Project by: Marlowe Glass (11th Grade)
Project Advisor: Thomas Murphy
Student(s)’s Advisor(s): Daniel Li

Description of the Project:

In this project I will study how Biden is resetting American foreign policy. I will compare his policy to that of Trump’s, in an effort to find similarities, differences, and overall benefits of both plans. Over the course of the trimester, I will use the Council for Foreign Relations, Foreign Affairs Magazine, and other helpful resources I find throughout my research to guide my study. At the beginning of this year, I took Tom’s Diplomacy and International relations class. During the second trimester I took his China and the World class. These two trimesters of learning about global relations, and specifically looking at the world through the lens of American foreign policy, have inspired me to study this field. I believe that this project will allow me to get one step closer to becoming an expert in this field. I hope to learn more about how politicians plan their foreign policy and the impact of that planning. In addition, I hope to learn useful information I can take with me into my studies this summer and my classes in senior year. 

Final Product & Final Reflection on Learning:

Update on Progress from Weeks 1-3 (include any photos or video if relevant):

So far, I’ve subscribed to numerous foreign policy magazines and have refined my sources to 5-7 ongoing publications. Through these first 3 weeks, I’ve really learned that Joe Biden’s foreign policy is truly centered on fixing the damage that Donald Trump caused to America’s international reputation. While it may not seem like that at first, listening to his speeches, reading articles about his potential policies, and watching his pre-election interviews, it’s clear that this is a top priority for him. I’ve began to gather all of this information in a slide show, outlining my final project. However, to complete this I will need to achieve a few more research goals over the next few week. I still hope to dive further into the idea of Joe Biden reverting Trump’s impact on America’s reputation. In addition, I hope to research more about Joe Biden’s policies in general! The information I’ve found is so dense, especially from Foreign Affairs Magazine, that I need more time to process it, re-read it, and read more articles! Overall, I’ve made great progress and I am excited by what I’ve learned so far.

Update on Progress from Weeks 4-6 (include any photos or video if relevant):

During these weeks, I collected more information on both Trump and Biden. I read numerous articles and sources that gave analysis for each person and their foreign policies. In addition, I researched how Trump put his policies in place and their end result, as well as how Biden is beginning to do the same. I also spent a long time on Biden’s policies that work to reverse what Trump did, like rejoining the Paris Climate Accord. I’ve also found that some of the classes I’ve taken this year can be very useful for additional information. In Diplomacy and International Relations, we spent an entire week discussing Trump’s agenda when it came to international relations. So, over the next few weeks I will begin to look back on past projects and assignments I’ve done and see what I can use to build upon in this honors project.

Update on Progress from Weeks 7-9 (include any photos or video if relevant):

In the last few weeks, I’ve worked on synthesizing the information I’ve learned into one slideshow. Using my notes, I’ve tried to present my slides in a systematic and orderly way. I found that showing the research I did in a chronological format would be the best way to show what I’ve learned. Here is a link to the slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1J05yx937X4C-AXgK7kcNSG7YPF167tE4ZtQh3fHNUw0/edit?usp=sharing

Finally, I realized I needed to do a little bit more research on Joe Biden’s plans as they are continuing to change. However, it seems like foreign policy is taking the backseat on Biden’s agenda as this are much greater domestic concerns, like continuing vaccine distribution and fully reopening the economy. However, there was still a lot that I learned and I am proud of the rigorous research I did over the course of this trimester. I hope to continue research like this going into the future.

 

Hre