POL 332 Republic or Empire: Ideas and Practice in American Foreign Policy
The debate continues today in arguments over American involvement in the Middle East, the proper posture toward international alliances, and whether humanitarian concerns may justify war. The course will be taught by a team of Fellows at CUA's Center for the Study of Statesmanship as well as guest lecturers and visitors from the academic, political, and policy worlds, and will explore the development and trajectory of American foreign policy from the perspective of the history of ideas, connecting issues of human nature and the moral life to practical questions of international affairs, constitutionalism, and the paradoxes of American exceptionalism. Readings will be drawn from history, philosophy, and case studies in American and international politics. It will include at least one excursion to a foreign policy-related event in Washington, D.C. Counts for American, World, and Theory concentrations in Politics. Enrollment may be selective based on academic standing and interest.