Chapter 34, “Can Sanctions Stop Proliferation?” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012,
EXAMINATION II: November 2, 2011 (subject to change)
FILM: THE ATOMIC CAFÉ (To be Shown on November 9)
PART III: America and the World
During these meetings, we will examine the following subjects:
1. US Policy, the Middle East and the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Read, Chapter 42, “Lifting the Veil: Understanding the Roots of Islamic Militancy,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 43, “How We’ll Know When We’ve Won: A Definition of Success in Iraq,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 44, “Is it Worth It? The Difficult Case for War in Afghanistan,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 45, “Afghanistan: Graveyard of Good Intent,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012 and Chapter 46, “Cracks in the Jihad, in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012, and Chapter 47, “Exit Lessons,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012.
2. US Policy Toward China and East Asia
Read Dennis Hickey, “Time for Joint Sino-American Action is Here,” China Daily, April 29, 2009 on the world wide web at
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2009-04/29/content_7727707.htm
Read Dennis Hickey, "Rapprochement between Taiwan and the Chinese Mainland: Implications for American Foreign Policy," in THE JOUNRAL OF CONTEMPORARY CHINA Volume 20, Number 69, March 2011, pp.231-247. If this link does not work, it will be emailed to students or distributed in class). On the world wide web at:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10670564.2011.541629
Read Chapter 10, “Emerging Strategic Dilemmas in US-Chinese Relations,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012.
Read “Chapter 12, “Let’s Make a Deal,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012.
Chairman Mao and President Nixon in 1972
4. US Policy Toward Latin America
Read, Chapter 13, “Requiem for the Monroe Doctrine,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012. Other articles will be emailed to students
5. US Policy & Africa
Read Chapter 16, “US Africa Command: A New Strategic Paradigm?” in in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012. Other articles will be emailed to students.
6. US Policy Toward Russia and Europe
Read, Chapter 8, “Will Moscow Help with Trouble Spots?” in in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012 and Chapter 9, “Russia and the West: Mutually Assured Distrust,” in ANNUAL EDITIONS 2011/2012
FINAL EXAMINATION
Our Final Exam is scheduled for Wednesday December 14 at 8:00pm. We will try to move it to 6:30pm. Details presented in class. The exam will cover only the last portion of the course. A comprehensive question may also be placed on the examination depending on our progress during the semester and other considerations. In other words, material that will be covered on Exam 3 (scheduled during our final exam period) is subject to adjustment.
Miscellaneous Information
And Some Important Dates
For your convenience, some important dates are provided below. For more detailed information, please see the MSU academic calendar at:
http://calendar.missouristate.edu/academic.aspx
August 22: Fall Semester Begins
August 24: First Day of our Class
September 5 Labor Day (Monday)
September 28 Exam 1
October 5: Briefing Book Proposals Due
November 2: Exam 2
November 16: Briefing Books Due
November 22 Last Day to Drop
December 7: Last Day of our Class
December 14: Final Exam
BRIEFING BOOK
REQUIREMENTS:
READ CAREFULLY
I. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: Choose some feature of current US foreign policy that is of some importance to a part of the world. Explain briefly what the policy is and why the US pursues such a policy. Then, discuss its importance and effect upon that part of the world. Finally, offer some policy alternatives and make a policy recommendation.
II. WHAT IS A BRIEFING BOOK? Briefing books are developed by US government agencies (CIA, DIA, etc), executive departments (State, Defense, Treasury, etc.) and scholars in "think-tanks" and universities. They are used by officials in Washington when developing policy toward a particular country or foreign policy issue. These studies enable decision-makers to evaluate the advantages and problems (or, if you will, the costs and benefits) of various policy options and the anticipated consequences of the policy recommendation.
III. WHY DO I HAVE TO WRITE A BRIEFING BOOK? The goals of this course are twofold. One, to understand the making of American foreign policy and the major foreign policy issues confronting the United States. Two, to acquire skills in the rudiments of staff analysis, program assessment, and policy decision-making. In this class, you will be expected to be able to identify foreign policy issues, gather relevant information on them, assess the various options available for action and make well-informed and well-reasoned recommendations.
IV. PROCEDURE First, you need to identify the foreign policy issue that will be addressed. Second, you must gather relevant information. In order to accomplish this task, you must be able to use the library. A trip to the documents section of the library should familiarize students with US government documents--use them!!! Of course, books, magazines and journal articles may be employed in your paper. Be sure to take advantage of the Lexis/Nexis computer system. I would rank sources as follows.
1.Primary source materials: Interviews, US government documents (current Congressional hearings, CIA reports, CRS reports, etc.).
2.Scholarly journal articles: Great for detailed analysis. Policy journals include Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and Orbis. There are also numerous policy journals with a specialized focus (Asian Survey, Asian Affairs, etc).
3.Newspapers: Best are the New York Times, Washington Post, LA Times and London Times. Great for"late-breaking" news and facts, but often weak on analysis.
4. Magazines: Time, Newsweek, etc. Good for background material and some late-breaking news. High School students rely upon them when conducting research.
5. Books: Great for background material. In foreign policy analysis, many are outdated when they reach the public.
V. A FEW ADDITIONAL WORDS ABOUT ELECTRONIC RESOURCES: Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of electronic resources, but don’t forget that the library is also full of great books! You may find very useful links to newspapers, think tanks and government agencies by visiting my website at:
http://courses.missouristate.edu/dennishickey/useful%20links.htm
Be sure to visit the various think tanks on the website. These will help enormously when conducting research (think tank links include Brookings, Heritage, Cato, the Atlantic Council etc.)
When using electronic sources, be sure to keep a copy of any article that you cite. Should questions arise about academic dishonesty (particularly plagiarism), you will need to show the instructor a copy of the cited article.
VI. OUTLINE FOR BRIEFING BOOK For your convenience, we will use an example. We are going to write a paper on US policy toward Arms Sales to Taiwan. We will use the following steps.
1. Background & Current policy
a. Brief mention of US involvement with Taiwan
b. Current general US policy toward arms sales to Taiwan
2. Option Number One: Reduce Arms Sales
a. positive consequences
b. negative consequences
3. Option Number Two: Eliminate Arms Sales
a. positive consequences
b. negative consequences
4. Option Number Three: Increase Arms Sales
a. positive consequences
b. negative consequences
5. Conclusions
a. Policy Recommendation
b. Consequences: Domestic & International (explain why this policy is "better" or preferable to others) and positive and negative consequences.
SPECIAL NOTE: When constructing your briefing book, clearly identify the various sections and sub-sections of the book with appropriate headings. For example, clearly separate Option 1 from Option 2 with a heading (Option 1: Reduce Arms Sales to Taiwan). And clearly separate positive and negative consequences as sub-sections. Students who do not follow this key provision in this assignment will be penalized
BACK TO DR. DENNIS HICKEY'S HOMEPAGE