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 POLI 340

CONDUCT AND FORMULATION OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

Spring  2009

MW 12:30-1:45 PM

BA 502

Jerel Rosati

Department of Political Sciene

Gambrell Hall 420

777-2981 (777-3109, main office)

Rosati@sc.edu (Email)

http://www.cla.sc.edu/poli/faculty/rosati/index.htm (Rosati website)

                Please read the entire syllabus carefully for I have given great thought and time to the development of this course, and it lays out the objectives, the requirements and the expectations.  The syllabus, many of the readings, and more can be found on the website above.

                To better understand the society we live in and its implications for the future, the course is designed 1) to increase your information, knowledge, and understanding of the complex politics of U.S. foreign policy; 2) to make you aware of the "realities" of politics and the policymaking process; 3) to become aware, consider, and evaluate different explanations and interpretations of the nature of the process, and 4) to help you improve your ability "to learn," to reason, and to communicate. 

                The focus is on how diverse factors--the government policymaking process, society and domestic politics, and the global environment--influence the making of American foreign policy.  As you better understand the “politics” of U.S. foreign policy and learn about the policymaking "game", you will be better able to analyze past, present, and future foreign policy decisions.   

                Hopefully, this course will illustrate how important it is to remain aware of what is happening in the nation's capital and encourage you to be a more vigilant and active participant of American politics.  Moreover, you should be able to see how foreign policymaking directly affects your life.  It is hoped that by the end of the semester you will find the course to be stimulating, informative, and relevant. 

The course revolves around doing and understanding all of the required readings.  Students will be evaluated through class participation, short exercises, and multiple examinations.  The intent behind these requirements is to have you study and think about the course material throughout the semester--to provide you with numerous opportunities to demonstrate the knowledge you have acquired and to get feedback--in order to maximize your ability to learn and grow as a student.

                1.  Class Participation/Attendance (10%). In order to get the most out of class, you must be prepared when you come to class. Students are expected to complete the readings prior to class meetings and to come to class ready to discuss them. You are also expected to keep abreast of current international issues. Attendance affects your participation grade; excessive absences will result in a lower grade. You may also be asked to complete very short exercises, usually written, in class and out of class revolving around communicating an understanding of the readings.

                SHOULD YOU MISS A CLASS, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEARNING WHAT WENT ON IN CLASS FROM YOUR CLASSMATES.

                Please come to class on time, and should you be late please sit in the rear and do not disturb your classmates and the class.

                2. Three exams (in which the lowest score will be dropped) and a final exam (30% each). There will be 4 exams. You get to drop your lowest grade from the first 3 exams. THE FINAL EXAM MUST BE TAKEN. There are no make-ups.

                Each exam will be cumulative and consist of a variety of questions about the readings and current issues.  Your responses should demonstrate your mastery of the information and concepts provided in the assigned readings as well as the ideas generated in class discussions. 

                Missing an assignment or examination.  DO NOT MISS AN EXAM or an assignment.  THERE ARE NO MAKE-UPS.  A GRADE OF F AND 0 POINTS WILL BE GIVEN.

                I am treating each of you as a RESPONSIBLE YOUNG ADULT now that you are in college.  Therefore, I expect you to act responsibly and with simple courtesy (which includes cell phones should be off, completely).

Your grade will be based, not on how well you do compared to others in the class, but on my assessment of your quality of substantive knowledge, quality of analysis, and effective communication demonstrated--in other words, the level of understanding demonstrated. Therefore, you should work together and help each other out.

A (average of 90-100) represents "excellent" understanding

B+ (87-89) represent "very good" understanding

B (80-86) represents "good" understanding

C+ (77-79) represents "satisfactory yet promising" understanding

C (70-76) represents "satisfactory" understanding

D+ (67-69) represents "poor" understanding

D (60-66) represents "very poor" understanding

F (below 60) represents an "appalling" level of understanding. 

REMEMBER, THE CLASS REVOLVES AROUND THE REQUIRED READINGS.  THEREFORE, JUST TO BE CLEAR, YOU MUST “DO” THE READINGS, YOU MUST “UNDERSTAND” THE READINGS, AND YOU MUST BE ABLE TO “COMMUNICATE” THIS UNDERSTANDING TO ACHIEVE A GOOD GRADE.

