Foreign Policy Analysis

1. Define and explain the concept of foreign policy.
2. Analyze the role of national interest in shaping foreign policy decisions.
3. Compare and contrast different approaches to foreign policy analysis.
4. Evaluate the impact of globalization on foreign policy.
5. Assess the influence of domestic and international factors on foreign policy.
6. Apply theoretical frameworks to analyze real-world foreign policy case studies.

13 weeks, about 54 hours in total. Yours will differ.

1. Week 1Module 1: Understanding Foreign Policy

   • Unit 1: The Nature of Foreign Policy · 3 hours

     Read the definition of foreign policy.. Analyze the problems associated with defining foreign policy.. Identify related components of foreign policy..

2. Week 2Module 1: Understanding Foreign Policy

   • Unit 2: Foreign Policy and National Interest · 3 hours

     Define the concept of national interest.. Analyze the role of national interest in foreign policy formation.. Discuss the linkages between national interest and foreign policy.. Differentiate between principles of national interest and foreign policy..

3. Week 3Module 1: Understanding Foreign Policy

   • Unit 3: National Interest versus Other Interests · 3 hours

     Differentiate between national interest and societal interest.. Explain long-term, middle-term, and short-term goals in relation to national interest..

4. Week 4Module 1: Understanding Foreign Policy

   • Unit 4: Globalization: A New Foreign Policy Approach · 3 hours

     Identify changes in traditional foreign policy approaches.. Link the reasons for these changes.. Assess the effect of globalization on foreign policy behavior of nation-states..

5. Week 5Module 2: Foreign Policy Analysis

   • Unit 1: Approaches to Foreign Policy Analysis · 3 hours

     Explain the classical or traditional approach to foreign policy analysis.. Analyze the decision-making approach.. Discuss the comparative or adaptive perspective approach..

   • Unit 2: Levels of Analysis · 3 hours

     Study the incremental decision-making approach.. Examine game-theoretical analysis in foreign policy..

6. Week 6Module 2: Foreign Policy Analysis

   • Unit 3: Foreign Policy Environments · 4 hours

     Analyze foreign policy in the context of external and internal environments.. Appraise the effect of the environment on foreign policy decisions of nation-states.. Explain the impact of internal and external environments on foreign policy formulation..

7. Week 7Module 2: Foreign Policy Analysis

   • Unit 4: Problems of Foreign Policy Analysis · 4 hours

     Identify the problems confronting foreign policy analysis.. Discuss the pitfalls in the study of foreign policy.. Clarify how foreign policy was explained by major theories of International Relations..

8. Week 8Module 3: Foreign Policy Decision Making

   • Unit 1: The Unitary Actor and Rational Decision Making · 3 hours

     Assess the states being referred to as unitary actors.. Discuss policy making in the light of rational choice.. Highlight the impediments to rational choice by policy makers..

   • Unit 2: The Bureaucratic Politics of Foreign Policy Decision Making · 3 hours

     Analyze bureaucratic efficiency and rationality in foreign policy decision making.. Highlight the limits of bureaucratic organization behavior in foreign policy making..

9. Week 9Module 3: Foreign Policy Decision Making

   • Unit 3: The Role of Leaders in Foreign Policy Decision Making · 4 hours

     State the role of leaders as foreign policy decision-makers.. Describe leaders as makers and movers of world history.. Assess factors affecting leader's capacity to lead..

10. Week 10Module 3: Foreign Policy Decision Making

    • Unit 4: Constraints on Foreign Policy Making · 4 hours

      State the constraints on foreign policy making.. Examine the prospects out of the constraints.. Evaluate the recommended tools to overcome the constraint..

11. Week 11Module 4: Means or Capability Factors and Their Impact on Policy Decisions

    • Unit 1: Structural Characteristics · 3 hours

      Discuss the structural characteristics of the international system.. Differentiate between vertical and horizontal authority structures.. Explain the level and scope of interactions among international actors..

    • Unit 2: Types of Government · 3 hours

      Explain the impact of the political system of a country on its international behavior.. Appraise foreign policy performance of some democracies.. Discuss the importance of interest groups in foreign policy formulation..

12. Week 12Module 4: Means or Capability Factors and Their Impact on Policy Decisions

    • Unit 3: Military Capabilities & Economic Development · 4 hours

      Explain the importance of a buoyant economy in states' international behavior.. Discuss 'might' as a function of economic capabilities.. Explain the importance of Gross National Product in identifying great powers..

13. Week 13Module 4: Means or Capability Factors and Their Impact on Policy Decisions

    • Unit 4: Geographic Influences (Geopolitics) · 4 hours

      Explain the influence of geography on foreign policy decisions.. Explain how national roles of a state characterize its foreign policy.. Discuss the flexibility of capability factors..