HENA01156U Engelsk - Valgfag 4: Ideals and Interests: US Foreign Policy from the Cold War to the War on Terror

Kursusbeskrivelsen dækker både Valgfag 4, emne og Valgfag 4, sprogfærdighed, idet begge er integreret i et undervisningsforløb. Den studerende vælger ét blandt de udbudte kurser inden for de tre geografisk bestemte områder amerikanske studier, postkoloniale studier, britisk litteratur, historie og samfundsforhold eller sprogvidenskab.

Ideals and Interests: US Foreign Policy from the Cold War to the War on Terror

After World War II a new era began in US foreign policy. The country was becoming a superpower and needed to act like one. It was also a country of strong democratic ideals, which it was longing to spread around the world. In the nearly 70 years since the beginning of that era, the United States has continued to play an important role on the world stage: whether during the Cold War battling the Soviet Union, or during the War on Terror fighting Al-Qaeda, successive American administrations have made their mark on the world we live in. This course will examine the driving forces behind US foreign policy as well as the key events from 1945-2013 by painting history with a broad brush. We will be dividing the course almost evenly between the Cold War and the War on Terror and will focus on key events such as the beginning of the Cold War, the Vietnam War, détente in the 1970s, the end of the Cold War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.