WARNING 1: YOU MUST READ

WARNING 2: COMING TO CLASS WILL IMPROVE YOUR GRADE

(OR NOT COMING WILL HURT YOUR FINAL GRADE)

WARNING 3: THERE WILL BE POP ATTENDANCE TAKEN AND SHORT EXERCISES GIVEN

WARNING 4: YOU MUST READ AND ABSORB THE REQUIRED MATERIAL

THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER

WARNING 5: IF YOU DON’T READ OR COME TO CLASS REGULARLY, DON’T TAKE THIS CLASS

WARNING 6: I WILL BE TREATING YOU AS A RESPONSIBLE ADULT

                The University of South Carolina, like all institutions of higher education, is fundamentally dependent upon the maintenance of proper standards of honesty.  Maintenance of those standards is the responsibility of every member of this academic community--students, instructors, and staff alike.  When confronted with clear evidence of academic dishonesty, we will respond vigorously.  SUCH IMPROPRIETY IN THIS CLASS WILL RESULT IN AN F FOR THE COURSE.

                The class will be structured around what I call a class dialogue in which information, knowledge, and thought will be generated through lecture/background, multi-media presentations, discussion, and the Socratic method (where I ask the class questions about the readings and the course material).  I will often play the role of provocateur and advocate to stimulate participation.  THIS IS NOT A LECTURE-ORIENTED CLASS.

The class dialogue emphasizes the importance of student participation and active learning as a means to improve one's skills, interest, information, knowledge, and, ultimately, understanding.  In essence, class discussions will consist of an active exchange between the student and professor.  When deemed necessary, lectures will be provided for some of the more difficult material and to provide appropriate background. Naturally, the larger the class, the more challenging it will be to have active learning.

The class is organized around the required readings.  I expect every student to come to class prepared.  Every student should be able to summarize and analyze each assigned reading and place it in perspective relative to the rest of the course material.  Students also will be expected to offer comments or questions which contribute to class discussions on a regular basis.

                Again, please come to class on time and be courteous at all times. 

                One ultimate purpose of higher education and the offering of this course is to broaden your knowledge and understanding about the world around you--to learn about things that you probably don't know much about and to think about things that you haven't given much thought to.  At the same time, I recognize that many individuals hold strong beliefs and feelings about things that involve the world and, in particular, the United States--often based more on faith and emotion rather than substantive knowledge.  Therefore, some of the material in this course may be controversial and will challenge you to think about many beliefs and assumptions you hold (and have rarely examined).

Your role is to act as student, social scientist, or policy analyst, not policymaker, activist, or true believer.  The purpose of the class is to better understand the practice of U.S. foreign policy, regardless of what your feelings and opinions are about that reality.  Learning and understanding are to be accomplished through the accumulation of information and knowledge and reliance on an open and critical mind.

                Hopefully, this course will increase your knowledge and critical thinking skills by having you:

       i) acquire lots of information,

       ii) appreciate the complexity and contradictions of reality,

       iii) identify patterns and be able to make generalizations supported by evidence, and

       iv) be exposed to different views and interpretations (including my views which I believe I have a responsibility to provide).

These are the building blocks to knowledge, growth and understanding.

                Jerel Rosati is a Professor of political science and international studies and has been a member of the Department of Government and International Studies at Carolina since 1982.  He enjoys learning in general. His intellectual interests range from American politics and history, United States foreign policy, the Vietnam War and the sixties to the dynamics of world politics, global change and the rise and decline of civilizations. His area of specialization is the theory and practice of foreign policy, focusing on the United States policymaking process, decision-making theory, and the political psychological study of human cognition.  He has been awarded the Outstanding Professor of the Year in the Humanities and Social Sciences by the South Carolina (Honors) College, the Outstanding Teacher in International Studies in the Department of Government & International Studies, Excellence in Teaching by the University of South Carolina Alpha Chapter of the Mortar Board Honor Society, and Outstanding Teacher in Political Science by the American Political Science Association and Pi Sigma Alpha (The National Political Science Honor Society).  In addition to the usual undergraduate and graduate students, he has also been awarded, and participated in, a number of instructional grants at the state and federal level (usually through the U.S. Department of State) as Academic Director, Field Director, and/or Project Director where he has taught students and scholars from all over the world, including Bulgarians, Chinese, Israelis and Palestinians, Somalis, Master’s of International Business students, and high school teachers. In 2002 he was the original Program Director and Academic Director of a U.S. Department of State Fulbright American Studies Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy for 18 scholars-practitioners from all over the world (which just completed its sixth year under the Walker Institute for International Studies). 

