Foreign Policy Analysis

2024/2025

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

6

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Департамент политологии и международных отношений

Статус:

Курс обязательный

Когда читается:

4-й курс, 1, 2 модуль

Преподаватель

Шевцова Ирина Константиновна

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Why and how particular foreign policy decisions are being made? Why did it produce a failure or bring an unexpectable success? The course both overviews different approaches to the foreign policy analysis and implies the application of approaches to the analysis of the real cases of foreign policy decision making. The course focuses on priority explanation of foreign policy outcomes by domestic political factors, which influence the decision-making of political leaders, give the constraints and incentives. The course examines different theoretical approaches to foreign policy analysis, including the role of bureaucracy, public opinion and emotions, as well as constructivist and rational-choice explanations of foreign policy decision making, and concept of the two-level game.

Learning Objectives

• To introduce the key approaches to foreign policy analysis
• To develop skills of deep analysis of foreign policy outcomes
• To develop skills to analyze domestic-foreign policy linkage

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Is able to analyze foreign policy outcomes
• Is capable of executing applied analysis of the political phenomena and political processes
• Is capable of retrieving, collecting, processing and analyzing information relevant for achieving goals in the professional field
• Knows the key approaches to the foreign policy analysis
• Is able to analyze the domestic-foreign policy linkage

Course Contents

• Introduction to FPA. Foreign Policies and Political Regimes
• Rational Actor Model and the Foreign Policy
• Two-Level Game and Foreign Policy
• Bureaucratic Politics and Organizational Model of Foreign Policy
• Public Opinion and Foreign Policy
• Operational Codes and Foreign Policy
• Psychological Theories of Foreign Policy: Groupthink and Emotions
• Foreign Policies and Institutional Settings
• Written assignment (related to the online course)
• Final Essay

Assessment Elements

• In-class participation
  Seminars evaluate students’ progress and ability to critically assess the readings. The component is calculated as an average grade achieved on the seminars
• Written assignment
  Written assignment (10%) is focused on application and critical analysis of international relations theories and based on the material of the online course “Understanding international relations theories”
• Teamwork
  The teamwork is designed to allow students to analyze cases of foreign policy decision-making in teams applying the approaches discussed in lectures and seminars
• Final essay
  The final exam is conducted in a form of an individual essay. The deadline for the essay will be announced in the middle of the course.

Interim Assessment

• 2024/2025 2nd module
  0.4 * Final essay + 0.3 * In-class participation + 0.2 * Teamwork + 0.1 * Written assignment

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Alex Mintz, & Dmitry (Dima) Adamsky. (2019). How Do Leaders Make Decisions? : Evidence From the East and West, Part A. Bingley: Emerald Publishing Limited. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=2107620
• Beasley, R. K., & Kaarbo, J. (2014). Explaining Extremity in the Foreign Policies of Parliamentary Democracies. International Studies Quarterly, 58(4), 729–740. https://doi.org/10.1111/isqu.12164
• Carlsnaes, W. (1992). The agency-structure problem in foreign policy analysis. International Studies Quarterly, 36(3), 245. https://doi.org/10.2307/2600772
• Fearon, J. D. (1994). Domestic Political Audiences and the Escalation of International Disputes. American Political Science Review, (03), 577. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.cup.apsrev.v88y1994i03p577.592.09
• Hudson, V. M. (2005). Foreign Policy Analysis: Actor-Specific Theory and the Ground of International Relations. Foreign Policy Analysis, 1(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1743-8594.2005.00001.x
• Hudson, V. M., & Vore, C. S. (1995). Foreign policy analysis yesterday, today, and tomorrow. International Studies Quarterly, 39(3), 209. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=asn&AN=9601194480
• Joshua D. Kertzer, & Thomas Zeitzoff. (2017). A Bottom‐Up Theory of Public Opinion about Foreign Policy. American Journal of Political Science, (3), 543. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajps.12314
• Kevin H. Wang. (1996). Presidential Responses to Foreign Policy Crises. Journal of Conflict Resolution, (1), 68. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.sae.jocore.v40y1996i1p68.97
• Marsh, K. (2014). Obama’s Surge: A Bureaucratic Politics Analysis of the Decision to Order a Troop Surge in the Afghanistan War. Foreign Policy Analysis, 10(3), 265–288. https://doi.org/10.1111/fpa.12000
• Morin, J.-F., & Paquin, J. (2018). Foreign Policy Analysis : A Toolbox. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=1672782
• Noone, H. (2019). Two-Level Games and the Policy Process: Assessing Domestic–Foreign Policy Linkage Theory. World Affairs, 182(2), 165–186. https://doi.org/10.1177/0043820019839074
• Qingmin, Z. (2016). Bureaucratic Politics and Chinese Foreign Policy-making. Chinese Journal of International Politics, 9(4), 435–458. https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/pow007
• Stuart N. Soroka. (n.d.). ARTICLE Media, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsbas&AN=edsbas.9F83003B
• Weeks, J. L. (2008). Autocratic Audience Costs: Regime Type and Signaling Resolve. International Organization, (01), 35. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.a.cup.intorg.v62y2008i01p35.64.08
• Whyte, G. (1989). Groupthink Reconsidered. Academy of Management Review, 14(1), 40–56. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.1989.4279001

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Kuperman, R. D. (2001). Rules of military retaliation and their practice by the State of Israel. International Interactions, 27(3), 297–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050620108434987

Authors

• SHEVTSOVA IRINA KONSTANTINOVNA