United States Foreign Policy during the Cold War

Course number: JTM262

Instructor: doc. PhDr. Francis D. Raška, PhD.

E-mail: francis.raska@fsv.cuni.cz

Office hours: Tuesdays from 3:30 PM until 4:30 PM in Building C, Office C419

Wednesdays from 3:30 PM until 4:30 PM in Building C, Office C419

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

This seminar course seeks to help students gain a basic understanding of American foreign policy during the Cold War years. Students will be expected to analyze the similarities as well as the differences in policy approaches during different periods. Attendance and active class participation are mandatory. Students will be expected to read the assigned materials to be able to contribute to class discussions. All readings will be provided to students electronically. Students should ask themselves the following questions: Why did the Cold War break out? Where did American foreign policy succeed and where did it fail? How did American policy differ towards Europe and the developing world?

COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION PROCEDURES

Each student will be awarded a final mark based upon the following criteria:

Class participation 30%

Term paper 50%

Oral examination 20%

Grading is based on the Dean's Measure no. 20/2019: https://fsv.cuni.cz/deans-measure-no-20/2019

91% and more => A
81-90% => B
71-80% => C
61-70% => D
51-60% => E
0-50% => F

Again, attendance and participation in class discussions are required and each student will be expected to write a paper containing 10 to 15 double-spaced pages. I will need to approve paper topics beforehand and I will expect students to let me know ahead of time by e-mail that they are unable to attend a particular class session. Unfortunately, I have not been happy with the number of unexcused absences by some students in the past as well as the repeated failure by some to read the assigned materials. I will be stricter in this course as well as my other courses from now on. Family and medical emergencies constitute legitimate grounds for absence. During the first weeks of the course, we will agree as a group on the date by which the paper topics are to be submitted. If I am not satisfied with the progress of some students’ work, those involved may be asked to withdraw from the course. The papers themselves will be due at the end of the semester. The actual submission date for the papers will be set following a discussion by the group on the matter. Please note that students are expected to disclose all sources cited in the form of footnotes. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism.Plagiarism will be punished by the disciplinary committee of the Faculty of Social Sciences. Unfortunately, circumstances no longer permit me to be as lenient as I was in the past regarding papers submitted after the deadline. Papers submitted after the due date will be accepted only in the case of a documented medical, academic, or family emergency. In addition, I reserve the right not to accept papers from students who fail to attend class sessions and/or do not participate in class discussions. This translates into “No work, no credit.” I will insist that students let me know how they are getting on with their work throughout the course of the semester. I strongly urge students to have the assigned readings prepared on time to be able to participate in class discussions. Some time will be spent during the first session(s) discussing how to write papers. All students can expect to be examined orally on the topic of their essay at the end of the term. Questions asked during individual examination periods may involve the given topic as well as the research methods employed. Finally, I would like to stress that, for the course to be successful, we need to work together as a group of dedicated, mature scholars whose members communicate constructively with one another. Let the festival of learning begin! Good luck!

TEXTS

Dietl, Ralph L., The Cold War Endgame: Geopolitics, Arms Control, and a Planned Revolution, 1984-1991, Lanham, MD, 2022.

Harper, John Lamberton, The Cold War, Oxford, 2011.

Hixson, Walter L., American Foreign Relations: A New Diplomatic History, New York, 2016.

Santos, Michael Wayne, United States Foreign Policy, 1945-1968: The Bomb, Spies, Stories, and Lies, Lanham, MD, 2020.

Westad, Odd Arne, The Cold War: A World History, New York, 2017.

COURSE TOPICS AND ASSIGNED READINGS

Background and Early Cold War

Santos, Michael Wayne, United States Foreign Policy, 1945-1968: The Bomb, Spies, Stories, and Lies, pp. 1-43.
Santos, Michael Wayne, United States Foreign Policy, 1945-1968: The Bomb, Spies, Stories, and Lies, pp. 45-81.

President Eisenhower and the Cold War

3. Hixson, Walter L., American Foreign Relations: A New Diplomatic History, pp. 263-282.

4. Westad, Odd Arne, The Cold War: A World History, pp. 183-231.

The 1960s

5. Harper, John Lamberton, The Cold War, pp. 110-163.

6. Westad, Odd Arne, The Cold War: A World History, pp. 261-338.

The Grim and Largely Unsuccessful 1970s

7. Harper, John Lamberton, The Cold War, pp. 164-206.

8. Hixson, Walter L., American Foreign Relations: A New Diplomatic History, pp. 349-360.

9. Westad, Odd Arne, The Cold War: A World History, pp. 339-421.

The 1980s: Ronald Reagan, the Path to Victory, Endgames

10. Dietl, Ralph L., The Cold War Endgame: Geopolitics, Arms Control, and a Planned Revolution, 1984-1991, pp. 3-97.

11. Westad, Odd Arne, The Cold War: A World History, pp. 527-616.