Information Package

Program of Political Science and International Relations (English 30%)

PSIR429

AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

Course Code
PSIR429
Semester
-
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
5
Course TypeElective Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study-
Semester-
ECTS5
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Learn the USA foreign policy in detail.
  2. Learn how the post-war order is established by the USA, England and other main powers.
  3. Learn the fundamental characteristics of the USA foreign policy.
  4. Name the main features of four major global institutions which were disigned to regulate the post-war world.
  5. Name the five arguments for the US war to democratize Iraq.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme ComponentsThere is no recommended optional programme component for this course.
Course DescriptionThis course will examine the roots of 20th century American Foreign Policy and its development up to the present day. Major military conflicts involving the US and US foreign relations will be discussed in the context of the Cold War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the conflicts in the Middle East, the War on Terrorism and the regime change in Iraq. The current relations of the US as the sole superpower of the 21st century with the major powers and rising powers of the world will also be analyzed.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction: The City on the Hill and Manifest Destiny
2nd Week The Fallout from World War II
3rd Week The Beginnings of the Cold War
4th Week The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan
5th Week The Cold War and Containment
6th Week The War in Korea
7th Week Midterm Exam
8th Week The Eisenhower Doctrine and Era
9th Week Kennedy and New Frontiers
10th Week The Vietnam Era
11th Week Nixon and the End of the Vietnam War
12th Week The United States and the Middle East
13th Week The Carter Era and Human Rights
14th Week Ronald Reagan and the Evil Empire
Recommended or Required ReadingStephen E. Ambrose and Douglas G. Brinkley: Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy Since 1938. New York: Penguin Books, l997.
William Blum: Rogue State. London: Zed Books, 2002.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
  • Questions/Answers
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 40
Total(%) 40
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 40
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 60
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 1 1
Preparation for Quiz
Individual or group work 14 2 28
Preparation for Final exam 1 40 40
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 40 40
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 1.15 1.15
Homework
Total Work Load152.15
Total Work Load / 30 (h)5.07
ECTS Credit of the Course5
Language of InstructionTurkish
Work Placement(s)No
LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
K1
K2
K3 X X X
K4
K5
K6 X X
K7 X X X
K8
K9 X
K10 X
K11 X
K12 X
K13 X X X