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Foreign Policy Decision Making


Course Description

The processes by which decision makers select choices and foreign policy strategies. Rational, cognitive, and cultural explanations will be explored.


Athena Title

Foreign Policy Dec Making


Prerequisite

INTL 3200 or INTL 3200E or INTL 3200H or INTL 3300 or INTL 3300E or INTL 3300H


Semester Course Offered

Offered every year.


Grading System

A - F (Traditional)


Student learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, students will be able to recall and apply key concepts in international affairs (e.g., the international system, actors in the international system, the principles of sovereignty and anarchy).
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to compare and contrast various political systems and consider their advantages and disadvantages from the perspective of different societal actors.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to explain, critique, and apply the major theoretical approaches and models used within international relations and comparative politics.
  • By the end of this course, students will have practice evaluating the causes and effects of historical and contemporary global events, by choosing and applying appropriate theoretical models, interpreting and contextualizing past research findings, and/or analyzing empirical data (qualitative or quantitative).
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to locate sources of data and evaluate their credibility and their appropriateness for testing a given theory or hypothesis.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to articulate opinions on certain global issues, informed by the application of theoretical models, research findings, and/or empirical data (qualitative or quantitative).
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to express their opinions on certain global issues through formal writing assignments and have the opportunity to revise and refine their writing in response to feedback from the instructor.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to identify the key components of social science research.
  • By the end of this course, students will be able to appreciate and analyze policy interdependence--that is, how the choices that one actor or group of actors make (e.g., citizens, firms, countries) affect the lives and decisions of other actors or groups of actors.

Topical Outline

  • Classical Approaches
  • Contemporary Rationalism
  • Decision Making in Groups
  • Decision Making and Institutions
  • Early Cognitive Approaches
  • Contemporary Cognitive Psychology
  • Behavioral Decision Theory
  • Norms and Values
  • Constructivism
  • Post-Modern and other Critical Perspectives

Syllabus


Public CV