Division “International Studies”
Academic Year 2011-2012
Spring Semester 2012
Convenor:
Dr. Catherine Götze
Catherine.goetze@nottingham.edu.cn
Office hours: Mondays, 15:30-16:30
Tuesdays, 16:30-17:30
Seminar tutor:
Handbook
1.
SYLLABUS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2
1.1.
A IM OF THE MODULE ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2
1.2.
T OPICS COVERED ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2
1.3.
A
T THE END OF THE MODULE THE STUDENT WILL HAVE ACQUIRED
----------------------------------------------------------- 2
2.
ASSESSMENT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
2.1.
C OURSEWORK -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3
2.2.
E XAM ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5
3.
CALENDAR ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6
4.
READING LIST ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7
4.1.
R EQUIRED READINGS ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7
4.2.
R ECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTARY R EADINGS ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
4.3.
S UPPLEMENTARY I NFORMATION S OURCES ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8
5.
WHAT IS A STUDENT-LED SEMINAR? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
5.1.
YOU ARE THE TEACHER ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
5.2.
T HE LECTURE --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
5.3.
S EMINAR EXERCISES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9
5.3.1.
A structured discussion: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
5.3.2.
A debating contest: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9
5.3.3.
Mini-simulation game: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 10
5.3.4.
Quiz, bingo or riddles: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

The aim of the module is twofold. On the one hand students ought to learn about current issues in world affairs and their historical, political and theoretical context. On the other hand, the module aims at teaching students study skills necessary to successfully elaborate written and oral presentations on issues in global affairs.
The module covers current issues in world politics in two steps. First, in the lecture a general overview over world affairs since the 1990s will be given. The module covers the topics of international security, global governance, economic development and global civil society/ NGOs.
With respect to international security the focus will be on the changing nature of security threats from the Cold War to the “War on terror” and including a discussion of the so-called “new wars”. Global Governance and new developments of international law will be discussed with reference to humanitarian interventions. The question of economic development will be explored through a close look at the human development index and the discussion of different development models.
Finally, new actors in international affairs like the so-called civil society and NGOs will be examined in order to better understand the multiplication of loci of politics in global affairs. This latter discussion gives also the opportunity to look at the question of legitimacy and power in global politics.
Knowledge:
Current issues in world affairs
Students will be able to understand theoretical discussions of international relations with case studies from world politics
Students will have acquired knowledge on security issues, questions of economic development, problems of global legitimacy, NGOs and global civil society
Academic skills:
Students will have learnt oral presentation techniques (PowerPoint, Handouts, public talk)
Students will have learnt to animate and organise a seminar
Students will have learnt to research and compile information and data on specific case studies
Students will have learnt the method of case study research
Transferable skills:
Oral presentation skills
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Information research and presentation
PowerPoint, the use of graphical elements
Talk in front of a public
The module is assessed by coursework (50%) and exam (50%).
During the 2-hour session you will present a case study to your fellow students in the first hour; the presentation will take of 30-40 minutes, depending on the number of presenters (each student should present 10min. approx.) followed by a structured
Q&A of 20 min.
Your presentation should detail the case study (see list) to the audience.
It is important that you
1. Explain what the case study is about: introduce the main actors, sketch the historical background, give essential data (social, economic or whatever statistics are necessary), point out clearly what is at stake in your case study (relevance), retrace recent developments, present different views on how to evaluate the case
2. Resituate the case study in the overall module: what does this case tell us about current issues in global politics?
3. Resituate the case study in the theoretical context of IR studies: what different evaluations exist (see above, point 1) and how can they be explained by the different theoretical assumptions of the authors?
4. Give your own evaluation: what do you think about the case study?
Conditions for receiving a mark on the presentation:

Your presentation has to be supported by a PowerPoint presentation and a hand-out for the public

Everybody in the group has to present orally
 In the written text every author’s contribution has to be flagged up by name

Oral presentation must not be read from the paper

Conditions for receiving a very good mark on the presentation:
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
Sound knowledge of the case

Careful analysis of different views on the case

A thoughtful contextualizing of the case in the overall module topic

A plausible resituating of the topic in its theoretical background

An inventive and creative use of graphical elements and of speech (i.e. turns in presenting, dialogues etc.)

An informative and clear PPT and handout, and a sensible use of factsheets, maps and other graphical elements.
Wherever possible, presentations will be videotaped.
The teaching plan outlines your teaching goals: what are your fellow students to learn in this session? It also exposes the steps you will take to present what you want them to learn. You should note which aspects you will mention in your presentation and shortly explain why you choose this order of the argument. The teaching plan furthermore explains which exercises you will undertake and with which aims. Of course, the teaching plan also contains a list of the materials you will use in class and that you have used to prepare your teaching. Finally, the teaching plan should contain a rough time plan (when do you want to do what and how much time do you think each activity will need).
The paper has to be submitted the day of the presentation!!
The teaching plan and the seminar animation go together. The marking criteria are

the soundness of your teaching plan

the clarity and correctness of your teaching goals

if the lecture and exercises are appropriate to reach your teaching goals

how well you implemented your teaching plan
There is an example of a teaching plan attached to this module handbook. You can use this model or develop your own along similar lines.

If you want your fellow students to be well prepared for your presentation (and ask you intelligent questions) give them a preparatory reading beforehand; you should distribute the text at least one week beforehand, preferably through the
Faculty Office.
List of Case Studies:
 Palestinian statehood: what’s the problem?
 The Arab spring: democracy and the remodelling of the
Middle East
 The 7 th billion baby: is one earth enough?
 How to share responsibility for the global commons? The example of mastering climate change.
 The intervention in Libya: human rights or power or both?
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To animate the seminar you have the choice between

Animating a structured discussion on the basis of a text you have chosen

A debating contest in which you present pro and contra arguments and let the public participate

More detailed presentation of individual points you would like to make clearer than you could in the 30 minutes presentation – you can, for instance, discuss statistical data or a theoretical model

Organise a mini-simulation game (for instance let the seminar participants play roles in a negotiation)

