| INTRODUCTION:
Congratulations on your selection for the POLS 282, NMUN 2009 Course, and welcome to what is probably the most “fun” course offered at UIC. The educational experience you will encounter in this course is unlike any other. Allow me to state at the outset that this course involves a large amount of work. However, the payoffs for your work in this course are incredible. We will go to New York, and chances are that you will have a good time there. While we will spend a lot of time in committee, there will also be plenty of time for sightseeing, nightlife and the like. If you have never been to New York, this is an incredible experience. The “Big Apple” is really quite extraordinary. And if you have been there before, well, you already know this. If past classes can provide any indication, many of you will have such a good time, and learn so much that you will want to take this Course again. You and your teammates will likely not only take this course again, but will become good friends (perhaps even get married). That’s right, I said teammates. This Course and Conference requires teamwork. The extent of what you learn in this Course will depend largely upon how well you work together. Additionally, awards at the Conference are based upon the performance of the entire team. Thus, sharing of information in this course is encouraged. This is not an individual effort. Working together as a group, as a team, is what will mark us as contenders for the awards. So, get to know one another, become friends, and most importantly work well together. An award at a conference of this magnitude is something that you can proudly place on your resume. I hope to be congratulating you again in twelve weeks. Now, lets get down to brass tacks … REQUIRED BOOKS/MATERIALS: Students are required to purchase two books for this course. I will provide additional required readings in electronic format. Supplementary material is available in the Daley Library or other local university libraries. The Kent Law Library may be an invaluable resource, as it is a U.N. Documents repository. You will also be required to purchase one (1), three-ring binder. This binder should be very high quality and appear professional, as you will want to take it with you to committee. Likewise, a good/solid three-hole punch will ensure that any copied documents you wish to include in this binder will stay in place and look presentable. REQUIRED TEXTS: Bull, George (translator). Niccolo Machiavelli. 2003. The Prince (Penguin Classics). London. Penguin Books. ISBN: 978-1140449150. Riker, William H.. 1986. The Art of Political Manipulation. New Haven. Yale University Press. ISBN: 978-0300035926. NATION ASSIGNMENT: The Islamic Republic of Iran POLS 282 COURSE TIMETABLE: January 13 Introduction, United Nations, Rules, and Procedures Impromptu Speeches, in-class state selection, selection of head delegate, selection of Class Finance Committee and Class Materials Committee January 20 United Nations, Islamic Republic of Iran/Research, Resolutions, and Reports NMUN Committee assignment requests/speech due, committee assignments given Read: Spalding, Jennifer, Sarah Tulley and Lauren Judy. 2009. Delegate Preparation Guide. St. Paul, MN. National Collegiate Conference Association. (Available Here). January 27 Mock Simulation Check-in: Groups 1 & 2 Read: Bull, George (translator). Niccolo Machiavelli. 2003. The Prince (Penguin Classics). London. Penguin Books. February 3 Mock Simulation Check-in: Group 3 & Head Delegate Read: Neustadt, Richard E.. 1990. The Power to Persuade (in) Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents. New York. The Free Press. pp. 29-49. (Available on Blackboard) . Read Also: Arnold, R. Douglas. 1992. Strategies for Coalition Leaders (in) The Logic of Congressional Action. New Haven. Yale University Press. pp. 88-118. (Available on Blackboard). Draft Position Papers Due to Amanda (hard copy) February 10 Mock Simulation Check-in: Groups 1 & 2 Read: Riker, William H.. 1986. The Art of Political Manipulation. New Haven. Yale University Press. pp. ix-65. Resource Guide Outline due February 17 Mock Simulation Check-in: Group 3 & Head Delegate Read: Riker, William H.. 1986. The Art of Political Manipulation. New Haven. Yale University Press. pp. 66-152. Revised Position Papers Due to Me (hard copy) February 24 Simulation: Group One: Presentations, papers, resolutions / reports due Check-in: Groups 1 & 2 February 28 Finalized Position Papers Due to me via E-mail by 9:00 AM – Late Papers will be penalized one letter grade for every 15 minutes late. Any papers received after 10:00 AM will receive no credit. DO NOT SEND YOUR POSITION PAPERS TO NMUN OR YOU WILL RECEIVE NO CREDIT! March 3 Simulation: Group Two: Presentations, papers, resolutions / reports due Check-in: Group 3 & Head Delegate March 10 Simulation: Group Three: Presentations, papers, resolutions / reports due Check-in: Groups 1& 2 Map Quiz March 17 Mock Simulation Check-in: Group 3 & Head Delegate Resource Guide Due March 24 No Class – Spring Break March 31 Simulation: Dress Rehearsal & Special Session April 6-12 National Model United Nations Conference New York, New York! IN-CLASS STATE ASSIGNMENTS: In order to make in-class simulations more interesting and beneficial, each student will select a state to represent within the classroom. You may NOT select any of the following: Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, or Russia. We will have (close to) the following in-class breakdown of states: Africa: 8 Asia: 6 Caribbean/Oceana: 1 Europe: 4 South/Central America: 4 Begin thinking of the state you would like to represent in class. You will need to have a basic knowledge of this state’s governmental system, culture and history. You can find this information in most almanacs. COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS: (See link for committees and topics.) Each student will represent