Postgraduate Module Descriptor

POLM104: US Foreign Policy

This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.

Module Aims

The aims of this module are to provide you with an advanced introduction to the study of US foreign policy. The course will cover the Cold War, post-Cold War and post 9/11 periods, with heavy emphasis placed on contemporary debates in US foreign policy, particularly debates over hegemonic transition to China, the utility of US unipolarity and US decline. If you take this course, and participate fully, you will leave with a firm grasp on key debates in US foreign policy and knowledge of potential global strategic trends, US grand strategy and the contingent nature of world order.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

This module's assessment will evaluate your achievement of the ILOs listed here - you will see reference to these ILO numbers in the details of the assessment for this module.
On successfully completing the programme you will be able to:
Module-Specific Skills1. demonstrate substantive knowledge of US foreign policy, the context in which it develops as well as the applicability of a range of theoretical positions to case studies and international crises;
2. display knowledge of the contemporary historical dimensions of US foreign policy and world order;
Discipline-Specific Skills3. develop analytical understanding of the development of US foreign policy as a field of academic knowledge and its applicability to a range of case studies and situations;
4. exercise informed judgment concerning the role of the US in world politics;
Personal and Key Skills5. conduct independent research, exercise critical judgment, write cogently and persuasively; and
6. develop individual and team confidence based on taking personal responsibility for knowledge interpretation, assimilation and articulation.