Adams, Karen R.

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Syllabi Course Syllabi Fall 9-1-2005 PSC 395.04: Model United Nations Karen R. Adams University of Montana - Missoula, karen.adams@umontana.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Adams, Karen R., "PSC 395.04: Model United Nations" (2005). Syllabi. 6630. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/6630 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu. ', PSC 395-01/HIST 395-04 Professor Adams Fall 2005 Office Hours: W 3-6 & by appt Mondays, 4:10-6:30 p.m. Office: 353 Liberal Arts 342 Liberal Arts email: karen.adams@umontana.edu Office Phone: 243-2105 Model United Nations Course Description and Objectives This course uses readings, lectures, research and writing assignments, and in-class simulations of United Nations meetings to examine the history and structure of the UN, the role of the UN in contemporary world politics, and contemporary global problems. Course participants also plan, organize, and run the annual Montana Model UN high school conference at the end of November. This conference, one of the largest high school conferences in the US, provides us with a laboratory to reflect on the inner workings of the UN and with an opportunity to encourage high school students to become aware of and involved in international affairs. Because the course is both academic and experiential, it offers a chance to extend your knowledge of international politics while developing proficiency in public speaking, policy formulation, parliamentary procedure, diplomacy, negotiation, and conflict resolution. The course is required for participation in the Montana Model UN collegiate team and is excellent preparation for a career in public policy or international affairs. Prerequisites This course is open to juniors and seniors, as well as sophomores who have taken PSC 130 and freshman who have participated in Model UN conferences. Required Texts The following texts are required. The first three can be purchased at the ASUM Bookstore. Lawrence Ziring, et al., The United Nations: International Organization and World Politics, 4th ed. (Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005). A Global Agenda: Issues before the General Assembly ofthe United Nations, 2005-2006 edition, (New York: UNA-USA, 2005). A Guide to Delegate Preparation (New York: UNA-USA, 2004). New York Times (Monday-Friday), http://www.nyt.com. UN Daily News (Monday-Friday), http://wwwO.un.org/News/dh/arc/archive.asp Worldpress.org (Monday-Friday) http://www.worldpress.org Keeping Up With Current Events You are required to keep up with current events related to international politics and the United Nations by reading the New York Times, UN Daily News, and Worldpress.org on a daily (Monday - Friday) basis. For details on the sections and articles I expect you to read, see the Course Materials section of the Blackboard website. There are many ways to supplement your reading of these newspapers: - Reading other national daily newspapers such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and Wall Street Journal, as well as international papers such as the London Times, Guardian, and Le Monde. - Reading weekly news magazines such as The Economist, Time, Newsweek, and US News and World Report. - Listening to National Public Radio programs such as "Morning Edition," BBC World Service," and "All Things Considered" on KUFM 89.1 (for schedule, go to http://www.mtpr.net/). - Watching national nightly and weekly television news programs. On PBS, these include "The News Hour," "BBC World," "Charlie Rose," "NOW," "Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria," and "Frontline," which are available on both KUFM Channel 11 (http://www.montanapbs.org/) and KSPS Channel 32 (http://ksps.org/). The ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news, as well as ABC's "Nightline," can also be helpful. Whenever possible I encourage you to consult these and other additional sources. Please note, however, that they will not substitute for daily reading of the required sources, which offer the most extensive international coverage and upon which current event quizzes and exam questions will be based. Course Requirements You are expected to complete all of the assigned reading, including the previous week's New York Times, UN Daily News, and Worldpress.org before each class. You are also required to attend class regularly and actively participate in the discussions, simulations, and conference preparations. Thus class and conference attendance and participation will be 30% of your grade. Included in this grade will be quizzes and in-class assignments, as well as participation in in-class simulations and conference planning sessions, and attendance, comportment, and leadership at the conference. Note: you must attend all or most of the conference proceedings on November 21-22. The remainder of the work required ofyou will depend on your role in the class. Those with Model UN experience will serve as leaders in the classroom simulations