PSC 338—Comparative Foreign Policy

This course reviews theoretical approaches to explaining foreign policymaking with selected case studies. The course examines foreign policy doctrines and other conceptual means of understanding foreign policy and foreign policymaking in comparative perspective. The first part of the course introduces foreign policy as it has developed and is practiced in the United States. This includes a brief overview of the historical and cultural elements of American foreign policy and a description of the policymaking process. This overview sets the foundation for subsequent parts of the course in which we compare the generation, quality, efficacy, and outcomes of various foreign policy approaches to extant international problems. This includes evaluations of the efficacy of chosen policies, counterfactual estimates of policies not pursued, and prospective analyses of future approaches.