Patrick McDonald

GOV 312L:  US Foreign Policy

Professors McDonald and Moser

First Summer Session 2018

Since its founding, the United States has played a central role in shaping the larger international political order.  American victories in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War coupled with its support for democracy and open global markets stand at the heart of this legacy.  At the same time, external pressures in the form of war, globalization, and the spread of transnational ideological movements have stressed American institutions and shaped an evolving American national identity.  This course explores this mutually interactive relationship by examining the making of American foreign policy over the past two centuries more broadly.  It explores such topics as American entry into World Wars I and II, the role of Congress in foreign policy making, the construction of the national security state in the twentieth century, competing partisan conceptions of America’s national interest, the Cold War, nuclear deterrence and proliferation, territorial expansion, trade liberalization, nation building, humanitarian intervention, and more recent challenges like terrorism.  As part of this broad overview, the course will also explore the moral and ethical dilemmas of many foreign policy challenges faced by the United States. Should the United States ever use torture when combatting its enemies?  Does the U.S. have an interest or even an obligation to promote democracy abroad?  When is military intervention justified?  What is our moral obligation to address global warming?

This course fulfills the second half of legislative requirement for government and may be counted toward the ethics and leadership flag requirement. May be taken for credit only once.  

Course meets ONLINE delivered through MODULES, which are short pre-recorded lecture segments and associated activities delivered through Canvas.  Modules are completed ON-DEMAND by students when their schedule allows.  However, students are REQUIRED to complete a pre-set number of modules and their associated activities by pre-determined deadlines multiple times each week.  Students will complete three exams over the summer term.  Students residing in Austin over the term will take these exams on campus at an assigned evening time.  Students residing out of Austin over the term will these exams through a remote proctoring service.  Students will have to pay an additional proctoring fee for this service.   

Students are encouraged to visit http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tower/online/courses/  to test their computer and network connection and learn about the course structure.

Grading Policy:

Module quizzes/exercises:             15%

Exam 1:                                     25%

Exam 2:                                     30%

Exam 3:                                     30%

Prerequisites:  None

Required Textbook:

• None, readings will be drawn from an unpublished textbook and articles that are accessible through the UT library’s website

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

GOV 312L:  US Foreign Policy

Since its founding, the United States has played a central role in shaping the larger international political order.  American victories in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War coupled with its support for democracy and open global markets stand at the heart of this legacy.  At the same time, external pressures in the form of war, globalization, and the spread of transnational ideological movements have stressed American institutions and shaped an evolving American national identity.  This course explores this mutually interactive relationship by examining the making of American foreign policy over the past two centuries more broadly.  It explores such topics as American entry into World Wars I and II, the role of Congress in foreign policy making, the construction of the national security state in the twentieth century, competing partisan conceptions of America’s national interest, the Cold War, nuclear deterrence and proliferation, territorial expansion, trade liberalization, nation building, humanitarian intervention, and more recent challenges like terrorism.  As part of this broad overview, the course will also explore the moral and ethical dilemmas of many foreign policy challenges faced by the United States. Should the United States ever use torture when combatting its enemies?  Does the U.S. have an interest or even an obligation to promote democracy abroad?  When is military intervention justified?  What is our moral obligation to address global warming?

This course fulfills the second half of legislative requirement for government and may be counted toward the ethics and leadership flag requirement. May be taken for credit only once.  

Course meets ONLINE delivered through MODULES, which are short pre-recorded lecture segments and associated activities delivered through Canvas.  Modules are completed ON-DEMAND by students when their schedule allows.  However, students are REQUIRED to complete a pre-set number of modules and their associated activities by pre-determined deadlines multiple times each week.  Students will complete two exams and write one essay with due dates spread out over the summer term.   

Students are encouraged to visit http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tower/online/courses/  to test their computer and network connection and learn about the course structure.

