The Roots of US Grand Strategy: Colonial Era to the Gilded Age. Lessons for Contemporary Strategy

This undergraduate seminar explores the intellectual and practical origins of American grand strategy, tracing the nation's ascent from a cluster of disparate colonies to an industrial great power. The course analyzes how early American leaders calibrated diplomatic, military, and economic tools to achieve national objectives amidst shifting geopolitical realities. Students will interrogate the enduring tensions between isolationism and engagement, idealism and realism, and continental defense versus overseas expansion. Ultimately, the course bridges historical inquiry and modern statecraft, challenging students to apply the successes and failures of America's strategic beginnings to the complex security dilemmas of the twenty-first century.