INTS 371 American Foreign Policy

This writing intensive course examines the basic elements of American foreign policy (AFP) since World War II. This course explores the tension between two basic questions. First, the United States is the preponderant power on the world stage since the end of the Cold War. How can it use unipolarity to best serve its interests? Second, American power is waning as it defuses to other states and other types of actors. How can the United States best prepare for multipolarity? To explore this tension, this course explores relevant international relations theory and its application to major concerns in AFP – including war, international institutions and organizations, decision making, polarity and alliances, terrorism, and climate change. Students are expected to apply these concepts to a topic of their choosing under the umbrella of AFP and to write an intensively researched and thesis-driven term paper on the topic.