Grading Policy:

Module quizzes/exercises:            15%

Exam 1:                                     35%

Exam 2:                                     35%

Participation:                              15%

Required Textbook:

• None, readings will be drawn from articles that are accessible through the UT library’s website

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

McDonald

GOV 388K, Study of International Relations

Fall 2016

Description

This graduate course on the study of international relations provides a broad theoretical overview of the field of international relations, surveying some of its most prominent contributions during the past thirty years.  It is designed to help you prepare to take the Ph.D. preliminary exams for the IR subfield in the Government Department and to help you prepare to execute your own original research projects.  The substance of the course is conceptually organized around the question of how political order is constructed and sustained in the international system.  Our discussions of theory will focus on the following sources of order:  balance of power, hegemony, technology, ideas, norms, international organizations, globalization, territory, and domestic regime type. 

Course requirements

There will be four key requirements for this course.  First, you will be expected to attend class, keep up with the assigned readings, and participate in our discussions.  Second, you will write a series (probably four or five) of short papers that comment on a group of readings.  Third, designed to set up a future research paper, you will write a review of some body of IR literature of your choice.  Fourth, during the final exam period, you will turn in an extended “brainstorming” paper that revises one of your shorter writing assignments.  Your final grade will be tabulated as follows: 

Class participation                                                                              20%

Short papers                                                                                       30%

Literature review                                                                                 25%

Brainstorming paper                                                                           25%

Texts

Kenneth N. Waltz.  1979.  Theory of International Politics.  McGraw-Hill.

Alexander Wendt.  1999.  Social Theory of International Politics.  Cambridge University Press.

R. Harrison Wagner.  2007.  War and the State:  The Theory of International Politics.  Ann Arbor:  University of Michigan Press. 

G. John Ikenberry.  2011.  Liberal Leviathan:  The Origins, Crisis, and Transformation of the American World Order.  Princeton University Press.

Francis J. Gavin.  2012.  Nuclear Statecraft:  History and Strategy in America’s Atomic Age.  Ithaca:  Cornell University Press.

Christian Reus-Smit.  2013.  Individual Rights and the Making of the International System.  New York:  Cambridge University Press.

James D. Morrow.  2014.  Order Within Anarchy:  The Laws of War as an International Institution.  New York:  Cambridge University Press.

Adam Tooze.  2014.  The Deluge:  The Great War, America, and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931.  London:  Viking.  (must purchase electronic version)

GOV 312L:  United States Foreign Policy

Professors:  Robert Moser and Patrick McDonald

Since its founding, the United States has played a central role in shaping the larger international political order.  American victories in World War I, World War II, and the Cold War coupled with its support for democracy and open global markets stand at the heart of this legacy.  At the same time, external pressures in the form of war, globalization, and the spread of transnational ideological movements have stressed American institutions and shaped an evolving American national identity.  This course explores this mutually interactive relationship by examining the making of American foreign policy over the past two centuries more broadly.  It explores such topics as American entry into World Wars I and II, the role of Congress in foreign policy making, the construction of the national security state in the twentieth century, competing partisan conceptions of America’s national interest, the Cold War, nuclear deterrence and proliferation, territorial expansion, trade liberalization, nation building, humanitarian intervention, and more recent challenges like terrorism.  As part of this broad overview, the course will also explore the moral and ethical dilemmas of many foreign policy challenges faced by the United States. Should the United States ever use torture when combatting its enemies?  Does the U.S. have an interest or even an obligation to promote democracy abroad?  When is military intervention justified?  What is our moral obligation to address global warming?

This course fulfills the second half of legislative requirement for government and may be counted toward the ethics and leadership flag requirement. May be taken for credit only once.  

Course meets ONLINE delivered through MODULES, which are short pre-recorded lecture segments and associated activities delivered through Canvas.  Modules are completed ON-DEMAND by students when their schedule allows.  However, students are REQUIRED to complete a pre-set number of modules and their associated activities by pre-determined deadlines multiple times each week.  Students will complete two exams and write one essay with due dates spread out over the summer term.   

Students are encouraged to visit http://www.laits.utexas.edu/tower/online/courses/  to test their computer and network connection and learn about the course structure.

