HY422
Presidents, Public Opinion, and Foreign Policy, from Roosevelt to Reagan, 1933-89
This information is for the 2020/21 session.
Teacher responsible
Prof Steven Casey SAR 2.10
Availability
This course is available on the MSc in History of International Relations, MSc in International Affairs (LSE and Peking University), MSc in International and Asian History, MSc in International and World History (LSE & Columbia) and MSc in Theory and History of International Relations. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.
Course content
Using a range of secondary sources, the course explores the dynamic interaction between presidents, public opinion, and foreign policymaking in order to test a range of common assumptions about the determinants of American foreign policy in the period from 1933 to 1989. The course explores the interaction between opinion and policy in three periods: First, the Roosevelt era, with emphasis on FDR's response to American isolationism, the media and public attitudes towards Nazi Germany and the Second World War, and the influence of public pressures upon US policy. Second, the period of consensus on the Cold War, examining how Americans viewed the Communist world before, during and after the Korean War, the influence of the atomic bomb upon popular thinking, the limits of dissent in the period of McCarthyism, and the impact of public opinion upon policy-making during the Berlin and Cuban crises. Third, the period when the Cold War consensus broke down, focusing not just on the opposition to the Vietnam war and the new cleavages that emerged within US society but also on the changing nature of the American media and the very different attempts made by Nixon, Carter and Reagan to respond to this new environment.
Teaching
110-minute weekly seminars, on campus or online as circumstances dictate, with weekly activities determined by the teacher.
Students are expected to keep up with readings for the weekly meetings and to participate in the seminar discussions.
There will be a reading week in the Michaelmas and the Lent terms.
Formative coursework
Students are required to produce one 3,000 word essay in the MT.
Indicative reading
A full bibliography accompanies the course and the teacher will advise on reading. M Small, Democracy and Diplomacy (1996); ); S Casey, When Soldiers Fall (2014); S Casey, Cautious Crusade (2001); S Casey, Selling the Korean War (2008); D Foyle, Counting the Public In (1999); R Sobel, The Impact of Public Opinion on US Foreign Policy since Vietnam (2001)O R Holsti, Public Opinion and American Foreign Policy (1996).
Assessment
Essay (40%, 4000 words) in the LT.
Essay (60%, 6000 words) in the ST.
Important information in response to COVID-19
Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.
Key facts
Department: International History
Total students 2019/20: 28
Average class size 2019/20: 14
Controlled access 2019/20: Yes
Value: One Unit
