Spring 2011 PLS 422 American Foreign Policy (Writing Intensive Course)

Transcription

1 Spring 2011 PLS 422 American Foreign Policy (Writing Intensive Course) Instructor: Dr. Jungkun Seo Office: Leutze Hall 272 Department of Public and International Affairs Office Phone: (910) University of North Carolina at Wilmington SEOJ at uncw.edu I. COURSE MEETINGS M & W: 2:00-3:15 p.m. (Leutze Hall 110) II. OFFICE HOURS T & Th: 10:00 am 12:00 pm or by appointment III. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course analyzes how foreign policy is constructed and changed in American political system. Four major elements will be covered throughout the semester: a study of evolution of American foreign policy since 1789, an analysis of institutional dimension of foreign policymaking processes, a discussion of the causes of American foreign policy such as the international system, public opinion, and the media; and an examination of policy areas including national security, global economy, immigration, climate change, and energy independence. This class is a writing intensive course, requiring students to develop a research question, explore the relevant literature, and examine their arguments through empirical analyses. As emphasized in PLS 201 course, your research paper is expected to follow a framework of QRAE (Question, Relevance, Argument, and Evidence). The instructor and students will work closely together to produce an appropriate research design and a good research paper. IV. COURSE MATERIALS AND TEXTBOOK Steven W. Hook U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power. 3 rd edition. (Washington D.C.: CQ Press) # Readings are also REQUIRED to read and downloadable from the blackboard course homepage. 1

2 V. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Response Papers (5%) Midterm Exam (20%) and Final Exam (20%) Debate Presentation (5%), Debate Participation (5%), and Class Attendance (5%) Research Paper (40%) Research question proposal (5%) Literature review draft (5%) Research design (5%) Final Draft (20%) and presentation (5%) 1) Six Response Papers Readings are critical for this PLS 422 class. Submit one-page long, single-spaced response paper with a brief summary and your critical review of the course reading materials with # sign (textbook chapters excluded). Submit your paper at the end of the designated class dates (Jan 26, Feb 9, Feb 23, Mar 9, Mar 30, Apr 13, and Apr 27). You can skip one response paper of your choice so that the total number of response papers should be SIX. 2) Two In-Class Exams There will be midterm (20%) and final Exam (20%). Format is a combination of multiple choice, short identification, and short essay. All readings materials and lectures notes will be a fair game on the exams (50-50!). 3) Debate Presentation and Participation Sign up for one debate question offered in the course syllabus and inform the instructor of your choice, beginning on Jan 19 th, W (add/drop final day). Your job is to present diverse analyses and explanations on your topic and to offer debate questions and handle class debates. When you don t present, you are expected to actively participate in class discussion. 2

3 4) Research Paper Project (40%) Obviously, research topics in the study of American foreign policy are abundant. While you are strongly recommended to talk with your instructor, one possible way to narrow down your research interest is to think about which of the following example subjects is most interesting to you; Political institutions such as presidency, Congress, political party, the Supreme Court, and foreign policy bureaucracy Societal forces like interest groups, public opinion, the media, religion, and ethnic groups Historical cases from the War Hawks of 1812 to the Wilson s League to the Axis of Evil Foreign policy topics in general, including US-Israel relations, war on terrorism, the rise of China, humanitarian aid, and rally-round-the-flag effect. Of course, these are just sample suggestions and you can choose your own topic. Research question proposal (5%): Due in class of February 16 (W) You many choose any topic related to American foreign policy, yet the instructor needs to approve your research question in advance. Research question proposal is 1-page long and double-spaced. Literature review draft (5%): Due in class of March 23 (W) Only after you set up a research question, you can explore the literature addressing your research topic. Obviously, exploring means reading. Your literature review will not only examine what answers already exist for your research question, but also will identify what is missing in the literature and thus, what contributions you make through your research project. 5 page long and double-spaced literature review with appropriate citations is desirable. Research Design (5%): Due in class of April 13 (W) 3-page long and double-spaced research design assignment should contain the following topics; 1) your principal research question, along with a clear definition of your dependent variable, 2) your argument or your answer to research question, 3) main hypotheses and measurements derived from your argument 4) discussion of the data and the methods to be used in testing your hypotheses. 3