Grading Policy:

Module quizzes/exercises:             20%

Exam 1:                                     25%

Exam 2:                                     25%

Essay:                                        30%

Required Textbook:

• None, readings will be drawn from articles that are accessible through the UT library’s website

GOV 388K, Study of International Relations

Fall 2014

Description

 This graduate course on the study of international relations provides a broad theoretical overview of the field of international relations, surveying some of its most prominent contributions during the past thirty years.  It is designed to help you prepare to take the Ph.D. preliminary exams for the IR subfield in the Government Department and to help you prepare to execute your own original research projects.  The substance of the course is conceptually organized around the question of how social order is constructed and sustained in the international system.  Our discussions of theory will focus on the following sources of order:  balance of power, hegemony, technology, ideas, norms, international organizations, globalization, territory, and domestic regime type. 

Course requirements

There will be three key requirements for this course.  First, you will be expected to attend class, keep up with the assigned readings, and participate in our discussions.  Second, you will maintain a regular reading journal that will be randomly collected throughout the semester.  Third, you will also complete a comprehensive in-class final exam during the assigned exam period.  Your final grade will be tabulated as follows: 

Class participation                                                                              20%

Reading journal                                                                                   35%

            (collected at least three times during the semester)

Final Exam                                                                                          45%

Texts

Kenneth N. Waltz.  1979.  Theory of International Politics.  McGraw-Hill.

Martha Finnemore.  1996.  National Interests in International Society.  Ithaca:  Cornell University Press.

Alexander Wendt.  1999.  Social Theory of International Politics.  Cambridge University Press.

G. John Ikenberry.  2001.  After Victory:  Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order After Major Wars.  Princeton University Press.

David A. Lake and Robert Powell, eds.  1999.  Strategic Choice and International Relations.  Princeton University Press.

Beth A. Simmons.  2009.  Mobilizing for Human Rights:  International Law in Domestic Politics.  New York:  Cambridge University Press.

R. Harrison Wagner.  2007.  War and the State:  The Theory of International Politics.  Ann Arbor:  University of Michigan Press.

David A. Lake.  2009.  Hierarchy in International Relations.  Ithaca:  Cornell University Press.

DESCRIPTION

This course meets the university’s writing flag requirement.  It examines the international political causes and consequences of key economic crises in the twentieth century--the Great Depression and the Great Recession that began in 2008.  We will explore the following questions:  what are the political mechanisms by which a crisis in one country spreads to another?  What impedes or facilitates international cooperative efforts to stem economic crises?  How do crises transform domestic political coalitions and/or institutions?  Under what conditions can an economic crisis generate international political change and war?  The discussion and the requirements of the course will push students to think abstractly, to utilize theoretical concepts to interpret key historical events over the past century, and to improve their writing skills. 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

There will be four sets of requirements for this course.  First, you will be expected to attend class, keep up with the assigned readings, participate in our discussions, and complete short in-class writing assignments and/or quizzes.  Second, you will complete a series of short writing assignments that that will generally ask you to summarize and comment on a reading.  Third, you will turn in a midterm.  Fourth, you will complete a final paper.  This last paper will be completed in two parts—a first draft and a revised final draft.  These requirements will provide the following components of your final grade:

Attendance, participation, and quizzes                                      20%

Shorting writing assignments                                                    15%

Paper 1                                                                                 25%

Paper 2                                                                                   

            First draft                                                                    15%

            Final draft                                                                   25%

READING MATERIALS

The reading material for this course will be made available through two primary formats.  First, our course blackboard site will contain electronic copies of our assigned article readings.  Second, the following required texts are available at the University Co-op bookstore.

Barry Eichengreen.  1992.  Golden Fetters:  The Gold Standard and the Great Depression, 1919-1939.  New York:  Oxford University Press.

Menzie D. Chinn and Jeffry A. Frieden.  2011.  Lost Decades:  The Making of America’s Debt Crisis and the Long Recovery.  New York:  Norton. 

