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Syllabus German Foreign Policy - 54695
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Last update 26-10-2017
HU Credits: 2

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: cont. german studies:politics, soc.&cult

Semester: 1st Semester

Teaching Languages: English

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Christian Thauer


Coordinator Office Hours:

Teaching Staff:
Dr. christian thauer

Course/Module description:
The course is an introduction to the (theoretical and historical) analysis of and debates about German foreign policy since 1945. While dealing with major events and issues in the external relations of Germany - from "Westbindung" (European integration, NATO membership), "Ostpolitik", to the current refugee crisis, and relations to Israel - the course also asks how we can analyze foreign policy. The course will thus discuss empirical-historical as much as highly theoretical and analytical-methodological texts introducing main approaches and major debates in foreign policy analysis.

Course/Module aims:
The course aims to give students an overview of a.) an empirical phenomenon (German foreign policy); b.) the academic debate about this phenomenon (foreign policy analysis); c.) encourage and introduce students to critical analytical work (i.e. theoretically guided empirical analysis and thinking)

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
Good knowledge of German foreign policy after WWII; good understanding of the theoretical approaches in the context of which German foreign policy is explained and discussed; analytical skills: relating empirical observations and historical data and narratives to theoretical arguments and discussions; independent research with a variety of sources

Attendance requirements(%):
80

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Text discussion, Presentations, group work, lectures

Course/Module Content:
The course is structured in three parts. The first parts - the first three weeks of the course - will serve as an introduction to the history of German foreign policy and foreign policy analysis. The second part will deal with the main theoretical approaches to foreign policy analysis. In the final third part, we will apply the theories to formative events in German foreign policy.

Required Reading:
Among others:

Carlsnaes, Walter. 2013. Foreign Policy, chapter 12 in: Carlsnaes, Walter, Thomas Risse-Kappen, Beth A. Simmons, and Inc ebrary. Handbook of International Relations. London ; Thousand Oaks, CA: London ; Thousand Oaks, CA : SAGE Publications, 2013.

Haftendorn, H.: Coming of Age: German Foreign Policy since 1945 (Lanham, Rowman & Littlefield, 2006).

Hoffmann, Stefan-Ludwig (2011). Germany is No More. Defeat Occupation and the Post-War Order. In: Helmut Walser Smith. The Oxford Handbook of Modern German History. 336-359.

J. David Singer. 1961. “The Levels-of-Analysis Problem in International Relations,” World Politics, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 77-92.

Krell, G., 1991. West German Ostpolitik and the German Question. Journal of Peace Research, 28(3), pp.311-323.

Kundnani, H. (2011). Germany as a Geo-economic Power. The Washington Quarterly, 34(3), 31-45.

Maull, Hanns W. "Germany and Japan: the new civilian powers." Foreign Affairs 69.5 (1990): 91-106.

Maull, Hanns W., Germany’s Uncertain Power. Foreign Plicy of the Berlin Republic. Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2006.

Paterson, W. E. (2011). The Reluctant Hegemon? Germany Moves Centre Stage in the European Union. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies, 49(1), 57-75.

Rittberger, Volker (ed.): German foreign policy since unification. Theories and case studies, Manchester University Press.

Sebastian Harnisch (2001) Change and continuity in German foreign policy post-unification. German Politics, 10(1), pp. 35-60.

Walter Carlnaes. 2012. “Actors, Structures, and Foreign Policy Analysis,” in Steve Smith, Amelia Hadfield, and Tim Dunne (eds.) Foreign Policy: Theories, Actors, Cases (Oxford University Press), pp. 113-129.

Additional Reading Material:

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 20 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 0 %
Assignments 20 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 60 %
seminar paper

Additional information:
 
Students needing academic accommodations based on a disability should contact the Center for Diagnosis and Support of Students with Learning Disabilities, or the Office for Students with Disabilities, as early as possible, to discuss and coordinate accommodations, based on relevant documentation.
For further information, please visit the site of the Dean of Students Office.
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