Revised 5/2025
HIS 280 - American Foreign Policy Since 1890 (3 CR.)
Course Description
Examines American foreign policy since 1890 with an emphasis on current events and diverse points of view. Lecture 3 hours per week.
General Course Purpose
Investigates the relations and policies of the United States with regard to other countries and world events. Designed to provide an in-depth course experience that reviews and evaluates American foreign policy.
Course Prerequisites/Corequisites
College level reading abilities.
Course Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Evaluate the major American approaches in foreign policy since the 1890s and how US presidents, Congress, the State Department, the US military, and the American public apply these doctrines to major historic events in US foreign policy.
- Evaluate the major historic interpretations of US foreign policy as practiced by presidents and major political parties since the 1890s, such as isolationist and humanitarian.
- Compare and contrast the different approaches of US presidents to US involvement in world affairs.
- Discuss foreign policy issues with knowledge and thoughtfulness.
Major Topics to Be Included
- America and other nations, both developed and developing.
- US foreign policy during and between the two World Wars.
- US foreign policy and the Cold War.
- US foreign policy after the Cold War, including both Iraq Wars and the Afghanistan War.
- US invasions and coups against other governments and American public and US government response to genocides, including attempts to stop or limit them, ignoring or refusing to stop them, and supporting them.