Minicourse - “U.S. Foreign Policy” by Dr Phil Mundo

“U. S. Foreign Policy” by Dr Phil Mundo, Professor Emeritus, Drew University, will begin Tuesday afternoon from 1:30-3:30 pm on September 15, 2026, and continue for five consecutive weeks. Each lecture is for two hours on Sep 15, 22, 29; Oct 6 and 13, 2026.

The minicourses are organized by the all-volunteer Friends of the Madison Public Library, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds benefit the Madison Public Library. The tuition is $95. To register, visit our website, www.friendsmadisonnjlibrary.org/minicourse-registration. For more information, email the Friends at minicoursesmadisonlibrary@gmail.com, or leave a message at 929-450-7940.

This course examines U.S. foreign policy from the founding to the present. It begins with a discussion of how practitioners and scholars have thought about U.S. foreign policy. The course then reviews the origins and history of U.S. foreign policy focusing on key events and turning points. Throughout this part of the course, we will examine competing explanations of how and why the U.S. has acted in the international system. The last part of the course considers recent U.S. foreign policy in light of this historical and thematic context.

Class Schedule:

Class 1: 9 15 2026: Part 1: Scope and Origins of U.S. Foreign Policy; Part 2: Ways to Think About Foreign Policy

Class 2: 9 22 2026: Part 1: Founding to the Start of the 20th Century Part 2: Early 20th Century to WW2

Class 3: 9 29 2026: Part 1: Post WW2 to the Present: Key Events Part 2: Post WW2 to the Present: Themes and Analysis

Class 4: 10 6 2026: Part 1: Regional U.S. Foreign Policy Part 2: Regional U.S. Foreign Policy (continued)

Class 5: 10 13 2026: Part 1: Contemporary U.S. Foreign Policy and Its Critics Part 2: Wrap Up

After earning a PhD in political science at the University of California – Berkeley and spending several years working at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Dr Phil Mundo joined the Drew faculty in 1986 where he taught courses on American Politics and Public policy and directed Drew’s Washington Semester Program and the London Semester Program. Professor Mundo’s research interests include political participation in the U.S. along with trade and environmental policies. Recently retired, Mundo gives public lectures and continues work in his research areas.