5820 US Foreign Policy Syllabus

PSCI 5820: Graduate Seminar United States Foreign Policy

Professor James Meernik 125 Wooten Hall 565-4233 [email protected] Office Hours: Wednesdays and Fridays 10:30-11:30

Course Goals

This course is designed to be a comprehensive review of some of the most important issues facing United States foreign policy and the most significant scholarly research into the subject, and a writing intensive workshop on the development of scholarly manuscripts on US foreign policy. And although this course is considered to fall under the heading of “international relations”, it is closely related to American politics. As such, we will be most concerned with the interplay between domestic politics in the United States and the nation’s foreign policy. Since there will be a substantial amount of writing involved in this course, we will limit our review of research on US foreign policy to five principal topics: 1) the literature on the use of military force in foreign policy; 2) the literature on the determinants of US foreign assistance; 3) the literature on public opinion and US foreign policy; 4) the literature on the relationship between the President and Congress on foreign policy matters; and 5) the goals of US foreign policy. By the conclusion of this course students will be able to understand, analyze, extrapolate from and discuss the key theories, concepts and models in the study of US foreign policy, and be capable of writing a research paper on this topic suitable for publication in mainstream, political science journals.

Within the first six weeks of the course, we will review both the substance of these research streams and assess the problems with and gaps in this literature in order to develop specific research projects that will be carried out in the last ten weeks of the course. For the second through the sixth weeks of the semester, students will turn in one page, critical research reviews that identify and explain three issues within these literatures where there is the greatest need for additional research, and where the students believe they can make substantial progress toward addressing such deficiencies. For example, in the research on the use of military force in US foreign policy, students might find little such work on the foreign policy consequences of such actions; then justify why such research is needed and briefly explain how it might be accomplished. Students must demonstrate both an understanding of the substance of the literature and an ability to synthesize/extrapolate from the readings. I do not want rote summarization. These papers must be submitted by the Tuesday (before 2:00 pm) before class each week. These are each worth 5% of the final grade. In addition, 2 students per week will be designated as the discussion leaders and will be responsible for presenting a brief overview of the material, asking questions of the class regarding the readings, and facilitating class discussion. This activity will be worth 5% of the final grade.

The Writing Lab - www.unt.edu/writinglab

The Literature

January 25: The President and Congress

Readings: Cronin, Patrick and Benjamin Fordham. 1999. "Timeless Principles or Today’s Fashion? Testing the Stability of the Linkage Between Ideology and Foreign Policy in the Senate". Journal of Politics 4:967-998; Hill, Kevin. 1993. "The Domestic Sources of Foreign Policymaking". International Studies Quarterly 37:195-214; Howell WG and JC Pevehouse. 2005. “Presidents, Congress, and the Use of Force”. International Organization 59(1):209-232; Lindsay, James M. 1994. "Congress, Foreign Policy and the New Institutionalism". International Studies Quarterly 38:281-304; 1993. Meernik, James. 1993. “Presidential Support in Congress: Conflict and Consensus on Foreign and Defense Policy.” Journal of Politics 55:569-587.

February 1: Public Opinion and US Foreign Policy

Aldrich, John H., John L. Sullivan and Eugene Borgida. 1989. "Foreign Affairs and Issue Voting: Do Presidential Candidates 'Waltz Before a Blind Audience". American Political Science Review 83:123-141; Hurwitz, Jon and Mark Peffley. 1987. "How are Foreign Policy Attitudes Structured" A Hierarchical Model". American Political Science Review 81:1099-1120; Jentleson, Bruce and Rebecca Britton. 1998. “Still Pretty Prudent: Post Cold War American Public Opinion on the Use of Military Force”. Journal of Conflict Resolution 42(4):395-417; Nincic, Miroslav. 1997. "Domestic Costs, the U.S. Public, and the Isolationist Calculus". International Studies Quarterly 41:593-610; Powlick, Philip and Andrew Katz. 1998. "Defining the American Public Opinion/Foreign Policy Nexus". Mershon International Studies Review 42:29-61.