Michael Lewis.  2011.  Boomerang:  Travels in the Third World.  New York:  Norton.

Flag: Writing

This graduate course is designed to prepare students with scholarly interests in international relations to conduct their own original research.  It will introduce students to research design fundamentals, with a specific emphasis on the challenges that are specific to the field of international relations.  We will explore such topics as causal inference, conceptualization, measurement, data set construction, experimental design, archival research, and process tracing.  I will also introduce students to statistical estimators that are commonly used in international relations.

Requirements:

Students will have complete regular small task-oriented assignments and one larger project during this course.  The smaller assignments will include replicating existing studies, recoding variables from existing data sets, short literature reviews, and dataset construction.  The final project will be a research design that identifies a research question, the broader academic literature within which it is embedded, a theoretical framework capable of generating hypotheses to answer this question, and a plan for conducting empirical research that tests these hypotheses. 

Readings:

Gary King, Robert O. Keohane, and Sidney Verba.  1994.  Designing Social Inquiry:  Designing Social Inquiry:  Scientific Inference in Qualitative Research.  Princeton University Press.

Henry E. Brady and David Collier, eds.  2010.  Rethinking Social Inquiry:  Diverse Tools, Shared Standards.  Rowman and Littlefield. 

Kevin M. Clarke and David Primo.  2012.  A Model Discipline:  Political Science and the Logic of Representations.  Oxford University Press.

Course Description

This course examines the international political causes and consequences of key economic crises in the twentieth century--the Great Depression and the Great Recession that began in 2008.  We will explore the following questions:  what are the political mechanisms by which a crisis in one country spreads to another?  What impedes or facilitates international cooperative efforts to stem economic crises?  How do crises transform domestic political coalitions and/or institutions?  Under what conditions can an economic crisis generate international political change and war?  The discussion and the requirements of the course will push students to think abstractly and to utilize theoretical concepts to interpret key historical events over the past century.

This course will fulfill the writing flag requirement.  Writing assignments will generally take two forms.  First, students will write a series of short journal entries that test their ability to summarize concisely the theoretical arguments generated and defended empirically in the assigned readings.  Second, students will write at least two extended essays that compare prominent explanations for the origins of one or more of these economic crises.

Grading Policy

The following components will make up the final grade:

Attendance and participation:               15%

Short writing assignments                    15%

Paper 1                                             30%

Paper 2 (rough draft)                          10%

Paper 2                                             30%

Texts

Barry Eichengreen.  1995.  Golden Fetters:  The Gold Standard and the Great Depression.  New York:  Oxford University Press.

Menzie D. Chinn and Jeffry A. Frieden.  2011.  Lost Decades:  The Making of America’s Debt Crisis and the Long Recovery.  New York:  Norton.

Course Description

This is an introductory course to the study of international political economy.  Its primary focus will be the reciprocal interaction between markets and political behavior in the international system.  We will explore such questions as why do states trade?  Under what conditions do governments restrict international commerce?  How does capital mobility constrain national economic policy?  What is the role of international organizations such as the IMF in fostering development?  Do extensive natural resource endowments limit long-term economic growth? Does globalization promote peace?  How does oil consumption threaten national security? 

Grading Policy

There will be three requirements for this course.  First, you will be expected to attend class, keep up with the assigned readings, participate in our discussions, and complete short in-class writing assignments and/or quizzes.  Second, there will be two mid-term examinations.  Third, a comprehensive final exam will be given during the assigned.

Attendance, participation, and quizzes- 20%

Midterm 1- 20%

Midterm 2- 25%

Final- 35%

Texts

The reading material for this course will be made available through two primary formats.  First, our course blackboard site will contain electronic copies of our assigned article readings.  Second, the following required texts are available at the University Co-op bookstore.

Paul Collier.  2010.  The Plundered Planet:  Why we must and how we can—manage nature for global prosperity.  New York:  Oxford University Press.

