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There are 5 modules in this course
Welcome to The Making of US Foreign Policy course! This course seeks to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the United States’ Foreign Policy (USFP). Through this course, you will look at the evolution of USFP from its founding to the present. You will analyze the role of the institutions which play a role in defining USFP. You will also explore how the USFP relies on trade and economic interdependence to define global economic relations.
In this module, you will learn about America’s participation in world affairs from the republic’s inception in 1776 to the end of World War I. The module also discusses the Monroe Doctrine, Roosevelt’s Corollary, Wilsonian Idealism, the League of Nations, and America’s Isolationism. You will also gain an insight into how the United States became a great power and reluctantly played a major role in world affairs.
Manifest Destiny and American Exceptionalism•10 minutes
The Monroe Doctrine•8 minutes
Territorial Expansion: The Mexican War and the Civil War•11 minutes
The Spanish-American War and International Expansion •10 minutes
The Roosevelt Corollary•8 minutes
A Flood of Immigrants: 1880-1913•11 minutes
Wilsonian Idealism•9 minutes
The League of Nations•9 minutes
America’s Isolationism•10 minutes
4 readings•Total 370 minutes
Course Overview•10 minutes
Essential Reading: The Origins of American Foreign Policy•120 minutes
Essential Reading: America Becomes a World Power•120 minutes
Essential Reading: America Steps Back from the World Stage•120 minutes
4 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Graded Quiz: The Development of American Foreign Policy•30 minutes
The Origins of American Foreign Policy•12 minutes
America Becomes a World Power•9 minutes
America Steps Back from the World Stage•9 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 30 minutes
The Most Feasible Approach to Foreign Policy for the Rest of the World•30 minutes
Institutions and Processes of the US Foreign Policy
Module 2•12 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will explore prominent hallmarks of the US domestic political life and their impact on its foreign policy. This will specifically include the institutional structure of the Presidential form of governance with its separation of powers under the aegis of democracy. You will also learn about the powers and oversight of the apex offices, including the White House, the US State Department, the US Congress, Senate, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Council, etc. This module also delves into the role and impact of public activism, particularly in times of conflict, its consequence on foreign policy goals, and the role of public support in the democratic political process. You will also gain an insight into the bipartisan aspect of the US politics and analyze whether divergences on the domestic front are reflected in foreign policy aspirations. Lastly, the module also makes a comparative analysis with friends and foes of the US and how their domestic political environment is similar or dissimilar while looking at transnational institutions, particularly those where the US leadership has been critical in determining a regional or global balance of power.
Essential Reading: Bipartisan Politics and Foreign Policy•60 minutes
Recommended Readings: Bipartisan Politics and Foreign Policy •120 minutes
5 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Graded Quiz: Institutions and Processes of the US Foreign Policy•30 minutes
Domestic Political Structure•9 minutes
Grassroots Activism, Civil Society Actors, and Corporate Power •9 minutes
Transnational Security Architecture•9 minutes
Bipartisan Politics and Foreign Policy•3 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 30 minutes
What is More Impactful While Directing Foreign Relations?•30 minutes
The US During World War II and the Cold War
Module 3•8 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will learn about the rise of the United States as a global power, its role in World War II, and the advent of the nuclear age. The module also analyzes the impact of the US foreign policy and global outlook and how the US shaped the liberal international order by creating the UN and its affiliated institutions. The module also discusses the Cold War with the Soviet Union, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the containment strategies for the USSR such as NATO, the Marshall Plan, and the Truman Doctrine. You will also gain an insight into US interventions in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan (1979), and detente with the USSR. The module also looks at the US and the Cold War in Asia and its continuing relevance in contemporary international politics. Lastly, through this module, you can appreciate how the US has dealt with fellow great powers and weaker powers, and the grand strategy that has motivated the US since 1945.
