FOREIGN POLICY AND DIPLOMACY

COURSEWORK GUIDE
Course Edition 2016-2017

1. Descriptive Details......................................................................................................2

2. Contextualization of Contents and Subject Competences........................................2

3. Specific Competences................................................................................................3

4. General Competences (UEM cross-disciplinary competences).................................3

5. Contents.....................................................................................................................4

6. Training Activities.......................................................................................................4

7. Teaching Methodologies............................................................................................4

8. Assessment Procedures.............................................................................................5

9. Materials and Other Considerations..........................................................................6

10. Coursework Outline...................................................................................................7

11. Resources...................................................................................................................8

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1. Descriptive Details
Name of subject: Foreign Policy and Diplomacy
Code: 9978001107
Degree program: Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations
Year in which it is taught: 2017-2018
Nº of ECTS credits: 6 Nº of classroom hours: 7
Study mode: Campus-based

Regulatory Recommended prerequisites: None

prerequisites: None

Name of professor: Dr. Miguel Angel Benedicto

Academic advising/guidance timetable: By appointment (please ask me after class or
email miguel.benedicto@universidadeuropea.es)

2. Contextualization of Contents and Subject

Competences

This course will provide students with an introduction to Foreign Policy Analysis
(FPA) as a subfield of International Relations. Drawing on IR and FPA theories, they
will acquire a conceptual framework for the analysis of real foreign policy decisions.

Students will learn the evolution of a traditional intergovernmental foreign policy

(with diplomatic relations as its main instrument) into a more complex arena,
where government agencies, international organizations and transnational or non-
governmental actors compete with each other to determine the state’s external
action.

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3. Specific Competences

On completing this subject, the student will be able to:

 Describe the role of the different governmental and non-governmental

actors that participate in a state’s foreign policy making.

 Understand how traditional inter-state diplomacy has evolved into a more

comprehensive and multilateral external action.

 Identify the respective national interests and factors (at the individual, state
and international levels) that have determined the foreign policies of states
with regard to a certain international issue.

4. General Competences (UEM cross-disciplinary

competences)
The following competences will be developed and assessed in this subject:

 Analysis and synthesis

 Planning

 Information management

 Using information technologies

 Problem-solving

 Negotiation

 Critical reasoning

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5. Contents

1. Foreign Policy Analysis in a Globalized World

2. Actors, Structures and Foreign Policy
3. Psychology of Foreign Policy Decision-Making
4. Instruments of Foreign Policy: Diplomatic, Military, Economic and Cultural
5. Other forms of Diplomacy: multilateral and Public Diplomacy

6. Training Activities

Lectures, student presentations, debates in class, analysis of texts or videos,

simulation exercises, written assignments, use of social media.

7. Teaching Methodologies

Case studies, cooperative learning, problem-based learning, project, role-playing.

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8. Assessment Procedures

Your final grade will have four components:

A) Exam (50%)

 Essay questions based on the lectures given in class.

 According to university regulations, you will need a minimum grade of 40% in

this part for the other three components (simulation, paper and class
participation) to be counted.

B) Simulation Exercise (20%)

 Role-playing exercise, in groups, simulating an international meeting (eg United

Nations Security Council, European Council, Council of the European Union,
BRICS, G20…).

 Each group will represent a state or international organization and will have to
defend their own interest, using the best possible strategy.

C) Paper (20%)

 10-15 pages (including references and bibliography), explaining your

preparation for the simulation exercise and the results you obtained:

o What were your country (or organization)’s interests with regard to the
issue being discussed?

o How did that determine your role in the negotiations?

o What strategy did you use to defend your position?

o Did you manage to achieve your goals, and why?

D) Class participation (10%)

 Every student is expected to make an active contribution to class discussions

and activities. Regular attendance is necessary, but a passive or negative
attitude while in class will not fulfill this requirement.

9. Materials and Other Considerations

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Classroom materials

All lectures and readings will be available on Campus Virtual. We will be working
with these materials in class.

Please bring an electronic device (laptop, tablet, phone…) that you can connect
to the university wi-fi and use to read documents or search for information.

Bibliography

Although the exam will be based on the lectures given in class, you are very
welcome to read additional information. Doing so will improve the quality of your
work, therefore increasing your grades.

 Smith, Steve, Hadfield, Amelia and Dunne, Tim, eds. (2012), Foreign Policy:
Theories, Actors, Cases, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at
UEM Library.

