**Title: US Foreign Policy: Foundations and Evolution**
**Synopsis:**
This session focused on introducing students to the complex and dynamic nature of US foreign policy. The lesson aimed to explore the historical context, foundational values and interests, and the mechanisms through which policy is shaped and implemented. The objective was to encourage critical thinking and analysis of the United States’ role on the global stage from multiple perspectives.
**Attendance:**
– No students were specifically mentioned as absent in the transcript.
**Topics Covered:**
1. **Introduction to US Foreign Policy:**
– Discussion on bias and subjectivity in foreign policy analysis.
– Emphasis on critical thinking and self-formed conclusions.
2. **Historical Context:**
– Overview of US history related to foreign policy from the 1800s to the 2000s.
– Exercise to identify key historical events influencing US foreign policy.
3. **Values and Interests:**
– Definitions and examples of values (e.g., freedom, democracy, human rights) and interests (e.g., national security, economic prosperity, global stability).
– Exploration of how values and interests interplay, complement, and sometimes conflict.
4. **Course Structure and Expectations:**
– Explanation of the course’s thematic progression, assignments, and grading.
**Actionable Items:**
– **Course Materials:**
– Students need to acquire the main textbook for the course, as mentioned by the professor.
– **Participation:**
– Emphasis on the importance of attendance and participation in class and online.
– **Assignments:**
– Students to prepare for three major assignments, including a reflection paper, a diplomatic scenario report, and a policy analysis paper or multimedia project (to be confirmed).
**Homework:**
– Students are to join the Telegram group for class communications.
– They need to obtain the textbook titled “The Politics of United States Foreign Policy” by Scott and Razadi from the library.
– Await further details on the syllabus and assignments to be shared by the professor.