Course: HIS 380
Instructor: Joseph Fronczak
F 2021
Description of Course Goals and Curriculum
HiS 380 History of U.S. Foreign Relations covers US foreign diplomacy from the American revolution to present day. The focus of the course is to challenge students to think about AMerican history through the nuanced lens of international relations. It asks students to think critically about what the act of diplomacy really means and how it intersects with different power dynamics between nations throughout history. Ultimately the course asks students to choose their own path in what interests them, in deciding where to put their focus in readings and what to write their papers on. The professor emphasizes writing on what is interesting for the students and to engage in ways that are most exciting for them. The semester is broken up into four different time periods with a focus on the different ideologies and power dynamics that interact with US diplomacy during that time.
Because the course covers such a broad range of topics and historical events it is difficult to remember every fact and nuanced event. However the point of the course is to be able to draw connections and form arguments about how different events build and connect to one another giving a general overview of the US’s changing role in global affairs. Thus following specific themes or connected ideas is a good way to draw on many different time periods and events while not having to memorize everything covered in class.
Learning From Classroom Instruction
Learning For and From Assignments
External Resources
What Students Should Know About This Course For Purposes Of Course Selection
U.S. Foreign Relation
HiS 380 History of U.S. Foreign Relations covers US foreign diplomacy from the American revolution to present day. The focus of the course is to challenge students to think about AMerican history through the nuanced lens of international relations. It asks students to think critically about what the act of diplomacy really means and how it intersects with different power dynamics between nations throughout history. Ultimately the course asks students to choose their own path in what interests them, in deciding where to put their focus in readings and what to write their papers on. The professor emphasizes writing on what is interesting for the students and to engage in ways that are most exciting for them. The semester is broken up into four different time periods with a focus on the different ideologies and power dynamics that interact with US diplomacy during that time.
Because the course covers such a broad range of topics and historical events it is difficult to remember every fact and nuanced event. However the point of the course is to be able to draw connections and form arguments about how different events build and connect to one another giving a general overview of the US’s changing role in global affairs. Thus following specific themes or connected ideas is a good way to draw on many different time periods and events while not having to memorize everything covered in class.