 G.R. Berridge, Diplomacy. Theory and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan Great Britain
2014, 282 pp. [UEM: JZ 1405 .B47] ISBN: 978-0-230-22960-0

 Hill, Christopher (2003), The Changing Politics of Foreign Policy, Basingstoke:

Palgrave Macmillan.

 Webber, Mark and Smith, Michael (2002), Foreign Policy in a Transformed

World, Harlow: Pearson.

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10. Coursework Outline

Calendar Week MONDAY WEDNESDAY FRIDAY

(Monday to Sunday) 12:30-14:30 12:30-14:30 08:30-11:30

8-12 JAN PRESENTATION UNIT 1

15 -19 JAN UNIT 1 UNIT 2

22-26 JAN UNIT 2 24 BOARD UNIT 3

(BRUSSELS)

29 JAN-2 FEBR UNIT 3

05-10 FEB

12-16 FEB UNIT 4 BRUSSELS

19-23 FEB UNIT 5

26 FEB-2 MARCH UNIT 5 ROLE PLAYING

5-9MARCH Role playing Role playing exam

12-16 MARCH Deadline papers

19-23 MARCH Exam review

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11. Resources

Class attendance
A minimum attendance of 75% is required by the university in order to pass a
subject.
Your attendance will be checked using the electronic system (“GRP”). It is your
responsibility to sign on when entering the classroom, and to report any technical
problem to the university administration.
 If your attendance as recorded by the GRP system is lower than 75%, you must
provide a justification in writing (eg a note from your doctor). Personal activities,
such as trips unrelated to your studies, will not be accepted.
 If you are not able to justify your absence, or if the reasons you give are not
acceptable, you will fail the subject and will be assessed in the extraordinary
session (“convocatoria extraordinaria”).

Extra credit
You are welcome to do extra work, which will be counted towards your final grade. The
rules for this are: (a) you must always ask me in advance and get my approval before
starting; (b) do not wait till the last week of term (and of course not after the final
exam).

Examples:

 Reading a book related to one of the topics in this course, and discussing it with
me later.

 Attending a seminar, roundtable, lecture… in Madrid, related to our topics; and

writing a critical summary afterwards. (On-campus events will not be counted as
extra work).

 Writing an article related to this subject for our Observatory of International

Relations.

Please bear in mind that this is “extra” work, not designed to replace the exam,
papers and other assignments. Therefore, it will only increase your grade if you
have passed this subject; it will not compensate for a fail.

Late papers
According to university regulations, late coursework will not be accepted.
Deadlines will only be extended in case of illness or professional commitments, as
long as an appropriate certificate from your doctor/employer is provided. The same
rule applies to exam dates.

Language and spelling

University regulations regarding spelling are as follows:
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“For each spelling error, half a point will be deducted from the final grade of an
exercise. When the same spelling error is repeated, it will only count as one.
The correction criteria will apply to:
• Subject-Verb agreement (people are—not people is)
• Correct use of verb tenses (present vs. past, future, etc.)
• Spelling (including UK vs. US consistency)
• Punctuation (periods, commas, dashes, etc.)
• Capitalization
• Use of connectors

For repeated errors in the use of specific terminology, up to two points may be
deducted from the final grade at the professor’s discretion.
In the case of written work which has been revised before being handed in, and
where the student has had access to the linguistic norm (as well as to spelling and
style checkers) during its preparation, these deductions from the final grade of the
exercise will be doubled (i.e., one point for each spelling error, and up to four
points for repeated errors in the use of specific terminology).”
See the Oxford Dictionaries (for British English) or the Merriam-Webster Dictionary
(for American English).

Referencing
You may use any of the generally accepted academic referencing styles, as long as
you are consistent throughout your paper.
See the university library guide on referencing.

Plagiarism and cheating

Plagiarism involves copying data, ideas or opinions from someone else without
citing the original source.
 Direct quotes (using exactly the same words as the original) should be written
between quotation marks (“”), citing the original source as well.
 Paraphrasing (using information from another author but writing it in your own
words) also needs to be referenced. If you do not cite the source, it is
considered to be plagiarism.
 It should always be clear what ideas are your own and what has been influenced
by / borrowed from others.
 Widely known information (for example, “the United States invaded Afghanistan
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks”) does not need to be referenced.

Cheating in exams is the use of unauthorized information (notes, books, internet,

help from classmates, etc.) to write your answers.

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Both plagiarism and cheating are a breach of academic honesty. They will result in
one or more than one of the following consequences:
- a grade of 0 (zero) points in that assignment;
- a grade of 0 (zero) points in the whole subject;
- an official sanction by the university (see disciplinary rules, arts. 5, 8.3, 18).

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