Document Type

Graduate Syllabus

Date

Spring 2014

School

Diplomacy

Course Number

DIPL 6181 NA

Course Description

This course is devoted to examining statecraft: the design of strategies to achieve foreign policy goals; the choice of policy instruments within these strategies; and an assessment of their relative utility in achieving national aims. The course is designed to introduce you to the subject matter and to help you design a foreign policy strategy for a designated country.

Throughout the semester you will simultaneously (1) read the assigned texts, (2) conduct research on foreign (and domestic) policy of an assigned state, and (3) gradually design a viable cost-effective strategy. In order to accomplish the task of designing a strategy we will devote the first part of each class to analyzing the assigned texts. The second part of the class will be devoted to applying what we learned in that class to your concrete case. Thus, you will not only have to closely read the assigned texts before each class but you will also have to know whether a specific goal is desirable/viable and whether a specific foreign policy tool is available and useful for achieving your country’s specific goal(s). I will assess your progress weekly because each week at least 30% of students will discuss their work, accomplishments as well as challenges.

This course is designed to combine the absorption and the application of knowledge. It is not too heavy on required readings because I expect you to think creatively and to conduct research on your assigned case study from week three (1/30).

Throughout the semester we will try to link the readings with contemporary events. Hence, you should keep informed about relevant current events through regular reading of newspapers. You should read a newspaper that provides thorough coverage of international news (for example, The New York Times, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal). If possible you should also read foreign newspapers. You may also want to watch news on TV. BBC, CNN International, CCTV9 (from China) and Russia Today provide good insight into current events. You will get a better insight if you follow news from different countries.

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