COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course examines offers a detailed
history of the Cuban Missile Crisis and uses it to introduce students to basic
theories about decision-making, crisis bargaining and conflict resolution.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
The students should emerge from the course
with a better understanding of the Cuban Missile Crisis in particular as well
as more general issues of crisis bargaining and conflict resolution in a
nuclear age.
SYLLABUS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30: Setting the Stage
Introduction to
the Cold War
The basics of
nuclear diplomacy
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1:
Domestic
politics and foreign folicy
The United States,
the USSR and Cuba in the early 1960s
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER
2:
The
Cuban Missile Crisis: Communications, bargaining
and blunders
Decision
making and crisis bargaining
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3:
The
Cuban Missile Crisis: The lessons
REQUIRED READING:
Students are expected to read the book by Aleksandr
Fursenko and Timothy Naftali, “One Hell of a Gamble,” Khrushchev,
Castro and Kennedy, 1958-1964.” New York:
W.W. Norton and Company, 1997, especially chapters 5-15.
There will be some short things to read during the
class, mostly documents.
TEACHING METHODS
Short lectures, class discussions on zoom, brief
writing exercises.
ASSESSMENT
Four short responses to class work
Final take-home exam due Monday, December 7