                He has been a Visiting Professor at Somalia National University in Mogadishu and Visiting Scholar at China’s Foreign Affairs College in Beijing. He is the author of over forty articles and chapters, as well as five books including The Carter Administration's Quest for Global Community: Beliefs and Their Impact on Behavior, The Power of Human Needs in World Society, Foreign Policy Restructuring: How Governments Respond to Global Change, The Politics of United States Foreign Policy (4^th edition and translated in Mandarin Chinese, German, and Russian), and Readings in the Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy (also translated in Mandarin Chinese). He also has been a Research Associate in the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division of the Library of Congress's Congressional Research Service, President of the International Studies Association's Foreign Policy Analysis Section, and President of the Southern region of the International Studies Association. 

                He enjoys travel, athletics, music, reading, food and spirits, family and friends, good company, and relaxing.  His father had duo-citizenship (American and Italian), and fought in World War II (on the allied side); his mother was born and raised in Florence, Italy and came to the United States as a war bride; and he retains close family in Italy. He came of age during the early seventies as an undergraduate at U.C.L.A when the events surrounding the Vietnam War and Watergate reached a crescendo, which had a profound impact on his intellectual and personal development to the present day.  During the last two summers, he taught courses on “Understanding Politics Through Film” and “The Vietnam War,” was a major participant in the six-week Fulbright American Studies Institute on U.S. Foreign Policy (which included two-week field trips in Washington, D.C., New York, and Los Angeles), and has conducted field research twice in Colombia (for two fascinating weeks each) as part of a Witness for Peace delegation member and then delegate leader. 

                The best way to contact me is to drop by or probably through email.  Please feel free to come see me during my office hours or any other time I am free.  Late mornings and afternoons, especially on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, are a particularly good time.  My email address is: rosati@sc.edu.  I am good about checking my email and responding throughout the workweek.  I am much less likely to check my email during the weekend. 

                PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAILS REGULARLY, FOR I WILL BE SENDING YOU UPDATES, REMINDERS, AND ARTICLES FOR THE CLASS.  If you have any questions or complications that I should be aware, contact me.

1. Jerel A. Rosati and James M. Scott, (2007) The Politics of United States Foreign Policy (Wadsworth: Thomas Learning) [referred to as Rosati text]

2. George Packer, (2006), The Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq (New York: Farrar)

3. Graham Greene, The Quiet American         

4. Articles on website or emailed to you.  Additional required readings are listed on the syllabus and should be on my website.  Sometimes I may email you a short article on current events relevant to the class which also becomes a required reading.  PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL REGULARLY FOR I WILL BE SENDING YOU ARTICLES, REMINDERS, AND UPDATES FOR THE CLASS (try to keep it clean and trash unnecessary emails so your “free” email account has enough space to get emails and attachments). 

                IMPORTANT: The course revolves around the readings.  I EXPECT YOU TO DO ALL THE READING IN A TIMELY FASHION.  The readings are intended to be accessible and diverse so as to improve your ability to acquire an understanding of the dynamics of politics and its real-world relevance.  The required readings for each class are specified under Course Topics and Readings below.

                If you feel that readings are too demanding to do in college, please do not take this course. Personally, I believe that the quantity of the readings is extremely reasonable and accessible (actually too light for a university-level course).

                The books should be available at the University Russell House bookstore, as well as the two off-campus bookstores.  If no books are at the stores, be “proactive”–-inquire if and when they will come in.  You can always purchase them online (at www.barnesandnoble.com,  www.amazon.com., www.powells.com, or www.abebooks.com, as well as other websites), or through local bookstores via the telephone.  If you’re still having problems, notify (email) me as soon as possible.

                Some readings may be listed as RECOMMENDED for those of you who might want to explore more on the topic. 

 SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1                Contemporary Affairs.  It is also expected that you will follow contemporary affairs through the media during this semester more than you might normally be accustomed.  Media sources for following contemporary affairs are listed at the end of the syllabus and on my website (http://www.cla.sc.edu/poli/faculty/rosati/tothepoint.htm as Recommended Sources with links).

                Students will examine, discuss, debate, and gain practical insights into the history and contemporary formulation of U.S. foreign policy. Four central themes or questions are addressed throughout the class:     

1) What have been the dominant patterns of continuity and change over time in the foreign policy process, including the impact of the end of the cold war and the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks?

2) To what extent is the President able to manage and govern?

3) How has the constant tension between the demands of national security and democracy evolved?

4) What are the major interpretations or perspectives, as well as different sources of information and scholarship, that exist?

                The foreign policy of the United States has experienced important continuities and changes over time. By the twentieth century the United States had become increasingly a global power. Following World War II and with the rise of the cold war, United States foreign policy during the fifties and sixties revolved around the containment of Soviet and communist expansion throughout the world. The cold war years were also a time when the power of the presidency was preeminent in the making of U.S. foreign policy, and the demands of national security usually prevailed over the demands of democracy (including the exercise of civil liberties). Yet, events such as the Vietnam War, Watergate and the end of the Bretton Woods system challenged America’s postwar containment policy and the preeminence of presidential power. The end of the cold war, 9/11, the Iraq War, and various global issues have opened up new opportunities and constraints for the making and politics of U.S. foreign policy, today and into the future.

                                                                                                  *    *    *

                THIS SYLLUBUS REFLECTS THE EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS YOU MUST FULFILL.  I EXPECT YOU TO TAKE THE COURSE SERIOUSLY AND WORK AS HARD AS I DO--WHICH IS, AFTERALL, THE KEY TO LEARNING AND INTELLECTUAL GROWTH.

                                I EXPECT YOU TO DO ALL THE READING IN A TIMELY FASHION.

                                           [If you miss a class, you are responsible for contacting a classmate

                                                             to find out the reading and class assignments.]

                                       [Please bring the required readings with you to class for each session.]

                HELPFUL INFORMATION:

– Each numerical topic below refers to one class session and lists the required (and recommended, if any) readings for that session

                – Read and be able to summarize the required readings

-- All required readings other than the two books are on the course website (if the Poli 340 website is not up or working, go to Poli 340 or Poli 111 websites)

                – For required articles sent by email or on the course website, print them out, read, and save

– Recommended readings are just that: recommended if you would like additional information and knowledge

                – PLEASE CHECK YOUR EMAIL FOR ARTICLES AND UPDATES ON THE CLASS

PART I -- COURSE INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

1. Course Introduction and Overview

Read over syllabus closely; come to next class with any questions.

                Due by Monday, January 21. MANDATORY EMAIL/INFORMATION ASSIGNMENT.  Email me the following information as a list in the following numerical order (you cannot get a passing grade unless you fulfill this assignment).

                Have your subject heading be POLI 341 EMAIL/INFO ASSIGNMENT.     

                   1)  name (as registered)

                   2)  social security #

                   3)  phone numbers (home; work; cell; other)

   4)  email address

                   5)  major

                   6)  class (e.g., freshman)

                   7)  have you taken or are you enrolled in university 101?

                   8)  do you work during school?  hours per week?  doing what?

                   9)  career goal?

                  10)  home town (raised most of life)?

                  11)  where have you traveled to outside the U.S.?  If not outside the U.S., then outside the southeast?

                  12)  what was your first “political” experience (in person or through, e.g., t.v.)

                  13)  are you planning to vote in the 2008 presidential election?

                  14)  have you taken Rosati for a class before? Which one(s)?