February 8: The Use of Force

Readings: Clark, David, 2003. “Can Strategic Interaction Divert Diversionary Behavior? A Model of U.S. Conflict Propensity”. Journal of Politics. 65(November):1013-1039; DeRouen Karl and Peake Jeffrey. “The Dynamics of Diversion: The Domestic Implications of Presidential Use of Force”. International Interactions: 28 (2): 191-211; Fordham Benjamin. 2004. “A Very Sharp Sword: The Influence of Military Capabilities on American Decisions to Use Force”. Journal of Conflict Resolution: 48 (5): 632-656; Leeds, Brett Ashley and David Davis. 1997. "Domestic Political Vulnerability and International Disputes". Journal of Conflict Resolution 41:814-834; Lian, Bradley and John Oneal. 1993. "Presidents, the Use of Force and Public Opinion". Journal of Conflict Resolution 37:277-300; Meernik, James 2001. “Domestic Politics and the Political Use of Military Force by the United States”. Political Research Quarterly. 54:889-904; Ostrom, Charles W. Jr. and Brian L. Job. 1986. “The President and the Political Use of Force”. American Political Science Review 80:541-566.

February 15: US Foreign Aid

Readings: Apodaca, Clair and Michael Stohl. 1999. "United States Human Rights Policy and Foreign Assistance". International Studies Quarterly 43:185-198; Meernik, James, Eric Krueger and Steven C. Poe. 1998. "Testing Models of United States Foreign Policy: Foreign Aid During and After the Cold War”. Journal of Politics 60:63-85. Ostrom, Charles W. Jr. and Robin F. Marra. 1986. "U.S. Defense Spending and the Soviet Estimate". American Political Science Review 80:819-842; Regan, Patrick. 1995. "U.S. Economic Aid and Political Repression". Political Research Quarterly 48: 613-628;

February 22: US Foreign Policy Goals

Blanton, Shannon Lindsey. 2000. “Promoting Human Rights and Democracy in the Developing World”. American Journal of Political Science 44(1):123-131; DeRouen, Karl and Uk Heo. 2004. “Reward, Punishment or Inducement? US Economic and Military Aid, 1946-1996”. Defense and Peace Economics:15 (5): 453-470; Drezner, Daniel. 2000. “Ideas, Bureaucratic Politics and the Crafting of Foreign Policy”. American Journal of Political Science 44(4)733-749; Knack S. 2004. “Does Foreign Aid Promote Democracy?” International Studies Quarterly: 48 (1): 251-266; Peceny, Mark 1999. “Forcing Them to Be Free”. Political Research Quarterly 52(3):549-582; Wang, T.Y. 1999. US Foreign Aid and UN Voting: An Analysis of Important Issues. International Studies Quarterly 43(1):199-210; Wood, B. Dan, and Jeffrey Peake. 1998. “The Dynamics of Foreign Policy Agenda Setting”. American Political Science Review 92: No. 1: 173-184.

The Research Project

Students will spend the majority of the class working on group research projects so that by the end of the semester their names will be attached to research papers that will be submitted for review at political science journals. For the group projects students will work together in all aspects of the research process, but will write their own papers. Students must strictly adhere to the guidelines set out below. Failure to do so will likely have a negative impact on grades. Grades for each portion of the paper will be based on the final draft of that section of the paper. All written assignments will be circulated among students and the instructor via email. All assignments will be graded when the final version of each section is turned in (not when you turn in the final draft).

March 1: Research Design Proposal First Draft.

All students will submit as part of their research group projects a two-page project proposal. These proposals must include the following: 1) a one-sentence statement of the principal research question; 2) a one paragraph justification of the need for this research project; 3) a one paragraph summarization of the theory guiding the research project; 4) a one paragraph synopsis of the principal hypotheses derived from the theory; 5) a one paragraph discussion of the data to be used in testing the hypotheses; and 6) a one paragraph discussion of the methods to be used in testing these hypotheses. These proposals must be submitted by February 28 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. The proposals are worth 5% of the final grade. All students must individually submit these proposals even though they are done in the context of a group project.

March 8: Research Design Proposal Second Draft and Literature Review First Draft.

All students will resubmit their research design proposals, having taken into consideration the class discussion and the comments of the instructor. The students will also submit the first draft literature review portion of the group project. The literature review should be approximately five pages long and the review should be organized such that students are evaluating the status of the extant research, not merely reciting findings. This should be done with an eye toward identifying unaddressed questions, unresolved controversies, and problems with previous research that may have led to biased, invalid or inconclusive findings. Thus, this should lead you toward justifying why your research proposal is of importance and what you will do to address the deficiencies found in the literature. The best way to begin a literature review is by searching the library’s electronic resources, especially JSTOR, and then by reading carefully the articles and books you believe are relevant to your question. Final comments will also be made regarding the research design proposals so that these proposals may now be developed into the introductory sections of the research papers. The second drafts of the research design proposals and the literature reviews must be submitted by March 7 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. The literature review portion of the papers is worth 10% of the final grade. All students must individually submit these sections even though they are done in the context of a group project.

