Syllabus for POLS 282, NMUN 2003 National Model United Nations Course and Conference |
| Instructor: Randall
D.
Smith
Office Hour: Tuesday 4:30-5:30 Home Phone: N/A on Internet Office: BSB 1170 A Office Phone: (312) 413-3279 E-mail: rsmith 14@uic.edu Website: http://www.geocities.com/rajeang/randallsmith.html INTRODUCTION: Congratulations on your selection for the POLS 282, NMUN 2003 course, and welcome (or welcome back) to what is probably the most "fun" course offered at UIC. 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. Several of your teammates are what I like to call "repeat offenders". That's right, I said teammates. This course and Conference requires teamwork. 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 freinds, 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 sixteen weeks. Now, lets get down to brass tacks ... NATION ASSIGNMENT: Cameroon POLS 282 COURSE TIMETABLE: January 14 Introduction, United Nations Impromptu Speeches, in-class nation selection January 21 United Nations, Cameroon/Research, Rules, Procedures, and Resolutions Committee assignment requests/speech due, committee assignments given January 28 Mock Simulation Selection of Head Delegate February 4 Simulation: Group One; Presentations, Papers, Resolutions Due Draft Position Papers Due Resource Guide Outline Due February 11 Simulation: Group Two; Presentations, Papers, Resolutions Due Check-in: Groups 1, 2, & 3 February 18 Simulation: Group Three; Presentations, Papers, Resolutions Due Check-in: Groups 4, 5, & 6 February 25 Simulation: Group Four; Presentations, Papers, Resolutions Due Check-in: Groups 1, 2, & 3 February 27 Finalized Position Papers Due by 12:00 PM - Late Papers will be penalized one letter grade for every 15 minutes late. Any papers received after 1:30 PM will receive no credit March 4 Simulation: Group Five; Presentations, Papers, Resolutions Due Map Quiz Check-in: Groups 4, 5, & 6 March 11 Simulation: Group Six; Presentations, Papers, Resolutions Due Check-in: Groups 1, 2, & 3 March 18 No Class: Spring Break! March 25 Simulation: Special Session (Groups 1, 2, & 3) Check-in: Groups 4, 5, & 6 April 1 Simulation: Special Session (Groups 4, 5, & 6) Check-in: Groups 1, 2, & 3 April 8 Simulation: Dress Rehearsal Check-in: Groups 4, 5, & 6 April 13-20 National Model United Nations Conference New York, New York! IN-CLASS NATION ASSIGNMENTS In order to make in-class simulations more interesting and beneficial, each student will select a nation to represent within the classroom. You may NOT select any of the following: Cameroon, The United States, The United Kingdom, France, Russia or China. We will have (close to) the following in-class breakdown of nations. Africa: 8 Asia: 6 Europe: 5 South America: 5 Begin thinking of the nation you would like to represent in class. You will need to have a basic knowledge of this nation's governmental system, culture and history. You can find this information in most almanacs. COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS: (See attached list for committees and topics.) Each student will represent Cameroon at NMUN 2003 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 classs 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 and instructor why they should be awarded their first committee preference. Requests will be assessed during the 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 which provides additional informaiton on the topics, including resource materials. By the time of the Conference, you will be expected to not only be an expert on your committee topics, but on Cameroon's position on each of these topics. Additionlly, you will be expected to be fully aware of why Cameroon has taken these positions. This includes both the public policy position and its realization, or lack thereof, within Cameroon. (Is there a difference between the official policy and what acutally occurs?) SIMULATION, PRESENTATIONS, PAPERS AND RESOLUTIONS For nine class periods, we will conduct simulations based upon NMUN 2003 committee topics. For each of six of these classes, two student delegations will give a 12-15 minute presentation on their three topics and will have at least one prepared resolution for the class to use in the simulation. You will be assigned the week for your presentation when you recieve your committee assignment. These presentations will be persuasive 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 Cameroon'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 Cameroon'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 Cameroon. - The third section shall concern Cameroon'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 a Cameroon diplomat) recommend for these topics. 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 tht you will check in during my office hour. If necessary, I will aslo 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 presentaiton 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 represenative of the University of Illinois at Chicago. POSITION PAPERS: Position Papers are the cornerstone of our presenation 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 Conferece Staff and to the bona fide Cameroon Mission to the United Naitons. Position Papers will be the National Model United Nations' first glimpse of who we are as UIC representatives and as Cameroon delegates. This paper will provide a concise perspective of Cameroon's position on each of the three topics addressed by your committee. Utilizing the highest diplomatic and academic standards will require you to write a coherent, gramatically 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 Cameroon'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 Cameroon 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 Cameroon, 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 Cameroon 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, neither student representing Cameroon 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 Cameroon. How the Guide is developed is up to the delegation. However, it is imperative that the Guide includes generous amounts of information on the nation. If the members of a committee decide to address a side issue, not covered in the original topics, then the Guide will allow any Cameroon delegate to infer Cameroon's position on the subject matter. There will be three sections to the delegation's Resource Guide. The fist segment should cover Cameroon's general demographics. At minimum, this segment should include a discussion of the following: History Religion Natural Resources Culture Gender Issues Population Demographics Government Structure Youth Issues Economy Governmental Officials Human Rights Military 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 Cameroon's position. This summary can be done geographically by continent through highlighting specific nations who are Cameroon's allies. Knowing who supports Cameroon's positon 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 aobut 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 a correlation between Committee and Guide topics. MAP QUIZ: Each student is expected to pass the map quiz prior to attending the NMUN 2003 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 hand out blank maps of the world as study guides. It is the student's responsibility to fill in these maps and study them. The quiz will consist of me choosing 75 random nations 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. It is not required, but 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 you appearance. 4. Failure to comply wiht 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 April 8th, 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 at 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. If you violate the four aformentioned rules, then you will receive 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. I will have eight weeks to watch your progress and growth, assess you ability as a delegate, and draw an expectation of your performance. I will observe each and every one of you throughtout the entire Conference. I will be there to assist you as needed, and will be assessing your participation against my expectionations. You will not each be assessed by the same measure. Some of you wil 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 their needs as representatives of Cameroon. One of my most important roles as an instructor is to teach these 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 22nd, 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 on your experience at the Conference. Address the following questions: - Was the simulation a close approximation to what you believe really hapens at the United Nations? - Does this experience reflect how you feel international relations actually occurs? - 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 50 points A 900-1000 Presentation Paper 50 points B 800-899 Presentation Resolution 50 points C 700-799 Position Paper 100 points D 600-699 Resource Guide Segment(s) 100 points E 599 and below Conference Participation 500 points Reaction Paper 50 points This course provides a unique grading opportunity for the student and instructor. Improvement throughout the course can significantly raise you 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. Additionally, I will provide another copy of the syllabus upon request, or you can contact a fellow student. 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. The fees for this course are non-refundable. Regardless of the the grade you receive for this 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. This syllabus remains subject to change at the instructor's discretion, without prior notice. |
 |
 |
POLS 282 |
 |
