Foreign Policy Analysis
- Ending: Examination
- Range: 2C
- Semester: summer
- Year: 2
- Faculty of International Relations
Teachers
Included in study programs
Teaching results
The aim of this module is to provide students with a critical introduction to the subfield of foreign policy analysis (FPA). FPA is a group of approaches to analysis of international relations that is based on a set of common premises. The general theme of the module might be summarised as ‘from foreign policy to state action’. The course is aimed at introducing students to theoretical concepts of Foreign Policy Analysis and subsequent application of these concepts in analysis of foreign policy of particular actors.
Knowledge: Upon completion of the module, students will be have a basic knowledge in the field of Foreign Policy Analysis and aplication of this approach in scientific praxis.
Competence: Upon completion of this module, students will be able to analyse foreign policy of states with basic theoretical approaches of Foreign Policy Analysis.
Skills: In the course of the module, students will gan skills in the area of critical analysis of theoretical approaches to foregin policy, critical analysis of foreign policy of a particular actor, ability to use the tools of Foreign Policy Analysis, presentation of results of one´s analysis.
Indicative content
1. INTRODUCTION TO FOREIGN POLICY ANALYSIS
Levels of Analysis Framework
The Agent-Structure Debate
2. DEFINITION AND EVOLUTION OF THE FIELD
The Decision-Making Approach
The “Comparative Foreign Policy” Research Program
Other Early Approaches to Foreign Policy Analysis
3. THE "RATIONAL" (ANALYTIC) MODEL
Rational Choice Theory
Preference Aggregation
4. FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL INTEREST
Defining National Interest
Operational Definition of National Interest
5. GOVERNMENTAL-LEVEL OF ANALYSIS
The Bureaucratic Politics
Organizational Processes Model
6. SOCIETAL-LEVEL OF ANALYSIS
Democratic Peace
Systemic Theories of International Relations
7. SOCIETAL-LEVEL OF ANALYSIS, II
Neo-Marxist Theories
Interest Groups and Coalitional Politics
8. IDEAS, CULTURE, AND CONSTRUCTIVIST APPROACHES
Ideology
Religion
Culture
9. PSYCHOLOGICAL APPROACHES
Operational Code
Organizational Learning
10. FOREIGN POLICY CASE STUDIES
USA, Russia
11. FOREIGN POLICY CASE STUDIES II.
Small States in International Relations
12. FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
13. FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Support literature
ALDEN, Chris; ARAN, Amnon. Foreign policy analysis: new approaches. Taylor & Francis, 2016.
BREUNING, Marijke. Foreign policy analysis: A comparative introduction. Springer, 2007.
HUDSON, Valerie M.; DAY, Benjamin S. Foreign policy analysis: classic and contemporary theory. Rowman & Littlefield, 2019.
NEACK, Laura. Studying Foreign Policy Comparatively: Cases and Analysis. Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.
Requirements to complete the course
30 % - Active seminary participation
70% - Final project – The final project will consist of a 10 page analytical study, in which the students will be required to apply one of the approaches to foreign policy analysis to a particular case study.
Student workload
Seminary participation 26 h, seminary preparation 26 h, final project 52 h.
Language whose command is required to complete the course
English language
Date of approval: 16.03.2023
Date of the latest change: 16.03.2023