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History of American Foreign Relations
Syllabus: History 313
Spring 2000

Class Meetings: TTh, G Period
Office Hours: Maples 021, M,T,Th 1:00-3:00 pm
Office Phone/Voice Mail: 6309 E-Mail: kennethl
Text: LaFeber, The American Age
Required Readings: Rosenberg, Spreading the American Dream, Hunt, Crises in U.S. Foreign Policy, Cullather, Secret History

Find:  Class Requirements      Schedule

GRADING:

Class attendance, participation, discussion and daily work:

40%

 

                              Writing Projects

20%  

Mid-Term Exam

20%

Final Exam

20%

TOTAL

100%

In borderline cases, grade trends will determine your final grade.

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All work, unless stated otherwise by the instructor, should be pledged
and will be considered to have been pledged whether or not the pledge is made explicit.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Class Participation: 40% of your final grade is based on class participation, and in this class it is the most important single factor that determines your grade. Class participation means more than just attendance--it means being a listener, a discussion participant, and a questioner who is not afraid to challenge points that seem unclear or with which you do not agree. It means being prepared and ready to participate--but at a minimal level, none of this is possible if you are not in class.

Papers: (20%) You will be asked to write several papers during the semester. The most important of these papers will be a short research paper—a biography of a significant actor in the history of American foreign relations. Details on all written assignments will be forthcoming.

All written assignments should be neatly written, typed, or word processed, and free from errors. They will be graded in the same "holistic" way that your rhetoric exams are graded—for the overall impression they give of command of the material and command of the mechanics of writing.

**Points will be deducted from any writing assignment handed in late**

Reading: You are expected to complete assigned readings prior to class so that you can participate in class discussions. See the class schedule for assignments. Examinations will test you on reading as well as on lectures and class discussions. Occasional quizzes will check to see that you are doing the assigned readings.

Examinations: (40%) There will be ONE mid-term exam and a non-cumulative final. You are expected to take both exams when scheduled, so please be aware of when you are to take them. Tests will include objective and essay questions and will cover readings, lectures, and class discussions. Before each exam I will give you a review sheet, although this is a 300 level course and the review sheets will not be as detailed as the ones I prepare for lower level surveys.

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DAILY CLASS SCHEDULE

Date

 Topic Assignment to be Completed

Jan. 13:

 Introduction to the Course and its Themes Get your texts

18:

 "The Roots of American Foreign Policy—19th century"

Discussion—The American Dream

 Rosenberg, chap. 1

Hunt, Introduction

20:

 "The Crucial Decade—1890s"

Discussion—The Promotional State

 Rosenberg, chapters 2 and 3

LaFeber, chapter 7

25:

 "Rough Riders, Dollar Diplomats, and a Missionary, 1900-1916"

Discussion—Approaches to American Foreign Policy

 LaFeber, chapter 8 and chapter 9, pp. 269-284

27:

 "The War to End Wars, 1914-1918"

Discussion: War and the Triumph of the Promotional State

 Rosenberg, chapters 4 and 5

LaFeber, chapter 9, pp. 284-300

Feb. 1:

 "Victors without Peace, 1917-1920"

Hunt Crisis 1, "Redefining the Rules of the Game"

 Hunt, Crisis 1

LaFeber, chapter 10

3:

 "Rise of the American System of World Order—1920s"

Discussion: "Global Fellowship"

 Rosenberg, chapter 6

LaFeber, chapter 11

8:

 "Fall of the American System of World Order—1920s"

Discussion: "The Cooperative State"

 Rosenberg, chapters 7 and 8

10:

 "World Crisis and the Failure of American Leadership, 1930s"

Discussion: "FDR and American Responsibility"

 LaFeber, chapter 12

15:

 Hunt Crisis 2: "Pearl Harbor" Hunt, Crisis 2

17:

 "Wartime Diplomacy, 1941-1945"

Discussion: "The Cultural Offensive"

Rosenberg, chapters 9 and 10

LaFeber, chapter 13

22:

 "Origins of the Cold War, 1945-1950"

Discussion: How and Why did it Begin?

 LaFeber, chapter 14

Rosenberg, chapter 11

24:

 Hunt Crisis 3: "Anatomy of a Long Crisis" Hunt, Crisis 3

29:

 Exam 1: Covers the first half of the 20th century. Review Rosenberg; LaFeber, chapters 7-14; Hunt, Crises 1-3; and class notes.

Mar. 2:

 "Korea—The Big Turn, 1950-1954"

Hunt Crisis 4: Sino-American Collision in Korea

Hunt Crisis 4

LaFeber, chapter 15

7:

 "Era of Eisenhower—the Good Old Days, 1952-1960" LaFeber, chapter 16

Cullather, Introduction and Forward

to CIA Edition

9:

 "The Good Old Days, South of the Border, 1950-1954"

Discussion: "Secret History of Guatemala"

 Cullather, Chapters 1-4
Spring Break

21:

 "The American Empire—Latin America"

Discussion: "Secret History of Guatemala"

Cullather, Appendices and

Afterword

23:

 "A Crisis in Cuba, 1959-1962"

Hunt, Crisis 5: Handling the Crisis—Model or Muddle?

 Hunt, Crisis 5

28:

 "New Frontiers in American Diplomacy, 1960-1968" LaFeber, chapter 17

30:

 "Vietnam Escalation, 1950-1968"

Discussion: "What went wrong in Vietnam?"

Biographies are Due

Apr. 4:

 Hunt, Crisis 6: "Going to War in Vietnam—A Test of Wills" Hunt, Crisis 6

6:

 "Coming to Terms with History—Nixon and Kissinger, 1969-1976"

Discussion: "Assessing Nixon and Kissinger"

 LaFeber, chapter 18

11:

 "Back to the Future—Carter and Reagan, 1976-1988"

Hunt Crisis 7: "Confronting Revolution in Iran"

 Hunt, Crisis 7

13:

 "Reagan and the End of the Cold War"

Discussion: "The End of History?"

 LaFeber, chapter 19
18: "New World Order to World Disorder, Bush and Clinton, 1988-2000" LaFeber, chapter 20

20:

 Discussion: "What are the Central Challenges facing the United States Today?" Readings will be assigned

25:

 Discussion: "What does the New Century hold for America? Readings will be assigned

Final Exam: On the Second Half of the 20th Century: Review Cullather, LaFeber, Hunt, and class notes. Time and place of the exam to be announced.

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Links

Some links to gather information on Colombia for the final project

CNN: http://cnn.com/WORLD/americas/

University of Texas Data Base on Latin America: http://info.lanic.utexas.edu/

Washington Post, World News: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/world/

Human Rights Report on Colombia: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/colombia/

FARC's home page: http://burn.ucsd.edu/~farc-ep/

Interview with Colombia's President http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16134-2000Feb6.html

Article on cocaine production: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51423-2000Feb14.html

U.S. Drug Policy: http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/international/drugpolicy.html

BBC on Colombia: http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid%5F720000/720904.stm
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid%5F718000/718333.stm
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk%5Fpolitics/newsid%5F711000/711611.stm
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/americas/newsid_604000/604553.stm