PSCI 262
America and the Cold War Fall 2016
Division II
Cross-listed HIST 261 / LEAD 262
This is not the current course catalog

Class Details

This course examines the rise and fall of the Cold War, focusing on four central issues. First, why did America and the Soviet Union become bitter rivals shortly after the defeat of Nazi Germany? Second, was one side primarily responsible for the length and intensity of the Cold War in Europe? Third, how did the Cold War in Europe lead to events in other areas of the world, such as Cuba and Vietnam? Finally, could the Cold War have been ended long before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989? Political scientists and historians continue to argue vigorously about the answers to all these questions. We examine both traditional and revisionist explanations of the Cold War, as well as the new findings that have emerged from the partial opening of Soviet and Eastern European archives. The final section of the course examines how scholarly interpretations of the Cold War continue to influence how policymakers approach contemporary issues in American foreign policy.
The Class: Format: lecture/discussion
Limit: 19
Expected: 19
Class#: 1701
Grading: yes pass/fail option, yes fifth course option
Requirements/Evaluation: one medium length paper, an in-class midterm and final exam, and a series of short assignments
Prerequisites: none; PSCI 202 is recommended but not required
Enrollment Preferences: Political Science majors and Leadership Studies concentrators
Distributions: Division II
Notes: This course is cross-listed and the prefixes carry the following divisional credit:
HIST 261 Division II LEAD 262 Division II PSCI 262 Division II
Attributes: LEAD American Foreign Policy Leadership
PSCI International Relations Courses

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