HIS4324 ¨C The American Century: U.S. Foreign Relations since 1898

Course content

Arguably no other nation has done as much to shape the world we live in today as the United States. This course explores the rich and highly contested historiographical debate on the nature and legacy of this influence. The course begins with the United States¡¯ victory in the Spanish-American War, then moves on to discuss the transformation of American power during the First World War, and then debates over the United States¡¯ "retreat" from world affairs during the Interwar Period. After examining the United States¡¯ rise to superpower status after 1945, the course examines the roots of the United States¡¯ confrontation with the Soviet Union, before discussing dilemmas of American power during Cold War, including the impact of the Vietnam War and the domestic struggle for civil rights on U.S. foreign policy. The course concludes by examining how and why the United States emerged as the world¡¯s sole superpower after the collapse of the Soviet Union and questions whether it still retains this status today.

Employing a range of primary sources, this course contrasts this established diplomatic history of the United States with more critical historiographical approaches. These aspects include the influence of gender on the United States¡¯ war against Spain, the reaction to the U.S. rise to power from the perspective of the Global South, and the role of non-governmental organizations in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the 1970s.

Employing in-class student presentations and discussions, and culminating in a collaborative reflection exercise, the course examines fundamental questions regarding the essential nature of American power and reflects on how debates about the past continue to shape the evolution of U.S. foreign relations into the twenty-first century.

Learning outcome

When you have completed this course, you will be able to:

• Identify periods, themes, and key questions relating to the history of the United States and the world since 1898.
• Understand, evaluate, and compare different interpretive approaches to this history.
• Examine primary sources and understand how they underpin these interpretations.
• Reflect on the present-day influence of these historiographical debates.
• Develop and express your own arguments relating to these points, both orally and in written form.

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester?register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for?in Studentweb.

Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about?admission requirements a