4 Final Draft (20%) Due May 9, (M), 5 pm and class presentation (5%) Final research paper should be page long and double spaced. You are also required to present your research progress before class. More details will be discussed in class. Letter grades will be assigned according to the following point totals: A=92.5 or more A-= B+= B= B-= C+= C= D = F= less than 59.5 According to University of North Carolina Bulletin and the Student Handbook, you are advised that: (1) Do not commit plagiarism. (2) Do not receive unauthorized assistance during the exams. (3) Violations of these rules in any assignment may be subject to a minimum penalty of failing grade for the assignment and could result in a grade of F for the course. Students with diagnosed disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services ( ). If you require accommodation for test-taking please make sure I have the referral letter no less than three days before the test. IV. READINGS BY CLASS SESSION (# readings posted on blackboard) Week1: Jan 12 (W) Course Introduction: Analyzing American Foreign Policy: American Politics or International Relations? # Jack Snyder, Robert Y. Shapiro, and Yaeli Bloch-Elkon, 2009 Free Hand Abroad, Divide and Rule at Home, World Politics, 61(1) (January 2009): # Zachary Karabell, The Blame-China Game, TIME, Oct 25, 2010 Jan 17 (M) Martin Luther King Holiday 4

5 Part I. The Setting of U.S. Foreign Policy: History and Theory Week 2: Jan 19 (W) The United States in a Turbulent World Hook Ch 1 American Political Science Association Task Force Report, 2009, US Standing in the World: Causes, Consequences, and the Future Week 3: Jan The Expansion of U.S. Power Hook Ch 2. # Peter Trubowitz Regional Conflict and Coalitions of American Foreign Policy in Defining the National Interest: Conflict and Change in American Foreign Policy. (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press):1-30 # Martin Shefter, War, Trade, and U.S. Party Politics in Ira Katznelson and Martin Shefter ed. Shaped by War and Trade: International Influences on American Political Development (Princeton University Press): Jan 24 (M) Debate Question #1: Is American Hegemony Good for the United States and the World? Jan 26 (W) Debate Question #2: Should the United States Have an Official Strategy of Preemption Against Potential Weapon of Mass Destruction Threats? Week 4: Jan 31 Feb 2 Dynamics of Decision Making Hook Ch 3 # Valerie M. Hudson, 2005, Foreign Policy Analysis: Actor-Specific Theory and the Ground of International Relations, Foreign Policy Analysis, 1(1): 1-30 # Walter Russell Mead Special Providence: American Foreign Policy and Hot It Changed the World. (New York: Routledge):3-29,

6 Jan 31 (M) Debate Question #3: Should Promoting Democracy Abroad Be a Top U.S. Priority? Feb 2 (W) Debate Question #4: Was the War in Iraq Justified? Part II. Inside-Out: Government Sources of Foreign Policy Week 5: Feb 7-9 Presidential Power Hook Ch 4 # Marc J. Hetherington and Michael Nelson, 2003, Anatomy of a Rally Effect: George W. Bush and the War on Terrorism, PS: Political Science and Politics 36(1):37-42 # Bryan W. Marshall and Richard L. Pacelle, Jr Revisiting the Two Presidencies: The Strategic Use of Executive Orders, American Politics Research 33(1): Feb 7 (M) Debate Question #5: Is Pakistan an Asset in the War on Terror? Feb 9 (W) Debate Question #6: Should the United States Preemptively Attack Iranian Nuclear Facilities? Week 6: Feb Congress beyond the Water s Edge Hook Ch 5 # William G. Howell and Jon C. Pevehouse, When Congress Stops Wars, Foreign Affairs (Sep/Oct 2007) # Patrick Cronin and Benjamin O. Fordham Timeless Principles or Today s Fashion? Testing the Stability of the Linkage Between Ideology and Foreign Policy in the Senate, Journal of Politics, 61 (4): Feb 14 (M) Debate Question #7: Should the United States Send Peacekeeping Troops to Darfur? Feb 16 (W) Debate Question #8: Is China s Rise threatening to the United States? 6

