U.S. Foreign Policy and International Relations
Coordinator:
Simon Serfaty
Among the virtues of U.S. Foreign Policy and International Relations as a field of concentration is its multi-faceted approach. By its very nature, the study of this field requires that students develop a thorough understanding of all of the concepts and conditions that serve as key components in the making of foreign policy. These factors include --but need not be limited to-- economic, cultural, and political considerations. Emphasis is placed on the fundamentals of foreign policy: the construction, the execution, the evolution, and the implications. The seminars in this field allow our students to examine the transformation of the U.S. role in the world in the global context of the 20th Century and help them to identify the distinguishing characteristics of the unfolding global order of the 21st Century.
In our intimate seminar setting, debate focuses, for instance, on Cold War and post-Cold War U.S. relations with former communist states and the security issues related to their democratic transformation and economic reform, as well as reemerging ethnic cleavages. Efforts on the part of the U.S. government, as well as activities of non-governmental and private voluntary organizations are examined and principal security issues, such as NATO enlargement, the possession of chemical and biological weapons, adherence to nuclear non-proliferation agreements, and ethnic conflict are discussed. Doctoral candidates are urged, but not required, to take at least one history course dealing with the pre-1945 years.
Students selecting this field as their major or minor must complete U.S. Foreign Policy and World Order (IS 606) as their required field course. M.A. students must select two more courses within the field; Ph.D. students must choose four more courses. Students are strongly advised to take courses other than those listed below only in consultation with the field coordinator.
Students are also advised that they have the opportunity to enrich their classroom experience through Independent Study/Directed Research projects with the agreement and under the supervision of the field coordinator.
Field seminars
