California State University, Los Angeles • Department of Political Science
5151 State University Drive • Los Angeles, CA 90032

POLS 425 U.S. Foreign Policy

Winter 2007

Instructor:	Timothy C. Lim	Days/Time:	Wednesdays 6:10-10:00
E-mail:	mailto:tclim@calstatela.edu	Classroom:	SH C-164B
Telephone:	(323) 343-2242	Office:	E&T 513
Office Hours: TTH-1:30-3:00 / W 4:30-5:30 and by appointment To schedule an appointment online, please go to my Yahoo!Groups page at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Lim_csla
Instructional Web Site: http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/tclim

Course overview and OBJECTIVES

In this course we will examine contemporary U.S. foreign policy from a theoretical and analytical perspective. In other words, this course is expressly designed to help develop your capacity both to explain the foreign policy-making process in the United States, and to better understand the underlying patterns, logic, and implications of American foreign policy in the world at large. To accomplish these broad goals, we will view the making and implementation of U.S. foreign policy through a diversity of analytical frameworks, from the traditional to the post modern. Some of these frameworks will seem familiar and intuitive, while others may seem just the opposite. Whatever your initial feelings, however, it is important to adopt an open, yet critical perspective as we examine, discuss, and evaluate the various analytical frameworks.

The first part of this course is structured around an examination of the major foreign policy worldviews. These include: (1) Realism, (2) Liberalism, and (3) Marxism.* Each one these views—or theories—about the world of international politics purports to tell us “how things work” in the world. Scholars, pundits and policy-makers—including current members of the Bush administration—all have identifiable worldviews that guide, shape, and determine their understanding of world affairs. Even more, all of you have your own view of how things work. Unfortunately, as we will learn, your personal worldview may be based on an extremely shaky, ultimately unsupportable foundation. But, this is to be expected. By the end of the quarter, though, you should all have a better basis for a rigorous and critical “self-evaluation” of how you interpret the political and economic dynamics of US foreign policy and world politics.

It also needs to be emphasized that worldviews matter; that is, the interpretation or understanding of the world that policy-makers and ordinary citizens adopt necessarily shape the world in which we live—people’s very lives and livelihoods are, everyday, impacted by what we consider necessary, productive, and important, on the one hand, or unnecessary, counterproductive, and trivial on the other hand. The ongoing situation in Iraq—which is a dual product of the Bush administration’s particular worldview and the American public’s willingness to accept it—is just one example of a foreign policy decision profoundly affecting the lives of tens of millions (even hundreds of millions) of people in the U.S. and abroad.

The second part of this course follows our main textbook closely. Here, we will learn how to examine U.S. foreign policy using different “levels of analysis,” from the individual, to the state, to the “system.” As we will see, the three levels of analysis and the three major worldviews are intimately connected. After completing this part of our course, you will have the necessary foundation and skills to evaluate the dynamics of American foreign policy in an analytically and theoretically sophisticated manner.

Throughout the quarter, we will also discuss alternative worldviews, especially those based on the concepts of social construction and reflectivism. While not easy to understand, these concepts offer valuable insights into the process and very notion of “foreign” policy.

In the last part of our course we will evaluate two contemporary issues or questions in U.S. foreign policy: How should the United States deal with a rising power? And, does the United States need to cooperate?

Course Requirements and Grading

Your grade in this class will be based on three major categories: quizzes, mini-essay assignments, and a final examination. The details and requirements for each category are as follows:

Weekly Quizzes. At the beginning of each class, there will normally be a short quiz usually composed of between 3 to 6 fill-in-the blank, multiple choice, true-false, and/or short answer questions. The quizzes will be based on the assigned readings and/or previous lecture or lectures (be advised that any material covered in the lecture is fair game for the quiz, as is any material covered in previous readings). Each quiz will be worth 10 points, and on a cumulative basis, 30 percent of your overall grade. There will be no ABSOLUTELY make-up quizzes, even if you have a justifiable reason for missing class. I will, however, drop your lowest score when calculating the overall quiz score at the end of the quarter. To encourage timely attendance, you will receive 3~6 points simply for writing your name on the quiz (that is, even if are not prepared, you can receive some credit by coming to class on time). All quizzes will be OPEN NOTE but CLOSED BOOK. Be advised that “open note” means your notes. You may not use pages copied or printed out from the readings.

