Modern American Foreign Relations
History 544B, Spring 2014
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, Ph.D.
AL568, phone: 594-0148, E-mail: ehoffman@mail.sdsu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 2-3:00, Thursday 11-12:00
This class examines the evolution of U.S. foreign relations in the twentieth and twentyfirst centuries. By definition, it is also a history of the world community. The period
begins with the first attempts by the United States to exert international power at the start
of the twentieth century and concludes more than 100 years later with the U.S. as the
world’s primary (but not exclusive) global “police” force. We also examine the effects of
this relationship to the world on Americans’ sense of identity and security, and the effects
of American actions on other peoples and nations.
Readings: Readings must be completed by the Thursday of the week for which they are
assigned. Please come to class prepared to ask questions about or make comments on the
readings every Thursday. Quizzes on the readings will be roughly every two weeks.
Term paper: Each student must write a historical research paper on a topic concerning
U.S. foreign relations in the twentieth century. The paper should be 8 to 10 pages, plus
footnotes and bibliography. (Graduate student papers are 16-20 pages.) It is due on
March 25. Late papers will not be accepted. Undergraduate essays must be drawn from
the list of research questions provided, or devised by the student with approval from the
instructor. They must be based on at least two primary sources (government documents,
historical memoirs, newspaper editorials, film, etc.), along with 3-5 secondary sources.
Foreign Relations of the United States must be one of the primary sources.
Encyclopedias, textbooks, non-governmental websites, and class lectures are not
acceptable as sources. Your bibliography should list primary and secondary sources
separately. If any of these requirements aren’t met, papers will be returned for rewrite,
with a two-day extension and an automatic deduction of half a grade.
Students are expected to write at the college level, with correct grammar, spelling,
sentence structure, and punctuation, accompanied by clear description and analysis. Most
students struggle to meet this basic requirement. Plan on giving yourself at least a week
to rewrite your paper before turning it in. Papers will be graded for form and content.
Classroom participation: Active, thoughtful participation in class is a requirement of the
course. Students will enhance their learning and improve their grade by asking questions
and responding to class discussions.
Students are otherwise expected to be attentive and courteous. This means actively
participating and not detracting from the class by coming late, leaving early or in the
middle without an excuse, or conversing with neighbors. Bathroom or water breaks
should be taken before class starts and never during tests, except in an emergency. Cell
phones and laptops must be turned off during class.
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Attendance: Attendance is essential to understanding the material. After three absences
or tardies, students will lose one-half grade for each additional absence or late arrival. (A
course grade of B- would become C+ and so on.)
Final Grades: The final grade will be computed as follows: Quizzes
Mid-term
Term Paper
Final Exam
Participation
Required Books:
20%
20%
25%
30%
5%
Dennis Merrill, Major Problems in American Foreign Relations, v. 2, 7h edition only
Robert Pastor, A Century’s Journey
Iris Chang, Rape of Nanking
Chalmers Johnson, Blowback
Wilson Miscamble, The Most Controversial Decision
Elizabeth Cobbs Hoffman, American Umpire
Class Schedule
Jan. 23
Introduction
Readings: Pastor, Ch. 1
Jan. 28
Jan. 30
Building a Power Base: “Empire” and the Alternatives
TR, Progressivism, and the Wilsonian Vision
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 1 (all); Umpire, Intro & Ch. 1
Feb. 4
Feb. 6
Neutrality and the Road to War
The League of Nations
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 2 docs*; Umpire, Ch. 5 & 6
QUIZ #1
Feb. 11
Feb. 13
Meeting in Love Library: Intro to Research (Meet in LA78)
Disarmament, Debts, Depression, and Disillusionment
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 3 docs; Umpire, Ch. 7; Chang (Part One).
Feb. 18
Feb. 20
The Good Neighbor Policy and “Fortress America”
Fascism, Corporatism, and Democracy: The Approach of War
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 4 docs; Chang (Parts Two & Three) QUIZ #2
Feb. 25
Feb. 27
World War II
The New World Order: The UN and the Bomb
Reading: Merrill, Ch. 5 docs; Umpire, Ch. 8; Miscamble, Intro & Ch. 1-4.
*
Whenever required to read “documents” only, this includes the chapter introduction.
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March 4
March 6
Origins of the Cold War
The Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, and New Economic Order
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 6 docs; Miscamble, Ch. 5-7. QUIZ #3
March 11
March 13
Asia in Transition: China, Korea, and MAD
Eisenhower’s Foreign Policy: The Middle East and Latin America
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 7 & 8 docs; Umpire, Ch. 9.
March 16
March 18
MID-TERM
Decolonization and the Third World
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 9 (all).
March 18
March 20
Readings:
The Cold War Comes to Vietnam
NO CLASS (Extra time for Term Paper)
Pastor, Ch. 2.
March 25
March 27
Readings:
JFK: Old Europe & New Frontiers. Term Paper Due.
Cuban Missile Crisis
Merrill, Ch. 10. Pastor, Ch. 3.
April 1
April 3
SPRING BREAK
SPRING BREAK
April 8
April 10
Johnson, Vietnam, and the Challenge to American Identity
Nixon’s “Peace with Honor”
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 11 & 12 docs; Umpire, Ch. 10 QUIZ #4
April 15
April 17
Détente, Europe, and Economic Destabilization
Carter, Human Rights, and the Middle East
Readings: Pastor, Ch. 4, 7, & 8.
April 22
April 24
Reagan, Gorbachev, and the End of the Cold War
The Bad Neighbor Policy: Covert Intervention in Latin America
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 13; Johnson, Prologue-Ch. 3 QUIZ #5
April 29
May 1
International Policing: From Iraq to Kosovo
9/11, Terrorism, and Globalization
Readings: Merrill, Ch. 14 (docs); Johnson, Ch. 4, 5, & 8.
May 6
May 8
Readings:
Comparative History: The U.S. and the Other Great Powers
Conclusions: Empire, Umpire, or Hegemon?
Umpire, Conclusion; Johnson, Ch. 9 & 10.
Final Exam:
Tuesday, May 15, 8:00-10:00