US Foreign Policy 2104-MON-PUSA-OG

The course is designed to acquaint students with different aspects of the US Foreign Policy.

This course analyzes the formation and conduct of foreign policy in the United States. The main goal of this course is to enhance the students’ understanding of the U.S. Foreign Policy.

The program consists of two main modules divided into specific topics.

The first module concentrates on political, economical and ideological foundations of the U.S. foreign policy. It deals also with decision making process - the role of the Constitution, executive and legislative branches and other powerful structures (such as public opinion, media or interest groups) in the formation of the U.S. foreign policy.

The second module deals with the major policy issues in contemporary U.S. foreign policy (such as terrorism, human rights, financial aid and so on) as well as the analyses of U.S. foreign relation with other region and countries.

Type of course

general courses

Course coordinators

Barbara Regulska-Ingielewicz

Learning outcomes

After finishing this course students should:
 understand the main theoretical viewpoints, problems and issues in the U.S. Foreign Policy area as well as day-to-day events reported in the media
 have a background knowledge in various areas of the U.S. Foreign Policy
 become familiar with a variety of sources on the U.S. Foreign Policy available in selected literature and through the Internet
 develop the capacity for analytical and critical thinking
 develop the ability to formulate reasoned conclusions
 develop the writing skills (student should: use the available resources properly, be able to synthesize ideas from different sources in formulating valid thesis statements, know how to incorporate texts into writing, including citing sources and creating bibliographies)

S4_W01, S4_W04, S4_W06, S4_W07, S4_U01, S4_U02, S4_U03, S4_U05, S4_U06, S4_K01, S4_K02, S4_K04

Assessment criteria

1. Class participation and activities related to the knowledge presented in the literature - 20%.
2. Students’ project + essay - 10%
3. Final quiz 20%

Practical placement

none

Bibliography

Basic literature:
• Hook Steven W., U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power, CQ Press College; 6th edition, 2020
• Jentleson Bruce W., American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century, Fifth Edition), W. W. Norton & Company; 5th edition, 2013
• Jones M. A., Historia USA. Narody i Cywilizacje, Wydawnictwo MARABUT, Gdańsk 2002
• Kissinger H., DOES AMERICA NEED A FOREIGN POLICY? TOWARD A DIPLOMACY FOR THE 21 CENTURY, Simon & Schuster, New York 2002.

• US Constitution
• National Security Strategies of the US
• National Defense Strategies
• Congress and US Foreign Policy, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/congress-and-us-foreign-policy
• Strategic Studies Quarterly, selected issues
• Roczniki Strategiczne from 1995 to present, Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar, Warszawa

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 2104-MON-PUSA-OG in USOSweb