Unit information: US Security Policy in 2014/15

Unit name	US Security Policy
Unit code	POLIM3029
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Peoples
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

This unit examines the issue of American military power in the post-Cold War world: how the United States uses its unprecedented power, the ideas and processes that shape policy, and key post-Cold War issues such as terrorism and so-called ‘rogue states’. It begins by examining the different currents within US security policy, the defence system inherited after the end of the Cold War, and the arrival of President George W Bush and the ‘neo-cons’. Following this it examines the particular ways in which US defence policy is made, and the complex set of interactions between bureaucracies, public, military and industry this involves. The unit also examines key issues in post-Cold War US security policy: US military intervention in the 1990’s; the rise of the ‘Rogue State’ category prior to 2001 and its implications for defence policy; NATO and the transatlantic alliance; the so-called ‘Revolution in Military Affairs’ and its impact on America’s defence infrastructure; US nuclear weapons policy; 9/11 and the ‘War on Terror’; and the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

By taking this unit students will gain knowledge and understanding of:

• The impact of the US as a global security actor

• A range of different analytical perspectives on US security policy

• Factors, influences and actors that shape American foreign and defence policy

• Key debates in the study of US security policy

• International security issues, particularly intervention, ‘rogue states’, terrorism, and arms control.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As a result of participating in this unit, students will be able to:

• Evaluate the formulation and conduct of US security policy

• Present findings both orally and in written form

• Analyse a wide range of relevant information and evidence in the essay and oral presentation

• Plan and write a well-structured essay, including proper academic referencing and bibliography

Teaching Information

2 hour seminar over 10 weeks.

Assessment Information

Formative assessment will be by one presentation with feedback to follow form the convenor. This will assess student’s ability to evaluate the formulation and conduct of US Security Policy, based on their reading and understanding of the relevant literatures, in oral form. Students will be expected to answer questions following their presentation from their peers and the unit convenor, and students will receive oral and written feedback from the unit convenor.

Summative assessment will be by a 3,500 word essay. This will assess student’s ability to evaluate the formulation and conduct of US Security Policy, analysing appropriate primary and secondary sources, in written (essay) form that adheres to the relevant academic conventions. Students will receive written feedback on their essay from the unit convenor.

Reading and References

• Michael Cox and Doug Stokes, US Foreign Policy (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008)

• Paul J. Bolt et al (eds.) American Defense Policy (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2005)

• Fraser Cameron, US Foreign Policy After the Cold War, 2nd Edition (London: Routledge, 2005)

• Bruce W. Jentelson, American Foreign Policy: The Dynamics of Choice in the 21st Century, 2nd Edition (New York: Norton & Co., 2004)

• Glenn Hastedt, American Foreign Policy: Past, Present and Future, 6th Edition (New York: Prentice Hall, 2006)

• Sam C. Sarkesian, John Allen Williams and Stephen J. Cimbala, U.S. National Security: Policymakers, Processes and Politics (Boulder, Co.: Lynne Rienner, 2007)