Unit information: US Foreign Policy in 2021/22

Unit name	US Foreign Policy
Unit code	POLI30017
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Ashley Dodsworth
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

How should the U.S. respond to global nuclear proliferation? What is the best way to navigate changes in the global economy? Under what circumstances should America use military force? How should U.S. policymakers react to rapid advances in communication technology? What issues and challenges will confront the U.S. in the future? The economic, military, political and cultural reach of the United States internationally remains significant. This makes studying and understanding the actions that the U.S. government takes in the world ‘important. Complexes of histories, institutions, practices, people, objects and ideas working both domestically and internationally – from the military to the media - shape the decision-making processes that underlie U.S. foreign policy. This unit provides theory, history, and debates on current U.S. foreign policy issues to provide students with a basis for understanding the transformations and continuities in U.S. Foreign policy as a means to pressing foreign policy issues.

The aims of this unit are to:

• develop students’ knowledge and understanding of, and ability to critically evaluate, US foreign policy;
• provide a participatory approach to learning in which students can further develop their independent research and communication skills.

Intended Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes of this unit are to:

1. Demonstrate a sophisticated awareness of the major themes, events, structures, and actors that have influenced US foreign policy, both historically and in the contemporary era;
2. Evaluate different approaches to the analysis of US foreign policy;
3. Offer a critical evaluation of US foreign policy.

Teaching Information

The unit will be taught through blended learning methods, including a mix of synchronous and asynchronous teaching activities

Assessment Information

1. 1,500 word essay (25%).
2. 3,000 word essay (75%).

The assessments will evaluate all of the intended learning outcomes listed above

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. POLI30017).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.