Professor: Kanishkan (Kani) Sathasivam
Office: Willis 404
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Office Hours: |
2:30 - 4:00 PM on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays |
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10:00 - 11:30 AM on Tuesdays |
Course Description & Objectives:
This course will be devoted to a detailed investigation of American foreign policy. Specifically, we will examine some of the contemporary foreign policy issues facing the U.S. and how the participants in the foreign policy process handle current policy challenges. To do so, we will first discuss some key concepts of American foreign policy and policymaking. These fundamentals include the structure of the international system of nation-states, national power and interests, the historical context of American foreign policy, relevant actors in U.S. foreign affairs, models of foreign policymaking, and the tools of foreign policymaking. We will then focus on how American foreign policy varies both regionally and topically. The objective of this course is to confer upon you an understanding of how knowledge of the past, the global policy environment, the actors and processes of foreign policymaking, and the specifics of the particular issue under consideration all come together to help determine U.S. foreign policy in the modern world. In the process of accomplishing this course objective, I hope to also confer upon you an understanding of how American foreign policy affects you, the individual citizen.
Course Requirements, Policies, & Grading:
There will be four primary requirements for this course: two exams and two essays. All written submissions must be: typed (single-sided), double spaced, in 12-pt. font, with 1" page margins, and with within-text citations (author year, page) and footnotes or endnotes (choose one) if necessary. They must generally follow the standards established in commonly accepted academic writing style manuals. Always feel free to come to me seeking help with any aspect of the course.
For the exams you will answer, in brief essay form, one or more questions drawn from the course readings, lectures, and class discussions. I will provide you with the question(s) a few days before the due date for each exam. I expect that the answers to each exam will add up to about 4-5 pages in total. For the essays, you will summarize, analyze and critique the arguments presented in required readings 3 and 4. I expect that a well-written essay will require no more than 5-6 pages.
I will discuss my expectations regarding these writing assignments in greater detail in class. In general, though, to receive any grade above a B-, a student must produce a thoughtful, comprehensive, and well-written essay that borrows ideas and arguments from the assigned readings as well as from "outside" source material to thoroughly and critically analyze the subject.
The assigned course readings will be regularly discussed in class, and minor homework assignments and in-class exercises will also be a part of the course’s requirements. Active student participation in class discussions is expected; a good class attendance record is also expected throughout the term. All of these elements will collectively contribute toward your "class participation" grade.
Grades will be based on the following distribution scheme:
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Exam #1: 20 % Exam #2: 15 % Book essay #1: 25 % Book essay #2: 25 % Class participation: 15 % |
94 -100 % A 90 - 93 % A- 87 - 89 % B+ 83 - 86 % B 80 - 82 % B- |
75 - 79 % C+ 70 - 74 % C 65 - 69 % C- 51 - 64 % D 0 - 50 % F |
All students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and integrity. Any act of academic dishonesty or misconduct will be referred to the Office of the Dean. For further information, see Carleton College’s Academic Honesty in the Writing of Essays and Other Papers and the section on "academic honesty" in Academic Regulations and Procedures, 2001-02. Both are available in Laird 140.
Special needs: Students requiring access to learning tools or special schedules approved by Student Support Services should contact me at the beginning of the course.
Reading Assignments:
You are expected to keep up with the reading assignments as we go through the term, which means that you are supposed to read each assignment before the corresponding class period. The class lectures and discussions are meant to build upon the assigned reading material.
The following four required books are available in the bookstore:
[1] Baugh, William H. 2000. United States Foreign Policy Making: Process, Problems, and Prospects. Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt. [WHB henceforth.]
[2] Rai, Kul B., David F. Walsh, and Paul J. Best (ed.). 1997. America in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities in Foreign Policy. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. [RWB henceforth.]
[3] Haass, Richard N., and Meghan L. O’Sullivan (ed.). 2000. Honey and Vinegar: Incentives, Sanctions, and Foreign Policy. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
[4] Rosecrance, Richard (ed.). 2001. The New Great Power Coalition: Toward a World Concert of Nations. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
M 4/1 Introductory remarks.
Section I: Introduction to and Overview of U.S. Foreign Policy and Policymaking
W 4/3 Perspectives on U.S. foreign policy.
F 4/5 America and the international system in transition.
M 4/8 No class.
W 4/10 Themes and doctrines in U.S. foreign policy.
F 4/12 A new world disorder.
M 4/15 Discussion day #1: comprehensive discussion of Section I material.
Section II: The U.S. Foreign Policy Establishment and Policy Making
W 4/17 The foreign policy system: actors and their relative power.
F 4/19 Models of foreign policy making.
M 4/22 The foreign policy institutions and the policymaking process.
W 4/24 Discussion day #2: comprehensive discussion of Section II material.
Exam I to be given to students.
F 4/26 No class.
Section III: The Instruments of Foreign Policy
M 4/29 Power and influence.
W 5/1 Security policy, military operations, and covert action.
Exam I due in my office by 5 PM.
F 5/3 Diplomacy and negotiation.
M 5/6 Midterm break.
W 5/8 International political economy and economic policy.
F 5/10 International collective action.
M 5/13 Discussion day #3: comprehensive discussion of Section III material.
W 5/15 Discussion day #4: discussion of the Haass and O’Sullivan book.
Haass and O’Sullivan book essay due in class.
Section IV: The ‘New’ Foreign Policy Agenda—Topical and Regional Concerns
F 5/17 The global context of U.S. foreign policy.
M 5/20 The developed and nearly developed world.
W 5/22 The developed and nearly developed world (cont.).
F 5/24 The developing world.
M 5/27 The developing world (cont.).
W 5/29 The developing world (cont.).
F 5/31 Discussion day #5: comprehensive discussion of Section IV material.
Exam II to be given to students.
M 6/3 Discussion day #6: discussion of the Rosecrance book.
Rosecrance book essay due in class.
W 6/5 Course wrap-up and evaluation.
F 6/7 Exam II due in my office by 5 PM.