Senior Seminar Simulation Assignment

Twelve Tuesdays during the course of the semester our class will focus upon an ongoing simulation from Brock Tessman’s International Relations in Action. Students will be divided into 8 teams with 2-3 members each the first day of class. Tessman’s Part I and II provide further explanation here. Part III will serve as the basis for the twelve simulation scenarios, ranging from alliance politics and territorial disputes to collective action problems and environmental challenges.

At the end of each simulation, ten minutes before class is over, your group will take five of the last ten minutes to address an assigned question based on what transpired in that simulation. At the end of the semester a 750-word simulation debriefing paper as well as a separate 250-word peer analysis will be due. The Simulation De-briefing should describe your initial philosophy in planning your role for the simulation and how that evolved over the course of the semester. Be sure to critique your approach citing contributions of relevant authors whenever appropriate. For the peer analysis honestly critique the role of your partner(s) in achieving weekly objective points.

 

As with your book review assignment, grades will be based upon content, structure, and creativity.  The A review meets all four criteria below, the B review three, etc.  These criteria are: 

1.      Highlights an effective thesis statement.

2.      Supports critical contentions with adequate evidence and specific examples.

3.      Shows imagination and creativity in individual insights.

4.      Is well-organized, stylistically effective, and mechanically sound (see Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style).