U



U.S. Foreign Policy Since 1914

Syllabus and Survival Guide

History 485 – Fall 2009

Tuesday/Thursday 11:00 am – 12:15 pm, Sierra Hall 288

History, as nearly no one seems to know, is not merely something

to be read. And it does not refer merely, or even principally, to the

past. On the contrary, the great force of history comes from the fact

that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in

many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could

scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames

of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.

– JAMES BALDWIN

Instructor

Dr. Thomas Devine

Phone: (818) 677-3550 Email: tom.devine@csun.edu

Office Hours: Sierra Tower 624, Tu/Th 12:30-1:30 pm, and by appointment gladly given.

Teaching Assistant: Bill Mills Email: william.mills.29@csun.edu

Required Reading

The following books – listed in the order in which we will read them – are available at the Matador Bookstore. All other readings will be provided in class or available on the web syllabus.

• John M. Carroll and George C. Herring, eds., Modern American Diplomacy Revised and Enlarged Edition

• David Reynolds, From Munich to Pearl Harbor: Roosevelt's America and the Origins of the Second World War

• Ralph B. Levering, Vladimir Petchatkov, and Verena Botzenhart-Viehe, eds., Debating the Origins of the Cold War: American and Russian Perspectives

• Mark J. White, Missiles in Cuba: Kennedy, Khrushchev, Castro and the 1962 Crisis

• Michael H. Hunt, Lyndon Johnson's War: America's Cold War Crusade in Vietnam, 1945-1968

• James Mann, The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War

• Fred Kaplan, Daydream Believers: How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power

 To subvert the system and to save yourself some money, you should consider buying used copies of the books. You are likely to find used or discounted copies at significantly lower prices at the following websites:

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Spirit of the Course

Someone, probably a frustrated student, once complained, “History is just one damn thing after another.” Unfortunately, many history courses are taught in such a way that one can easily reach this grim conclusion. In this class, however, you will not simply be memorizing a series of facts and regurgitating them for exams. Although we will be learning a good deal about U.S. foreign policy since 1914, more importantly, we will be trying to make sense of what happened and determine how, in James Baldwin’s words, history creates our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations. Also, as someone who believes an informed citizenry is vital to sustaining the health of a democracy, I hope that by studying the unfolding of American foreign policy in the 20th century, you will leave this course a more informed citizen than when you entered. As George Orwell reminds us in his novel1984, those who have no knowledge of the past are not only powerless, they inevitably are dominated by those who do possess such knowledge – something to think about as we begin the semester.

This course will offer an interpretive survey U.S. foreign policy since 1914. For the most part we will proceed chronologically, but there will be some discontinuities in the timeline as we explore U.S. relations with particular nations and regions over an extended period of time. Rather than emphasize “coverage” (i.e. what happened) the course will focus on why specific events took on larger significance over time (i.e. so what?)

Requirements and Grading

Class Participation, Quizzes 20%

Homework Assignments 10%

First Paper 15%

[Option A due September 20; Option B due October 11]

Second Paper 15%

[Option A due November 8; Option B due December 6]

Midterm Exam [October 22nd] 20%

Final Exam [December 15th] 20%

• All grading is based on 100 points and will be done on the +/ – system.

• Students taking the course for graduate credit will complete an additional written assignment.

• You must write 2 papers. You may choose whether you wish to do Option A or Option B. If you do both, I will count only the higher grade.

• Late papers will be penalized. Any paper turned in more than a week late will not be accepted.

• Any assignment not turned in or not accepted will receive a grade of ZERO in the calculation of the final grade.

“The Big Themes”

Though we will be covering a wide variety of topics, there are certain themes that we will be revisiting throughout the course of the semester. Keep them in mind as you complete the reading assignments.

• the extent to which strategic, ideological, cultural, political, economic, and even psychological factors contribute to policy-making decisions

• the challenges of establishing a coherent, long-term foreign policy within a democratic political culture that holds national elections every two years

• the tension between moral principles and national self-interest and the difficulty of pursuing policies that uphold and defend both

• the struggle on the part of policy makers to recognize both the world’s interdependence and its pluralism (we’re all in this together, but we’re all profoundly and perhaps irreconcilably different in our beliefs, cultural traditions, and priorities)

• the impact of “American exceptionalism” in both attracting and alienating the governments and citizens of other nations

• the dilemma of when to use force and when to rely on diplomatic negotiations in solving foreign policy crises

• the importance of recognizing that contingency, ideological rigidity, arrogance, ignorance, inadvertent blundering, and even good old fashioned stupidity often have more to do with shaping policy than the best laid plans of conspiring elites

Explanation of Requirements

Class Participation

Though this course will include some lectures, it is not primarily a “lecture course” – the emphasis will be on discussion and classroom interaction rather than listening to the professor. Class participation is important and will count heavily in your final grade. Have the reading done BEFORE you come to class and be ready to discuss it – simply being “present” will not earn you a high participation grade. Since not everyone is comfortable speaking in front of others, your performance on the quizzes will also be considered in calculating your participation grade.