the Islamic Republic of Iran at NMUN 2009 on one of the committees assigned to our delegation. If there are more students than committees, some committees might be assigned two students. During the second class session, each student will hand in a typewritten request listing her or his top three preferred committee assignments, with a brief explanation for why they should be assigned those particular committees. In addition, each student will be given 90 seconds to explain to the class why they should be awarded their first committee preference. Requests will be assessed during a caucus the second week. Assignments will be given out following the caucus. Each student should make their requests based upon the three topics assigned to that particular committee. Each committee has a background guide that provides additional information on the topics, including resource materials, available online. By the time of the Conference, you will be expected to be not only an expert on your committee topics, but on Iran’s position on each of these topics. Additionally, you will be expected to be fully aware of why Iran has taken these positions. This includes both the public policy position and its realization, or lack thereof, within Iran. (Is there a difference between the official policy and what actually occurs?) SIMULATION, PRESENTATIONS, PAPERS, AND RESOLUTIONS / REPORTS: For nine class periods, we will conduct simulations based upon NMUN 2009 committee topics. For each of three of these classes, three (3) student delegations (except for the class on March 10 – the date of the Map Quiz – only two (2) committees) will give a presentation, submit a paper and at least one prepared resolution or report for the class to use in the simulation. You will be assigned the week for your presentation when you receive your committee assignment. Presentations: Each committee will give a five (5) minute presentation on the three (3) topics before their committee. Presenters will be expected to teach their fellow teammates the basics of each of these topics. This presentation should be done with Power Point (use USB memory stick) or with overhead projector slides (Power Point preferred). Each topic must have one pair of slides. The first slide should concisely summarize the topic before the committee. The second should concisely describe your plan of action for dealing with this topic. Your presentation will expand the ideas in your slides and explain the reason behind your plan of action (i.e. historical, cultural, international environment, governmental posture …). Correspondingly, students not presenting are expected to actively participate in the learning process. First, presentees are expected to take notes on these presentations to be included in their three-ring binder as reference materials at the Conference. Second, presentees are expected to comment on the plan of action in a discussion to follow the presentation. Third, presentees are expected to provide constructive criticism regarding the public speaking skills of the presenters. Of course, this feedback should be diplomatic and reflect an impersonal and professional demeanor. Paper: While these presentations will be informational speeches, they will coincide with a paper you will submit on the evening of your presentation. You will be expected to hand in a typewritten, double-spaced, four-page paper that covers your state’s policy on the topics you have presented. This paper and presentation will be comprised of three sections. • The first section shall concern an informal discussion of your state’s official policy position on the three topics for that committee. • The second section shall concern any differences you discover between the official policy position and the policy as executed within the borders of your state. • The third section shall concern your state’s real reasons (historical, cultural, etc.) for taking the given official positions and reasons for deviation from the official position in execution of the policy. The third section will also cover what action you (as an Iranian diplomat) recommend for these topics. Simulation: Following the presentation and discussion, each committee will provide twenty-five (25) copies of their resolution/report for the class. Whether you submit a resolution or report is determined by your type of committee (see your committee’s background guide). Presenters will be given the courtesy of opening the debate with an additional two-minute speech. This speech should be persuasive in that it should begin to establish a coalition of votes in favor of your resolution or report, and begin to attract more states, or dissuade other states from opposing your proposal. CHECK-INS: Delegates from each committee will make advance arrangements to meet with me during an assigned check-in date. These arrangements should be made prior to class. If your group has not made previous arrangements I will expect that you will check in during my office hour. If necessary, I will also be available for a limited time after class. During these check-ins, delegates will be expected to update me on their progress, and present any challenging issues or questions concerning their research. Students in this course were chosen for their enthusiasm and commitment to a successful presentation at the conference, and these traits are required for this course and attendance at the conference. If any delegate is not fully prepared for the conference, they will not attend the NMUN Conference as a representative of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Attendance at check-ins will be counted in calculation of class participation. POSITION PAPERS: Position papers are the cornerstone of our presentation at the Conference. They are expected to be of the highest academic and diplomatic quality. These position papers will be sent to various members of the Conference staff and to the bona