7 Week 7: Feb The Foreign Policy Bureaucracy Hook Ch 6 # Amy B. Zegart, 2005, September 11 and the Adaptation Failure of U.S. Intelligence Agencies, International Security, 29(4): # Steven W. Hook Domestic Obstacles to International Affairs: The State Department under Fire at Home, PS: Political Science and Politics, 36(1): Feb 21 (M) Debate Question #9: Should the United States Seek Negotiations and Engagement with North Korea? Feb 23 (W) Debate Question #10: Is U.S. Support for Israel a Key Factor in America s Difficulties in the Middle East? Week 8: Feb 28 (M) Party Politics of Foreign Policy # Charles A. Kupchan and Peter L. Trubowitz Dead Center: The Demise of Liberal Internationalism in the United States, International Security Vol. 32, No.2 (Fall 2007):7-44 # Hannah Goble and Peter M. Holm Breaking Bonds? The Iraq War and the Loss of Republican Dominance in National Security, Political Research Quarterly, 62 (2): # Peter Trubowitz and Jungkun Seo Partisan Ambition and Scapegoat Theory: U.S.-China Relations in Political Perspective, A Paper Presented at the 2009 American Political Science Association Conference, Toronto, Canada Mar 2 (W) Midterm Exam (Ch 1 through Ch 6 and course readings) Part III. Outside-In: External Sources of Foreign Policy Week 9: Mar 7-9 Public Opinion at Home and Abroad (+ Research Paper Discussion) 7

8 Hook Ch 7 # Lawrence R. Jacobs and Benjamin I. Page Who Influences U.S. Foreign Policy? American Political Science Review, Vol.99, No.1: # Larry M. Bartels Constituency Opinion and Congressional Policy Making: The Reagan Defense Buildup American Political Science Review 85(2): Mar 7 (M) Debate Question #11: Has the Department of Homeland Security Been a Success? Mar 9 (W) Debate Question #12: Does Domestic Spying Help the United States? Week 10: Mar Spring Break!!! Week 11: Mar The Impact of Mass Communications Hook Ch 8 # Jody Baumgartner and Jonathan S. Morris. 2006, The Daily Show Effect, American Politics Research, 34 (3): # Jonathan Mermin, 1997, Television News and American Intervention in Somalia: The Myth of a Mediadriven Foreign Policy, Political Science Quarterly, 112 (3): Mar 21 (M) Debate Question #13: Is Loosening Immigration Regulations Good for the United States? Mar 23 (W) Debate Question #14: Is Economic Globalization Good for the United States? Week 12: Mar Social Movements and Interest Groups Hook Ch 9 8

9 # David J. Jackson and Steven T. Engel Friends Don t Let Friends Vote For Free Trade: The Dynamics of the Labor PAC Punishment Strategy over PNTR Political Research Quarterly, 56(4): # Patrick J. Haney and Walt Vanderbush, 1999, The Role of Ethnic Interest Groups in U.S. Foreign Policy: The Case of the Cuban American National Foundation, International Studies Quarterly, 43(2): Mar 28 (M) Debate Question #15: Is Outsourcing Good for the United States? Mar 30 (W) Debate Question #16: Should the United States Fight Climate Change? Part IV. Policy Domains Week 13: Apr 4-6 National Security and Defense Policy Hook Ch 10 # Benjamin O. Fordham The Evolution of Republican and Democratic Positions on Cold War Military Spending: A Historical Puzzle Social Science History, 31:4 (Winter 2007): # Victor D. Cha and David C. Kang. 2004, The Debate over North Korea, Political Science Quarterly, 119(2): Apr 4 (M) Debate Question #17: Is It Realistic for the United States to Move toward Greater Energy Independence? Apr 6 (W) Debate Question #18: Is It Justifiable to Put Suspected Terrorists under Great Physical Duress? Week 14: Apr Economic Statecraft Hook Ch 11. # Jungkun Seo, 2010, Vote Switching on U.S. Trade Policy toward China in the House of Representatives, , American Politics Research, 38(6):

10 # Broz J. Lawrence Congressional Politics of International Financial Rescues, American Journal of Political Science, 49(3): Apr 11 (M) Debate Questions #19: Can Humanitarian Intervention Be Justified? Apr 13 (W) Debate Questions #20: Is the War in Afghanistan Winnable? Week 15: Apr Transnational Policy Problems Hook Ch 12 # Daniel Tichenor The Politics of Immigration Control: Understanding the Rise and Fall of Policy Regimes, in Dividing Lines: The Politics of Immigration Control in America. (Princeton University Press), pp # Josh Busby Who Cares about the Weather? Climate Change and U.S. National Security, Security Studies, July 2008 Research Paper Presentation I Week 16: Apr Geopolitics, Globalization, and American Foreign Policy # Fredrik Logevall, Politics and Foreign Relations, Journal of American History, March 2009: # Barry Eichengreen The Globalization Wars, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2002 Research Paper Presentation II May 2 (M) Last Day of Classes May 4 (W), 3-6 pm Final Exam (Ch 7-12 and course readings) May 9 (M) Research Paper Final Draft, Due 5 pm 10