Cuban Missile Crisis: Academic writing workshop
Prof. James Gerard Richter, M.A., Ph.D.
Cuban Missile Crisis: Academic writing workshop

 

 

 

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

 

 

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