2. Story-Telling and Memory

Read syllabus closely and ask questions to clarify [ALWAYS BRING SYLLABUS TO CLASS]

Recommended Stephen Kinzer, “Guatemala: The Unfinished Peace” New York Review of Books (June 21, 2001), pp. 61-63 [on my course website]

[If you can’t find the readings on the POLI 340 website,

the required and recommended readings can be found under two other course websites:

POLI 341, CONTEMPORARY U.S. FOREIGN POLICY (Fall 2007)

Controversies in American Politics:
9/11 and The Iraq War: Another Vietnam? (Spring 2007)]

3. Read Rosati text, “The Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy,” preface and chapter 1

Recommended Alexander Stille, “The Betrayal of History,” New York Review of Books (June 11, 1998), pp. 15-20 [on my website]

PART II -- HISTORICAL AND GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

4. Read Rosati text, “History of United States Foreign Relations,” chapter 2

Recommended, "U.S. Had Key Role in Iraq Buildup:  Trade in Chemical Arms Allowed Despite Their Use on Iranians, Kurds," Washington Post (December 30, 2002), by Michael Dobbs [on course website]

5. Read Rosati text, “The Global Context and American Power, chapter 3

Recommended  “Illusions of Empire: Defining the New American Order," Foreign Affairs (March/April 2004), by G. John Ikenberry

PART III -- GOVERNMENT AND THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS

6. Read Rosati text, “Presidential Power and Leadership,” chapter 4, to p. 83

7. Read Rosati text, “Presidential Power and Leadership,” chapter 4, p. 83 on

8. Read Rosati text, “The Bureaucracy, Presidential Management and the NSC, chapter 5, to 117

Recommended, "Cheney's Long Path to War," Newsweek (November 17, 2003), by Mark Hosenball, Michael Isikoff and Evan Thomas

9. Read Rosati text, NSC chapter, 117 on

Read “Is Condi the Problem? As Critics accuse the Bush Team of Bungling the Fight Against Terrorism," Time takes an Inside Look at the Role Played by the President's National Security Adviser," Time (April 5, 2004), by Micheal Elliott and Massimo Calabresi

10. FIRST EXAM

11. Read Rosati text, “Understanding Bureaucracy: The State Department at Home and Abroad,” chapter 6, to 151

Recommended, "Blind Into Baghdad: The U.S. occupation of Iraq is a debacle not because the government did no planning but because a vast amount of expert planning was willfully ignored by the people in charge.  The inside story of historic failure, The Atlantic Monthly (January/February 2004) by James Fallows

12. Read Rosati text, State Dept chapter, 151 on

13. Read Rosati text, “The Military Establishment,” chapter 7, to 184

Recommended, "Tikrit Dispatch: Uncivil Military," The New Republic (March 1, 2004), by Joshua Hammer

14. Read Rosati text, Military chapter, 184 on

15. Read Rosati text, “The Intelligence Community,” chapter 8, to 226

Recommended, "The Vanishing Case for War," New York Review of Books (December 4, 2003), by Thomas Powers

Recommended, "Spies, Lies, and Weapons: What Went Wrong," The Atlantic Monthly (January-February 2004), by Kenneth M. Pollack

Recommended, "Playing Defense: Bush's Disastrous Homeland Security Department," The New Republic (March 15, 2004), by Michael Crowley

16. Read Rosati text, Intell chapter, 226 on

Recommended "THE GRAY ZONE: How a secret Pentagon program came to Abu Ghraib," by SEYMOUR M. HERSH The New Yorker  (May 24, 2004). 

17. Read Rosati text, “Foreign Economics and the NEC,” chapter 9

18. Read Rosati text, “Executive Branch Policymaking and Decision-Making,” chapter 10

Read "Bush and God," Newsweek (March 10, 2003), by Howard Fineman

19. Read Rosati text, “Congress and Interbranch Politics, chapter 11, to 328

Read Cass R. Sunstein, “The 9/11 Constitution,” The New Republic (January 16, 2006),

Recommended, U.S. Constitution, “The Legislative and Executive Branches,” Appendix A in text

20. Read Rosati text, Congress chapter, 328 on

Recommended, "The Misery of Being a House Democrat: Oppressed Minority," The New Republic (June 23, 2003), by Michael Crowley.

