I am firm believer that most textbooks are overpriced, and especially unfair to the type of students we get at GBC. Having decided to offer US Foreign Policy for the first time at GBC I settled on using the following three books to build the course around. Collectively they will set back my students between 40-30 USD.
-Perry Anderson, "American Foreign Policy and its Thinkers", Verso Books
Part literature review of the main mainstream authors of US Foreign Policy over the last 50 years, part survey history of US Foreign Policy from essentially 1945, both from the critical perspective of the Wisconsin School of US Diplomatic History.
-Christopher A. Preble "Peace, War and Liberty", Libertarianis Org.
A short survey history of US Foreign Policy, and a a suggested Grand Strategy, both based on a Libertarian perspective. This book is also available for free in pdf form.
- Walter McDougall "Promised Land, Crusader State: The American Encounter with the World Since 1776", Harper Paperbacks; Reprint edition
A full survey of US Foreign Policy from a traditional FP conservative perspective.
As it become clear all three books are a bit radical in their perspective of US Foreign Policy. This is on purpose as I prefer if the students face the most radical perspectives and based on them decide on their own stance (a hard test if you will).More mainstream perspectives will be provided via other readings, including National Security Strategies, opinion articles by academics belonging to the mainstream.
