PRESENTACIÓN GENERAL

Director:

Esp. BA Martín A. Rodríguez, Director of the Institute of International Relations

and Political Science of UCASAL.

Coordinator:

Mg BA Javier F. Pérez, Member of the Institute of International Relations

and Political Science of UCASAL

Goals:

- Create a space of reference in the Argentine Northwest for training, reflection,

research and publications about the United States.
- Train students and teachers on the culture and the domestic, foreign,
commercial, and security policies of the United States.
- Promote the international mobility of students, teachers, and researchers.
- Strengthen the bonds of friendship, security, and commerce between the
United States and Latin America.

Activity 1: Seminar on the United States

Oriented to advanced students, teachers, and researchers, not only from the
UCASAL but from a general audience.

It aims to train on the culture, the national, foreign, commercial, and security
policies of the United States.

It is a Seminar that will be taught through the e-learning platform of the

UCASAL (Distance learning).

The E-learning platform of the UCASAL uses the Moodle system that allows the
implementation of different tools for teaching-learning, as video-classes, forums,
folders for presentation of papers, etc. Other digital tools will be used to
implement webinars with the lecturers invited, (Activity 2 and 3) for the
assistance of all the participants, like Zoom or Adobe Connect.

This platform, and for each course, will have a selected bibliography, videos,
and material developed by the teachers, which will be from the same UCASAL
and others universities. The Seminar will be taught in Spanish and English and
will be 5 months long.

Course 1: “American Exceptionalism” (1 month)

Contents: The invention of the American nation. Characteristic and distinctive

features of the USA. Culture, religion, immigration, innovation, racial
tendencies. The "American way of life" Historical evolution and current affairs.

Professor: Martín A. Rodríguez, Esp. (Director of the Institute of International

Relations and Political Science / Director of the International Trade BA -
UCASAL)

Course 2: “Domestic Policy of the United States” (1 month)

Contents: Political culture. Republican organization. Founding Father´s ideals.

Political values. The three government branches and the "check and balance"
system. Agencies and their functions. Political parties. United States electoral
process. Interest groups and lobbyists.

Professor: Mg. Miguel Hijar Chiapa (Professor of UNIVA and Guadalajara

University, President of the Australian and New Zealand Studies Association of
North America)

Course 3: “The Foreign Policy of the United States” (1 month)

Contents: Agencies and functions. United States foreign policy schools. Basic
postulates. US Foreign Policymaking. Isolationism and interventionism. National
interests. Relationship with other powers (P.R. of China, Russia, EU), specific
analyzes. Politics relations with Argentina and Latin America.

Professor: Eduardo Antonio Diez, M.A. (Director of the Argentine-American

Dialogue Foundation / Council on International Educational Exchange /
UCEMA)

Course 4: “The United States Security Policy” (1 month)

Contents: Strategic objectives and national security. National Security

Doctrines. Organisms involved in decision making. Terrorism, counterterrorism,
and inter-agency cooperation. Relations with other powers (P.R. of China,
Russia, EU), specific analyzes. Security relations with Argentina and Latin
America.

Professor: Michael Gold-Biss, Ph.D. (International Baccalaureate Organization,

Politics and Policy LLC)

Course 5: “The United States Trade Policy” (1 month)

Contents: Strategic business objectives of the United States. Organisms
involved in decision making. Main commercial regulations of the United States.
Imports and exports. Integration and commercial negotiation processes. Foreign
Direct Investments. US – China trade war and agreements, and its impact in the
global market. Commercial relations with Argentina and Latin America.

Professor: PhD Mariano Turzi (Ph.D on International Studies (Johns Hopkins

University) ando Professor in the Torcuato Di Tella Univesity).

Activity 2: Cycle of film-debates

It is a cycle where American iconic films will be discussed. It seeks to know

about the culture, politics, foreign affairs and security of the United States.
Internet programs will be used to connect all the participants of the “Seminar of
the United States”.

Some of the films selected are:

- Forrest Gump (1994 - Robert Zemeckis)

- Glory (1989 - Edward Zwick)
- Primary Colors (1998 - Mike Nichols)
- Bowling for Columbine (2002 - Michael Francis Moore)
- Thirteen Days (2001 - Roger Donaldson)
- The Fog of War (2003 - Errol Morris)
- Good Morning Vietnam (1987 - Barry Levinson)

Activity 3: Lecture Series

During the months that the Seminar on the United States lasts, different keynote
conferences will be coordinated about the topics addressed in it. Webinars tools
will be used to connect the speakers with the general audience and with the
participants of the Seminar. Some of the speakers could be:

- Alain Sanders, J.D.

Political Analist.
Conference about the elections in the United States.

- Ginger Gold Schnitzer, J.D.

Executive Director of the Saint Peter's University Guarini Institute for
Government and Leadership
Conference about the lobbying activity in the United States.

- Matthew Carnes, S.J.

Associate Professor, Department of Government & Edmund A. Walsh School of
Foreign Service and Director of the Center for Latin American Studies -
Georgetown University
Conference about the relations between the United States and Latin America.

- Zoe Dauth, MA
Program Manager of the Council of the Americas
Lecture about the political and commercial links of the United States with Latin
America.

- Juan Carlos Hidalgo, PhD

Policy Analyst, Latin America - Cato Institute
Lecture about economic liberalism in the United States.

- Juan Uriburu Quintana, PhD

Political Consultant (Georgetown University – UCASAL)
Conference about the Argentines in the USA.

Activity 4: Publication

As a result of the analysis works produced by the Professors of each one of the
courses of the Seminar on the United States, and from a selection of papers
writing by the participants, an e- book about the different topics addressed will
be published by the University Press.

This book will be the first in a series of publications that will emerge from the
permanent work of the Chair within the Institute of International Relations and
Political Science on issues related to politics, economy, culture, and society of
the United States.

General Schedule:

- Course “American Exceptionalism”: July 19th to August 15th

- Course “Domestic Policy of the United States”: August 16 th to September 12th

- Course “The Foreign Policy of the United States”: September 13 th to October

10th

- Course “The United States Security Policy”: October 11 th to November 7th

- Course “The United States Trade Policy”: November 12 th to December 5th

Certificates:

Assistance: for those students that complete at least a 60% of attendance to the
course, film debates and lecture series.

Approval: for those students that complete al least a 60% of attendance to the
course, film debates and lecture series; a 60% of approval of the exams of all
the courses (Minimum qualification of 6); presentation and approval of a final
Paper (Minimum qualification of 6)

Form of Work:

Virtual and synchronically classes: each Monday and Friday at 6 pm (Arg).

Film Debate: Two Thursday by month at 6 pm (Arg.)

Lectures Series: Two Thursday by month at 6 pm (Arg.)

Study: On Monday the Professor will present the issues of study of the week,
during the next days the participants must read the material placed in the
course, and on Friday the Professor will conduct a debate and respond
questions of the participants.

Exams: Every Friday a multiple choice test will be placed for the students to
complete it until the next Wednesday. This test will be about the bibliography,
film of lecture of the week.

Final Paper: Those student who aspire to the certificate of approval of the
Program, must present a Paper. The conditions of this document will be
informed in due course.

An active participation of the students is required during all the Program.