CSPS 7393 - Studies in American Grand Strategy

Three credit hours.

This is a seminar about American foreign policy. It is designed to give students a greater understanding of current debates over U.S. grand strategy and the role of the United States in the world today. Particular attention will be devoted to the War in Iraq and the Bush Doctrine of Preemption. Using their knowledge of history and past approaches to grand strategy, graduates of this seminar will be able to critique current U.S. foreign policy and provide thorough and well-supported recommendations for the future. This is an intensive hands-on course that assumes a certain level of knowledge of American foreign policy.

Divided into three sections, the course begins with an overview of the foundations of American foreign policy from the beginning of the republic through the end of the Cold War. Part II of the course focuses on the War on Terror, the War in Iraq, and the debate over the Bush Doctrine. In Part III of the course, students will examine other issues such as great power relation, views of the U.S. from abroad, energy security, and the crisis in Darfur. During the final three meetings of the class, students will be expected to break into teams to design a new foreign policy for the next administration, using short 3-5 page papers and formal PowerPoint presentations, known as “Clinton Briefs”. This experience should allow students to synthesize what they have learned over the course of the semester and hone their writing and presenting skills.