Dani Rodrik.  2011.  The Globalization Paradox:  Democracy and the Future of the World Economy.  New York:  Norton.

Course Description

This graduate course on the study of international relations will survey some of the most prominent contributions to the field during the past thirty years.  It will be composed of two key parts.  The first is theoretical and will be oriented around a survey of multiple sources of political order in the international system, including the balance of power, hegemony, technology, ideas, norms, international organizations, globalization, nation states, and domestic regime type.  The second, focused on basic issues of research design, will examine some common empirical challenges to generating cumulative research in the field of international relations.    

Grading Policy

There will be four key requirements for this course.  First, you will be expected to attend class, keep up with the assigned readings, and participate in our discussions.  Second, you will complete a series of short weekly writing assignments.  Third, you will write a research proposal on the topic of your choice.  Fourth, you will complete a comprehensive in-class final exam during the assigned exam period.  Your final grade will be tabulated as follows: 

Class participation- 15%

Weekly writing assignments- 25%    

Research proposal- 30%

Final Exam- 30%

Texts

Kenneth N. Waltz.  1979.  Theory of International Politics.  McGraw-Hill.

Alexander Wendt.  1999.  Social Theory of International Politics.  Cambridge University Press.

G. John Ikenberry.  2001.  After Victory:  Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order After Major Wars.  Princeton University Press.

David A. Lake.  2009.  Hierarchy in International Relations.  Ithaca:  Cornell University Press.

Beth A. Simmons.  2009.  Mobilizing for Human Rights:  International Law in Domestic Politics.  New York:  Cambridge University Press.

This course is designed to provide you with a broad introduction to the conditions and motivations behind the use of military force in the contemporary political world.  Traditionally, this subfield in international relations has focused on how states use or threaten to use violence to preserve their sovereignty and resolve political conflicts with other states.  We will begin by examining how the anarchical structure of the international system constrains a state’s ability to meet these responsibilities.  This discussion will then lead into an examination of the origins of war between states and nuclear deterrence theory.  After these sections, we will explore whether the task of protecting national security has changed in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 worlds.

see syllabus

see syllabus

This course is designed to provide you with a broad introduction to the conditions and motivations behind the use of military force in the contemporary political world. Traditionally, this subfield in international relations has focused on how states use or threaten to use violence to preserve their sovereignty and resolve political conflicts with other states.  We will begin by examining how the anarchical structure of the international system constrains a state’s ability to meet these responsibilities.  This discussion will then lead into an examination of the origins of war between states and nuclear deterrence theory.  After these sections, we will explore whether the task of protecting national security has changed in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 worlds.  In particular, we will explore the following questions.  Does nuclear proliferation enhance or diminish international stability?  Under what conditions do civil wars occur?  Does terrorism provide a unique challenge to sovereign states?  Does globalization enhance or diminish national security? What strategies should the United States adopt to cope with traditional and emerging threats to its political interests?

This course is designed to provide you with a broad introduction to the conditions and motivations behind the use of military force in the contemporary political world. Traditionally, this subfield in international relations has focused on how states use or threaten to use violence to preserve their sovereignty and resolve political conflicts with other states.  We will begin by examining how the anarchical structure of the international system constrains a state’s ability to meet these responsibilities.  This discussion will then lead into an examination of the origins of war between states and nuclear deterrence theory.  After these sections, we will explore whether the task of protecting national security has changed in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 worlds.  In particular, we will explore the following questions.  Does nuclear proliferation enhance or diminish international stability?  Under what conditions do civil wars occur?  Does terrorism provide a unique challenge to sovereign states?  Does globalization enhance or diminish national security? What strategies should the United States adopt to cope with traditional and emerging threats to its political interests?

This advanced graduate course lies at the intersection of literatures on structural theories of international politics, bargaining and war, and diplomatic history. It will focus on two intellectual changes—reviewing an emerging return to structural theories of international politics; and the utilization of an alternative framework, derived from bargaining theory, to critique existing structural theories of international politics and reexamine prominent claims in the field of diplomatic history.