fide Iranian Mission to the United Nations. Position papers will be the National Model United Nations’ first glimpse of who we are as UIC representatives and as Iranian delegates. This paper will provide a concise perspective of the Iranian position on each of the three topics addressed by your committee. Meeting the highest diplomatic and academic standards will require you to write a coherent, grammatically correct, accurately punctuated text, devoid of personal opinion. The academic aspect of this paper will be as such: You will have two single-spaced pages to present your state’s position on all three topics. This requires you (and your partner) to fully research your topic areas, and present a concise, well-written paper for me to review. Diplomatically, this means that you (and your partner) will synthesize what you have learned from your research with the public policy position of the Iranian Government. This paper is to be written, in what is known in model UN circles as, “in character.” This means that you are to assume that the people reading this understand the topic fully. Further, this means that you will be presenting this information as if it were from the actual government of Iran, not as a global research topics paper, and certainly not from a personal position on the topics. Also, since this is a team effort, if you find information that will benefit other “Team Iran” members, please share that information to enhance our ability to obtain an award. Please do not feel insulted or discouraged if you need to re-write this position paper several times to bring it to the highest of standards. Rarely is perfection possible with the first draft of such a challenging paper. If your committee does not present a position paper by the deadline, no student from UIC in that committee will attend the Conference. Non attendance to the Conference will result in “0” points for Conference participation (i.e. the students will be “fired” – see below). RESOURCE GUIDE: Under the direction of your elected Head Delegate, the entire delegation is responsible for the creation of a resource guide, which will contain everything you could possibly want to know about your state. How the Guide is developed is up to the delegation. However, it is imperative that the Guide includes generous amounts of information on the Iran. If the members of a committee decide to address a side issue not covered in the original topics, then, the Guide will allow any delegate to infer the Iran’s position on the subject matter. There will be three sections to the delegation’s resource guide. The first segment should cover your state’s general demographics. At minimum, this segment should include a discussion of the following: History Religion Natural Resources Culture Gender Issues Population Demographics Governmental Structure Youth Issues Economy Governmental Officials Human Rights Military Economy Environmental Issues Of equal importance is the second segment of the Guide. This second section is also more complicated and will need careful planning. This section should include a discussion of each committee’s topics. For each of the topics in each committee, the delegates will also need to provide a summary of how other nations perceive Iran’s position. This summary can be done geographically by continent through highlighting specific states who are Iranian allies. Knowing who supports Iran’s positions in one committee will be helpful in other committees. At minimum, this segment should include all position papers and a list of friends and foes on each committee topic. The third section may be a team member’s “saving grace”. This section should include basic documents or excerpts of documents that may come in handy. The delegates should brainstorm to generate ideas about which documents will be most helpful. At minimum, this segment should include a copy of the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human rights. I recommend that the team determine which of its members is best suited to writing which sections of the Resource Guide. Where at all possible, this is probably most easily accomplished by drawing correlation between committee and Guide topics. MAP QUIZ: Each student is expected to pass the map quiz prior to attending the NMUN 2005 Conference. Although this is a point of concern for some students, you will be allowed to take this quiz until you pass it. In fact, you will be required to take the map quiz until you pass it. I will provide a web address for study aids. It is the student’s responsibility to master these online maps. The quiz will consist of me choosing 75 random states throughout the globe. In order to pass you must be able to identify 70 of the 75 chosen. THE CONFERENCE: There are four simple rules concerning the conference. There are no exceptions to these rules. They are: 1. You are required to attend every NMUN session. 2. You are required to make one speech in committee. 3. You are to conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times during all NMUN sessions. The National Model United Nations requires the wearing of Western business attire during all sessions. (This does not mean ten-gallon hats and cowboy boots with spurs.) - For women, this means no revealing or tight fitting clothing. Slacks or an appropriate length skirt, blouse and dress shoes are required. While not required, a coordinating jacket may add to the professionalism of your appearance. - For men, this means no revealing or tight fitting clothing. This also means no military or other uniforms. Suits, dress shirts, ties and dress shoes are required. Sports jackets are allowed, but a coordinating suit will add to the professionalism of your appearance. 