From America First to Keeper of Global Strategic Balance•10 minutes
Building a Post-War Liberal Order•9 minutes
The Unravelling of Alliances After World War II•10 minutes
Cold Peace to Cold War•10 minutes
Division of the World•10 minutes
Interventionism and Global Ideological Struggles•10 minutes
The Soviet Collapse and a New World Order•10 minutes
China, Russia, and the New Cold War•10 minutes
Is the US Ready for Renewed Bipolarity or Multipolarity?•10 minutes
3 readings•Total 300 minutes
Essential Reading: Isolationism to Proactiveness•120 minutes
Essential Reading: Fighting the Evil Empire•60 minutes
Recommended Reading: Contemporary Echoes of the Cold War •120 minutes
4 assignments•Total 57 minutes
Graded Quiz: The US During World War II and the Cold War•30 minutes
Isolationism to Proactiveness•9 minutes
Fighting the Evil Empire•12 minutes
Contemporary Echoes of the Cold War•6 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 30 minutes
The US Foreign Policy During the Cold War•30 minutes
Configuring US Role in the Unipolar World
Module 4•6 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will learn about how the United States has managed its rise following the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and why instead of countering the United States, many of the nations are bandwagoning with the superpower. You will also learn about different concepts such as hegemonic stability theory, balancing, and bandwagoning; the international power structure; and the role of smaller nations in configuring their best national interests. The module will also highlight the role that the United States has been playing in political, economic, cultural, social, and defense fields. Further, you will gain an insight into the power multiplier aspects of a nation which includes technology, information, connectivity, and the emergence of digital evolution. Finally, you will learn about the role that the US plays as a constabulary and expeditionary power and why it is critical for order at the international level.
Introduction to Global Power Configuration•7 minutes
Emergence of the US After the Disintegration of the Soviet Union•8 minutes
Concepts Related to Power•9 minutes
The Geopolitical Influence of the US•6 minutes
The Economic Clout of the US•9 minutes
The Socio-Cultural Influence of the US•7 minutes
The US Influence in International Institutions•9 minutes
The US Alliances and Major Alliance Partners•9 minutes
The US Military Bases and Military Power•9 minutes
Balancing and Bandwagoning: The Critical Challenges for Nations •7 minutes
3 readings•Total 180 minutes
Essential Reading: Introduction and Examination of the Different Phases of Global Power Order•60 minutes
Essential Reading: Role of the US in the Unipolar World •60 minutes
Essential Reading: Major Instruments of US Power•60 minutes
4 assignments•Total 60 minutes
Graded Quiz: Configuring US Role in the Unipolar World •30 minutes
Introduction and Examination of the Different Phases of Global Power Order •9 minutes
Role of the US in the Unipolar World •12 minutes
Major Instruments of the US Power•9 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 30 minutes
The US in Global Order•30 minutes
The US Policy Toward Trade, Economics, and Globalization
Module 5•6 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will learn about how the United States drives economic globalization and the role it plays in international economic institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The module also discusses the impacts of the global financial crisis of 2008 as well as the contemporary US-China trade war, which is redefining global economic relations. Finally, you will also gain an insight into the trade dimensions of the US-India relationship, delving into both past and possibilities.
Introduction to the US Policy Toward Trade, Economics, and Globalization•6 minutes
Expansion of the Trading System and Creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO)•11 minutes
Doha Development Round and the China Challenge•10 minutes
The End of the Unipolar Moment and the Birth of the G2 System•10 minutes
The US-China Trade War: Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), Intellectual Property, and Other Concerns•10 minutes
The Current Status of the US-WTO Relationship•10 minutes
US-India Bilateral Trade Relations•10 minutes
Points of Friction in the US-India Trade Relationship•11 minutes
US-India Trade: Future Relationship•10 minutes
Course Wrap-Up Video•2 minutes
3 readings•Total 180 minutes
Essential Reading: Introduction and the US International Trade Developments•60 minutes
Essential Reading: Emerging Economic Challenges and a Changing World Order •60 minutes
Essential Reading: The US-India Trade Relationship: The Past, Present, and Future •60 minutes
4 assignments•Total 87 minutes
Graded Quiz: The US Policy Toward Trade, Economics, and Globalization•30 minutes
Introduction and US International Trade Developments•18 minutes
Emerging Economic Challenges and a Changing World Order•21 minutes
The US-India Trade Relationship: The Past, Present, and Future•18 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 30 minutes
Effect of Backlash Against Globalization•30 minutes
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Taking this course by O.P. Jindal Global University may provide you with a preview of the topics, materials and instructors in a related degree program which can help you decide if the topic or university is right for you.
O.P. Jindal Global University is recognised as an Institution of Eminence by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It is also ranked the No. 1 Private University in India in the QS World University Rankings 2021. The university has 9000+ students across 12 schools that offer 52 degree programs. The university maintains a 1:9 faculty-student ratio.
It is a research-intensive university, deeply committed to institutional values of interdisciplinary and innovative learning, pluralism and rigorous scholarship, globalism, and international engagement.
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