This is a lecture/discussion course that will examine American diplomacy and American foreign relations from 1898 to the present in the larger context of world history. Students can expect to gain knowledge of the most significant events, personalities, and driving forces in the history of American foreign relations; knowledge of policies and attitudes of other nations and peoples toward past and present American foreign policy. You can expect to practice the skills involved in comparing and contrasting interpretations of the history of American foreign relations offered by analysts of differing political persuasions from the United States and abroad. You can also expect to practice the skills involved in analyzing issues in past and present American foreign relations based on perspectives drawn from other disciplines, including history, economics, and international relations/political science policy analysis. You can also expect to practice the skills involved in critical analysis of media-produced treatments of American foreign relations history. Two historical documentaries will be shown in class: "The Crucible of American Empire" about the Spanish American War, and "The Fog of War" – former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara reflects on American diplomacy and the Cold War. No previous college level knowledge of American foreign relations is assumed.  

Jerald A. Combs, THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY VOL II FROM 1895, THIRD EDITION, 2008
Publisher: M.E.Sharpe  Paperback ISBN: 978-0-7656-2056-9

Dennis Merrill & Thomas G. Paterson, MAJOR PROBLEMS IN AMERICAN FOREIGN RELATIONS, VOL II SINCE 1914, SIXTH EDITION, 2005
Publisher: CENGAGE  Paperback ISBN: 13: 9780618370399

Class participation 20% (includes attendance and contribution to discussions)

Take-home essays 40% (two essays, each worth 20%) Oct. 15 and Dec. 3

Class presentation 15% Dates to be arranged

Book review 15% May be submitted anytime before Dec. 3

Documentary Critiques 10% (two, each worth 5%) Due Sept. 15 and Dec. 3

Take-home Essays:

The essays must utilize both primary sources (the documents in Major Problems) and secondary sources (The History of American Foreign Relations and the essays by historians in Major Problems). Both the primary and secondary sources, all of which are listed in the readings assigned week by week in the agenda below, must be used if students wish to qualify for an "A" or "B" grade.

Material from lectures should be used and cited whenever it is relevant to the topic of the essay. Essays must be five to seven pages maximum, typewritten, and double-spaced. Use a type font no smaller than 12. Staple the pages in the upper left-hand corner and do not use a cover page or a folder. Essays will be assigned letter grades.  Grading will not be based on a grading curve. Essays will be graded on composition as well as substance. For guidelines for writing analytical history essays and an explanation of grading criteria see

1. Describe the causes and consequences of United States participation in World War I with specific reference to the writings of Woodrow Wilson, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jane Addams, and Herbert Hoover.

2. Describe the long-term causes of United States entry into World War II and America’s approach to defeating the Axis powers with specific reference to the writings of Gerald P. Nye, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.

1. Compare and contrast the viewpoints regarding the relative responsibility of the United States and the Soviet Union for the Cold War and the Korean War, with specific reference to the primary and secondary sources in chapters 5 – 8 in Major Problems.

2. Compare and contrast the viewpoints regarding the diplomacy of presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard M. Nixon, and Ronald Reagan, with specific reference to the primary and secondary sources in chapters 9 – 13 in Major Problems.

Each student will present an oral report based on a primary source illustrating a significant issue in the history of American foreign relations; the report will be presented during one of the Thursday classes. This will be a 15 to 25 minute presentation describing the source and analyzing its significance for understanding American foreign policy history. Each student will submit a summary of 3 to 4 pages at the time of the presentation. The reports will be based on the primary source documents in Major Problems in American Foreign Relations. 

Class Presentation Guidelines:
Prepare and present a report on one of the sources in the Major Problems textbook.

This assignment is designed to afford students an opportunity to learn and practice the skills used in presentations.   Please follow the following guidelines in preparing and delivering your report. Prepare a one page outline of your report for the class, and submit a three to four page summary to the instructor, at the beginning of class the day of your presentation.
 
            Address the Following Questions Explicitly

                 A. Who is the author of this primary source and why was it produced?
                 B. What are the main points developed in this primary source?

            (Points A and B should be covered in no more than five minutes)

C. What can we learn about American diplomatic history and foreign relations history from this particular source?

            Spend a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 15 minutes on this section

More general guidelines for presentations are available at

Each student will write critiques of two historical documentaries, one about the Spanish American War and one based on "The Fog of War." The documentaries will be shown in class, and instructions for the assignment will be distributed in class.

