15139

WiSe 15/16: Foreign Policy Analysis

Felix Heiduk

Kommentar

Why do states act the way they do in international politics? How is a state's foreign policy made? And who is involved in the making of a state's foreign policy? Can a state's foreign policy best be portrayed as a reaction to the structural restraints and opportunities existing in the international system? Or do factors internal to individuals or groups, such as the mindsets and psychological predispositions of political leaders, public opinion, the organisation, psychology and politics of small-group decision-making, the impact of lobby groups, culture, political institutions, and other factors, have to be considered to explain the making of foreign policy? These are some of the research questions that are being dealt with in this course. The course serves as an introduction to ways of thinking critically about foreign policy analysis. The content of the course shall help us to unlock the 'black box' of the state in international affairs and to dismantle the state into a set of institutions and agents whilst considering their respective influence on foreign policy making. The course covers the literature, research topics, and current issues in the area of foreign policy analysis, as well as the overall development of the sub-discipline of Foreign Policy Analysis and its interplay with general theories of International Relations. The course's orientation is both substantive and theoretical, which means that it will focus not only on the sources of foreign policy, but also on its content and real world application. A large part of the module will be used to introduce students to the evolutions, theories and levels of analysis of Foreign Policy Analysis and will be held in the form of a traditional seminar, whereas some other sessions will focus entirely on case studies. In any way, the module tries to have students engage with "real world" case studies at all times to reduce the high level of abstraction often immanent in courses on International politics, and to enhance student capacities in the realm of facilitating discussions and connecting their theoretical knowledge with real world policy issues. Please do not sign up for this Proseminar unless you have already taken either VL "Einführung in die internationalen Beziehungen" or Proseminar "Theorien in den IB" or an equivalent course at another university. Taking part in the Proseminar on Foreign Policy Analysis requires basic understanding of the general theories of International Relations. Schließen

8 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Fr, 14:00 - 18:00 8 Termine

Fr, 23.10.2015 14:00 - 18:00

Dozenten:
Felix Heiduk