SUİ345

School of Economics and Administrative Sciences \ Political Science and International Relations

3

6

Elective

English

-

Departmental elective for students of the Political Science and International Relations department, faculty or university elective for other departments.

Understanding American foreign policy and the links between foreign policy making and social and political structure in the US closely is crucial for the students of political science and international relations. The course is divided into two main sections: a) American political system and b) American foreign policy.

C. Jillson. American Government: Political Change and Institutional Development. 4th edition Routledge, 2008.
B.W. Jentleson. American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century. 4th edition W.W. Norton, 2010.

The aim of the first section of this course is to provide students with background information on the general functioning of the American system. This section will first provide the students with information about the basic values ​​of American society and the major constituents of American political culture. Then, students will learn about the basic institutions of the American government system and their mechanism. The second part of the main body of the course will be devoted to an in-depth analysis of American foreign policy. In this section, the conceptual basis of American foreign policy will be discussed at first. Then, the evolution of American foreign policy in different historical periods as well as the fundamental debates shaping American foreign policy in each period will be discussed in a chronological order. Thus, how the US power's potential, its role in world politics, and its priorities changed over two hundred years will be examined. The information obtained about the history of American foreign policy will make looking at today's debate from a broader perspective easier for students. At the end of the course, by focusing on the post-Cold War period , the main issues defining the agenda of American foreign policy in this period will be discussed. In addition to analyzing the issues facing the United States, the methods that different governments follow in coping with these problems will also be discussed. Furthermore, the institutions involved in the construction of American foreign policy and the impact of public opinion, interest groups and lobbies in this process will be discussed.

1. Students will learn the basic functioning of American government system at a foundational level.
2. Students will learn the major turning points and main debates in the evolution of American foreign policy.
3. Students will learn the debate on how the American foreign policy should be conducted in the post-Cold War era.
4. Students will be able to analyze American foreign policy by using different international relations theories.

Week 1: Introduction and Course Outline
Week 2: Political Culture in American Society
Week 3: Origins of American Political System:
Week 4: Conceptual Foundations of American Foreign Policy: American Foreign Policy Culture
Week 5: Conceptual Foundations of American Foreign Policy
Week 6: American Foreign Policy- until the Second World War
Week 7: American Foreign Policy- Until the Second World War continued
Week 8: American Foreign Policy- Cold War Era
Week 9: Amerikan Dış Politikası- American Foreign Policy- Cold War Era
Week 10: American Foreign Policy- Post-Cold War Era
Week 11: Debate on Unipolarity and American Hegemony
Week 12: Foreign Policy Making Porcess and Actors, and Interest Groups and Lobbies

• Midterm % 25
• Final % 40
• Participation % 10
• Quiz % 25