United States and the World 4219-AW005-AM
The lecture will cover the following thematic blocks:
1. Foreign Policy and International Relations – Overview of Concepts and Theories
2. Shaping American Foreign Policy – Actors, Competences, Processes, and Regulations
3. Early Neutrality (1789–1861) – George Washington's farewell address, territorial expansion, the Monroe Doctrine, and Manifest Destiny
4. The Gilded Age (1865–1898) – Post-Civil War recovery, "Seward's Folly," Alfred Thayer Mahan's ideas on sea power, and the beginnings of the Pan-Americanism
5. Imperialism (1898–1945) – The Spanish-American War, the secession of Panama, the Open Door Policy, the Good Neighbour Policy, and the two World Wars
6. The Cold War (1945–1991) – The Truman Doctrine, the Inter-American System, the Marshall Plan and NATO, Proxy Wars, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Detente, and the Arms Race
7. The End of History (1991–2011) – The collapse of the USSR, regional interventions, globalization, the creation of a unipolar world, and the War on Terror
8. Redefining Global Leadership? (2011–present) – The rising role of China, sanctions against Russia, and contemporary global challenges
Type of course
Mode
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
After completing the course the students:
(KNOWLEDGE) possess comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the place and role of the United States in International Relations, both from a historical perspective and contemporary political and economic interests.
(SKILLS) can communicate on topics related to the International Relations and the US Foreign Policy using specialized terminology in the English language,
(SKILLS) are able to acquire and select data from reliable sources, integrate obtained information, interpret it, draw conclusions, and formulate opinions on the topics related to the presence of the US in the International environment,
(SKILLS) are ready to continually expand and supplement acquired knowledge about International Relations and the US foreign policy through a self-planned and implemented lifelong learning process
(SOCIAL SKILLS) are able to critically perceive content related to the United States conveyed by the media and other environments
(SOCIAL SKILLS) can utilize interdisciplinary knowledge acquired in American Studies concerning the United States to formulate own opinions and recognize its significance in solving cognitive and practical problems
Assessment criteria
Grading
53-59% 3
60-71% 3.5
72-82% 4
83-94% 4.5
95-100% 5
Bibliography
Core reading
James M. McCormick: American Foreign Policy and Process. 2023, Cambridge University Press.
Michael Cox: US Foreign Policy. 2018, Oxford University Press.
Joyce P. Kaufman: A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy. 2021, Rowman&Littlefield.
Further reading
Robert B. Zoellick: America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy. 2020, Twelve.
Joyce P. Kaufman, Introduction to International Relations: Theory and Practice. 2022, Rowman&Littlefield.
Perry Anderson, American Foreign Policy and its Thinkers. 2017, Verso.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: