america and its visions of the world course syllabus

8/6/2019 America and Its Visions of the World Course Syllabus

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Baruch College, City University of New York

America and Its Visions of the WorldAMS 4900 / IDC 4050 / REL 4900

Fall 2008, Tuesday & Thursday, 11.10am-12.25pm, VC 8190

Professor John Brenkman

Department of English

Office: Room 7-249, Vertical Campus

Office Phone: 646-312-3921

Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00-11:00am and by appointment

Professor Dov Waxman

Department of Political Science

Office: Room 5-275, Vertical Campus

Office Phone: 646-312-4421Email: [email protected]

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 5.30-6.30pm and by appointment

Course Description:

America’s vision of the world shapes its decisions and actions in foreign affairs. Are we

at the “end of history” where liberal capitalism is the triumphant ideology? Or is the

world today a “clash of civilizations,” in which different civilizations compete for globalsupremacy? Has globalization rendered the world “flat”? Is the world caught in the

conflict of “Jihad vs. McWorld”? Or is a new contest of American, European, and

Chinese empires emerging? In this course, we will examine different visions of theworld through a reading of major contemporary foreign policy thinkers.

Course Requirements:

Participation: Discussion and debate during class is expected. You must come to class

prepared to discuss the assigned readings as well as current events. Current events will

often be used to illustrate points discussed in class. You must therefore read a major newspaper (e.g., The New York Times) every day in order to keep up with current events.

Presentation: Once during the semester you will make a fifteen minute presentation to

the class on the assigned reading of the week.

Papers: You will have to write two papers (maximum 10 double-spaced pages, 12 point,

Times Roman font). The first paper (due November 6th) will critically examine andcompare the perspectives of two of the authors covered in the course. For this paper, you

should try to read their entire books, not just the assigned readings. The second paper

(due December 16th) will apply the perspectives of one or more of the authors covered inthe course to analyze a current international issue or event.



Grading:

Participation: 20 points

Presentation: 20 pointsPapers: 60 points

Total: 100 points

Letter Grading System:

90-100 = A

80-89 = A-70-79 = B+

60-69 = B

50-59 = B-

40-49 = C+30-39 = C

20-29 = C-

15-19 = D+

10-14 = D0-9 = F

We reserve the right to make adjustments to this system to take into account the overall performance of the class.

Course Policies

Attendance:

Class attendance will be recorded. In accordance with the official policy outlined in the

Baruch College Undergraduate Bulletin, freshmen and sophomores with more than four missed classes will be automatically dropped from the course (i.e., receive a grade of

WU). Juniors and seniors with more than four missed classes will have their final grade

lowered, but extenuating circumstances will be taken into account.

Classroom Conduct:

ARRIVING LATE interferes with other students’ learning and is not acceptable.Repeated latecomers will be penalized.LEAVING EARLY is disruptive, and is strongly discouraged.You must TURN OFF CELL PHONES BEFORE CLASS.EATING IN CLASS is rude and distracting to other students; it is not permitted.

Students with Disabilities:

Students who require reasonable accommodations or modifications should speak with us

as soon as possible. You should also contact the Office of Services for Students withDisabilities, part of the Division of Student Development and Counseling.

Cheating and Plagiarism:

Your work must be your own. Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and will not

be tolerated. For definitions of cheating and plagiarism you should consult the Academic

Honesty website: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.htmlWe will give a failing grade (F) to any assignment that has been plagiarized.



SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS:

Week 1 (August 28)

No assigned readings: Introduction and course overview

Week 2 (September 2, 4)

Francis Fukuyama, “The End of History?” The National Interest , Summer 1989Samuel P. Huntington, “No Exit: The Errors of Endism,” The National Interest, Fall 1989

Week 3 (Sept 9, 11)

Samuel P. Huntington, “The Clash of Civilizations?” Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993

Fouad Ajami, “The Summoning,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 1993

Edward Said, “The Clash of Ignorance,” The Nation, October 4, 2001

Week 4 (Sept 16, 18)

Robert Kaplan, “The Coming Anarchy,” The Atlantic Monthly, February 1994

G. John Ikenberry, “The Myth of Post-Cold War Chaos,” Foreign Affairs, May/June

1996

Week 5 (Sept 23, 25)

Thomas L. Friedman, “It’s a Flat World, After All,” The New York Times, 3 April 2005John Gray, “The World is Round,” The New York Review of Books, 11 August 2005

Week 6 (October 2)

Benjamin R. Barber, “Jihad vs. McWorld,” The Atlantic Monthly, March 1992

Moisés Naím, “Five Wars of Globalization,” Foreign Policy, January/February 2003

Week 7 (Oct 7)

Fareed Zakaria, “The Future of American Power: How America Can Survive the Rise of

the Rest,” Foreign Affairs, May/June 2008

Week 8 (Oct 16)

Robert Kagan, “End of Dreams, Return of History,” Policy Review, August/September

2007Chrystia Freeland, “The new age of authoritarianism,” Financial Times, 12 August 2008

Francis Fukuyama, “They can only go so far,” The Washington Post , 24 August 2008



Week 9 (Oct 21, 23)

Parag Khanna, “Waving Goodbye to Hegemony,” The New York Times, 27 January 2008

Week 10 (Oct 28, 30)

Richard Holbrooke, “The Next President,” Foreign Affairs, September/October 2008

Barack Obama, “Renewing American Leadership,” Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007

John McCain, “An Enduring Peace built on Freedom,” Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007

Week 11 (November 4, 6)

Charles S. Maier, “An American Empire? The Problems of Frontiers and Peace in

Twenty-First-Century Politics,” in Lloyd Gardner and Marilyn B. Young, eds. The New American Empire, pp. xi-xix

Jack Snyder, “Imperial Temptations,” National Interes

t, Spring 2003Bruce Cummings, “Is America an Imperial Power?” Current History, November 2003

Michael Mann, Incoherent Empire, Introduction

Week 12 (Nov 11, 13)

Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military

Conflict from 1500 to 2000, Introduction, Ch. 8, Epilogue

Week 13 (Nov 18, 20)

Niall Ferguson, Colossus: The Price of America’s Empire, Introduction, Ch.5,Conclusion

Michael Ignatieff, “The Burden,” The New York Times, 5 January 2003

Week 14 (Nov 25)

Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire, pp. 160-204

Week 15 (December 2, 4)

No assigned readings

Week 16 (Dec 9, 11)


Week 17 (Dec 16)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Great_Powers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Great_Powers

america and its visions of the world course syllabus

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