Quizzes

There will be a quiz on each of the books, and, if necessary, on some of the other reading assignments as well. The purpose of the quizzes is to ascertain who has read and who hasn’t. If you have done the reading – or even most of it – you should have no difficulty doing well.

Homework Assignments

In order to help you get the most out of the reading and to prepare you to discuss it in class, there will be occasional short written homework assignments that you will complete as you do the reading. These will be collected in class. There will also be “digs” – short exercises that will require you to examine primary sources. Over the course of the semester there will be perhaps 5-6 of these assignments. You may do as many as you like, but you must do at least two.

Midterm and Final Examinations

The Midterm and Final Examinations will consist of short answer questions and long essays. You will have a choice of topics for the long essays. You will also receive review questions that will help you study for the short answer questions. You are responsible for bringing an unmarked blue book to the midterm and the final.

Paper Assignments

The paper assignments will focus on the material covered in the readings and during class discussion. Each paper must be at least 1500 words. There will be a choice of topics handed out well before the due date. Since the paper topics will address issues we have previously discussed in class, it will be useful to take notes during our discussions and keep in mind the questions and themes that emerge from these discussions – you will likely see them reappear in the paper topic questions.

Surviving History 485…

Attendance

Since active student participation is crucial to the class’s success, you are expected to be at every meeting. I do take attendance. Frequent absences will dramatically lower your course grade. Excessive absences will put you in jeopardy of failing the course, regardless of your grades on the written assignments. If you are a person who rarely attends class and relies on copying notes from a friend, you would be best served by registering for another class. Or, perhaps more to the point, you might reconsider why you are in college in the first place.

Common Courtesy

You are at a university among professional people so you should act like you belong here. Do not embarrass yourself by behaving badly. Please turn off and put away all cell phones and other electronic gadgets while you are in class. Texting during class is rude and people who do it are advertising to those around them that they don’t know how to behave in a professional environment. Please arrive on time and do not walk out in the middle of class unless it is an emergency or you have spoken to me about it ahead of time. Do not talk, listen to music, or surf the internet in class. I’m not blind. I can see you, and such behavior is very distracting. Beyond that, rude and disruptive behavior reflects poorly on you and leaves the impression that you are not the kind of person who belongs on a university campus. It also annoys your classmates who are paying good money to be here. Please act courteously and professionally. Show some class. It’s part of being an educated person.

Academic Honesty

Do not lie to me about why you missed class or failed to turn in an assignment. It is unnecessary and it insults my intelligence. Nobody likes to listen to excuses – even semi-legitimate ones. If you want to score points with me, hand me the late assignment, apologize, grin sheepishly if need be, and leave it at that. Admitting you screwed up takes guts, and I respect people who just own up to their mistakes. The chronic excuse makers, on the other hand…. Do not cheat on quizzes or tests. I will catch you and you will receive an automatic zero for the assignment. Do not plagiarize from written sources or from the web. Since plagiarism is always obvious and easily caught (I know how to use google too), it is better to hand in your own work and get a C- than someone else’s and get a zero. Any and all plagiarized assignments will receive a grade of zero and put you in jeopardy of failing the course. Your name will be reported to the Office of Student Affairs and will also be circulated among other faculty as someone who lacks integrity. Good luck getting a reference or letter of recommendation if you are on this list. If you are unsure what plagiarism is, please consult with me or the teaching assistant BEFORE you hand in an assignment.

Problems

I appreciate that many CSUN students are stretching themselves quite thin, often working full time while taking a full load of classes. If you are feeling overwhelmed, find yourself falling behind, or are having any problems outside of class that are adversely affecting your performance in class, be sure to let me know. I am more than willing to work with you to insure you “survive,” but I need to know you are having difficulties. Do not wait until the end of the semester when it will be too late. Either come to see me or send an email as soon as a problem arises and we can work something out. If you are struggling academically, I will gladly give you extra help. As long as you keep me up to speed, you will find I am a very empathetic, even reasonable person.

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