Introduction

PLTC-276 American Foreign Policy

 Agenda
• Introductions
• Course Overview (What we’re doing and why)
• Course Mechanics (How we’ll do it)
• Course Assessments (How we’ll know if we’re making progress)
• Course Policies (How we’ll deal with things besides class material)
• Questions
Introductions
 Why Study Foreign Policy?
• In a globalized world, there is very little
that takes place without some
international impact, and foreign policy
thus affects most of our daily lives.

• Historically, foreign policy has been the

priority of time, resources, and focus
from decision-makers.

• Even skeptical scholars invoke foreign

policy as a key task for the American
 Course Overview
(What we will be learning
about)
 What is American Foreign
Policy?
• “Foreign Policy” sounds important, and
is routinely brought up when discussing
American Politics.

• Yet, what is Foreign Policy? How is this

different from international relations?

• We will talk about this in Weeks 2 - 3,

and revisit throughout the term.
 What are the goals of
American Foreign Policy?
• Politicians, Journalists, and Activists routinely
argue for particular goals and priorities,
often invoking national interests and
national values.

• Yet, where do priorities for foreign policy

come from? Is Foreign Policy an orderly,
strategic process or largely an improvised
effort to muddle through crises?

• We will talk about this in Weeks 3 - 4, and

 What is the History of
American Foreign Policy?
• While much has changed over the
past 200 years, institutions are
profoundly set in their ways.

• What are some of the main historic

patterns in US Foreign Policy? How
has policy changed over time? What
key events shaped the system we
observe today?

• We will look at systemic answers to

 Who Makes Foreign Policy?
• Like most of American politics, there are
multiple actors, with different interests and
capabilities involved in making foreign policy.

• What motivates different actors? How do

bureaucratic interests drive policy? When
different actors disagree, who gets their way?
How does this change by issue area?

• We will look at these issues in weeks 6 – 9.

 What are some of the
current challenges?
• Decision makers face multiple
challenges, including decisions which
affect military, economic, and
environmental cooperation or conflict.

• How do they decide what to

prioritize? What are some of the
challenges facing the US? What do
you think the US should do to deal
with these challenges?
Learning Objectives
(Simplified)
• You leave this course with a knowledge of cases and theories you
didn’t have at the start.

• You can compare competing theories to data and determine which

fits best.

• You are more capable in talking and writing about contentious

political and social issues.
 Course Structure
(How we will learn about it)
 Tuesday Session
• The first class session of the week will focus on an important
theory or question about how foreign policy is created.

• It will be biased towards lecture, although including some

discussion or activities.

• You should have done the Tuesday readings ahead of time to get
the most out of this session.
 Thursday Session
• The second class session each week will focus on key historic or
current policy debates and decisions.

• You will work in small groups during this period, looking at

additional readings or information to see how the theoretical
debates we discussed on Tuesday fit with historical cases or inform
current debates.

• You should expect to present your work to classmates outside of

your small group in some manner.
 Course Assignments and
Grades
(How we will assess progress)
 Assignments: Class
Participation
• Your engagement with the course materials and your peers is a key part to
how you will learn in this course.

• Because of this, participation is a graded activity.

• Participation grades can be a source of anxiety, especially to shy students.

My expectations are that you will be respectful of your peers, be prepared,
and present your thoughts to others to get full credit.

• It is not graded on how often you talk, or coming up with a particular

answer.
 Assignments: Reading
Responses
• 3 times during the semester, you should submit a short response to that
week’s readings.

• These should be less than 250 words, and should bring up a question or
issue you had with one of that week’s theory (Tuesday) readings.

• These are due by 6 PM Monday, so I can incorporate these into class

discussion or lecture.

• Submit them to me via email.

• This makes up 9% of your grade (3 responses x 3%).

 Assignments: Connection
Responses
• 3 times during the semester, you should submit a response connecting
what we’ve been talking about in class and an event in the real world.

• This could be news you read, an opinion on the internet, or something from
history you found out about. This can’t be something from class slides or
readings.

• These should be less than 250 words – basically a paragraph or two, and
submitted to me via email. These can be submitted any time, but I’ll only
accept one a week.
 Assignments: Short Memos
• Writing for the policy world requires concision and clarity, and these are
skills built with practice.

