POLS 356 - Foreign Policy Analysis

The course aims to equip students with the necessary theoretical tools to grasp the determinants of the foreign policy decision-making process. To this end, it is aimed to provide students a reading list that would enable them to understand what key factors are influential in the making of foreign policy at individual, state and structural levels. The course also seeks to increase students’ motivation to read and follow current foreign policy issues and analyze them through the lenses of academic literature that they will read throughout the semester.

Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) is a subfield of International Relations. It focuses mainly on the foreign policy decision-making process. This course intends to introduce students to different approaches in the FPA literature. The course will cover basic concepts, debates and theories of this field. Besides, it will focus on several case studies. The course will start with a general discussion on what FPA is and how it has been evolving. Then the framework of three levels of analysis is introduced. The course will focus on each three levels separately starting from the individual level, continuing with state level and wrapped up with structural level. The course will be finalized with a general discussion on how these different approaches are integrated.

There is no prerequisite for this course

Neack, Laura. 2008. The New Foreign Policy. 2nd Ed. New Millennium Books: London.Neack, Laura. 2019. Studying Foreign Policy Comparatively: Cases and Analysis, Fourth Edition, Rowman and Littlefield.Hudson, Valerie. 2005. "Foreign Policy Analysis: Actor-Specific Theory and the Ground of International Relations." Foreign Policy Analysis 1 (1): 1-30.Waltz, Kenneth N. 1959. Man, the State and War. Columbia University Press: New York, pp. 1-15.Mor, Ben D. 1991. "Nasser's Decision-Making in 1967 Middle East Crisis: A Rational Choice Explanations." Journal of Peace Research. 28 (4): 359-375. Allison, Graham T. 1969. “Conceptual Models and the Cuban Missile Crisis.” American Political Science Review. 63: 689-718.Hermann, Margaret and Charles Hermann. 1989. "Who Makes Foreign Policy Decisions and How: An Empirical Inquiry." International Studies Quarterly. 33 (4): 361-387.Walker, Stephen, Schafer, Mark and Michael Young. 1998. “Systematic Procedures for Operational Code Analysis: Measuring and Modeling Jimmy Carter's Operational Code.” International Studies Quarterly 42 (1): 175-189.Keller, Jonathan. 2005. “Leadership Style, Regime Type, and Foreign Policy Crisis Behavior: A Contingent Monadic Peace?” International Studies Quarterly 49: 205-231.Hermann, Margaret. 2001. “How Decision Units Shape Foreign Policy: A Theoretical Framework” International Studies Review 3 (2): 47-81.Benes, Vit and Sebastian Harnisch. 2015. “Role Theory in Symbolic Interactionism: Czech Republic, Germany and the EU", Cooperation and Conflict. 50 (1): 146-165.Özdamar, Özgür, Halistoprak, B. Toygar, Sula, İ. Erkam. 2014. “From Good Neighbor to Model: Turkey’s Changing Roles in the Middle East in the Aftermath of the Arab Spring.” Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi 11 (42): 93-113.Robinson, Piers. 1999. “The CNN Effect: Can the News Media Drive Foreign Policy?” Review of International Studies. 25 (2): 301-309.Rosenau, James. 1966. “Pre-theories and Theories of Foreign Policy,” in Approaches to Comparative and International Politics, ed. R. Barry Farrell Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press.

There will be zero-tolerance to any form of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism, cheating in the exams, assignments and presentations. Cheating any other attempt of academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action. Note that all your assignments will be submitted to Turnitin software for plagiarism check. Please see the Departmental Student Handbook for specific information about academic honesty and plagiarism. Please note that there is no difference between deliberate and undeliberate plagiarism. Students are responsible for making sure that their assignments do not contain any form of academic dishonesty. Please consult the instructor for situations that you are not certain about your references in your assignments.