SA.556 (The United States)

In the past half-dozen years, Americans and foreign observers have suddenly seen the United States in a shocking new light. But why should recent events have come as such a surprise to so many? What explains the flawed perceptions that dominated previous popular and scholarly understandings of America? These are the central questions the seminar aims to answer. Focusing on the intellectual dynamics of the current American crisis, the seminar traces the roles that ideas have played in U.S. political and economic history, and it explores how those roles have changed during the past half-century. The seminar is designed for students with some prior academic preparation in U.S. studies. It will enrich the work of any thoughtful social-science researcher or student of American political development; Limit 15

Prerequisite(s): Students may not register for this class if they have already received credit for SA.200.729[C]

The American tradition of judicial review by independent courts has had an enormous influence on the international development of the rule of law in newly emerging democracies. This seminar, taught by a practicing lawyer, reads some of the classic cases of the American constitutional tradition, including cases on school desegregation, separation of powers, foreign affairs, freedom of religion and speech, control of immigration and the right to be left alone. Looks at the indeterminacy of the original constitutional document and how it has developed through the processes of both political and judicial interpretation.

Prerequisite(s): Students may not register for this class if they have already received credit for SA.650.765[C]

This course places US policy during the Cold War in a global context. It analyzes the US response to crises in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Eastern and Southeastern Asia. It investigates fundamental questions. Were the policies and motivations of US presidents marked by continuity or discontinuity? Were covert operations effective? How relevant were domestic policy considerations to the formation of US foreign policy? In what ways did decolonization intersect with the Cold War and how did US policymakers respond to the struggles of colonized peoples fighting for their independence? What were the costs and benefits of US Cold War strategy for the people living in Africa, Latin America, eastern and southeastern Asia, and the Middle East? How did the other powers -- notably the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, and South Africa – respond to US policy?

Prerequisite(s): Students may not register for this class if they have already received credit for SA.200.711[C] OR SA.502.131[C]

Examines Congress as a legislative and political institution, rooted in the Constitution but adapting to new problems and pressures. Studies how members perform their legislative and representational roles and respond to political pressures. Devotes special attention to the legislative processes influencing foreign and defense policy, including the key committees, the budget process, foreign economic policy and use of force issues. Taught seminar style, with numerous role-playing exercises.

Prerequisite(s): Students may not register for this class if they have already received credit for SA.502.106[C]

Analyzes the bureaucratic political process by which the United States decides and implements its foreign and security policies. Drawing on decision theory and case studies, examines the key institutions involved in the National Security Council process, including the White House, the State and Defense departments and the intelligence community. Also considers the impact of Congress, the media and NGOs. Taught seminar-style, with several role-playing exercises.

Prerequisite(s): Students may not register for this class if they have already received credit for SA.502.104[C]

Students will learn how to be successful diplomats and negotiators of international agreements, both bilateral, with one opposing nation, and multilateral, with numerous foreign states. The course will examine the skills that U.S. negotiators must bring to their task; the role of the President of the United States in guiding the negotiations; the use of military force as an instrument of diplomacy; and the key factors that must come together for a successful international negotiation.

Title and Description pending

The course is a survey of postwar American Foreign Policy, focusing on the Cold War and the post-Cold War system. We will look at American policy through the prism of successive presidential administrations from Franklin D. Roosevelt at the end of World War II to Donald Trump today.This course focuses America’s critical post-World War II roles. It explores how post-War presidential administrations have reflected international demands but also America’s different traditions of strategy and statecraft and domestic dynamics. We will rely relatively classic texts on American foreign policy, but also on primary sources, articles and book chapters. It is reading-centered. At the end of the course, the student will have a basic literacy of American foreign policy history and politics, as it intersects with the evolving state system. The student will understand enduring policy traditions, their contemporary relevance, and future possibilities. This is a course for the student, of any level, interested in history, politics, and policy.

Bordered by oceans and friendly neighbors, America combines benign geopolitical constraints with great economic power. As a result, its foreign policy can range from isolation to global domination. This unusual situation calls for a multiplicity of approaches to interpreting its foreign policy, and for paying special attention to the role of ideas in decision-making. To navigate this complexity, the course is structured around three complementary objectives. First, it will explore or revisit the basic elements of the historical record and the decision-making mechanisms in American diplomacy. Second, it will examine the major historical and theoretical interpretations of U.S. global engagement, ranging from imperialism and cyclical movements to economic, sectional and cultural approaches. Third, students will contribute to an exercise in mapping contemporary American foreign policy debates in order to gain a deeper understanding of how Washington works. By marrying institutional practice, intellectual history, and critical analysis with the granular exploration of contemporary debates in the Trump era, this course equips students to understand how American foreign policy is imagined, constructed, and executed on the world stage.