• In weeks 4 and 9, I will post a set of question prompts, along with a rubric,
writing resources, and an example posted along with each set of prompts.

• You should answer the question in 750 – 1250 words, using class materials
and materials posted in Lyceum.

• The essay will be due at the end of the work week in weeks 5 and 10.

• These make up 20% of your grade (2 papers x 10%).

 Assignments: Final Project
• The final project will be a simulation, which will give you a chance to bring
together the different subjects we have talked about through class.
• I will assign individuals to a specific role within a group, and then provide
the group with a scenario which is either a hypothetical or actual problem
for the US government.
• I am expecting you to bring in your understanding of your role’s interests,
the facts of the scenario, and your ability to work as a team on writing and
presenting a consensus opinion
• It is made up of four different parts, two of which are individual, and two of
which are done in a group.
 Final Project: Initial
Individual Memo
• At the start of week 13, I will assign each student both a role and a group,
and each group will receive materials describing the challenge they are
facing.
• I am expecting each student to submit a brief memo (500 – 1,000 words)
at the end of the week, describing their understanding of the challenge,
what they think their preferred option would be, why they think that, and
any additional information they need.
• This will help make sure we are all in the right mindset before settling into
the group simulation.
 Final Project: Group
Presentation
• The first class of Week 14, each group will come together and try to reach
a consensus on a solution to the problem, keeping in mind their respective
actors’ interests.

• In the final class period of Week 14, each group will present their
consensus to the class.

• These presentations should cover what the problem was, the response the
group decided on, why this response, and alternatives they considered and
rejected.
 Final Project: Group Memo
• By the end of week 14, I am expecting each group to turn in a brief
memo (1000 – 1500 words) describing their solution to the
problem.

• This is based on earlier deliberation and the presentation, and

should cover the nature of the problem, the response you chose,
the reasons why, and any alternatives you considered and
rejected.

• I will post a rubric and formatting guide for this in Week 13.
 Final Project: Individual
Reflection Memo
• The last element of the final project is a 1000 – 1500 word
reflection memo.

• This will cover what your actor ended up doing as a response, how
this was based on the problem and your understanding of the
actors motivation, how your position changed in group
deliberation, and your assessment of what you learned doing the
simulation.

• Each individual will submit one of these, and it is due April 23 rd.
 Grading
• For each graded assignment, there will be a rubric available to you
before it is due, and I will talk about the assignment in class at
least one week prior.

• I will grade your work against the rubric, not against your peers.

• My expectations are that every student is capable of achieving an

A.

• The points to letter grades table is in the syllabus.

Policies
 Respect
• Be respectful of others’ feelings.

• This means be attentive to how you engage in discussion, as many

of the readings will cover sensitive topics, such as race, religion,
ethnicity, gender, money, and violence.

• This means be charitable if someone says something which could

be construed as offensive, as these are hard topics to talk about.
 Readings
• There is no text to buy for this course.

• Readings are a mix - theory, history, biography, and current

events.

• All readings will be available electronically, either via Lyceum or

through the library.

• There will be changes to the syllabus; If so, I will communicate

them to you at least a week in advance.
 Illness and Absence
• If you are sick or hurt, please don’t come to class, and focus on getting
better rather than trying to do a zoom version of class.

• Everyone has two excused absences, without needing an explanation.

• I will excuse additional absences, per College Policy.

• If you miss class, plan to talk with me when you are better so we can
cover what you missed.

• Masks are optional for this class. If college policy changes, we will follow
it.
 Student Hours
• My office is Pettengill Room 163.

• I welcome the chance to get to know you better, to address class

material in greater depth, or to resolve any questions you have.

• I have set aside Tuesday and Thursday Afternoons from 3-5 PM for
student hours.

• I’d suggest scheduling time – I will honor scheduled appointments

first.

• If you have immediate questions or want to talk outside these

 Other Classroom Policies
• There are a number of other individual policies listed in the syllabus.

• If you have a question about policies, please ask me, as it most likely will
apply to the whole class.

• My default on most things is going to come from either the College’s

faculty or student handbooks.

• Remember: I am here to help you succeed.

Questions?