Course Syllabus

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Instructor

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Rebecca Cruise, PhD 

Assistant Professor and Associate Dean of Student Services

College of International and Area Studies

Areas of Interests and Expertise: security community development, international organizations, post-conflict resolution, political participation, and gender

Phone: (405) 325-1095

Email: rebeccajcruise@ou.edu 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Course Description 

This course satisfies the practicum requirement for the MA degree in Global Affairs. The goal is to give students the opportunity to engage in real-world issues, both independently and as groups. In this practicum, you will have the opportunity to address the Mediterranean Refuge and Migrant Crisis from either a governmental or a non-governmental approach. In both tracts, you will produce research in a number of different written formats (cables, memos, etc.) and will create a policy prescription (government) or an action plan (non-governmental organization) to address this serious issue.

Textbook(s) and Instructional Materials:

  1. Gatrell, Peter. 2013. The Making of the Modern Refugee. Oxford University Press.

  2. Additional materials will be posted in the appropriate module 

Course Objectives:

  1. Students will understand the intricacies of government/NGO research

  2. Students will learn about and create a variety of paper types

  3. Students will have to find ways to work together, replicating real-world realities

  4. Students will develop policy recommendations and/or develop an action plan for change on an

    important real-world concerns

Assignments, Grading, and Due Dates:

Individual Writing Assignments

  •  Paper I (2 pages)- Country of Origin Memo 
  •  Paper II (2 pages)- Country of Destination Memo 

Group Writing Assignments, Track One:

  • IGO or Cables (4 pages)
  • White Paper- (20+ pages) Problem, Policy Prescriptions, Justifications and Financing

Group Writing Assignments, Track Two:

  • Community Map (4 pages)
  • NGO Action Plan- (20+ pages) Problem, Action, Coordination, Fundraising

 

A Note On Group Work

Group work is difficult even under the best of circumstances. It will be especially difficult given the online structure of this course and the physical distance between group members. To help facilitate this, once groups are determined, you are expected to meet as a group every week (phone or Skype) and to submit a fairly detailed group update to me every Sunday. You can assign one group member to write this, or you can rotate. In the write up, I need to know who was in the weekly meeting, what was discussed, what has been accomplished and what the action items for the coming week are. Any questions or concerns can also be included. These updates are an important component of your participation grade, and they will contribute to your producing a better deliverable.

Discussion Boards 

Every Monday morning a discussion question will be posted to Canvas. Some weeks this will be a professor provided question, others will address assigned readings or current events. At other times you will be asked to respond to the country of origin and destination memos you and your classmates wrote. The discussion board will be open till Saturday evening and you are expected to engage in the discussion throughout the week multiple times. I expect to see at LEAST one post at the beginning of the week (before Thursday), and at LEAST one response and additional post before the board close.

Grading:

Paper I- 10%
Paper II- 15%
Cables/Map- 15%
White Paper/Action Plan- 30%
Participation (includes participation on discussion boards, group updates, and presentation)- 30%

This is a letter-graded course: A, B, C, D, or F.

Attendance Policy:

Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required.

Student assignments and student/instructor communications will be conducted in Canvas. To communicate, please message me in Canvas, and allow 24 hours for a response (M-F). Students may also contact the instructor via OU e-mail if needed.

Incomplete Grade Policy:

A grade of “I” is not automatically assigned, but rather must be requested by the student by submitting to the instructor a “Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete Grade” form. An “I” can never be used in lieu of an “F” nor can an “I” be assigned because of excessive failure to participate in-class activities.

 

Calendar

Week 1:

Monday, Feb 4: Class starts- Discussion Board Opens
Saturday, Feb. 9: Discussion Board Closes
Sunday, Feb. 10: Read The Making of the Modern Refugee (MMR) Part I

 

Week 2:

Monday, Feb. 11: New Discussion Board Opens
Saturday, Feb. 16: Discussion Board Closes
Sunday, Feb. 17: Country of Origin Memo Due, read MMR Part II

 

Week 3:

Monday, Feb. 18: New Discussion Board Opens

Saturday, Feb. 23: Discussion Board Closes

Sunday, Feb. 24: One Paragraph Group Update

 

Week 4:

Monday, Feb. 25: New Discussion Board Opens
Saturday, March 2: Discussion Board Closes
Sunday, March 3: Country of Destination Memo Due, One Paragraph Group Update Due, and read MMR Part III

 

Week 5:

Monday, March 4: New Discussion Board Opens

Saturday, March 9: Discussion Board Closes

Sunday, March 10: One Paragraph Group Update Due

 

Week 6:

Monday, March 11: New Discussion Board Opens

Saturday, March 16: Discussion Board Closes

Sunday, March 17: One Paragraph Group Update

 

