AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY
This course undertakes a historical and analytical approach to U.S. foreign policy since World War II. The course is divided into three main topics: U.S. Foreign Policy since World War II and the evolution of U.S. policy and the impetus behind important foreign policy choices; The people and institutions and processes that guide foreign policy formation and implementation; And the more salient foreign policy challenges facing the U.S. in the 21st century including how the US has responded to the attacks of September 11, 2001, the effectiveness of foreign aid policy.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: Sophomore standing and ( POLI SCI 104 , 140 , or INTL ST 101 ) or graduate standing Course Designation: Core GenEd - Social & Behavioral Science Breadth - Social Science Level - Intermediate L&S Credit - L&S Liberal Arts and Science Grad 50% - Counts toward 50% graduate coursework requirement Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Spring 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Obtain a better understanding of U.S. foreign policy. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Examine current foreign policy issues U.S. policymakers must address. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Understand institutional arrangements complicate the policy process. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Explore how particular issue areas challenge decision makers. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Examine what general theoretical statements can be made about foreign policy. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Assess the state of a body of scholarly literature related to course themes, identify gaps in that literature, and formulate an original research question in the context of those gaps. Audience: Graduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Obtain a better understanding of U.S. foreign policy. Audience: Undergraduate 2. Examine current foreign policy issues U.S. policymakers must address. Audience: Undergraduate 3. Understand institutional arrangements complicate the policy process. Audience: Undergraduate 4. Explore how particular issue areas challenge decision makers. Audience: Undergraduate 5. Examine what general theoretical statements can be made about foreign policy. Audience: Undergraduate 6. Assess the state of a body of scholarly literature related to course themes, identify gaps in that literature, and formulate an original research question in the context of those gaps. Audience: Graduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027