Fair Warning! I will periodically give quizzes or pass around a free quiz/attendance sheet after our break. These will also be included in the weekly quiz total.

Special Note on Attendance and Participation. I expect you to come to class consistently and on time. I also expect you to be prepared for all class sessions. Indeed, for the large majority of students, consistent and timely attendance—combined with a willingness to stay actively engaged in class lectures/discussions—is essential to doing well. You will not, however, be graded directly on attendance. Instead, attendance will be assessed indirectly through the in-class quizzes. It is largely for this reason that I do not allow make-ups—that is, because I use the quizzes as a way to encourage attendance, preparation, and active listening, missing a class means you have failed to fulfill the primary objectives of the quiz. It is for this reason, too, that I do not record quiz scores for students who leave class shortly after taking a quiz. To reiterate: Regardless of your score, you will receive 0.0 points on the quiz for that day if you do not attend the bulk of the class and if you do not inform me beforehand that you need to leave early**—e.g., if you leave class immediately or shortly after taking the quiz, your score will be tossed out.

**Leaving early without penalty will only be excused one or two times, depending on the circumstances.

Mini-essay Assignments. I will assign two 10-point “mini-essays” during the quarter. These essays will be very short: no more than two pages, single-spaced, and will require you to respond to a basic question dealing with the course material. On a cumulative basis, the mini-essays will be worth 20 percent of your course grade.

Final Exam. The final examination will be comprised of two parts, one in-class and the other take home. The format for the in-class final will be the same as the daily quizzes; in fact, most of the questions will come directly from the quizzes. The in-class final exam will be cumulative (that is, material from the first day of class to the last day of class will be included). Students will be allowed to bring in ONE PAGE of notes, single-sided on regular letter paper (i.e., no legal sized paper). The second, take-home part of the final exam will consist of a book review. Specifically, you will be required to review the book, House of Bush, House of Saud (see required books above), as a student of American foreign policy. Additional details will be announced in class.

GRADING. Grading will be strictly determined by a weighted average of the scores you receive on your quizzes, midterm, and final examination.

Your overall score must be 87 percent or higher to receive an A- or A;77-86 percent to receive a B-, B, or B+; 67-76 percent to receive a C-, C or C+; and 57-66 percent to receive a D-, D or D+. Any score below 56 percent will result in failing grade (“F”).

Course Texts

The following books are REQUIRED for this course (both also available on 2-hour reserve in the library):

· Laura Neack, The New Foreign Policy: U.S. and Comparative Foreign Policy in the 21^st Century. Rowman and Littlefield, 2003. [Referred to as NFP below]

· Craig Unger, House of Bush, House of Saud. Scribner, 2004. [NOTE: This book will not be directly covered in-class; in addition, I have not ordered it in the bookstore as it is much cheaper to purchase online. See my CourseSite for ordering information.]

In addition, we will have numerous required readings available on a CD-Course Pack:

· U.S. Foreign Policy Readings • CD-Course Pack (will be distributed in class) • Students are asked to make a strictly voluntary contribution of $1.00 to defray the cost of materials (CD, label, jewel box, printing)

The following book is RECOMMENDED (but not required) for the course (available on 2-hour reserve in the library):

· John Baylis and Steve Smith (eds.), The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations, 2^nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2001. [Referred to as GWP below] • NOTE: This book has several editions; the suggested readings below are specifically for the 2^nd edition, but each edition has similar chapters.

