You will be able to follow the course progression under the “modules” tab on Canvas. You will be expected to complete module-specific work and assignments as well as four major assignments. Module-specific work and assignments will include completing the assigned reading, participating in discussion posts, and providing reactions to materials posted online (e.g., videos, notes, etc.). Each module-specific assignment will be worth ten points. Five points will be possible simply for completing the assignment, two points will be possible for following the directions correctly, and three points will be possible for the overall quality of the work that is completed. If you complete a module-specific assignment late, your grade for that particular project will be reduced by 50%. Major assignments will receive a grade out of 100. Specific grading criteria will be provided for each major assignment.
Information regarding coursework is provided below, including information about major assignments. In addition, module-specific content will be updated by Monday of each week. You should thus aim to log on to Canvas on Monday or Tuesday of each week. Relevant content will be placed under the “modules” tab. Please also check the announcements and calendar regularly.
All assignments are due by 5:00pm CST on the due date.
Reading Material:
Over the course of the semester, you will be expected to complete numerous reading assignments. Multiple scholarly papers have been placed on Canvas (“course materials” tab). You will be expected to read these papers and to complete a reaction paper in response to the paper or chapter of your choice. You will also be expected to read all assigned chapters from Harrelson-Stephens (2007) as outlined in the module-specific information posted on Canvas. Finally, you will be expected to complete a book review relevant to this class. You may select a book from the list below, or you can select your own text. Any text that is not the list below needs to be approved by the instructor first. These books will not be provided by Extended Campus/Advanced Programs.
Book list:
- Blood and earth: Modern slavery, ecocide, and the secret to saving the world, K. Bales, 2016
- A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier, I. Bea, 2007
- Night, E. Wiesel, 2006
- No good men among the living: America, the Taliban, and the war through Afghan war, A. Gopal, 2015
- The underground girls of Kabul: In search of hidden resistance in Afghanistan, J. Nordberg, 2015
- Poor Economics, Banerjee, A.V. & Duflo, E., 2012
Types of module-specific assignments:
Discussion posts:
During weeks where discussions posts are due, you will be expected to make two postings to the relevant discussion forum. First, you will be expected to post a response to the posed question. This response will be due by Wednesday of the week during which the assignment is due. Then, by Friday of that same week, you will be expected to post a response to at least one of your classmates. You are encouraged to engage in a dialogue with one another, however, a minimum of one response to your classmates is necessary. The professor will additionally make relevant postings to the forum.
During weeks that discussion posts are due, you will need to make both postings in order to receive full credit for the assignment. However, the assignment will only be considered late if you do not make the second posting on time. Failure to make the first posting on time will result in a two-point deduction for not following instructions correctly.
Reactions/responses:
During weeks that a response to online notes, videos, or the assigned readings are due, you will be expected to complete a written response to a reaction question. A question to which you are expected to respond, as well as the material needed to respond to the question and any relevant instructions, will be posted under the relevant module. Your response should be at least two double-spaced page long.
Major assignments:
Over the course of the semester, you will be expected to complete four major assignments. These will be outlined below.
Reaction papers:
Your reaction papers provide you with an informal, yet scholarly forum in which to respond to the assigned reading that has been placed under “course materials” on Canvas. Your papers should be three to five double-spaced pages long and should be proofread and spell and grammar checked. You are not expected to use outside sources, but rather, are expected to provide your own response and reaction to the assigned reading material. However, any outside sources should be cited appropriately. You should consider the following questions when completing your reaction papers: How are the issues the author raises relevant to international human relations? Do you agree with the author’s perspective? Why or why not? What are your reactions to the paper?
Additional instructions for completing these papers will be posted on Canvas. Your reaction papers will receive a grade out of 100, with papers demonstrating a high degree of critical thinking in response to the framing questions receiving the highest grades.
Book review:
Throughout the semester, you should be reading your selected text. You will be expected to complete a written review of this book. The book review should be three to five double-spaced pages long and should include your critical analysis of the book. In addition to your perspectives on the materials presented by the authors, I would like you to relate the material to what we have learned in class. Any outside sources should be cited appropriately using correct APA formatting.
Your paper should be typed using 12-point font and conventional margins, should be proofread and spell and grammar checked, and should be formatted using APA stylistic guidelines. All papers should be submitted to Canvas. Your paper will receive a grade out of 100 and will be graded using the following criteria: 20% for using appropriate formatting, etc.; 30% for critical thinking (i.e., the degree to which you provide a thoughtful analysis and discussion of the book); and 50% for the content of your paper (i.e., the degree to which you meet the requirements of the assignment).
Unless prior arrangements have been made with the professor, or you experience a documented personal emergency, all late papers will be subjected to a grade deduction. Five points will be deducted from papers handed in on the due date but after 5pm. Following the due date, ten points will be deducted for each day that your paper is late.
Please do not hesitate to contact the professor if you have any questions about this assignment.
Final paper:
For your final paper, you will be expected to select an issue relevant to international human relations to analyze. Specific instructions for selecting a topic will be posted on Canvas. You will additionally be required to obtain approval for your topic from the professor by the relevant date.
For your final paper, you should provide a thorough analysis of the issue that you have selected. You should not only discuss the reasons why this issue is relevant to international human relations, but you should additionally discuss potential solutions to this problem. As such, your paper should provide a thoughtful analysis of the issue that you choose to address. Additional instructions will be placed on Canvas.
You should use at least ten outside sources in your analysis, of which at least six should be scholarly books and/or journal articles. The other four sources may be websites of non-governmental organizations or agencies, newspaper articles, and/or reports published by international organizations such as Amnesty International, etc.
Your paper should be ten to fifteen double-spaced pages long, should be typed using 12-point font and conventional margins, should be proofread and spell and grammar checked, and should be formatted using APA stylistic guidelines.
Your paper will receive a grade out of 100 and will be graded using the following criteria: 20% for using appropriate formatting, etc.; 30% for critical thinking (i.e., the degree to which you provide a thoughtful analysis of the issue that you have selected); and 50% for the content of your paper (i.e., the degree to which you meet the requirements of the assignment).
Unless prior arrangements have been made with the professor, or you experience a documented personal emergency, all late papers will be subjected to a grade deduction. Five points will be deducted from papers handed in on the due date but after 5pm. Following the due date, ten points will be deducted for each day that your paper is late.
Please do not hesitate to contact the professor if you have any questions about this assignment.