Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An interdisciplinary course which aims to bring together different disciplinary perspectives on international affairs through the study of in-depth particular contemporary problems. Writing.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course aims to prepare students for the kinds of professional role that they may pursue beyond academia. It does so by helping students to become proficient in forms of research and writing that play an important role in governmental, nongovernmental, and private sector organizations. Work in such organizations can often involve researching a particular issue or problem over a short period of time, synthesizing information from a broad array of sources, identifying key ideas related to the issue in question, and presenting them in a concise way. At times, it may also involve identifying the best course of action from a range of possible alternatives and developing arguments in support of that course of action. More generally, such writing requires clarity of thought and economy of expression. We will focus on four forms of writing that are particularly significant in a range of organizations beyond academia: literature reviews, briefing papers, op-ed essays, and policy papers.

Students will be asked to practice these forms of writing in relation to specific issues in international affairs. These issues include the following:
1. Was the NATO-led intervention in Libya in 2011 justified?  (Literature review.)
2. What are the causes of gender-based violence in conflict-affected contexts; and, what can be done to address the harms that such violence inflicts? (Briefing paper.) 
3. What should affluent countries like Canada do to help address the current refugee crisis? (Op-ed essay.) 
4. What lessons about the doctrine of R2P can be drawn from recent cases of large-scale violence against civilians, including the case of Libya in 2011? (Policy paper. This assignment will build on some of the research that you do for the literature review.) 

Students will be expected to find and utilize relevant sources of information on the topics for these assignments, drawing not only on academic literature but also on the “grey literature” produced by international organizations, research institutions, and think-tanks, as well as on information from credible journalistic outlets.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING: