POL 374, Comparative Foreign Policies
Fall 2004

Tuesdays, Thursdays 3:30-4:45
12 Harrison Hall

Please visit the main course page for links to this syllabus, announcements, and assignments. www.users.muohio.edu/neacklj/POL374.html

Dr. Laura Neack, www.users.muohio.edu/neacklj
Harrison 222, 529-6736, neacklj@muohio.edu
Office hours: Tuesdays, Thursdays 1:30-2:30, or by appointment

GOALS OF POL 374
  • To review, analyze, and consider leading research and theoretical puzzles on foreign policy.
  • To learn about the substance of foreign policies of many countries from around the world in the present time period and recent past.
  • To develop and sharpen analytical skills to use when confronting new foreign policy puzzles, whether working in government, working in the private sector in this era of globalization, developing cases and teaching materials to present to students of many ages, reading a newspaper, viewing a news program on television, or deliberating -- as an informed and active citizen -- about the course your government's foreign policy should take.
    • POL 374 AND THE MIAMI PLAN FOR LIBERAL EDUCATION

    POL 374 is one of two courses that students may choose to take in the second tier of the Comparative Analysis of Foreign Policy thematic sequence.  In the first course of this sequence -- POL 271, World Politics -- students gain an understanding of the fundamental theoretical frameworks and historical, political, social and economic contexts in which foreign policy issues are studied.  Both POL 374 and POL 387 (Comparative Security Issues) continue to deepen the students' critical thinking skills and their understanding of diverse contexts, but with more specific goals.  POL 374 is the more theoretical of the second tier courses.  Students learn how to disaggregate the foreign policy making process within and across countries.  The goal is to help students learn comparative analysis with an eye toward building generalizations about foreign policy.  Additionally, POL 374 is taught primarily through class discussions designed to enhance the students' opportunities for engaging with other learners and for reflection on their own intellectual development.

    STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

    This is an upper-level course, thus students are expected to perform at an advanced level. Students are required to read and master articles from scholarly journals, be active and informed participants in class discussions, and complete three exams. Much of class time will be spent discussing the readings and not in lecture.

    Much emphasis will be given in this course to the relevance of foreign policy scholarship to understanding real-world, contemporary world affairs.  It is, then, important that students make themselves aware of what is happening in the world.  I recommend that you read a national newspaper or consult a news site on the internet every day and turn your radio to WMUB (88.5 FM) every morning to listen to Morning Edition or every afternoon to listen to All Things Considered from National Public Radio.

    Some recommended news sites on the internet (each of these is an active link on the online course syllabus):
     New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, USA Today, CNN, Agence France Presse, ABC News, CBS News, MSNBC, BBC, Newsday, National Public Radio, Financial Times, Economist.

    Students need to come to class prepared to talk about the assigned readings!

    Some of the assigned reading will be tough -- you may need to read some of the articles several times.  Some of the articles will employ hypotheses testing and quantitative methodology, some will involve historical and/or textual analysis.  So, how should you read these articles?  Click here for some excellent advice from Dr. Carolyn Haynes, Honors Program, on how to read closely and critically.

    Pop quizzes will be used to keep students working on the readings.
    Pop quiz grades will be computed into the exam grade for the relevant section of the course.  Each quiz will count 5% of the exam grade.

    Exams.  There will be three exams in this course.  Each is a take-home exam that will require extensive use of the course readings.  In order to successfully complete and pass these exams, you will need to read the assignments -- sometimes more than once.

    The first exam will be distributed on Sept. 28 and due on Oct. 5.
    The second exam will be distributed Nov. 2 and due on Nov. 11.
    The third exam will be distributed Dec. 7 and due on Dec. 13.
    Grading Scale.  Plus and minus grades on the following scale will be used to determine final course grades:
    A+  98-100
    A 94-97
    A- 90-93
    B+ 88-89
    B 84-87
    B- 80-83
    C+ 78-79
    C 74-77
    C- 70-73
    D+ 68-69
    D 64-67
    D- 60-63
    F 59 and below
    		    
    REQUIRED BOOKS AND READINGS

    Laura Neack, The New Foreign Policy: US and Comparative Foreign Policy in the 21st Century, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003.

    Graham Evans and Jeffrey Newnham, Penguin Dictionary of International Relations, New York: Penguin Books, most recent edition.

    All other readings are available in the library stacks, the King Library Reserve Desk, or electronic reserve.

    ATTENDANCE

    The university attendance policy can be found in full at the following website:
    http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspvii.cfm.

