Baruch College, City University of New York

America and Its Visions of the World

AMS 4900 / IDC 4050 / REL 4900 Fall 2008, Tuesday & Thursday, 11.10am-12.25pm, VC 8190 Professor John Brenkman Department of English Office: Room 7-249, Vertical Campus Office Phone: 646-312-3921 Email: john.brenkman@baruch.cuny.edu Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 10:00-11:00am and by appointment Professor Dov Waxman Department of Political Science Office: Room 5-275, Vertical Campus Office Phone: 646-312-4421 Email: Dov_Waxman@baruch.cuny.edu Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday, 5.30-6.30pm and by appointment Course Description: Americas vision of the world shapes its decisions and actions in foreign affairs. Are we at the end of history where liberal capitalism is the triumphant ideology? Or is the world today a clash of civilizations, in which different civilizations compete for global supremacy? Has globalization rendered the world flat? Is the world caught in the conflict of Jihad vs. McWorld? Or is a new contest of American, European, and Chinese empires emerging? In this course, we will examine different visions of the world through a reading of major contemporary foreign policy thinkers. Course Requirements: Participation: Discussion and debate during class is expected. You must come to class prepared to discuss the assigned readings as well as current events. Current events will often be used to illustrate points discussed in class. You must therefore read a major newspaper (e.g., The New York Times) every day in order to keep up with current events. Presentation: Once during the semester you will make a fifteen minute presentation to the class on the assigned reading of the week. Papers: You will have to write two papers (maximum 10 double-spaced pages, 12 point, Times Roman font). The first paper (due November 6th) will critically examine and compare the perspectives of two of the authors covered in the course. For this paper, you should try to read their entire books, not just the assigned readings. The second paper (due December 16th) will apply the perspectives of one or more of the authors covered in the course to analyze a current international issue or event.

Grading: Participation: 20 points Presentation: 20 points Papers: 60 points Total: 100 points Letter Grading System: 90-100 = A 80-89 = A70-79 = B+ 60-69 = B 50-59 = B40-49 = C+ 30-39 = C 20-29 = C15-19 = D+ 10-14 = D 0-9 = F We reserve the right to make adjustments to this system to take into account the overall performance of the class. Course Policies Attendance: Class attendance will be recorded. In accordance with the official policy outlined in the Baruch College Undergraduate Bulletin, freshmen and sophomores with more than four missed classes will be automatically dropped from the course (i.e., receive a grade of WU). Juniors and seniors with more than four missed classes will have their final grade lowered, but extenuating circumstances will be taken into account. Classroom Conduct: ARRIVING LATE interferes with other students learning and is not acceptable. Repeated latecomers will be penalized. LEAVING EARLY is disruptive, and is strongly discouraged. You must TURN OFF CELL PHONES BEFORE CLASS. EATING IN CLASS is rude and distracting to other students; it is not permitted. Students with Disabilities: Students who require reasonable accommodations or modifications should speak with us as soon as possible. You should also contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, part of the Division of Student Development and Counseling. Cheating and Plagiarism: Your work must be your own. Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and will not be tolerated. For definitions of cheating and plagiarism you should consult the Academic Honesty website: http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html We will give a failing grade (F) to any assignment that has been plagiarized.

SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND READINGS:

Week 1 (August 28) No assigned readings: Introduction and course overview Week 2 (September 2, 4) Francis Fukuyama, The End of History? The National Interest, Summer 1989 Samuel P. Huntington, No Exit: The Errors of Endism, The National Interest, Fall 1989 Week 3 (Sept 9, 11) Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs, Summer 1993 Fouad Ajami, The Summoning, Foreign Affairs, September/October 1993 Edward Said, The Clash of Ignorance, The Nation, October 4, 2001 Week 4 (Sept 16, 18) Robert Kaplan, The Coming Anarchy, The Atlantic Monthly, February 1994 G. John Ikenberry, The Myth of Post-Cold War Chaos, Foreign Affairs, May/June 1996 Week 5 (Sept 23, 25) Thomas L. Friedman, Its a Flat World, After All, The New York Times, 3 April 2005 John Gray, The World is Round, The New York Review of Books, 11 August 2005 Week 6 (October 2) Benjamin R. Barber, Jihad vs. McWorld, The Atlantic Monthly, March 1992 Moiss Nam, Five Wars of Globalization, Foreign Policy, January/February 2003 Week 7 (Oct 7) Fareed Zakaria, The Future of American Power: How America Can Survive the Rise of the Rest, Foreign Affairs, May/June 2008 Week 8 (Oct 16) Robert Kagan, End of Dreams, Return of History, Policy Review, August/September 2007 Chrystia Freeland, The new age of authoritarianism, Financial Times, 12 August 2008 Francis Fukuyama, They can only go so far, The Washington Post, 24 August 2008

Week 9 (Oct 21, 23) Parag Khanna, Waving Goodbye to Hegemony, The New York Times, 27 January 2008 Week 10 (Oct 28, 30) Richard Holbrooke, The Next President, Foreign Affairs, September/October 2008 Barack Obama, Renewing American Leadership, Foreign Affairs, July/August 2007 John McCain, An Enduring Peace built on Freedom, Foreign Affairs, November/December 2007 Week 11 (November 4, 6) Charles S. Maier, An American Empire? The Problems of Frontiers and Peace in Twenty-First-Century Politics, in Lloyd Gardner and Marilyn B. Young, eds. The New American Empire, pp. xi-xix Jack Snyder, Imperial Temptations, National Interest, Spring 2003 Bruce Cummings, Is America an Imperial Power? Current History, November 2003 Michael Mann, Incoherent Empire, Introduction Week 12 (Nov 11, 13) Paul Kennedy, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, Introduction, Ch. 8, Epilogue Week 13 (Nov 18, 20) Niall Ferguson, Colossus: The Price of Americas Empire, Introduction, Ch.5, Conclusion Michael Ignatieff, The Burden, The New York Times, 5 January 2003 Week 14 (Nov 25) Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire, pp. 160-204 Week 15 (December 2, 4) No assigned readings Week 16 (Dec 9, 11) No assigned readings Week 17 (Dec 16) No assigned readings