History 333M
Diplomatic History of the United States Since 1890
Spring 2002
Dr. Mark Lawrence
malawrence@mail.utexas.edu
475-7267, Garrison 426
Office Hours: Tuesday, 11 a.m.-noon; Thursday, 2:30-4 p.m.
Teaching Assistant: David Stiles
Office hours: Thursday, 2:30-5 p.m., WAG 401D
dstiles@mail.utexas.edu
This course explores the history of American foreign relations from the Spanish-American War until the present day. Lectures and readings will emphasize economic, ideological, and political determinants of policy as the United States emerged as a great power around the turn of the century and then, following years of hesitation, embraced the role of global hegemon after 1945. The course aims for both breadth and depth. Lectures will lay out the broad context of international decision-making. Readings will lead students to concentrate on certain illuminating episodes, including the 1898 war in Cuba, Wilsonianism, the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Vietnam War, the Central American wars of the 1980s, and the recent crisis in Afghanistan.
Requirements
1) five brief reading quizzes (25% of grade)
1) take-home midterm examination due Feb. 26 in class (25%)
2) final examination on May 13, 9 a.m.-noon (25%)
3) paper of 4-5 pages (25%)
Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler, Fail-Safe
Mark Danner, The Massacre at El Mozote
Michael H. Hunt, Lyndon Johnson’s War
Walter LaFeber, Michael Jordan and the New Global Capitalism
Melvyn Leffler, The Specter of Communism
Arthur Link, Woodrow Wilson: War, Peace, and Revolution
Louis A. Pérez, Jr., The War of 1898: The United States & Cuba in History & Historiography
J. Samuel Walker, Prompt & Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of the Atomic Bombs Against Japan
Paterson, et. al., American Foreign Relations: A History Since 1895 (5th ed.)
· The instructor will occasionally hand out photocopies for use during class. These should be treated as required reading.
· Class time will occasionally be given over to discussion. Participation is not a course requirement, but students should be aware that regular and constructive participation can improve their semester grade.
· Regular attendance in lecture, while not a formal requirement of the course, is important. Lectures will complement the readings, rather than duplicate them. Also, the professor will make important announcements in class. Students who miss class will be responsible for material discussed there. Neither the instructor nor the teaching assistant will provide lecture notes under any circumstances.
· The instructor’s office on the fourth floor of Garrison Hall is inaccessible by elevator. Students who are unable to climb the stairs may call during office hours and the professor will meet them on a lower floor.
· The University of Texas provides, upon request, appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259 or 471-4641.
· This syllabus and all materials presented in lectures are copyrighted by Dr. Mark A. Lawrence. No materials may be directly or indirectly published, posted to Internet or intranet distribution channels, or rewritten for publication or distribution in any medium. Neither these materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use.
Jan. 15: Introduction
Jan. 17: The Forces of Expansion: Industry and Ideology
READING: Pérez, chapter 1-2
Jan. 22: The Spanish-American War
Jan. 24: The Conquest of the Philippines
READING: Pérez, chapters 3-5; Paterson, chapter 1
Jan. 29: The Open Door
Jan. 31: Semi-Colonialism in Latin America
READING: Link, chapters 1-2; Paterson, chapter 2
Feb. 5: The Problems of Neutrality
Feb. 7: Wilson and International Progressivism
READING: Link, chapters 3-5; Paterson, chapter 3
Feb. 12: The Failure of the Wilsonian Vision (QUIZ on Link)
Feb. 14: The Promotional State
READING: Leffler, chapter 1-2; Paterson, chapters 4-5
Feb. 19: Overcoming “Isolationism”
Feb. 21: The Rise of a Superpower
TAKE-HOME MIDTERM DUE FEB. 26 IN CLASS
Feb. 26: The Rise and Fall of the U.S.-Soviet Alliance
Feb. 28: The Atomic Bomb (guest lecturer: Professor Michael Stoff)
READING: Walker (all); Paterson, chapter 6
March 5: Years of Crisis (QUIZ on Walker)
March 7: The Korean War
READING: Leffler, chapters 3-4; Burdick, chapters 1-7; Paterson, chapter 7
March 19: A MAD New World
March 21: Berlin and Cuba (QUIZ on Burdick)
READING: Burdick, chapters 8-23; Paterson, chapter 8
March 26: Third World Nationalism and the Cold War
March 28: Iran and Guatemala
READING: Hunt, chapters 1-2
April 2: Into the Quagmire
April 4: The Legacy of War (QUIZ on Hunt)
READING: Hunt, chapters 3-5; Paterson, chapter 9
April 9: The Kissinger Revolution
April 11: The Carter Experiment
READING: Danner, chapters 1-5; Paterson, chapter 10
April 16: The ‘Evil Empire’ and Nuclear War-Fighting
April 18: The Central American Obsession (QUIZ on Danner)
READING: Danner, chapters 6-9; Paterson, chapter 11
April 23: The End of the Cold War
April 25: The Search for a New Global Role
READING: LaFeber (all); Paterson, chapter 12
April 30: Globalization (QUIZ on LaFeber)
May 2: The Afghan Crisis in Context
READING: Afghanistan clippings TBA