Welcome to the American Studies Institute
 

                   AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY

    COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVE:   The aim of this course is to provide students with a strong foundation in the study of U. S. foreign policy by linking theory to practice focusing on methods and actors. To this end, the course will study the formulation and administration of American foreign policy and will examine influences on U. S. Foreign Policy such as perception and beliefs, bureaucratic decision-making, personality, public opinion, institutions, social values, economics, and the structure of the international system. The class will consider these factors in terms of foreign policy decision-making, foreign policy behavior, foreign policy outcomes, and foreign policy consequences. Over the course of the semester, students will gain a better understanding of U.S. foreign policy and may be able to achieve the following:

·        Gain an overview of the foreign policy literature.
·        Learn various theoretical approaches and apply them to the analysis of foreign 
       policy phenomena.
·        Develop good skills to produce a major research paper.
·        Expand written and oral communication skills, and
·        Strengthen critical thinking abilities. 

    COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADES: Students will be evaluated according to their performance on:

• written assignments and class discussions (40%),
• research paper (20%),
• final exam (40%)  

    A cumulative final will be administered that focuses on the major ideas addressed in the readings and class discussion. It will consist of essay questions, and you will be expected to explicitly integrate the readings into your answers.

There are five categories of obligation in this course:

1. doing the required readings and actively participating in each weekly discussion
2. writing class reports which will be distributed to everyone in class
3. leading a discussion for one session
4. submitting 12-15 page "think piece" research paper on a interdisciplinary question we have chosen together
5. passing a final comprehensive exam

Course grades will be defined in these terms:

A-Excellent -- ( Outstanding and thoughtful, coherent, new insightful contribution)
B-Good -- (Knows the material well, lacks depth, not outstanding)
C-Fair -- (Adequate, average, passing, little participation)
D-Poor -- (Little understanding, little effort, incoherent)
F-Fail -- (No evidence of understanding, no effort reflected in work, no learning process)
Scale:   A  90-100        B  80-89          C  70-79          D  60-69

  RESEARCH PAPER (20%): Students are required two weeks before the end of the course to hand a term research papers on one of the topics of their choice.

  The size of the paper should be 12-15 type-written, double-spaced, with 12 point font. The purpose of this research paper is to require the student to develop his/her ability to conduct research, thinking critically and writing analytically. In this research paper, students will review and apply some concept or body of theory to a specific US foreign policy phenomenon.

In writing their papers, students may:

·        Rely on a particular theoretical approach or compare or integrate a number of different 
     approaches.

·        Feel free to examine a single foreign policy case, compare a few cases, or examine multiple
     cases.

·        Examine foreign policy at one point in time or over a long period of time.

·        Use a qualitative historical approach, or a more statistical and quantitative one.

·        Need to systematically demonstrate the extent to which the foreign policy phenomena
      examined in the paper is explained by theory.

Each research paper will be evaluated for organization, clarity, and the soundness of conclusions based on evidence presented in the paper. The grade will also be based on the quality of writing, proofreading, their ability to utilize footnotes and to prepare a comprehensive bibliography. As a whole, the research paper should be (a) well-written and well-organized, and (b) reflect an analytical/explanatory approach and not simply a description of a specific foreign policy phenomenon. 

The work on this paper will progress in three stages:

Stage 1:   At the end of the fourth week, students are supposed to submit one page problem statement (hypothesis) that describes the inter-disciplinary issues the research paper will address; research questions of interest to them and the gap this research will fill in the literature, as well as to describe how he/she will organize the final paper in terms of theoretical framework and analytical approach.

Stage 2:   At the end of the 6^th week, students should present an annotated bibliography of at least 15 scholarly articles taken from scholarly journals bibliography of the books & articles central to the paper. Each bibliography entry should be accompanied by a brief summary. Completing this stage is not optional, and anyone who fails to complete this requirement will receive a failing grade for the assignment.

Stage 3: At the end of the semester, submit the paper without undue delay.

 TENTATIVE LIST OF RESEARCH TOPICS:

• Is the president primarily responsible for U. S. foreign policy?
• Should Congress leave foreign policy to the President?
• Does the Supreme Court have a role in foreign policy?
• Is the separation of powers an impediment to conducting effective foreign policy?
• Are covert operations ever appropriate in a democracy?
• Should the State Department or the National Security Council lead in foreign policy?
• Should greater grass roots participation in foreign policy be encouraged?
• Do interest groups play a significant role in foreign policy-making?
• The Wars Powers Resolution of 1973: An effective mechanism of Congressional Control?
• Is the impact of the media on foreign policy-making desirable?
• Is the US moving towards relative isolation in the international arena?

 CLASS DISCUSSIONS. For class, students are required to be prepared to answer the following questions:

• What is the author’s purpose?
• What is the basic theme(s) or argument(s) of the reading?
• What is the theoretical explanation?
• What are the philosophical assumptions?
• What evidence is provided?
• What is this reading’s overall explanatory power?

 Attendance:    Students are expected to attend class regularly, and will be held responsible for all materials presented there. Furthermore, in order for an assignment to be accepted, the student must be in class for the entire class period. It is critical that students recognize the importance of attendance and participation in determining their final grade. During the class students will be regularly called on to discuss the required readings, and will be assessed on the quality of their participation.  Everyone enrolled in this course will also be part of a computer conference group which will allow us to communicate with each other as a class between our weekly core meetings. This conference is your opportunity to get early feedback on readings, share insights from disciplinary backgrounds, ask questions of each other, and raise issues not covered in the meetings.

Academic Honesty:    All of the work students do in this course is expected to be their own. Students should not use the ideas or writings of others as their own. They should not give or receive help on exams, and written assignments. As citizens of an academic community of trust, Al-Quds University students should not lie or cheat whether they are on campus or acting as representatives of the University in the surrounding communities.