1. LG211: America and the Wider World Lecture 1: The US & the Wider World Francesco Cavatorta School of Law and Government DCU Francesco.cavatorta@dcu.ie

2. Who am I? Francesco Cavatorta  International Politics  Middle East Politics Francesco.cavatorta@dcu.ie C238 – Tuesdays 10:00-12:00 or by appointment Who are you?

3. Overview: Aims of the Course Course Outline Practical Issues:  Reading  Classes  Assessment Questions? US Foreign Policy –Introduction

4. Aims of the course Guiding question: Has the USA had a foreign policy mission since the end of the Cold War?  Grand Strategy The aim of this course is to allow students to develop an understanding of US Foreign Policy as it has developed in the post Cold War world To familiarise themselves with the process and practice of US Foreign Policy To develop research and communication skills based on that knowledge

5. Course Structure: Two parts: Part 1:  Structure and processes of US Foreign Policy Part 2:  US Foreign Policy in action Cold War Post Cold War War on Terror

6. Practical Issues: Reading The recommended course text is:  Bruce W. Jentleson, American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century, 3 rd or 4 th Edition (New York) Also recommended:  Wittkopf, Eugene, Charles W. Kegley, Jr., James M. Scott, American foreign policy: pattern and process, 7th ed (California, 2008) It is also advisable to keep up with current events from an American perspective, both the Washington Post and the New York Times have good websites. The Economist also has good reporting on the US CNN, Fox News, and C-Span are all available free online

7. Practical Issues: Reading In the readings associated with each lecture, given below, you should note that the essential readings are marked with an *, therefore you should ensure that you read the marked reading(s) first. Do not feel compelled to read all the readings on each topic. If a particular topic interests you, go further down the list. Many of the readings are available online This reading list is not exhaustive, students are encouraged to go beyond the sources listed below whenever possible

8. Practical Issues: Assessment The Assessment for this course is broken down into 3 parts: One Essay worth 60% of the final mark, one article review worth 20% of the final mark and attendance worth 20% of the final mark. The essay should not exceed 2,500 words. The article review should not exceed 1,000 words. The essay should be chosen from the list of topics on page 7 of this outline. Alternatively Students can come up with their own topics subject to my approval The essay is due Tuesday, May 7 at 3pm, The article review is due Tuesday, April 23 3pm. Guidelines on essay writing, grading system, and plagiarism are available on Moodle

9. Practical Issues: Assessment 1 signed hardcopy to the School drop box on the 2 nd floor of the Henry Grattan building (see coversheet on Moodle) 1 electronic copy to www.turnitin.comwww.turnitin.com (.doc,.rtf) Instructions will be available on moodle, please set up your account as soon as possible if you do not have already