ASTK12256U Understanding Strategic Culture

Volume 2014/2015
Content

What is “Strategic Culture”? How can we study it? What is the relation between strategic culture and foreign policy? How is it related to the development and application of grand strategy? Can we talk about multiple strategic cultures for a given country? How does strategic culture changes/evolves over time? The purpose of this course is to answer some of these questions by introducing the students to the concept of strategic culture and its theoretical and methodological aspects. We will examine the strategic cultures of both great powers (such as the US) and emerging powers (such as China and Russia) as part of this course.   

Learning Outcome
  • Summarize the historical development of the concept of strategic culture.
  • Discuss in some detail different approaches to strategic culture
  • Compare and analyze different strategic cultures across time and space.
  • Assess the utility of strategic culture as an explanation for state behavior in international politics. 

A preliminary list of readings include

 

  • Johnston A.I. 1998. Cultural Realism: Strategic Culture and Grand Strategy in Chinese History. Princeton UP
  • Sondhaus, L. 2006. Strategic Culture and Ways of War. Routledge
  • Nau, H.R. And Ollapally, D.M. 2012. Worldviews of Aspiring Powers: Domestic Foreign Policy Debates in China, India, Iran, Japan, and Russia. Oxford UP.
  • Dueck, C. 2008. Reluctant Crusaders: Power, Culture, and Change in American Grand Strategy. Princeton UP.
  • Johnson, J. L. Et.al. 2009. Strategic Culture and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Culturally Based Insights into Comparative National Security Policymaking. Palgrave Macmillan.
  • Additional articles assigned by the instructor. 

 

A final list will be provided before the classes start.

Lectures, class discussions, and other in-class activities.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 28
  • Exam
  • 79
  • Preparation
  • 168
  • Total
  • 275
Credit
10 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination
Synopsisexam
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
External censorship
Criteria for exam assesment

Criteria for achieving the goals:

  • Grade 12 is given for an outstanding performance: the student lives up to the course's goal description in an independent and convincing manner with no or few and minor shortcomings
  • Grade 7 is given for a good performance: the student is confidently able to live up to the goal description, albeit with several shortcomings
  • Grade 02 is given for an adequate performance: the minimum acceptable performance in which the student is only able to live up to the goal description in an insecure and incomplete manner