HS 285 - History of American Foreign Relations
Description
This course helps students to understand the U.S. foreign policy-making process from a historical perspective. In addition, students develop an understanding of American interactions with other nations and regions of the world, become familiar with the methods of historical analysis, strengthen their research and writing skills, and develop a capacity to weigh various debates surrounding historical problems as well as to judge their relevance to the present.
Focusing on the complex ideologies and goals, as well as the historical systems and events, that have driven the past, produced the present, and guide the future of American foreign relations, this seminar is designed to focus on the 20th century, encouraging students to make connections between past and present U.S. foreign policy.
Credit Hours: 3
Contact Hours: 3
Prerequisites/Other Requirements: None
English Prerequisite(s): None
Math Prerequisite(s): None
Course Corequisite(s): None
Academic Program Prerequisite: None
Consent to Enroll in Course: No Department Consent Required
Dual Enrollment Allowed?: Yes
Number of Times Course can be taken for credit: 1
Programs Where This Course is a Requirement:
None
General Education Requirement:
Humanities and Social Sciences
General Education Learner Outcomes (GELO):
2. Communication: Demonstrate effective communication through listening, speaking, reading, or writing using relevant sources and research strategies, 3. Critical Thinking: Gather and synthesize relevant information, evaluate alternative perspectives, or understand inquiry as a means of creating knowledge
Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Translate or explain what written information means and/or how it can be used. (GELO3)
2. Use high-quality, credible, relevant sources to support writing. (GELO2)
3. Create and/or organize data and information into meaningful patterns in order to interpret and draw inferences from it. (GELO3)
4. Evaluate information to identify limitations and biases. (GELO3)
Course Outline:
I. Introductions and An Imperial Leap in the 1890s
A. Cuba
B. The Philippines
C. Economics and Ideology
II. WWI: Global Power and American Ideals
A. Neutrality
B. Wilsonianism
III. Isolationism and Interventionism, 1920s & 1930s
A. International Commitments
B. Treaties
C. The Concept of Normalcy in Foreign Relations.
IV. The U.S. at War: 1941-45
A. The Path to War
B. Connections between Home and Abroad
C. Long-term Goals
V. Origins of the Cold War
A. Ideology and Economics
B. Defining Security in the Post-war World
C. The Soviet Threat?
D. Atomic Diplomacy
VI. The Suez Crisis: America and Britain
A. Causation and Alliance Politics
B. Nasser and Nationalism
C. The Bigger Picture
VII. Foreign Policy in the New Frontier
A. Latin America
B. Southeast Asia
C. Foreign Policy at Home
VIII. The Vietnam Crisis
A. Escalation
B. Public Opinion and Morale
C. End Game?
IX. Foreign Policy under Nixon, Ford, & Kissinger
A. Vietnamization
B. Tri-polartity
C. Latin America
X. A decade of Détente, Changes, and limitations: the 1970s
A. Sino-U.S. Relations
B. Soviet Policy and Leadership
C. Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
D. Revolutions in Iranian-U.S. Relations
XI. The Reagan Years; A Second Cold War?
A. Afghanistan
B. Iran-Contra
C. Star Wars
XII. The Problems of a “New World Order”
A. End of the Cold War?
B. New Revolutions
C. Energy and the Environment
XIII. “The End of History” or “The Coming Anarchy?”
A. Fuyukama
B. Huntington
C. Kaplan
Approved for Online and Hybrid Delivery?:
No
Instructional Strategies:
Lecture: 50-80%
Discussion based on secondary resources and primary sources: 20-50%
Mandatory Course Components:
Course components can be modified as long as the student learning outcomes are being met for humanities and social sciences and as long as they fall within the ranges listed below. Any major deviations from the suggested material will have to be vetted through the department.
Papers: 30-40%
Exams: 40-50%
Presentation and Participation: 10-20%
Quizzes and Written Assessments: 10-20%
Equivalent Courses:
N/A
Accepted GRCC Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Credit: None
AP Min. Score: NA
Name of Industry Recognize Credentials: None
Course prepares students to seek the following external certification:
No
Course-Specific Placement Test: No
Course Aligned with ARW/IRW Pairing: IRW 98, IRW 99
Mandatory Department Assessment Measures:
Course Type:
General Education- Offering designed to meet the specific criteria for a GRCC Distribution Requirement. The course should be designated by the requirement it fulfills.
Course Format:
Lecture - 1:1
Total Lecture Hours Per Week: 3
People Soft Course ID Number: 104815
Course CIP Code: 54.0101
Maximum Course Enrollment: 36
General Room Request: None
School: School of Liberal Arts
Department: Social Sciences
Discipline: HS
First Term Valid: Winter 2018 (1/1/2018)
1st Catalog Year: 2017-2018
Faculty Credential Requirements:
18 graduate credit hours in discipline being taught (HLC Requirement), Master’s Degree (GRCC general requirement)
Faculty Credential Requirement Details:
18 graduate credit hours in history, with a strong focus in the history of US foreign relations
Major Course Revisions: Prerequisite, General Education Review
Last Revision Date Effective: 20220216T13:33:41
Course Review & Revision Year: 2026-2027
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