PO3AFP: American Foreign Policy Since the Vietnam War

Module code: PO3AFP

Module provider: Politics; School of Philosophy, Politics and Economics

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Graham O'Dwyer, email: g.m.odwyer@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 23 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

American foreign policy matters. As the most powerful, wealthiest, and influential state in the contemporary international system what Washington thinks and does is important to understand. But how did the US come to be in such a dominant position? This module explores this question and a set of integrated ones that flow from this concerning the American foreign policy tradition, the growth of presidential power in foreign policy making since 1945, and a number of case studies that explore key events and policies across time. By exploring historical and contemporary cases, since the Vietnam War, students will analyse how foreign policy decisions are made, look at who influences them, and how this has evolved overtime. Drawing on primary and secondary sources students will gain an understanding of crucial events such as the Vietnam War, nuclear diplomacy during the Cold War, US-Mexico-Colombia relations and the War on Drugs, and the response to 9/11. Finally, the course will explore salient challenges faced by US foreign policymakers today. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Better understand the history and development of contemporary American foreign policy
2. better understand, analyse, and assess the domestic and international determinants of US foreign and defence policy making
3. Critique and assess foreign policy making at the individual level, along with the core influences that condition this
4. Arrive at informed, critical assessments of the strategic objectives of American economic policy, diplomatic policy, and defence policy
5. Better understand the nature of change and continuity in American foreign policy
6. Demonstrate a clear ability to analyse specific real-world scenarios, consider a range of possible responses, and make detailed policy recommendations in terms of responding to these

Module content

Although subject to change, the topics to be addressed in the module include: 

1. Traditions in American Foreign Policy 
2. Who Makes US Foreign Policy? 
3. 1940s & 1950s: the post-war settlement and the expansion of American power 
4. 1960s: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Vietnam War 
5. 1970s I: Nixon, Triangular Diplomacy, and Arms Control 
6. 1970s II: Carter and the Making of the Modern World 
7. 1980s: Reagan, Latin America, and the War on Drugs 
8. 1990s I: Bush, a New World Order, and the End of History? 
9. 1990s II: Clinton, the Paradox of Power, and NATO Enlargement 
10. 2000s: Bush, Terrorism, and the 9/11 Wars 
11. 2010s: Obama, Russia, and the Waxing of the Pax Americana? 

In addition to the weekly material there will be a series of screencasts embedded on the module looking at Foreign Policy Analysis and the intellectual tools used to analyse how and why decisions are made from various different perspectives. Students must watch these as they discuss the methodological framework that will be used to make sense of many of the decisions explored on the module.  

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will involve eleven two-hour seminars. Students will prepare for seminars by doing set readings and reflecting on a number of seminar questions. Preparation for seminars will also be supplemented by a number of screencasts and other online material. There are no presentations required from students taking the module as seminars will be discussion based with seminar groups working through set questions that look at various aspects of US foreign policy and the decision-making process at the heart of this. These discussions are student-led. This is essentially learning through discussion, debate, and questioning.  

Study hours

At least 23 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs