U.S. foreign relations|U.S. foreign policy|U.S. empire|Non-state actors|Transnational history

In the late 19thcentury, the U.S. moved to seize and create what would become a sprawling overseas empire. This empire required significant policing,...

Non-State Actors in U.S. Foreign Policy, 1880-1945 (AMER0087)

In the late 19thcentury, the U.S. moved to seize and create what would become a sprawling overseas empire. This empire required significant policing, administration, and negotiation. Non-state actors became key figures in this expansion and management of U.S. imperial and economic control, as they went abroad to shape and direct foreign policy. Other non-state actors, however, challenged and protested this violent projection of power, condemning and challenging the human, ecological, and cultural destruction used against U.S. colonies. In an era before the national security state and a professional diplomatic corps, these amateurs exercised real power to guide and contest the direction of U.S. foreign relations. We will examine non-state actors including sugar planters, cowboys, missionaries, boy scouts, geologists, artists, and entertainers. We will study Americans in places including Hawaii, the Philippines, Argentina, Haiti, South Africa, Antarctica, and France.

 

The aims of the module are to analyse the politicisation of social cleavages such as class, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, religion and nationality;...

Understanding Society: Introduction to Political Sociology (SESS0014)

The aims of the module are to analyse the politicisation of social cleavages such as class, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, religion and nationality; to highlight (the consequences of) changing social values and attitudes, including the impact of the media thereupon; to understand processes of political engagement and participation; to grasp the causes and consequences of migration; to examine how individuals influence the institutional structure through revolutions, democratisation and the establishment of welfare states.