Module POL2086 for 2020/1
- Overview
- Aims and Learning Outcomes
- Module Content
- Indicative Reading List
- Assessment
Undergraduate Module Descriptor
POL2086: Strategy and Psychology in Foreign Policy
This module descriptor refers to the 2020/1 academic year.
Module Content
Syllabus Plan
Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:
- Introduction to key psychological concepts in foreign policy and international relations,
- decision-making models,
- decision-making in times of crisis,
- the importance of psychological traits such as authoritarianism and social dominance orientation,
- introduction to rational choice theory,
- strategies for political leaders across different regime types,
- the role of public opinion and leader motivations in coercive foreign policies.
Learning and Teaching
This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activity | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 25 | Reading texts for class |
| Guided Independent Study | 18 | Preparing class presentation in pairs |
| Guided Independent Study | 45 | Essay preparation and writing |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Preparation for and completion of examination |
Online Resources
This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).
Other Learning Resources
Other materials and resources will be identified by the module convener in lectures and/or via ELE.
Indicative Reading List
This reading list is indicative - i.e. it provides an idea of texts that may be useful to you on this module, but it is not considered to be a confirmed or compulsory reading list for this module.
The Feeling of Rationality: The Meaning of Neuroscientific Advances for Political Science Rose McDermott (2004)
Jack S. Levy. 1997. "Prospect Theory, Rational Choice, and International Relations." International Studies Quarterly 41, 1 (March), 87-113
Lake, David, and Robert Powell, “International Relations: A Strategic-Choice Approach” (1999) Princeton University Press. Chapter One: International Relations: A Strategic-Choice Approach David A. Lake and Robert Powell 3-38
Thomson, Catarina. “Public support for Economic and Military Coercion and Audience Costs” (2016) British Journal of Politics and International Relations” Vol 18 (2): 407–421
Bueno de Mesquita, Bruce, “Testing Novel Implications from the Selectorate Theory of War,” World Politics 56(3) 2004 368-388.
Geddes, Barbara, “What do we know about democratization after Twenty Years?”, Annual Review of Political Science 1999 2:115-44.
Pape, Robert. 2003. “The Strategic Logic of Suicide Terrorism,” American Political Science Review 97(3), 343-361.
Baum, Matthew A. and Philip B. K. Potter. 2008. “The Relationship Between Mass Media, Public Opinion and Foreign Policy: Toward a Theoretical Synthesis.” Annual Review of Political Science 91-109.