Other Reading Requirements

All students must read at least one major newspaper on a consistent basis. The Los Angeles Times is perfectly acceptable, but I also recommend that you read the New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, and/or any major foreign newspaper (see the resource page on my CourseSite). All major American and most major foreign newspapers are available for free on the Internet. If you are unsure how to access these papers, check my web site, which contains links to dozens of news sources (both mainstream and alternative). I STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ MORE THAN ONE SOURCE AND MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF NEWS DURING THE QUARTER. Assignments and your final project will require you to draw on current issues.

On my web site (http://instructional1.calstatela.edu/tclim) I will list additional online articles and sources of information related to topics covered in class. You are responsible for periodically checking what I have listed and reviewing the posted web pages and sites. On occasion, I may require some Internet-based reading, in which case the material becomes fair game for in-class quizzes (I will, of course, let you know when an Internet-based reading is required).

READING SCHEDULE

NOTE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS IN POLITICAL SCIENCE: Although not strictly required, graduate students should do all the recommended readings listed below. Any and all of readings may be incorporated into the MA comprehensive examination.

Date	Topic	Readings
January 3	Introduction to Course • A New Approach to Foreign Policy	No Readings In our first meeting, we will conduct a thorough review of the syllabus and of the requirements of the course. We will also view the film, Why We Fight by Eugene Jarecki. (Students who miss this first class, must view the entire film on their own. Our library, unfortunately, does not have a copy, but the film is readily available in Blockbuster or other retail stores.) In addition, a short essay based on the film will be assigned. Details will be discussed in class. You should also order and begin reading House of Bush, House of Saud as soon as possible. Don’t wait until the last minute! Remember, you will be required to write a review of this book for your final examination.
January 10	Major Worldviews—A Introduction and Primer	Snyder, “One World, Rival Theories” and Neack, ch. 1 (pay particular attention to pp. 14-25; however, be advised that you are responsible for reading entire chapter) Recommended Reading: GWP, chs. 7, 8, 10 and 11** (strongly recommended for students who have not taken POLS 427)
January 17	Major Worldviews—Practice and Analytical Implications	Mearsheimer, “An Unnecessary War”; Ikenberry and Kupchan, “Liberal Realism,” and RUPE, “Behind the War on Iraq” (also available online at http://www.monthlyreview.org/0503rupe.htm)
January 24	The Individual Level of Analysis	NFP, ch. 2; Carnes, “The Bush Doctrine”; and Crotty, “Presidential Policy Making in Crisis Situations”
January 31	The “State Level” of Analysis	NFP, ch. 3 and Huntington, “The Erosion of American National Interests”; Haney and Vanderbush, “The Role of Ethnic Interests Groups in U.S. Foreign Policy” Recommended Reading: Huntington, “The Hispanic Challenge” and Simes, “Unrealists”
February 7	The “State Level” of Analysis, con’t	Green, “God’s Foreign Policy”; Durham, “Evangelical Protestantism and Foreign Policy in the United States after September 11”; and Altheide and Grimes, “War Programming: The Propaganda Project and the Iraq War”
February 14	The System Level of Analysis	NFP, ch. 4, pp. 123-154 ; Waltz, “Structural Realism after the Cold War”; and Leiber, “Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy”
February 21	Nested Games and Multi-level Analysis	NFP, ch. 5 and Howard, “Why Not Invade North Korea?” Additional readings will likely be assigned!
February 28	Issues: How Should the United States Deal with a Rising Power? The Case of China	Feffer, “China and the Uses of Uncertainty” (also available, with links, at http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3781); Brzezinksi and Mearsheimer, “Clash of the Titans”; and Berstein and Munro, “The Coming Conflict with America”
March 7	Issues: Does the United States Need to Cooperate?	Allison, “The Ongoing Failure of Imagination”; Heinbecker, “Washington’s Exceptionalism and the United Nations”; Krauthammer, “The Bush Doctrine”; and Krauthammer, “The Unipolar Moment Revisited”
March 14	FINAL EXAMINATION	Scheduled for 7:30-10:00

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* Be advised that there is some overlap between this course and another course I regularly teach, POLS 427 International Relations.