One of the goals of this course is to understand international relations in terms of global politics. In other words, there are multiple actors beyond state actors that work across borders. In addition, the borders of states do not limit many of today’s global problems. Given that Chapman University’s mission is to facilitate your development into becoming global citizens, for this final exam you will be asked to imagine what you would do about a current or recent global political problem related to the environment, human rights, or poverty (see chapters on these issues for ideas). Imagine you have the opportunity to apply for a grant to address an issue of concern to global politics and US foreign policy. All you need to do is to submit a proposal that is both succinct and addresses the questions below.
Be sure to format your proposal according to the numbered outline below.
1. Include a title for your proposal, and explain the global political problem you have chosen.
2. Explain how the issue you have chosen is related to U.S. foreign policy. In other words, what are the specific national interests? Are they material, ideational, or both? See chapter 5 to help answer this question.
3. What would you propose to do, and with what kinds of actors would you work? See chapters 6 and 7.
4. What kind of approach would this entail: realist, liberal, Marxist, constructivist, feminist, postcolonial? Or a combination of these? See chapters 3 and 4.
5. What kind of power would you use? Hard power? Soft power? See chapter 5.
6. Summarize why you think this is the best approach to deal with the problem you have identified.