Organise a quiz, bingo or riddle game

A mix of above

There is more ample information on these different types of animating a session below.
The exam is an unseen written exam of 2 hours. It will consist of two sections. In the first section you will have to answer one essay question out of 6, drawn from the lecture section of the module. In the second section you are required to develop a teaching plan on a topic drawn from the lecture program.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unacknowledged reproduction of another person’s work, either literally or in paraphrases. If you quote from a written source (book, article etc.), an electronic source (internet, data files etc.), a media source
(video, radio etc.) or from a person giving a public statement (lectures, interviews etc.) you have to give a reference with clear indications of the
source (page numbers !!). If you feel unsure how to do this, please ask your module tutor and refer to the guidelines you have been given.
Please note that you have to give reference not only for verbatim quotes but
also if you present an idea, a concept, a theory, an invention, a patent or any other kind of intellectual work. If you do not acknowledge the other person’s work, you are plagiarizing.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence and will be sanctioned.
It is, furthermore, a bad habit as the aim of your studies is that you develop autonousmly your own arguments without copying others.
If a plagiarism case is proven, the penalties could include: The award of a mark
of zero for the plagiarised piece of work or for the whole module for which it constitutes a part; The withholding of the award of credits for the
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plagiarised piece of work or for the involved module as a whole; Suspension
from the University; Expulsion from the University (in practice this means that it is unlikely that you would be able to enrol at another Higher Education
Institution).
Plagiarism and the Internet
You are reminded that presenting content from the Internet as your own work constitutes an academic offence and will be treated no differently to any other form of plagiarism. Academics are aware of the potential practice of Internet plagiarism, and all suspected instances of Internet (and other) plagiarism will be pursued.
Week Dates
1
2 21.2.2012
3 28.2.2012
Two-hour session
Introduction
A world of states
A multi-polar world
One-hour session n.a.
Preparing a presentation: using the internet and the library
Preparing a seminar: learning aims and methods
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
6.3.2012
13.3.2012
20.3.2012
Week starting the …
26.3.2012
9.4.2012
16.4.2012
23.4.2012
A world of institutions
A world of global responsibility
A world of power
Case study 1:
Palestinian statehood
Case study 2: The Arab spring
Case study 3: The 7 th billion baby
Case study 4: Climate change
Case study 5: The
Using PowerPoint to make a presentation
Using graphs, images etc. for presentations
How to speak freely in public
During the presentation phase there are no onehour sessions.
11 30.4.2012
12 intervention in Lybia
Note the following specificities of this module:
The week 2 nd April to 6 th is divisional reading week, there are no lectures or seminars that week.
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In the first half (Week 1-6) there will be NO seminars but one 1-hour lecture on study skills.
In the second half (Week 7-12) the class splits into seminar groups. The seminar groups split again into 5 working groups. Each working group prepares and leads one 2-h session.
Working groups have to choose their topic until 24 th of February 2012, 4pm.
Please send an email indicating your seminar group, your names and the choice of your topic to catherine.goetze@nottingham.edu.cn
Topics are distributed on a firstcome first-serve basis so please indicate also your 2 nd option in case another group was faster than you. PLEASE NOTE that the final decision over the topic lies with the convenor and cannot be contested.
Attendance policy
Attendance at tutorials and seminars is compulsory. It is strongly recommended that you attend all lectures since they will help your understanding of the subject area.
You must inform tutors in advance if you cannot attend a seminar or tutorial. All absences must be accounted for in writing whether by email or letter. Repeated absences will be reported and may be taken into account in your final mark for the module.
Specific reading lists for the case studies will be handed out separately to the working groups. For the lectures in the first part of the module, the basic textbook is
“Globalization of World Politics”. The relevant chapters are on the u:/drive. The chapters below refer to the 2011 edition of the textbook.
Week Date
1
2
21.2.2012
Session
Introduction
Chapter 2 “The evolution of international society” by David
Armstrong
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3
4
5
28.2.2012
Chapter 4 “From the cold war to the world economic crisis” by
Michael Cox
6.3.2012
Chapter 19 “The United Nations” by Paul Taylor and Devon
Curtis
Chapter 20 “Transnational actors and international organizations in global politics” by Peter Willetts
13.3.2012
Chapter 1 “Globalization and global politics” by Anthony
McGrew
Chapter 21 “Environmental issues” by John Vogler
6 20.3.2012 Chapter 31 “Humanitarian intervention in world politics” by
Alex J. Bellamy and Nicholas J. Wheeler
Chapter 33 “Globalization and the post-cold war order” by Ian
Clark

