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Institutions and Foreign Policy of the United States of America
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:1.00
Study Course Accepted:05.03.2024 14:57:28
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | SZF_024 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.67 | ECTS: | 4.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Political Science | Target Audience: | Political Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Edijs Bošs | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 10 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 20 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 10 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 20 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 40 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | English at a good level | ||||||||
| Objective: | The course aims to provide an overview of the institutions involved in U.S. foreign policy making and to present to students the ideas and actors that have defined U.S. activity in the system of international relations. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Familiarising with course structure and concepts. Political order in the United States. Democracy and federalism. Domineering political ideologies. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Large U.S. political parties and their ideological characteristics. Functions and powers of the U.S. Congress. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 3 | Public opinion and political socialisation. Social and economic justifications of political choices. Interest groups and their impact on politics of the United States. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 4 | Powers of presidency in the U.S. internal and foreign policy. Civil service management. Role of the National Security Council in U.S. foreign policy processes. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 5 | Constitutional roles and impact of the U.S. Department of State, Department of Defense, Special Operations community and U.S. Congress in shaping the foreign policy of the United States. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 6 | Interinstitutional processes in shaping the foreign policy of the United States. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 7 | Presidents and candidates: comparison of personalities and foreign policy ideas. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 8 | United States as a global power: its politics and role in Europe. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 9 | United States as a global power: its role and politics in the Middle East. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 10 | United States as a global power: its role and politics in East Asia. | Lectures | 1.00 | other | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 11 | Exam | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | Reports, summaries. To assess the overall quality of the study course, the student must complete the course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Assessment on a 10-point grading scale. Final assessment: 1. preparedness for seminars (50%); 2. examination (50%). | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | |||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | The course will look at the foundations of U.S. federalism, the ideology of main political parties, the most powerful interest groups, and also provide insights into the interaction between the executive power and the legislator in shaping foreign policy. The course looks at U.S. foreign policy settings against three global regions: Europe, the Middle East and East Asia. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Students will develop skills in analysing foreign policy of the United States. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Interpretation and perception of developments in foreign policy and international relations. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Visa literatūra ir angļu valodā un piemērota gan latviešu, gan angļu plūsmas studentiem | ||||||||
| 2 | Jarel A. Rosati, James M. Scott. The Politics of the United States Foreign Policy. 8th ed. London: Sage, 2024. | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | Fareed Zakaria. "The Self-Doubting Superpower". Foreign Affairs, January/February, 2024. | ||||||||
| 2 | Robert M. Gates. "The Dysfunctional Superpower". Foreign Affairs, November/December, 2023. | ||||||||
