Formation/Cours

In 2023, Mrs Murat successfully completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge (Darwin College) in Politics and International Relations. Her doctoral dissertation focused on how populism can influence the national foreign policy of certain EU member states. For the past three years, Mrs Murat has been a Seminar Teacher at the University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne as well at Sciences Po Paris (Campus Reims). She holds a MA from Sciences Po Paris (PSIA) and a BA from the University of Vienna in Political Sciences. Contact: hanna.corsini@lacatholille.fr

Academic Year 2024/25: Autumn Semester

Every Thursday 8 am – 10 am

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The course aims at introducing Foreign Policy Analysis, a sub-field of the International Relations discipline. During the semester, we will understand ist origins and position within IR, as well as discuss in length its main theoretical perspectives and frameworks. Lastly, we will look into contemporary debates and the future of the sub-field more in general.

Through case studies, we will try to better grasp such discussions and to understand the strength of this approach to analyse foreign policy. Ultimately, we aim at answering the following questions: how are decisions taken? What is the role of politicians, governments, and bureaucrats in the decision-making process? What is the interplay between the domestic and the international levels? How is foreign policy change possible?

The learning objectives can be summarised as follows:

· Knowing what FPA is – and its position within IR.

· Understanding the theoretical lenses through which FPA analyses foreign policy.

· Learning to use the basic concepts and theories to assess contemporary case studies in international politics.

PEDAGOGICAL FORMAT

Except for a few more theoretical sessions, each class will be divided into two sections. During the first part, we will discuss the theoretical bases, whilst in the second one, we will present a case study that exemplifies what we have learned theoretically.

For each session, students are required to read the compulsory readings.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

The assessment grade is divided into two main components:

1. Mid-term exam (50%)

2. Final exam (50%)

The two-hour exams will have the same format: 8 multiple choice questions (only one possible answer, -1 for each wrong answer, 0 for no answer), one short essay question (out of two options) to be answered in less than 600 words (+/- 10% tolerance).

COURSE OUTLINE

Session 1 – Introduction

· Introduction to the course: structure, learning objectives, assessment modalities.

· A first glance on important definitions in FPA – general debates.

Part 1 – Theories and Concepts (Foreign Policy Decision-Making)

Session 2 – Introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA)

· Origins of FPA.

· The three paradigmatic works in Classic FPA.

· FPA and the Post-Cold War period.

Reading: Hudson, Valery M., and Benjamin S. Day. 2020. Foreign Policy Analysis: Classic and Contemporary Theory. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (Chapter 1, 14-28).

Session 3 – Foreign Policy, the State, and Power

· Power and foreign policy.

· National interest: definition and debates.

· Foreign policy instruments.

Case study: China’s public diplomacy towards Africa.

Reading: Ochieng, Haggai Kennedy. 2022. ‘China’s Public Diplomacy towards Africa: Strategies, Economic Linkages and Implications for Korea’s Ambitions in Africa’. East Asian Economic Review 26 (1): 49–91.

Session 4 – Foreign Policy Decision-Making

· FPA and its origins in realism and rationalism.

· Rationalism and foreign policy decision-making.

· Critique against the realist-rationalist mo