Completion of reading assignments in advance of class meetings and consistent presence and participation in class are fundamental requirements for the course. If it is necessary for you to be late or absent, it is your responsibility to inform the instructor and to make arrangements for covering any material missed. An excessive number of absences (more than three) will result in the lowering of the final grade by five percentage points per absence. Please arrive on time to  class.  Occasional instances of arriving late may be unavoidable, but habitual lateness is rude and demonstrates disrespect to the instructor and to other students. Please turn off cell phones, and plan to remain in class during the entire meeting.

Students should review the guidelines below in order to prepare for active and productive participation in discussions. Lectures will not merely review the assigned reading but will instead expand upon issues of controversy and interpretive questions related to the topic. Getting the most out of lectures requires that you read the material on the lecture topic in the assigned books before the lecture, so that you can be prepared to understand the additional information provided in the lecture. Attendance at lectures, conventional wisdom to the contrary notwithstanding, is not a "passive" experience, at least not to those who choose to be fully – in mind as well as body – present.

All written work will be evaluated on the basis of substance and composition. Students are responsible for keeping copies of all written assignments that they submit. The due dates for assignments  are made well in advance of the due dates,  so there  should be no reason for extensions to be granted.  Consequently,  all late papers will be penalized: by one grade if the  paper  is not submitted in class on the  due  date;  by another grade for every class meeting the paper is delinquent (no papers  will  be accepted after one week; a grade of  F  will  be recorded). All course work must be completed in order to receive a passing grade in this class. Only a doctor's written excuse or a similar  documentation  in

writing of medical treatment, university  sports  team responsibility,  or  employment-related emergency will  exempt a student from the above requirement.

College policy on Incompletes: students qualify for incomplete grades only if they have completed 2/3 of the total coursework and are responding to unforeseen circumstances. In this class, students must complete all work except the second take home essay to qualify for consideration of an incomplete. Students who have not completed substantial coursework should not assume that they will be "given" an incomplete at the end of the semester.

Class participation will count 20% of your course grade and will be based on the criteria below.

Are the points you make in discussion substantive and relevant to the topic under consideration? Are your comments linked to the comments of others?

Do your comments indicate that you have been listening carefully to the lecture and to the discussion?

Do your comments clarify and highlight the important aspects of earlier comments and do they lead to a clearer statement of the concepts and data being covered?

Do your comments show that you are willing to interact in a positive and supportive manner with other class members and the instructor?

Do your comments show evidence of analysis beyond a simple reaction based primarily on emotions, values, ideologies?

Do your comments show your ability to distinguish among different types of analytical approaches, i. e. economic, political, social, cultural, psychological, linguistic, ideological, ethical, moral, etc.?

Do your comments indicate your desire to advance our understanding of the subject matter by developing an appreciation of the complexity of human behavior?

             Do your comments indicate your willingness to examine and entertain new ideas and
             perspectives while at the same time adopting a skeptical and critical spirit?

Class and Exam Schedule. Readings should be completed prior to the Tuesday meetings.

Thursday August 27: Introduction

Tuesday: Overview of 18^th and 19^th Century Foreign Relations

Thursday: Discussion of the Historiography of American Diplomacy

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 1 all

Tuesday: Documentary: The Spanish American War

Thursday: Documentary: The Spanish American War, discussion

Tuesday: World War I and the Challenge of Neutrality

Thursday: Versailles, Self-Determination, and the League of Nations Fight

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 2 all; Combs, chapter 1 & 2

Tuesday: The Twenties and Thirties & the Rise of Totalitarian Governments

Thursday: The Road to World War II

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapters 3 & 4 documents 1-3; Combs, chapters 3 & 4

Tuesday: The United States and World War II

Thursday: Planning the Peace: Wartime Diplomacy

Reading: Mand P, chapter 4 documents 4-8 and essays 1&2, plus ch. 5; Combs, ch. 5

Tuesday: Origins of the Cold War

Thursday: The Truman Doctrine, Point IV Program, and Information Agencies

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 6 all; Combs, chapter 6

Tuesday: The Korean War

Thursday: The Red Scare – or Red Menace? **First Paper due today Oct. 15

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 7 all; Combs, chapter 6

Tuesday: Eisenhower’s Foreign Policy: The CIA and Covert Action

Thursday: Eisenhower’s Foreign Policy: Containment and Confrontation

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 8 all; Combs, chapter 7

Tuesday: JFK Cultural Diplomacy: The Peace Corps and the Alliance for Progress

Thursday: The Cuban Missile Crisis

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapters 9&10 all; Combs, chapter 8