4. Failure to comply with any of the above will require me to immediately fire you from your position on the delegation. Being fired also necessitates a failing grade for the course. On March 31st, we will hold, literally, a dress rehearsal. All students are required to come to class fully dressed in one of the outfits they intend to wear to the conference. You will need to wear this ensemble for the entire class period. GRADING AT THE CONFERENCE: First and foremost, your grade is predicated upon your compliance with the four requirements listed above. As a representative of the University of Illinois at Chicago, at the largest international Model United Nations Conference in the world, you must give an excellent impression. Violation of the four aforementioned rules will result in a failing grade for this course. This will occur regardless of your performance in the classroom and/or at the conference. However, grading at the conference is not simply a quantitative measure. Your TA and I will have eleven weeks to watch your progress and growth, assess your ability as a delegate and draw an expectation of your performance. We will observe each and every one of you throughout the entire conference. We will be there to assist you as needed, and will be assessing your participation against our expectations. You will not each be assessed by the same measure. Some of you will be prolific speakers, some will be nervous. Everyone will be expected to participate in caucuses, persuasion and in using the rules and procedures to best benefit the needs of Iran. One of my most important roles as an instructor is to teach these rules to you so well during the class sessions that few delegates will match your knowledge and expertise in the rules and procedures. This is my pleasure and my responsibility. But, since none of you will perform or participate in the same manner, as your advisor I will not weigh you one against the other. I will stress, however, that your participation and enthusiasm at the conference will go a long way toward positive assessment. REACTION PAPER: After the Conference (You’re not done yet!) No later than April 21st, each student will E-mail or turn in a 2-3 page, double-spaced paper providing their reaction to the class and, most significantly, to their experience at the conference. This paper should reflect your experience at the conference. Address the following questions: • Was the simulation a close approximation to what you believe really happens at the United Nations? • Does this experience reflect how you feel international relations actually occur? • Be sure and include why you feel this way and support your thoughts with examples. • Also, include a section that supplies recommendations for this course in the future. • Relate what you liked and disliked about the course and conference. GRADING: Standards In-Class Participation 100 points Map Quiz 0 points Presentation 20 points A 900-1000 Presentation Paper 20 points B 800-899 Presentation Resolution/Report 35 points C 700-799 Position Paper 200 points D 600-699 Resource Guide Segment (s) 100 points F 599 and below Conference Participation 500 points Reaction Paper 25 points This course provides a unique grading opportunity for the student and instructor. Improvement throughout the course can significantly raise your grade, regardless of the numeric standard you might have, which is why the above noted scale is merely a standard. You will notice that there are no points awarded for the map quiz. You must pass the map quiz in order to get on the plane to NYC. Your position paper must reflect an “A” grade in order to be submitted to the conference. Without a position paper of this caliber, you will not be allowed to join us in New York. You will note that “Conference Participation” amounts to a full 50% of your grade. Being “fired” at the conference will in turn equate to a “0” grade for the conference. Thus, the mathematical likelihood of passing this course after being fired quickly approaches a 0% probability. All assignments lead toward one goal: preparation for the conference, which may indeed offer you a good deal of preparation for the “real world”. Remember that this is a team effort. The only way that you can win an award at the conference is if your teammates participate at that caliber as well. Note: “I lost my syllabus,” is not an acceptable excuse for missing deadlines. This syllabus is posted on the website. I suggest that you write down the web page in a safe place in order to ensure your access to this information in the unfortunate event that you lose this syllabus. |
regulations .... |
| The fees for this course are non-refundable. Regardless of the grade you receive for the course, whether
or not you actually attend the Conference, or if you are “fired”, these fees will not be returned to you after the second class meeting. Remaining registered for this course beyond the Add/Drop deadline indicates your acceptance of this non-refundable fee policy. This syllabus remains subject to change at the instructor’s discretion, without prior notice. Students with disabilities who require accommodations for access and participation in this course must be registered with the Office of Disability Services (ODS). Please contact ODS at (312) 413-2183 (voice) or (312) 413-0123 (TTY). Please also inform the instructor so that appropriate accommodations may be made. |
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University of Illinois at Chicago POLS 184: Introduction to International Relations -Summer 2005- Instructor: Randall D. Smith |
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| National Model United Nations Team: Syllabus for POLS 282; 2009 Spring Semester |
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| Professor: Randall D. Smith Office: BSB 1122-B
E-mail: rsmith14@uic.edu Office Phone: (312) 996-5156 Website: http://www.oocities.org/randall_d_smith/ Office Hour: Tuesday 4:30-5:30 TA: Amanda Yang Office : BSB 1177 E-mail: ayang20@uic.edu Office Phone 312-413-3434 Office Hour: Tuesday 4:00-5:00 |
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