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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Social and Political Science : Politics

Undergraduate Course: US Foreign Policy (PLIT10084)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Social and Political Science CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) Credits20
Home subject areaPolitics Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionThis course will allow students (especially those who have taken the popular US Government course) to do advanced and more specialised work on some of the most contentious and debated questions in the contemporary study of international relations: what are the guiding principles, objectives and effects of American foreign policy? This course will build upon and advance student knowledge of both the nature of US government and modern international relations, by allowing students to become informed participants in lively debates about (inter alia) the Iraq, Afghanistan, and Vietnam Wars, continuity or change between US administrations (such as Bush and Obama), and the extent to which US foreign policy is driven by altruism or self-interest.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should have at least 3 Politics/International Relations courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses.
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?Yes
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) Learn enabled:  Yes Quota:  45
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Class Delivery Information Plus 1 hr tutorial per week
Course Start Date 13/01/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 10, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10, Revision Session Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 175 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 40 %, Practical Exam 10 %
No Exam Information
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
* understanding of the disputed origins of US foreign policy and how competing schools of foreign policy thought (Hamiltonian, Jeffersonian, Jacksonian Wilsonian) inform policy choices throughout American history;
* critical appraisal of competing theoretical perspectives and empirical analyses on the historical evolution of US foreign policy;
* examination of foreign policy doctrine, choices, and outcomes in specific regions, (Europe, Middle East, Latin America) and US relations with other powers (China, Russia, India);
* Effective application of the comparative method, both throughout time and between different regions/powers;
* development of research, analytical and presentation skills, through guided research in preparation for assessment and tutorial presentations
Assessment Information
10% class participation (especially assignment to lead 1 seminar discussion); 40% written research project; 50% exam.
Special Arrangements
This course has a quota. Preference will be given to Politics and IR students.
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Leffler, M.P. and Legro, J.W. (eds) (2008) To Lead the World: American Strategy After the Bush Doctrine (Oxford University Press).
Ikenberry, G.J., Knock, T.J., Slaughter, A-M., Smith, T. (2009) The Crisis of American Foreign Policy: Wilsonianism in the 21st Century (Princeton University Press)
Viotti, P.R. (2010) American Foreign Policy (Polity Press)

Students will receive a course guide with extensive readings under each lecture theme. Electronic resources will be used where available.
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserProf John Peterson
Tel: (0131 6)51 3023
Email: John.Peterson@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Elaine Khennouf
Tel: (0131 6)51 1480
Email: Elaine.Khennouf@ed.ac.uk
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