and at the high school conference. Those without such experience will serve as ambassadors in classroom simulations and as committee staff at the conference. There may be some additional opportunities, as well, for students wishing to serve as high­school liaisons, faculty and international student coordinators, and campus activity organizers. All of these roles will be discussed in class and allocated based on experience and interest. Ambassadors will write five short papers over the course of the semester. Of these, two will be country profiles, and the other three will be position papers and resolutions. Each of these papers will be worth 10% of your grade. Students serving as conference leaders (SG, ASG, chairs, vice chairs, etc) and students serving in special roles (high school liaisons, etc) will also write a series of papers. The number of these papers will vary by position, but together they will be worth 50% ofyour course grade. All students enrolled in the class will write the final examination, which is worth 20% of the course grade. This exam will test your understanding of and ability to analyze material from the readings, lectures, and simulations. They will consist of multiple choice questions, short answers, and essay questions. Be prepared to recall what you have learned and to write clear, thoughtful, and well-supported answers to challenging questions about the history, functioning, and future of the United Nations. Students with disabilities should apprise me of their needs immediately. Graduate students should consult with me about additional requirements. 2 Grading To summarize, the grading for the course is as follows: Attendance & participation 30% Papers 50 Final 20 The plus/minus grading system will be used. Grades may be curved, but the following distribution is the lowest I will use (i.e., ifyou earn 92% of all possible points you are assured of an A in the course): 92-100 A 82-87 B 72-77 C 62-67 D 90-91 A- 80-81 B- 70-71 C- +60-61 D­88-89 B+ 78-79 C+ 68-69 D 0-59 F Make-Up Policy Make-up exams will be scheduled only for students directly involved in extreme, documented emergencies. Late papers will only be accepted in such situations as well. Ifyou find yourself in the midst of an emergency, you must notify me as soon as possible (in advance of the exam or due-date if at all possible) that you will be unable to attend the scheduled exam or submit the paper on time. To do so, call me or send me an email explaining the circumstances of your emergency and giving me a way to contact you. I reserve the right to deny any and all petitions for make-up work, and to administer makeup assignments substantially different from those of the regular exams and papers. Note: Since I will accept make-up work only in the event of extreme, documented emergencies in which you are directly involved, if you miss an exam or fail to submit a paper for any other reason you will receive a 0 for the assignment. This will put you at risk of failing the course. Course Communications Throughout the course, I will communicate with you by email and by posting announcements and materials on the Blackboard website. To ensure that you receive my emails, you should either check your UM email account on a regular basis or have email from there forwarded to an account that you do check regularly. You may do the latter in Cyberbear. For instructions on accessing and using Blackboard, please consult the Blackboard handout. 3 Course Outline and Schedule All readings are in the Ziring book except those in A Global Agenda, Guide to Delegate Preparation, those marked by an asterisk (*), which are available online, and those marked by a ( + ), which are on 2­hour reserve at Mansfield Library. I. Introduction (8/29; no class 9/5 due to Labor Day) Ziring, Chapters 1-3. *The Charter ofthe United Nations, available at http://www.unhchr.ch/pdf/UNcharter.pdf, (26 pp). *Kofi Annan, "Prologue," Global Agenda. Ifbook is not yet at the bookstore, you can find this at http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=854935 *"Global Issues on the UN Agenda," http://www.un.org/issues/; read the list of issues, then read the web pages of three issues that interest you. *Montana Model UN Website (skim documents from past years), http://www.cas.umt.edu/mun/ *UNA-USA website, "Model UN Preparation Guide," http://www.unausa.org/site/pp.asp?c=fvKRI8MPJpF&b=457131 *Read three articles of interest to you in the "Diplomatic Dispatches" column written by Nora Boustany of the Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp­dyn/content/linkset/2005/03/24/LI2005032402880.html Ziring, Chapter 4. II. 	