March 29: Research Design Proposal/Introduction Third Draft; Literature Review Second Draft and Theory Section First Draft.

All students will resubmit their research design proposals now rewritten as the introductory section of their research papers, their revised versions of the literature review (based on class discussion and instructor feedback) for final class discussion and review; and the first draft of the theory section of the paper. The theory might be an original theory based on the work of others; one that has sufficient precedent in the literature; or one that has been already largely developed and accepted, but which you are going to test in a new and useful manner. If you are going to be testing someone else’s theory, however, you must be able to demonstrate why your tests are going to reveal something that had not been considered before, or how it will shed new light on an old subject. Thus, originality is still important. The theory section, as well as the literature reviews and introductory sections must be submitted by March 28 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. The theoretical section of the papers is worth 20% of the final grade. All students must individually submit these sections even though they are done in the context of a group project.

April 5: Literature Review Final Draft & Theory Section Final Draft.

For this week students will resubmit their revised theories and literature review sections based on class discussion and instructor feedback for the final class discussion on these components. The revised theory and lit review sections must be submitted by April 4 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. All students must individually submit these sections even though they are done in the context of a group project.

April 12: Hypotheses First Draft and Methods Discussion First Draft.

For this week students will submit their hypothesis section and their methods discussion. From your theory you will derive several hypotheses, or predictions, that will allow you to test some version of your theory. Here the important question is how well your hypotheses allow you to test your theory. The hypotheses are the specific predictions you derive from your theory regarding the behavior of two or more, related political concepts. You must derive at least four hypotheses from the theory itself as well as other hypotheses that relate to control variables and other variables necessary for the development of a fully specified model. You must also describe how you will go about operationalizing or measuring the variables in your hypotheses. How will you turn them into concrete and readily testable terms and relationships? What sorts of information will you use to measure the concepts in your hypotheses? Where and how will you acquire this information? Students will also submit the section of the paper outlining and justifying the type of empirical methodology to be used in the paper. This section does not yet include a discussion of the results. The hypothesis section, as well as the methods section must be submitted by April 11 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in- class discussion and critique. The hypothesis section of the papers is worth 10% of the final grade. The methods section of the papers is worth 5% of the final grade. All students must individually submit these sections even though they are done in the context of a group project.

April 19: Hypothesis Section Final Draft, Methods Discussion Final Draft, Analysis Section First Draft.

For this week students will resubmit their revised hypothesis and methods sections based on class discussion and instructor feedback for final class discussion. Students will also submit the analysis section of the paper describing and elaborating upon the empirical findings of the project. The revised hypothesis and methods discussion sections, as well as the analysis section must be submitted by April 18 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. The analysis section of the papers is worth 10% of the final grade. All students must individually submit these sections even though they are done in the context of a group project. April 26: Analysis Section Final Draft and Conclusion First Draft.

For this week students will resubmit their revised analysis section based on class discussion and instructor feedback for final class discussion. Students will also submit the first draft of their conclusion. The conclusion must 1) briefly review the findings of the paper; 2) discuss any deficiencies or gaps in the work accomplished; 3) relate the findings to other work in this area; and 4) discuss what future research in this area might explore. The conclusion is also worth 10% of the final grade. The revised analysis and conclusion sections must be submitted by April 25 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. All students must individually submit these sections even though they are done in the context of a group project.

May 3: Entire Papers Due and First Round of Student Presentations.

There will be one final class devoted to critiquing the papers and going through a trial run of the presentations. The paper must be submitted by May 2 at 2 pm and distributed to all class members for in-class discussion and critique. All students must individually submit their papers even though they are done in the context of a group project.

May 10: Student Presentations.

All students will make 15-minute presentations of their research papers. Presentations are worth 5% of the final grade.

Student Responsibilities

Students are expected to read and understand all of the assigned material for each class. Students will be asked many questions, so you must be prepared. You may miss one class with a university-approved excuse. A second absence, regardless of circumstance, or one absence without a university-approved excuse (which requires going through the Dean of Student's office) will result in a grade penalty. Late assignments will generally be given a zero. Students must come to every class prepared to discuss their own papers and other students’ papers.