A list with supplementary readings will be distributed at each lecture.
Supplementary readings for the student-led seminars have to be organized by the students themselves. Please distribute lists with required readings for your session one week in advance.
There are numerous webpages through which you can remain updated on international politics. Remember that internet materials have to be referenced just as any hardcopy materials.
Research Institutes and Think Tanks (many research institutes propose working papers on current issues of global politics), see for instance (more exist!!!): http://www.brookings.edu/ http://www.carnegieendowment.org/ http://www.usip.org/ http://www.sipri.org/ http://www.nupi.no/ http://www.diis.dk/sw152.asp
http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm
Newspapers
The Economist
The Financial Times
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 both have thorough analyses of international politics even though from a distinctive neo-liberal point of view
In the student-led seminar you (your working group) has the responsibility of teaching your fellow students about the topic at stake. This means you have to define learning goals: what shall the other students learn from your session? Once you have identified what the others shall learn you have to think about how to best present the topic so that they can, indeed, learn what you want them to learn.
Basically, you have three means to teach: a) a lecture in which you give the background of your topic, explain its relevance and importance and present your analysis b) various seminar exercises (see 5.3 below) through which you can make your fellow students work through specific aspects of the problem you presented c) propose further readings, information, video films etc. through which your fellow students can delve more into the topic through self-study.
See above on the presentation.
5.3.1. A structured discussion:
A structured discussion about a text means that you chose a text that you found very helpful, clear, convincing, or on the contrary irritating and which deals with the main ideas of your presentation. You will have to distribute the text well in advance (one week) to your fellow students. You should prepare questions about the text, for instance: “The author claims XX but is this plausible in the light of theory YY?” or something of that kind. You can then ask the questions in class and have a collective discussion or you can split the class in smaller groups which each discusses one question (always on the basis of the text) and then presents its findings to the class.
In any case you will need to consider the time available. If you opt for the collective discussion you should try to estimate how long it will take the class to discuss every question. If you choose to have smaller group discussion you should calculate at least 15 minutes for every group to discuss among themselves and then at least another 5 min. for every group to present their findings.
5.3.2. A debating contest:
For a debating contest you split the class into two groups. You then allocate roles to both groups and you confront both groups with the same question to argue but from different viewpoints (according to their role). For instance if the topic would be environmental protection you could tell one group that it is the future generation of
2078 and that it will meet the generation of 2008 to discuss what has happened to
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planet Earth. You have to formulate your debating question in a way that it is open to discussion, i.e. very provocative (i.e. “this table is white”—when it is obviously black.)
5.3.3. Mini-simulation game:
In a mini-simulation game you distribute roles to the participants and let them simulate a given situation. This is a good tool to make students understand the stakes and difficulties of negotiations. For instance, you can distribute the roles of states wishing to adhere to the European Union and states representing the
European Union. In a leaflet you set out the general scenario: the political and economic situation of the EU, the economic and political situation of the countries wishing to adhere, the historical context, the institutional framework etc. You then specify further the roles of each participant: rich/poor country, that expects this or that from the EU and has these specific negotiation goals (X, A, D etc.). Participants must then try to achieve their specific goals in the negotiation.
Simulations can also be used for other situations: You can ask the class to take the role of a government that needs to decide on issue XY or you can ask the class to be young businessmen wanting to invest in Country AB or… or… or…
Whatever you chose you have to give clear instructions to the players and you have to set out clearly the scenario. As organizers of the simulation game you should also have a clear idea of the outcome of the simulation game: what result shall the parties achieve? What issues shall the students learn through the simulation?
5.3.4. Quiz, bingo or riddles:
Another way to help students better understand a topic is to let them play a quiz or bingo or to solve riddles. You can for instance organize a quiz on notions and concepts you have used in your presentation. You can do this as a paper quiz distributed to everyone/ to smaller groups and then, after a reflection time, read out the solutions – the person with the most correct answers wins (the same procedure for riddles). Or you can make a call-out quiz where you ask the question and the person answering the quickest wins.
For Bingo you have to create Bingo Cards on which you have noted for instance definitions of concepts or data at the place of winning numbers. You create bingo cards by dividing a square into a square number of rows and columns (6*6, 9*9,
12*12 etc.) Each cell contains a word, a number or other data (a definition for instance). The cell contents are arranged at random on every card. Every player has one such card (all with the same content but arranged differently) in front of her. In the front, the content of the cells (numbers or words or data) is drawn at random and called out. Those players who have filled a row or a pattern first have won.
Don’t forget the prizes!
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Working group members:
Title of lesson:
Overview over topic:
At the end of this lesson, students should have gained the following knowledge:
(list at least five points)
At the end of this lesson, students should have gained understanding of the following concepts:
(list at least three concepts)
Aim of the lecture
Important content points
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Structure of the argument
Chapter and time plan
Materials needed
Aim of the seminar exercise
Type of the seminar exercise
How is this exercise going to meet the teaching goals formulated above?
Time foreseen for exercise
Materials needed
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