This course will examine American foreign policy since the mid-1930s. Major themes of American foreign policy and diplomacy will be engaged. This will begin with American public diplomacy in the late 1930s, will continue through WWII, shifting strategies during the Cold War, in the post-Cold War, and post-9/11. We will also touch on the nuts and bolts of policy making and how the State Department's Foreign Services Officers, the military's Special Forces, and the CIA's clandestine Directorate of Operations help inform, shape, and carry out American foreign policy. Special attention will also be given to the role religion has played in the shaping of American foreign policy. This course is cross-listed with PLSC 379. A student may receive credit for this course from only one program.