Course Description

This is a discussion-intensive course that surveys multiple traditions in international relations theory.  It will first introduce students to “thinking theoretically” in the social sciences, or the process of building and refining logically consistent and empirically-validated explanations for social outcomes. We will discuss such things as hypothesis construction, parsimony, and empirical evidence; and practice generating empirical implications from our theories.  The bulk of the course though will be a series of six to eight units in which we exploit this theoretical focus to examine prominent topics in contemporary global politics.  These units will span across the four subfields of international relations—international security, international political economy, international organization, and foreign policy.  A selection of the following topics will be covered in various iterations of this course:  origins of war, the durability of peace settlements, the international politics of financial regulation, the international politics of economic crisis, the international politics of human rights, exchange rate cooperation, the global trading regime, global environmental regulation, transnational activism, humanitarian intervention, the political consequences of nuclear proliferation, and the politics of international investment.  Our readings will be drawn primarily from academic journals.  Students will be assessed on the basis of daily activities in class (quizzes and participation) and three argumentative essays of five to seven pages each.

Grading Criteria

Attendance, participation, and quizzes 25%

Paper 1 20%

Paper 2 25%

Paper 3 30%

Textbooks:

Helen V. Milner.  1997.  Interests, Institutions, and Information:  Domestic Politics and International Relations. Princeton University Press.
 
Michael Barnett and Martha Finnemore. 2004.  Rules for the World:  International Organizations in Global Politics. Cornell University Press.

Course Description: This is an introductory course to the study of international political economy.  Its primary focus will be the reciprocal interaction between markets and political behavior in the international system.  We will explore such questions as why do states trade? Under what conditions do governments restrict international commerce?  How does capital mobility constrain national economic policy?  What is the role of international organizations such as the IMF in fostering development?  Do extensive natural resource endowments limit long-term economic growth? Does globalization promote peace?  How does oil consumption threaten national security? 

Textbooks:

Douglas Irwin.  2009.  Free Trade Under Fire, 3d edition.  Princeton:  Princeton University Press.

Paul Collier.  2007.  The Bottom Billion:  Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can be Done About It.  New York:  Oxford University Press.

Patrick J. McDonald.  2009.  The Invisible Hand of Peace:  Capitalism, the War Machine, and International Relations Theory.  New York:  Cambridge University Press.

Simon Johnson and James Kwak.  2010.  13 Bankers:  The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown.  New York:  Pantheon.

Description: This course is designed to provide you with a broad introduction to the conditions and motivations behind the use of military force in the contemporary political world. Traditionally, this subfield in international relations has focused on how states use or threaten to use violence to preserve their sovereignty and resolve political conflicts with other states.  We will begin by examining how the anarchical structure of the international system constrains a state’s ability to meet these responsibilities.  This discussion will then lead into an examination of the origins of war between states and nuclear deterrence theory.  After these sections, we will explore whether the task of protecting national security has changed in the post-Cold War and post-9/11 worlds.  In particular, we will explore the following questions.  Does nuclear proliferation enhance or diminish international stability?  Under what conditions do civil wars occur?  Does terrorism provide a unique challenge to sovereign states?  Does globalization enhance or diminish national security? What strategies should the United States adopt to cope with traditional and emerging threats to its political interests?

Grading policy:
 
Attendance, participation, and quizzes                                              20%                                         
Midterm exam                                                                                25%
Paper                                                                                             25%
Final                                                                                              30%
 
Textbooks:
 David Fromkin.  2004.  Europe’s Last Summer:  Who Started the Great War in 1914?  New York: Knopf.

Please check back for updates.

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Please check back for updates.

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

Please check back for updates.

Government 312L satisfies the second half of the mandated six hours of government that every UT student must take.  Course covers analysis of varying topics concerned with American political institutions and policies, including the United States Constitution, and assumes basic knowledge of government from GOV 310L, which is a prerequiste. May be taken for credit only once.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.

Please check back for updates.