Grand Strategy Minor
Grand Strategy
Minor
The grand strategy minor offers an opportunity to examine big questions about America's future role in the world. Cadets will learn how states allocate resources to pursue foreign policy goals and the logic underpinning the actions they take, to shape the world around them.
Offered by the Department of Social Sciences.
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The Rupert H. Johnson Grand Strategy Program at West Point prepares cadets to think strategically through an academically rigorous approach to problem-solving that emphasizes critical, holistic, and creative thinking. Cadets study the theory and practice of grand strategy over a wide range of countries and time periods. Cadets graduate ready to serve as strategic thinkers who can make informed decisions about complex, uncertain situations—a skill that will serve them well in the Army and beyond.
Most cadets interact with the Grand Strategy Program through the Grand Strategy Minor. A key part of the minor is the capstone experience we offer through XH397, a for-credit summer field study course that takes cadets to places of historical and contemporary strategic importance. In the past, XH397 cadets traveled to East Asia, Greece, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Estonia. While any cadet can apply, grand strategy minors have priority. In addition to this summer experience, the Grand Strategy Program offers discussion-based seminar courses, exciting policy-focused trip sections and workshops, and expert guest speakers.
While the academic study of grand strategy focuses on how countries design and implement successful foreign policy, grand strategy at West Point adopts a dynamic and interdisciplinary philosophy. We encourage cadets from different backgrounds and every major to participate in the Grand Strategy Program; more than half of all who minor in grand strategy will major in a subject taught outside the Social Sciences Department. This diversity of interests and expertise fosters vibrant discussion that enhances learning in grand strategy classrooms. In addition, the skills cadets learn through the study of grand strategy are broadly applicable to any problem-solving or project management endeavor.
To learn more about this area of study, contact the Deputy Director.
Offered by the Department of Social Sciences.
Podcast: West Point cadets on why they chose to major in Social Sciences
The Grand Strategy Minor contains five courses—two of which can double count for your major.
All minors must take the two-course foundational sequence:
Students choose a Grand Strategy Track, which includes two electives focused on a specific region or discipline. Tracks include Domestic Sources of Grand Strategy; Political Economy; Non-Traditional Challenges; Military History and Strategy; Science, Technology, and Design; East Asia; Europe & Russia; Middle East & Africa; and Latin America.
To learn more, view the full Grand Strategy Minor Curriculum.
A key part of the minor is the capstone experience we offer through XH397, a for-credit summer field study course. In the past, XH397 cadets traveled to East Asia, Greece, Belgium, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Estonia. In addition to this summer experience, the Grand Strategy program offers discussion-based seminar courses, exciting policy-focused trip sections and workshops, and expert guest speakers.
To learn more about enrichment for this area of study, visit the Department of Social Sciences or the center associated with this department/area of study.