21. SECOND EXAM

[For more recommended readings on the U.S. foreign policy process and the Iraq War,

see my POLI 111 on “9/11 and the Iraq War” on my Undergraduate Courses Website]

PART IV -- SOCIETY AND DOMESTIC POLITICS

22. Read Rosati, begin “The Public and Its Beliefs,” chapter 13, to 360

Recommended, "The Case for Bush Hatred," The New Republic (September 29, 2003), by Jonathan Chait

Recommended, "The Case Against Bush Hatred," The New Republic (September 29, 2003), Ramesh Ponnuru

23. Rosati, Public chapter, 360 on

Read President John F. Kennedy, “Inaugural Address,” on course website

Recommended President George W. Bush, “West Point Commencement Speech,” (2002), on course website

24. Read Rosati text, “National Security versus Civil Liberties,” chapter 14

Recommended, "Protestor=Criminal?," The Progressive (February 2004), by Matthew Rothschild

Recommended, "Patriotism Perverted: Sept. 11 and the Erosion of American Liberty," Free Times (July 3, 2002), by Dan Cook

25. Read Rosati text, “Electoral Politics,” chapter 15

Recommended "War Stories" Newsweek (February 23, 2004), by Evan Thomas

Recommended, "Deep divisions unlikely to heal soon," by PAULINE ARRILLAGA,The Associated Press (November 7, 2004)

                26. Read Rosati text, “Group Politics,” chapter 16, to 452

Read "Global Security Firms Fill in as Private Armies: 15,000 agents Patrol Violent Streets of Iraq," San Francisco Chronocle (March 28, 2004), by Robert Collier

27. Read Rosati text, Group Politics chapter, 452 on

28. Read Rosati text, “The Media and the Communications Process,” chapter 17, to 496

29. Read Rosati text, Media chapter, 496 on

Recommended "The Unseen War," The New York Review of Books (May 29, 2003), by Michael Massing

PART V — MAKING SENSE OF THE POLITICS OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY

30. Read Rosati text, “Summarizing the Major Patters, The Nature of Change, and the Future Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy,” chapter 18

31. THIRD EXAM

PART VI – A CASE STUDY

32. Read The Quiet American, begin

Quiz will be given at the beginning of class of the main characters and story

33. Read The Quiet American, continue

Quiz will be given at the beginning of class of the main characters and story

Also reread Rosati text on Political Culture, pp. 377-386

34. Read The Quiet American, complete, and read

Quiz will be given at the beginning of class of the main characters and story

35-42. The remaining class days will be used as a cushion for discussing class topics in greater depth and to discuss contemporary world affairs.

[42 MWF classes total.] 

                FINAL EXAM , SATURDAY, MAY 2, 2PM

                Do not make any travel plans to leave Columbia before you complete the exam.  Thank you.

                Below are highly recommended sources for following national and international affairs.  You can sign up and receive FREE email subscriptions.

– the two most influential American media sources are: The New York Times at www.nytimes.com, register and The Washington Post, check The Daily Headlines (Daily Featured Section) @ www.washingtonpost.com/;

--on radio, National Public Radio have excellent news programs in the evening (“All Things Considered” at 4 to 6 pm on weekday evenings) and on weekendss.  They can be picked up throughout the state and the country. They are at 91.3 FM in Columbia (and between 88 and 92 wherever you are in the U.S.).  Their website is @ www.npr.org/;

-- on TV, Frontline is the best investigative program on PBS on specific topics, especially U.S. foreign policy and the Iraq War.  It is on Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. on S.C. ETV and they have a terrific website @ www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/ with lots of additional information and links—where many of their one hour programs can be viewed online in their entirety.

– (for a European, especially British, perspective) The Economist  at www.economist.com, check Politics This Week, or BBC News at http://news.bbc.co.uk/, subscribe to BBC Daily Email;

-- for a powerful media voice in the Arab world see Al Jazeera @ http://english.aljazeera.net/News;

– for perspectives from around the world see World Press Review at www.worldpress.org, check World Press Review Newsletter. Newslink is probably the best website for accessing news sources throughout U.S. and the world.

                For those of you more interested in national politics as well as world affairs, you may want to familiarize yourself with the litany of magazines and journals which present a host of intellectual, opinion, and policy positions.  These sources can be found in the Thomas Cooper Library, the Richland County Public Library on Assembly Street, at bookstores like Barnes and Noble, and on line through my website (and others).  Remember, what you will likely find is a recommended sampling of predominantly American media sources.  There are plenty more American media sources, and lots of quality sources beyond the United States–which is particularly important for becoming informed about world politics.  Going beyond the American media is strongly encouraged, such as Newslink.

                Other programs, magazines, and literature are available, as well as fictional accounts (e.g., novels, movies) with important political messages.