In this seminar, we will study, unpack, and analyze some of the most difficult and consequential US foreign policy decisions of the last 100 years. The focus will be on decision-making processes and strategy: Why did policy makers choose the way they did? How effective were they in efforts to foresee the consequences of their decisions...to plan for contingencies...to reduce 'unintended consequences'... to minimize the downside of risky choices... to maximize the upside potential and adaptive space to adjust? We will consider some prominent theories of and perspectives on decision-making and strategy, but the bulk of the course will be devoted to studying specific cases in-depth.
The Junior Seminars are intense writing seminars which focus on the research area of the faculty member teaching the course. The seminars provide an opportunity for students to have direct intellectual interactions with faculty members while also giving the students an understanding for faculty research.
Junior seminars fulfill upper division requirements for the major.
Subfield: International Relations
Political Science Majors of Junior and Senior status (must be 3rd or 4th year students with at least 60 units completed) with a minimum overall UC GPA of 3.3. Students must place themselves on the waitlist through TeleBEARS in Phase 1. Selection will occur around November 8, 2013. Continued enrollment in the seminar will be contingent upon maintaining your overall UC GPA at 3.3 (i.e., an overall UC GPA of a 3.2999 will not suffice). Priority may be given to students who have not yet taken a junior seminar.