GT35M Comparative Foreign Policy
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University of the West Indies
Mona Campus
 
Jamaica
Department of Government

Welcome to the GT35M Comparative Foreign Policy homepage!
Last updated 12 December 2004 10,45am

 
This web site is for you, the GT35M students. A class web site can be a creative way of getting students excited about a subject, keeping them up to date on assignments, and providing them with valuable online resources.
 
On this site you will find the course outline with links to online readings, lecture notes, plenty of links so students can explore a wealth of ideas on the web, past exams, and a little bit about me.

I have used websites like this in the past and they appear to have been well received by my students. I hope you will find it useful and fun, and I welcome any feedback and suggestions you might have.

Why do states do what they do? This course introduces the theory and practice of foreign policy, first by exploring the fundamental concepts in foreign policy formulation and implementation, and then by applying these conceptual ideas to a number of different nation-states. We consider the tools, theories, and concepts necessary to analyze the foreign policies of different international actors. We examine a number of sources of foreign policy, including individual policy makers, characteristics of the domestic political environment, and international systemic factors. The course utilizes case studies of real foreign policy events to illustrate and evaluate the concepts introduced. By the end of the course the students should have an appreciation and critical understanding of the basis and rationale for different countries’ policies in the world, and basic knowledge of the foreign policies of the countries we study in the course, as well as those of other countries.

Course Requirements Students will be assessed based on the following: Tutorial attendance 5% Weekly Tutorial presentation 5% To be assigned Take home, open book midterm tests—two, 15% each 30% 28 February & 11 April Final examination 60% Date to be posted by Exams


Semester II AY 2004-5 January-April 2005 Comparative Foreign Policy


Prerequisites: GT11A & 11B and any second year political science or IR course

Lecturer: Dr. D. Thorburn Class time and place: Wednesday 2-4, SR10

gt35m@hotmail.com