Time Schedule:
Daniel Chirot
SIS 495
Seattle Campus
Small-group seminars address current problems in international affairs, each focusing on one specific policy question and producing a joint task force report. Restricted to senior majors in International Studies. Prerequisite: SIS 200; SIS 201; SIS 202; SIS 401.
Class description
American Foreign Policy and Terrorism: Devising the Right Strategy
Terrorism is an old tactic used by the weak against stronger forces. Today, however, it is a global problem that is worse than ever. How has it been used in the past, and what strategies and tactics have been developed to contain it? Looking at the challenges faced by the United States today, how should we shape our foreign policy and our domestic approach to terrorism to best contain it? Students will work in four groups to study aspects of this problem and prepare their report. These are: 1) causes of contemporary terrorist threats, 2) handling the threat with actions abroad, 3) coordinating foreign and domestic policies, 4) long-term solutions to lessen the appeal of extremism that generates terrorism. While we will be concentrating on the threat from Islamic extremists, we will also look at other possible sources of terrorism from abroad and consider how to head them off before they become more active.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
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Class assignments and grading
