National Security Policy (PSC 2400-001) Syllabus
Office hours: You are welcome to phone or stop by my office any time, any day; unless I'm unusually busy, I'll talk to you then. I am in my office almost all weekdays, mid-morning through early evening. Often, I’m there Sunday afternoons or evenings. Do feel free to talk to me about any aspect of the course, about politics, or anything else on your mind.
Goal of this course: that you become familiar with the ways that the U.S. government has addressed national security issues, primarily in the Cold War and post-Cold War eras, and that you learn how to use some essential theories to make sense of international affairs and U.S. policymaking.
Required reading: (1)--James Bamford, Body of Secrets: Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency; (2)--Bob Woodward, Bush at War; (3)--National Conference of Bishops, The Challenge of Peace: A Pastoral Letter on War and Peace (Note: Two copies of The Challenge of Peace, which is brief, are at the reserve room of the library, if you do not wish to purchase it.); (4)--Assigned articles (especially on the current terrorism challenge and conflict in Iraq) from the Washington Post website at
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ . Usually on Wednesdays, I will announce assigned readings from the newspaper to be read for the following Monday’s quiz. If you miss this announcement, it is your responsibility to find out what has been assigned. There is no charge or registration involved in accessing the Post’s website. I suggest you print assigned articles, so that you may study them.Grading: Brief quizzes on the assigned readings are usually given on Mondays (but see below). You are responsible for readings listed for that day, plus any readings since the previous quiz. (Note that this course emphasizes close reading--be prepared to read and re-read the assigned chapters and to take substantial notes on your readings.) The grade for a missed quiz is 0. (If you give evidence showing an important reason for having missed the quiz, then I may allow you to do a 4 page make-up paper.) Because I give quizzes in every course I teach, I do not give make-up quizzes!
The average of your quiz grades will count for 30% of your course grade. Each examination will count for 30% of your course grade. 10% of your course grade will be the grade I assign to you for your participation in class discussions. Please note that attendance affects the participation grade also; if you miss more than two classes, it will not be possible to earn an "A" for participation. The easy way to earn an "A" for participation is to attend all classes, and at least occasionally raise questions and take part in discussions. I strongly encourage your questions and comments in class on the lecture/reading topics. (At the end of the semester, I will average all your grades to determine an overall numerical course grade. For how that grade translates into a letter grade, see the end of the syllabus.)
The two examinations will cover readings and lectures equally. Note also that most lectures are not specifically about the readings for that particular day. Some topics show up in lectures, some in readings, some in both.
Makeup exams are not given, except when there is written proof of hospitalization of the student or a death in the immediate family.
Please remember to turn off cell phones and pagers in class. If, in some rare case, you plan to leave class before it is finished, it is a matter of common courtesy to inform me of this before class!
Schedule of lectures and readings: [Note: the Post articles assigned for quizzes are not listed below. I will assign them as they are published.]
January 12--L[ecture]: Introduction to the course; human nature, the state and the international system: Causes of war. R[ead]: none.
14 --L: Causes of war, II. R: Bamford, ch. 1-2.
19 --Martin Luther King Day (no classes)
21 --Quiz # 1. L: Realism and Interdependence: Theories of inter. relations. R: Bamford, ch. 3-4.
26 --Quiz # 2. L: Realism and Interdependence, II. R: Bamford, ch. 5.
28 --L: Review presidents. R: Bamford, ch. 7. (Note: we are skipping ch. 6!)
February 2 –Quiz # 3. L: The Constitution: powers of presidency and Congress. R: Bamford, ch. 7.
4 --L: War powers: original intent. R: Bamford, ch. 8.
9 –Quiz # 4. L: America becomes a superpower, 19th century to WW II. R: Bamford, ch. 8.
11 --L: America becomes a superpower, II. R: Bamford, ch. 9.
16 –Quiz # 5. L: Constructing a post-WW II advisory system--the NSC. R: Bamford, ch. 9.
18 --L: The U.S. and Iraq; the U.S. and North Korea. R: Bamford, ch. 10.
23 –Quiz # 6. L: Presidential primacy. R: Bamford, ch. 10.
25 –EXAM # 1.
[Spring break]
March 8 --Quiz # 7. L: Bureaucratic Politics theory. R: Bamford, ch. 11.
10 -- L: Bureaucratic politics theory. R: Bamford, ch. 12 (skip p. 505, from 1st full paragraph through 1st full paragraph on p. 516).
15--Quiz # 8. L: Congress and National Security. R: Bamford, ch. 12 (but see above exception).
17--L: The Supreme Court; Secretary of State. R: Bamford, ch. 13.
22--Quiz # 9. L: Sec. of Defense. R: Bamford, ch. 13.
24 –L: Terrorism; preview Challenge of Peace. R: Challenge of Peace: "Summary," "Kingdom and Hope," Moral Choices for the Kingdom" (read all subsections!), and "Challenge and Hope."
29 --Quiz # 10. L: The Joint Chiefs of Staff; Discuss Challenge of Peace. R: Challenge of Peace (sections listed above.)
31 --L: The Joint Chiefs. R: Woodward, Note to Readers, ch. 1-5.
April 5 –Quiz # 11. L: CIA/intelligence establishment. R: Woodward, Note to Readers, ch. 1-5.
7 --L: CIA, etc. R: Woodward, ch. 6-12.
12 –Easter Break (no classes)
14 –Quiz # 12. L: Nuclear deterrence: theory, technology, and policy. R: Woodward, ch. 6-12.
19 – Quiz # 13. L: Nuclear deterrence, II. R: Woodward, ch. 13-16.
21 – L: The Cuban Missile Crisis R: Woodward, ch. 17-22.
26 –Quiz # 14. L: ABM/SDI/NMD, LBJ to G.W. Bush R: Woodward, ch. 17-22.
28 --L: ABM/SDI/NMD. R: Woodward, Epilogue.
DATE: TBA--EXAM # 2
Grade Appendix
Numerical grade/Letter grade
95-100 A
90-94 A-
88-89 B+
84-87 B
81-83 B-
78-80 C+
75-77 C
73-74 C-
72 D+
70-71 D
Below 70 F