HIST 388.01 – American Foreign Relations II, Since 1900
Spring 2015Instructor: Dr. Joe Renouard
MWF, 11:00-11:50E-mail:
Classroom: Capers Hall 407Office: Capers 425A
Office Hours: MW, 3:00-5:30, or by appt.
This course coversAmerica’s major international relationships since 1900. Topics include America’s rise to global power, the world wars, international business, US-Latin America relations, the international arms trade, nuclear diplomacy, US ties to the Middle East, and American cultural power. We will examine the interplay between diplomacy and domestic developments, and we will answer a number of fundamental questions throughout the semester: Are Americans chiefly interested in their own security and prosperity? Have Americans embraced a national mission to spread liberal, democratic values abroad? Is America’s global cultural influence a unifying force? Does it fuel anti-Americanism? What is the significance of war to American national identity and notions of citizenship? Is the United States an empire?
REQUIRED BOOKS
- Dennis Merrill and Thomas Paterson, Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, Vol. II.(7th Ed.) [We will refer to this book as MP.]
- Greg Grandin, Fordlandia: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford’s Forgotten Jungle City
- David Reynolds, From Munich to Pearl Harbor: Roosevelt’s America and the Origins of the Second World War
- Rachel Bronson, Thicker than Oil: America’s Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
(Full assignments are at the end of the syllabus.)
1. Exams
There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. The material for these exams will come from classroom lectures and our books.
2. Paper
You will write a 7-10 page paper on an American foreign relations topic.
3. Critical Evaluations
You are required to submit four critical evaluations of weekly readings (500-600 words, typed). These are due on the dates indicated below; there are five dates to choose from.
4. Attendance and Participation
Your participation grade will be calculated from the quality of your comments during discussions. Our regular discussion/debate sessions are marked in the schedule below. Bring the relevant books to class on those days, and be prepared to discuss the material.
CLASS RULES:
- Make-up exams will only be allowed for documented medical or family emergencies. If you must miss an exam in order to participate in a school activity, contact me in advance.
- If you do not submit an assignment on time, I will deduct ten points immediately and ten additional points for each late day thereafter. E-mailed papers or papers that are more than one week late will not be accepted.
- No phones, no food.
- **E-mail policy: I prefer face-to-face contact. If you need to speak with me, see me after class or visit my office during office hours.
Final grades will be determined as follows:
Midterm Exam 25%
Final Exam25%
Paper25%
Discussions & Critical Evals25%
90-100 = A, 80-89 = B, 70-79 = C, 60-69 = D, 0-59 = F
COURSE SCHEDULE
1/14, 1/16 – Introduction: Major Themes
1/19 – MLK Day: No Class
1/21, 1/23, 1/26, 1/28 – An American Empire?: TR, Latin America, and the Panama Canal
READ:Grandin, Fordlandia, Intro & Part I (for 1/26), Part II Epilogue (for 1/28)
**IN-CLASS (1/26, 1/28):Discussion and CRITICAL EVAL DUE: Grandin (1/26)
1/30, 2/2, 2/4, 2/6, 2/9 – Wilsonian Idealism, WWI, and “Isolationism”
READ:MP, Ch. 2; Reynolds, Munich to Pearl Harbor, pp. 3-101 (for 2/6), 102-189 (for 2/9)
IN-CLASS (2/6, 2/9):Discussion and CRITICAL EVAL DUE: Reynolds (2/6)
2/11, 2/13, 2/16 – FDR and the Grand Alliance
READ:MP, Ch. 5; Essays from Hasegawa, Walker, and Fussell (PDF)
IN CLASS (2/16):Hiroshimadebate, CRITICAL EVAL DUE: Atomic bomb position paper (2/16)
2/18, 2/20– The New Internationalism: Origins of the Cold War
READ:MP, Ch. 6-7
2/23:MIDTERM EXAM
2/25, 2/27– The CIA: Iran,Guatemala, and the Bay of Pigs
3/2, 3/4, 3/6 – JFK, Castro, Khrushchev, and the Cuban Missile Crisis
READ:MP, Ch. 10
3/9, 3/11, 3/13 – The Vietnam War
READ:MP, Ch. 11
*FINAL PAPER OUTLINE DUE (3/13)
3/16, 3/18, 3/20 – Nixon, Kissinger, and Détente
READ:MP, Ch. 12
**IN-CLASS (3/20):Discussion
March21-29 – Spring Break
3/30, 4/1, 4/3, 4/6 – The Global Democratic Revolution and the Cold War’s End
READ:M/P, Ch. 13
**IN-CLASS (3/30):Watch CNN documentary excerpt
**IN-CLASS (4/1):Discussion and CRITICAL EVAL DUE: Leffler essay
4/8, 4/10, 4/13, 4/15, 4/17 –Oil, Religion, and National Security: The US and the Middle East
READ: Bronson, Thicker than Oil, Prologue Ch. 1-2 (for 4/13);Ch. 5-7 13 (for 4/15)
**IN-CLASS (4/13, 4/15):Discussion and CRITICAL EVAL DUE: Bronson (4/13)
4/20, 4/22, 4/24 – US Foreign Policy under Clinton, Obama, and the Bushes
READ:M/P, Ch.14
4/27 – Wrap-Up: Where Does the US Go from Here?
**FINAL PAPERS DUE
**FINAL EXAM – Saturday, May 2, 1pm
PAPER ASSIGNMENTS
1) Critical Evaluations
Each evaluation should be 500-600 words, typed, double-spaced. Your evaluation should be a clear, concise, and intelligent examination of one aspect of the reading. Find something that strikes you as noteworthy, and demonstrate that you’ve mastered the reading. (Don’t just read a few pages.) Your introduction should be brief and should include a clear thesis. I’ll be judging your argumentation, writing ability, and mastery of the subject. Also put three discussion questions at the end of your evaluation.
2) Final Paper Instructions
You will conduct a critical examination of a topic of your choice. First, choose a topic that interests you (1900-present). Second, devise a question that you can answer in your paper. Your answer will be your thesis. Third, devise a list of sources (books/articles) that you will rely on to find the answer. Three or four sources should suffice. Your question should be as specific as possible. Meet with me to discuss a suitable topic and question.Submit an outline by March 13. This should include a topic, a working question, and a list of 3-5 sources.
Sample topics:
The Iran-Hostage Crisis, the military-industrial complex, gender/masculinity in foreign affairs, anti-Americanism, the Cuban Missile Crisis, international sports, Nixon’s bombing of Cambodia, human trafficking and immigration, the Tet Offensive, the Korean War, the Truman Doctrine, the US and the UN, etc. etc. etc.
Make your question as specific as possible. Steer clear of big questions like, “Why did World War II begin?” Instead, ask a question like:
- Did Franklin Roosevelt’s foreign policy provoke the Japanese?
- How did the news media report on the Tet Offensive?
- What role did the United States play in ending the war in Bosnia?
Guidelines:
- 7-10 pages, double-spaced, font size 12, Times New Roman; include a title and page numbers
- Have a clear thesis.
- Cite all quotes and evidence using footnotes or endnotes.
- Use books/articles. Do not use internet sites, SparkNotes, etc.
*Due in classApril 27
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