Week7: Spring Break 

 

Week 8:

Monday, March 18: New Discussion Board Opens
Saturday, March 23: Discussion Board Closes
Sunday, March 24: Brief (Gov.) or Community Map (NGO) Due, One Paragraph Group Update Due

 

Week 9:

Monday, April 1: New Discussion Board Opens

Saturday, April 6: Discussion Board Closes

Sunday, April 7: One Paragraph Group Update Due

 

Week 10:

Monday, April 8: New Discussion Board Opens

Saturday, April 13: Discussion Board Closes

Sunday, April 14: One Paragraph Group Update Due

 

Week 11:

Monday, April 15: New Discussion Board Open
Saturday, April 20: Discussion Board Closes
Sunday, April 21: One Paragraph Group Update 

 

Week 12:
Sunday, April 28 Final Papers due, Video/conference due and One Paragraph summation of Group Interaction

 

 

UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

ACADEMIC POLICIES AND STUDENT SUPPORT

Catalog

Please familiarize yourself with the student catalog: http://catalog.ou.edu/courses/courses.htm

Online Library

Students in the MAcc program can use the University of Oklahoma library by visiting: 

http://libraries.ou.edu/

Academic Misconduct

In addition to the course conduct policies outlined by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook. 

It is the responsibility of each student to be familiar with the definitions, policies and procedures concerning academic misconduct. The Student Code is available from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs and is contained in the Student’s Guide to Academic Integrity, available at http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html 

This site also defines misconduct, provides examples of prohibited conduct, and explains the sanctions available for those found guilty of misconduct.

Plagiarism 

Plagiarism is the most common form of academic misconduct at OU. There is basically no college-level assignment that can be satisfactorily completed by copying. OU's basic assumption about writing is that all written assignments show the student's own understanding of the student's own words. That means all writing assignments, in class or out, are assumed to be composed entirely of words generated (not simply found) by the student, except where words written by someone else are specifically marked as such with proper citation. Including other people's words in your paper is helpful when you do it honestly and correctly. When you don't, it's plagiarism. 

Go to http://integrity.ou.edu/students_guide.html to learn more about the rules for avoiding plagiarism. Watch this video and then test your skills in avoiding plagiarism by taking this plagiarism tutorial and quiz.

Reasonable Accommodation for Disabilities

The University of Oklahoma is committed to providing reasonable accommodation for all students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who require accommodations in this course should contact their professor as early in the semester as possible.

Students with disabilities must be registered with the Disability Resource Center prior to receiving accommodations in this course.

If you have a disability and you would like to make a request for reasonable accommodation, please see the Graduate Student Handbook or visit the Disability Resource Center and other disability services at OU at: http://drc.ou.edu/

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues

Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact me as soon as possible to discuss your options. Generally, modifications will be made where medically necessary and similar in scope to accommodations based on temporary disability. Please see www.ou.edu/content/eoo/faqs/pregnancy-faqs.html for commonly asked questions.  

Title IX Resources  

For any concerns regarding gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, stalking, or intimate partner violence, the University offers a variety of resources, including advocates on-call 24.7, counseling services, mutual no-contact orders, scheduling adjustments, and disciplinary sanctions against the perpetrator. Please contact the Sexual Misconduct Office 405-325-2215 (8-5, M-F) or OU Advocates 405-615-0013 (24.7) to learn more or to report an incident. 

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University to excuse absences of students that result from religious observances and to provide for the rescheduling of examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays without penalty. It is the responsibility of the student to make alternate arrangements with the instructor at least one week prior to the actual date of the religious holiday.

Copyright Policy

It is illegal to download, upload, reproduce, or distribute any copyrighted material, in any form and in any fashion, without permission from the copyright holder or his/her authorized agent. The University of Oklahoma expects all members of its community to comply fully with federal copyright laws. If such laws appear to have been violated by any user, the university reserves the right (1) to terminate that user’s access to some or all of the university’s computer systems and information resources and (2) to take additional disciplinary actions as deemed necessary or appropriate. Repeat offenders will be sanctioned and their privileges terminated.

Registration and Withdrawal

If you choose to withdraw from this course, you must complete the appropriate University form and turn the form in before the deadline. If you stop attending the course and doing the coursework without doing the required paperwork your grade will be calculated with missed homework and examination grades entered as zero. This could result in receiving a grade of F in the course. Deadlines are shown in the Academic Calendar, which is available from the Office of Admissions and Records or online at http://www.ou.edu/admissions/home/academic_calendar.html

Student Grievances

In addition to any policies outlined related to submitting an informal or formal grievance by your professor in the Course Syllabus in the online classroom, please review the Graduate Student Handbook for more information about the process of submitting a formal grievance.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due