The aim of this course is to familiarize students with theories and concepts relevant to the comparative analysis of foreign policy and their empirical application. Students learn to recognize, understand, and evaluate these theories, but also use them to analyze and compare cases (including by choosing appropriate methods). They are to develop their own arguments as regards causes, processes and consequences of foreign policy. Different cases and empirical applications are woven throughout the course and its materials.
After this course, students are able to
- place the sub-field of Foreign Policy Analysis within International Relations and Political Science
- identify the most important theories and theoretical developments in the field, as well as critically assess research that utilizes them
- apply them in the analysis of different foreign policies, actors and institutions, both in seminars as well as in writing
formulate own analyses and arguments on questions, causes, processes and outcomes of foreign policy, including in writing, based on knowledge of relevant literature and empirical cases
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- Part 1 explains the scope of foreign policy analysis in differentiation from theories and approaches of IR
- Part 2 focuses on the domestic, group and individual drivers and processes of foreign policy. It investigates how the foreign policy process is shaped by different structures, actors, tools, and cross-cutting factors such as gender or race.
- Part 3 focuses on conceptual intersections and applications in historical and empirical perspective.
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The course builds on the courses “Introduction to Political Science (part International Relations)”; “International Organizations”; “Comparative Politics: Democratization” and “Political Science Research Methods I”. It prepares for the third-year courses “Theories of International Relations” and “International Political Economy”.
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The course builds on the courses “Introduction to Political Science (part International Relations)”; and is connected with “International Organizations”; “Comparative Politics: Democratization” and “Political Science Research Methods I” in terms of covered materials. It prepares for the third-year courses such as “Theories of International Relations” and “International Political Economy”.
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- Weekly mini-blogposts. Once per week, students write weekly blogposts in response to short questions. The blogposts do not receive a separate grade. Students must complete at least four out of six possible blogposts to qualify for the final essay.
- Short individual assignments in academic essay format. The assignments will be graded and can positively or negatively affect the overall course grade.
- Final essay covering all course material. Students will be asked to evaluate concepts, theories and/or cases of foreign policy in an own argument.
The blogposts do not carry over into the next year; the partial grades for the mini-assignments (A1/A2) do
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