Department of Government, The University of West Indies at Mona

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GT35M

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Tutorials

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GT35M - Comparative Foreign Policy

Tutorials

Tutorials are intended to be student-centred discussions in which we attempt to combine the theoretical and conceptual issues covered in the lecture and the readings with what is happening in the real world. We will do this by combining analyses of current news issues with the content of the readings and lectures. Tutorial presentations will be guided by some key questions and will comprise an overview of what has been covered in the class and readings that week, and then an illustration of what the student has learned using a current international relations/foreign policy issue. A copy of the news article(s) should accompany the presentation, as well as a brief written summary of your main points (no more than two pages is necessary), with the attendant bibliography (not included in the two pages). Students should attempt to involve their classmates in the discussion.

Tutorial Schedule

TUTORIAL DATES	LECTURE TOPIC	TUTORIAL QUESTIONS
2 Feb - 8 Feb		Tutorial introduction
10 Feb - 15 Feb	The Individual as Foreign Policy Maker	How much do individual personality traits matter? How limited are the choices facing decision-makers?
16 Feb - 22 Feb	State-level variables – bureaucracy, domestic politics	Who defines national interest? Does bureaucratic politics explain the foreign policies of countries? What does it mean to say that the state resists society? Does democracy equal peace? Should we, to avoid war, convert states to democracy? How does bureaucratic politics work in the country featured in your chosen news article?
23 Feb - 2 Mar	Religion and foreign policy	Is religion more important in understanding foreign policy today than, say, 10 years ago? If yes, why do you think this is so?
2 Mar - 8 Mar	AWAY – FILM	What is the film about? What does the film say about foreign policy? To what extent do we know that the film portrays reality?
9 Mar - 15 Mar	The international system I	Discussion of midterm test
16 Mar - 22 Mar	The international system II (economy)	How do economic forces result in political outcomes? Is the contemporary international economic system different now than it was 10 years ago? 20 years ago? 100 years ago? How has this affected foreign policy according to the article you have chosen?
23 Mar - 5 Apr	Integrating the levels	Is it better to have stable authoritarian political systems as neighbours or unstable democracies? Should we expect more conflict? Where? Is preserving the status quo better than encouraging an uncertain future?
30 March Easter Holiday
6 Apr - 12 Apr	The media & foreign policy	Frank Rich , The Nascar Nightly News: Anchorman Get Your Gun. New York Times 5 December 2004 . Can we speak of the media as a single entity? What is the best way to stay informed about foreign affairs? What does the term "propaganda" mean? How can we recognize propaganda when we see it?
13 Apr - 19 Apr	Public opinion and foreign policy	What do publics want? Do they care about foreign policy? Does a country's position on foreign policy represent the opinion of all of its citizens?
20 Apr - 26 Apr	US foreign policy	Discussion of midterm test
27 Apr - 3 May	Middle East foreign policy	Based on the lecture & readings, and with reference to your chosen news item, which level of analysis best explains the situation at hand?
4 May - 10 May	African foreign policy	Based on the lecture & readings, and with reference to your chosen news item, which level of analysis best explains the situation at hand?
11 May - 18 May	Latin American foreign policy	Refer to discussion questions in Latin American and Caribbean Foreign Policy from the chapter on the country your presentation covers.

D. Thorburn

January 2005