    The 2003-2004 Student Handbook, Part VII. Class Attendance, Section 701(B) states:

    "There are no University-recognized excused absences except for religious observances that require absence from a class session and other required class activities. Students must give written notification to their instructor within the first two weeks of class of the religious event which prohibits class attendance, and the date that will be missed, if officially known.  Instructors will, without prejudice, provide such students with reasonable accommodations for completing missed work.  However, the students are ultimately responsible for material covered in class, regardless of whether the student is absent or present."
    Beyond this, the attendance policy for this class is as follows:
  • Upon the third unexcused absence, the student's final course grade will be reduced by a full letter grade.
  • 24 hours after the fourth unexcused absence, the student will be dropped from the course with a “WF.”
  • Class begins at 3:30 pm.  Any student arriving 5 minutes or more late for class will be marked absent for that day, unless the tardiness is excusable (see below).  The instructor's watch is the only time instrument of note in this regard.
  • An excused absence or an excused reason for being late to class is any documented emergency and/or acute illness or injury directly involving the student or the documented acute emergency, illness or death of the student's immediate family member.  The instructors reserve the sole right to determine the level and type of documentation necessary to excuse an absence for each case in question.  Regular medical appointments, job requirements, social organization meetings and events, student government meetings and events, early school break departures, late school break arrivals, and so forth are not excusable.
    • Students are strongly advised to consult the Miami Student Handbook on university policy regarding deportment in class.  Students who are disruptive in class and/or disrespectful of others will not be allowed to remain in class.
    DISABILITY SERVICES

    Students with disabilities should register with the Office of Disability Resources to begin the process of ascertaining how the course can be made to accommodate particular needs.  Please consult the Miami handbook for the kinds of services available and how to access them.

    COURSE OUTLINE AND ASSIGNED READINGS

    Tues., Aug. 24  INTRODUCTION AND ORGANIZATION

    HOW TO EXAMINE FOREIGN POLICY

    Thurs., Aug. 26  //  IR PARADIGMS

    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 1
    Tues., Aug. 31  //  LEVELS OF ANALYSIS
    Marc Levy and Gregory F. Treverton, "Rhodesia Becomes Zimbabwe," Pew Case Studies in International Affairs, Case # 442 (1989), ELECTRONIC RESERVE.
    Thurs., Sept. 2  //  LEVELS, cont.

    Tues., Sept. 7  NO CLASS -- MONDAY/TUESDAY SWITCH DAY

    STUDYING FOREIGN POLICY AT THE INDIVIDUAL LEVEL OF ANALYSIS

    Thurs., Sept. 9  //  LEADERSHIP MATTERS

    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 2, pp. 37-44

    Elena Ananieva, "Foreign Policy Debates in the U.S." International Affairs: A Russian Journal of World Politics, 50, 1 (2004), pp.  8-16, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Max Boot, "Neocons," Foreign Policy, January/February 2004, pp. 20-28, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Tues., Sept. 14  //  RATIONAL ACTORS
    Ben D. Mor, "Nasser's Decision-Making in the 1967 Middle East Crisis: A Rational-Choice Explanation," Journal of Peace Research, Vol. 28, No. 4 (1991), pp. 359-375, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 2, pp. 44-55

    Thurs., Sept. 16  //  RATIONALITY VS. BELIEFS
    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 2, pp. 55-66
    Tues., Sept. 21  //  BELIEFS AND RESISTANCE
    Louise Grace Shaw, "Attitudes of the British Political Elite towards the Soviet Union," Diplomacy and Statecraft, 13, 1 (March 2002), pp. 55-74, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.
    Thurs., Sept. 23  //  BELIEFS AND LEARNING
    Janice Gross Stein, "Political Learning by Doing: Gorbachev as Uncommitted Thinker and Motivated Learner," International Organization, Vol. 48, No. 2 (1994), pp. 155-183, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.
    Tues., Sept. 28  //  LEADERS, again
    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 2, pp. 66-73

    EXAM 1 DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS, due at the start of class on Tues., Oct. 5

    STUDYING FOREIGN POLICY AT THE STATE LEVEL OF ANALYSIS

    Thurs., Sept. 30  //  NATIONAL SELF-IMAGE AND CULTURE

    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 3, pp. 75-84
    Tues., Oct. 5  //  NATIONAL SELF-IMAGE AND CULTURE
    EXAM 1 DUE AT THE START OF CLASS

    Matthew S. Hirshberg, "The Self-Perpetuating National Self-Image: Cognitive Biases in Perceptions of International Interventions," Political Psychology, 14, 1 (1993), pp. 77-98, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Thurs., Oct. 7  //  CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONS
    The New Foreign Policy, pp. 84-99
    Tues., Oct. 12  //  INTRA-GOVERNMENT DIFFERENCES
    The New Foreign Policy, pp. 98-104

    Dana Priest, The Mission: Waging War and Keeping Peace with America's Military (Norton, 2004), Preface, Chs. 1-2, KING LIBRARY REGULAR RESERVE.

