focuses on the reaction of the United States to the revolutionary changes that have taken place abroad in the post-World War II era. After considering the events that destroyed the wartime relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union, the course examines how fear of communism operated as a prism through which our government viewed both foreign and domestic affairs. The factors that led to America's involvement in Vietnam, to the American-Soviet detente in the 1970s, to the nuclear arms race, and, ultimately, to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end the cold war are examined. All of these developments are studied with a view toward answering how our national interests should be defined and pursued in the post-cold war world. The remainder of the course is devoted to an inter-divisional Capstone Project, a group writing assignment in which the students apply the ideas, concepts, and analytical skills they have developed over the four semesters in all the College's courses.