Course and Conference Planning; Library Orientation (9/12) We will begin with a quiz on current events, last week's readings, and parliamentary procedure. We will then divide up roles and plan the conference-related work (including paper deadlines for leaders) for the remainder of the semester. We will conclude with an orientation to the library's international resources. III. The Role oflnternational Organizations in International Politics (9/19) Ambassadors: Country Profile I due today *John J. Mearsheimer, "The false promise of international institutions," International Security 19:3 (Winter 1994), pp. 5-49. *Robert 0. Keohane and Lisa L. Martin, "The promise of institutionalist theory," International Security 20:1(Summer1995), pp. 39-51. *Alexander Wendt, "Constructing international politics," International Security 20: 1 (Summer 1995), pp. 71-81. *Martha Finnemore, "International organizations as teachers of norms: the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization and science policy," International Organization 47:4 (Autumn 1993), pp. 565-597. IV. How International Organizations Work and How States Operate Within Them (9/26) +John E. Trent, "Foreign Policy and the United Nations: National interest in the era of global politics," in Chadwick F. Alger, et al., The United Nations System: The Policies of Member States (New York: United Nations University Press, 1995), pp. 463-494 (the rest of the article is assigned later in the semester). *Louis B. Sohn, "Important Improvements in the Functioning of the Principal Organs of the United Nations that can be Made Without Charter Revision," American Journal of International Law 91:4 (October 1997), pp. 652-662. Available on JSTOR. +Rienk W. Terpestra, "Post-Cold War UN Diplomacy from Up Close: Inside Perspectives from 4 an Outsider," in James P. Muldoon, Jr., et al., Multilateral Diplomacy and the United Nations Today (Boulder: Westview, 1999), pp. 210-221. +Ambassador Sergey Lavrov, "The United Nations Through the Eyes of a Russian Ambassador," in Muldoon, et al., Multilateral Diplomacy, pp. 35-42. Guide to Delegate Preparation, pp. 35-40 and the parts of Chapter 4 that address your state's region (check page numbers). V. The UN and International Peace and Security, Part I (10/3) Country Profile II due today Ziring, Chapters 5-8 and 11 (selected pages, to be announced in class). Recommended: +Inis Claude, Swords into Ploughshares: The Problems and Progress ofInternational Organization, 4th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971), pp. 245-285. *Frederic L. Kirgis, Jr., "The Security Council's First Fifty Years," American Journal of International Law 89:3 (July 1995), pp. 506-539. *Walter Clarke and Jeffrey Herbst, "Somalia and the Future of Humanitarian Intervention," Foreign Affairs, March 1996, pp. 70+. *Michael Hirsch, "Calling All Regio-Cops: Peacekeeping's Hybrid Future," Foreign Affairs, November 2000, pp. 2+. *James Traub, "Inventing East Timor," Foreign Affairs, July 2000, pp. 74+. VI. The UN and International Peace and Security, Part II; Introduction to Policy Papers, Resolutions, and Rules (10/10) A Global Agenda, chapters on peace & security, and arms control & disarmament Guide to Delegate Preparation, Chapters 1 and 2 (pp. 3-40 - check). VII. Security Council Simulation (10/17) Ambassadors: Position Paper and Resolution I due today VIII. NATO/Crisis Simulation- OR-- UN Day Activities for Campus Community (10/24) IX. The UN and Social and Humanitarian Issues (10/31) Ziring, Chapter 9 The Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights The International .Covenant on Civil and Political Rights The International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Political Rights A Global Agenda, chapter on social and humanitarian issues X. 	 The UN and Economic and Environmental Issues (11/7) Ziring, Chapter 10 A Global Agenda, chapters on development & trade, and global resource management XI. General Assembly and Other Committee Simulations (11114) Ambassadors: Position Paper and Resolution II due today XII. Montana Model UN Conference!! (11/21-22)- SAVE THE DATES 5 • XIII. 2005 Montana Model UN Debriefing and 2006 Conference Planning, and Officer and Team Applications (11/28) XIV. Summit on UN Reform (12/5) Ambassadors: Position Paper and Resolution III due today A Global Agenda, chapter on UN Finance and Administration +John E. Trent, "Foreign Policy and the United Nations: National interest in the era of global politics," in Chadwick F. Alger, et al., The United Nations System: The Policies of Member States (New York: United Nations University Press, 1995), pp. 494-508. *Paul Kennedy and Bruce Russett, "Reforming the United Nations," Foreign Affairs, September/October 1995, pp. 56+. Available through Academic Universe. *"For Consideration by the [Millennium] Summit," UN Chronicle 37:1 (Spring 2000), pp. 62+. Available through Infotrac. *"Speeches given at the Millennium Summit," Vital Speeches 66:24 (October 1, 2000), pp. 758+. Available through Infotrac. *United Nations Millenium Declaration," UN Chronicle 37:3 (Fall 2000), pp. 38+. Available through Infotrac. *"And, In Informal Settings," UN Chronicle 37:3 (Fall 2000), pp. 50+. Available through Infotrac. *'TINAL EXAMINATION: Wednesday, December 14 from 1:10-3:00 p.m. 6 

PSC 395.04: Model United Nations

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PSC 395.04: Model United Nations

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