    Thurs., Oct. 14  //  INTRA-GOVERNMENT DIFFERENCES, cont.
    Priest, cont.
    Tues., Oct. 19  //  PUBLIC OPINION AND INTEREST GROUPS
    The New Foreign Policy, pp. 105-115

    Steven Kull, "Voice of a Superpower," Foreign Policy, May/June 2004, pp. 38-44, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Thurs., Oct. 21  //  MEDIA AND PUBLIC OPINION
    Robert M. Entman, Projections of Power: Framing News and U.S. Foreign Policy (University of Chicago Press, 2004), Chs. 1-2, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.
    Tues., Oct. 26  //  MEDIA AND PUBLIC OPINION, cont.
    Entman, cont.
    Thurs., Oct. 28  //  MEDIA AND PUBLIC OPINION
    Antonio Alaminos, "Domestic Actors and Spanish European Policy," Mediterranean Politics, 5, 2 (Summer 2000), pp. 93-104, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.
    Tues., Nov. 2  //  ELECTION DAY -- NO CLASS -- GO VOTE!

    Thurs., Nov. 4 // THE STATE LEVEL OF ANALYSIS PUT BACK TOGETHER

    Yongshik Bong, "Yongmi: Pragmatic Anti-Americanism in South Korea," Brown Journal of World Affairs, X, 2 (Winter/Spring 2004), pp. 153-165, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Seung-Hwan Kim, "Anti-Americanism in Korea," The Washington Quarterly, 26, 1 (Winter 2002/03), pp. 109-122, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    EXAM 2 DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS, due at the start of class on Thurs., Nov. 11

    STUDYING FOREIGN POLICY AT THE SYSTEM LEVEL OF ANALYSIS

    Tues., Nov. 9 // A FOCUS ON POWER AND POSITION

    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 4, pp. 123-132

    Thurs., Nov. 11  //  GREAT POWERS AND WHAT TO EXPECT OF THEM
    EXAM 2 DUE AT START OF CLASS

    The New Foreign Policy,     Ch. 4, pp. 132-142
    Ian S. Lustick, "The Absence of Middle Eastern Great Powers: Political 'Backwardness' in Historical Perspective," International Organization, Vol. 51, No. 4 (1997), pp. 653-683, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.
    Tues., Nov. 16  //  THE SOLE SUPERPOWER
    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 4, pp. 142-154

    Benjamin Schwarz and Christopher Layne, "A New Grand Strategy," The Atlantic Monthly, January 2002, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Thurs., Nov. 18  //  SECONDARY POWERS
    The New Foreign Policy, pp. 154-163

    Tom Lansford, "Whither Lafayette? French Military Policy and the American Campaign in Afghanistan," European Security, 11, 3 (Autumn 2002), pp. 126-145, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    Tues., Nov. 23  //  SMALL POWERS
    Annica Kronsell, "Can Small States Influence EU Norms?" Scandinavian Studies, 74, 3 (Fall 2002), pp. 287-304, ELECTRONIC RESERVE
    Thurs., Nov. 25  NO CLASS -- THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

    Tues., Nov. 30 //  MIDDLE POWERS

    The New Foreign Policy, pp. 163-183

    RE-INTEGRATING THE LEVELS OF ANALYSIS IN A NESTED GAME

    Thurs., Dec. 2 //  FOREIGN POLICY AS A NESTED GAME
    The New Foreign Policy, Ch. 5, entire
    Tues., Dec. 7  //  INTERNATIONAL IDEAS AND MOVEMENTS
    Jason Burke, "Al Qaeda," Foreign Policy, May/June 2004, pp. 18-26, ELECTRONIC RESERVE.

    EXAM 3 DISTRIBUTED IN CLASS.  DUE BY 4 pm ON MONDAY, DEC. 13.

    Thurs., Dec. 9  //  COURSE WRAP

    EXAM 3 IS DUE BY 4 pm ON MONDAY, DEC. 13.  A PAPER COPY MUST BE PUT IN MY MAILBOX IN 218 HARRISON BY THIS TIME AND DATE.
     

    Last modified Oct. 14, 2004