Tuesday: The Vietnam War, part 1: Early US Involvement through the Tet Offensive

Thursday: The Vietnam War, part 2: Vietnamization, Cambodia, and the Peace Talks

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 11 all; Combs, chapter 9

Tuesday: Nixon and Kissinger

Thursday: Carter’s Vision: Human Rights and Foreign Relations

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 12 all; Combs, chapter 10 & 11

Tuesday: Reagan: Interventions in Latin America, Arms Race and Star Wars

Thursday: Ronald Reagan and the End of the Cold War

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 13 all; Combs, chapter 12

Tuesday: The End of the Cold War, from Bush to Clinton

Tuesday: Documentary: The Fog of War, Robert McNamara Looks Back

Thursday: Conclusion –American Diplomatic history since 9/11

Reading: Merrill and Paterson, chapter 14 all; Combs, chapters 13 & 14

The Mills College Mission:

Students will learn to think critically.
Students will learn to communicate responsibly and effectively.
Students will develop as leaders and innovators in their chosen endeavors.
Students will learn to develop and realize their own creative visions across the arts and sciences.

History Department learning outcomes:

Students will possess the ability to appraise historical and archival resources.
Students will possess the ability to distinguish and evaluate competing positions and narratives.
Students will possess the ability to construct and articulate independent, reasoned, and historically grounded perspectives.

1. To develop a working knowledge of the most important changes and continuities in the role of the United States in world affairs, including formal diplomacy and economic and cultural relations, with emphasis on the period since 1913.

2. To become familiar with using primary and secondary sources in order to develop a critical appreciation of history as lived experience, history as written by historians, and history as used by governments or other institutions to shape public opinion.

3. To gain practice in using the skills of historical analysis: writing accurate descriptions; making effective evidence-based arguments; making comparisons and contrasts; developing reliable explanations; constructing thoughtful interpretations of the meaning and significance of historical events.

1. Students will demonstrate the ability to distinguish between primary and secondary historical sources and to use these sources critically in connection with American diplomatic and foreign relations history.

2. Students will demonstrate the ability to assess the assumptions, theses, and competing points of view regarding the issues addressed in the primary and secondary sources concerning American diplomatic and foreign relations history.

3. Students will demonstrate the ability to distinguish among and critically evaluate the nationalist, realist, and revisionist interpretive perspectives in the writing of American diplomatic and foreign relations history.

3. Students will demonstrate the ability to utilize skills of description, comparison and contrast, and synthesis in the construction of analytical essays based on evidence from primary and secondary sources concerning American diplomatic and foreign relations history.

Detailed criteria to be used in measuring student success in accomplishing the outcomes above can be found at the following locations:

Criteria for evaluating critical reading

Students who need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability are invited to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in the Cowell Building on campus (phone: 510.430.2264; email: disability@mills.edu).

This course is conducted under the Mills College Honor Code, which is in the Student Handbook, pp. 142-143, and can be downloaded on: http://www.mills.edu/academics/undergraduate/catalog/student_life.php#student_standards

(Grades on your essays will be assigned using this evaluation form)

Name_______________________________ Grade_________

Criteria Points Percent

1. Professional Appearance of Essay /20 10%

Neatness, free from typographical

errors, correct spelling/grammar,

appropriate margins and spacing

2. Quality of Writing /30 15%

Coherent, concise, informative,

rational and logical discussion

developed persuasive argument/thesis,

clarified issues, avoided long rambling

sentences.

3. Followed Instructions /20 10%

Carried out the intent of the essay

assignment as outlined in syllabus

guidelines, thesis stated explicitly, causal

analysis addressed directly.

4. Analysis /70 35%

Developed an analysis based on primary

and secondary sources and course lectures.

Essay is logical progression from thesis

and statement of purpose through conclusion.

Analysis shows command of course reading

materials and lecture material.

5. Effort and Initiative /30 15%

Demonstrated creativity in analyzing

source materials and critical thinking

in the use of sources in relation

to thesis.

6. Accomplished stated purpose /30 15%

Synthesized material in own words,

backed statements with references in

footnotes, drew conclusions based on

sound evidence, summarized the main

points, achieved the purpose stated in

the introduction to the essay.

Total Points /200

Comments _________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________