MODEL UNITED NATIONS
Bluefield State
College
SOSC 340—SPRING 2013
CRN: 20203
Colin S. Cavell, Ph.D. Course Room No.: B103
Class F: 3:00-3:50 p.m. (i.e. 15:00 – 15:50) INTERNET:
ccavell@bluefieldstate.edu
Office Hours: TBA Office No.: B120
VOICE: 304.327.4034 (W) 512-924-2364 (M)
Introduces
students to the actual workings of the United Nations, offering insight into
the difficulties involved in reaching consensus on a variety of international
issues that might come before the body.
PR COMM 208.
Grading
Policy: 20% for Attendance*; 20% for the In-Class
Presentation; 20% for the Midterm Exam; 20% for the Position Paper; and 20% for
Participation** in Class Activities. A Guidelines sheet will be distributed
outlining the requirements for your Class Presentation and for your Position
Paper.
Grading
Scale: 90-100=A; 80-89=B; 70-79=C; 60-69=D;
0-59=F. These numerical scores
correspond to the following evaluations:
“A” = Excellent; “B” = Good; “C” = Satisfactory (NOTE: A grade of “C” or better is required in major
courses); “D” = Poor (passing, except in major courses); “F” = Earned Failure
(removed only by repeating the course; upon successfully passing the course,
the first grade is “excluded” from grade point average. The second grade is “included” in the
recalculation of the grade point average); and “I” = Incomplete.
Learning
Outcomes: Upon completion of
SOSC 340, students should be able to read and provide an immanent critique of
texts; to articulate arguments and examine their flaws; be familiar with the
basics of logical, ethical, and dialectical reasoning; be familiar with essays,
both pro and con, regarding the 1945 United Nations Charter, reasons for an
international organization of states and the need to actively participate in
reinforcing the international community of nations, the relationship between the
United States and the United Nations and the role it should play, the effect of
federalism in the structure of the United Nations as well as the power
relationships between the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly; be
familiar with the historical struggle for the goals of world peace and comity
amongst nations including struggles over rights and responsibilities of nations;
be familiar with the horrendous tragedies as well as accomplishments of the
United Nations experiment in world governance; empathize with the plight of oppressed
peoples, women, children, ethnic minorities, et al. who struggled to overcome
adversity in their quest for freedom; understand the effects of race, gender,
class and other divisions on societies and the effect of UN resolutions,
institutions, and international regimes to either enhance or dissipate such
divisions; have some familiarity with the art of diplomacy and the role of
leadership in advancing common goals; be able to articulate some conception of
human freedom and adopt a stance towards it; and be able to envision a
defensible future.
Academic
Integrity Policy: Academic integrity is expected of all
students. This means that all work for this class must be undertaken and
completed by you alone without collaboration from others. Any dishonesty in the
performance of course work, such as plagiarism or cheating in other forms, will
be reported. In the event the student is charged with some form of dishonesty,
the Student Discipline Policy will be followed. The full text of the BSC
Academic Honesty Policy can be found at:
http://www.bluefieldstate.edu/academics/academic-honesty-and-proctoring.
In addition, students should be aware that research paper assignments may be
submitted to Turnitin
by the instructor for the purpose of checking for possible plagiarism.
Submitted assignments will be included in the BSC dedicated database of
assignments at Turnitin and will be used solely for the purpose of checking for
possible plagiarism during the grading process during this term and in the
future.
Attendance
Policy*: Attendance in class is mandatory. It is the student’s responsibility to sign
the attendance sheet each day of class; failure to sign the attendance
sheet—even if in attendance—will be counted as an absence. “When the number of clock hours of willful
absences exceeds the number of semester
hours of credit, the instructor will notify the Registrar that the student has
exceeded the permissible number of absences and should be withdrawn from
class.” Students with Excused Absences
must submit to me a hard copy of the campus publication The Bulletin announcing your allowed absence in order to get credit
for the day(s) of your absence. “It is
the responsibility of the student to…provide supporting documents for
institutional and unavoidable absences” (Bluefield
State College Academic Catalog 2012-2014, p. 55). As well, you are expected to follow the
syllabus and accordingly be prepared for each day’s class. This means that you must read the
pre-assigned readings before class so that you will be prepared to discuss and
debate in class the subject matter scheduled for that day and answer questions
related to the issues being covered. NOTE: TURN OFF all cell phones during class.
* Absence from class may be made up by preparing a two-page, typed (i.e. using maximum 12 point font size and maximum
double-spaced text with one-inch margin on all sides), summary on the missed material scheduled to be covered the
day(s) of your absence. The summary must
be in your own words and must not be copied material from the text(s),
the internet, or any other source(s). All
summaries must be turned in to me by the last day of classes if you want
credit for your absences.
Participation
Policy**: All students in the Model UN class are
automatically members of the BSC Model UN Club and are required to participate
in all Club activities. Twenty percent
of your total grade will come from your participation.
Withdrawal
Policy: Academic Withdrawal from the course prior to
the deadline date for withdrawal as published within the academic calendar is
accomplished by securing a change in schedule form and having it signed by
appropriate persons. Blank copies of the
change in schedule form are available in the offices of the Registrar, the Vice
President for Academic Affairs, the Dean and the advisor. After obtaining the required signatures, the
student must submit, prior to the deadline date, the change in schedule form to
the Office of the Registrar.
Disability
Services Statement: BSC is committed to full inclusion of all
students. Students who, by nature of a documented disability, require
classroom, equipment, testing or assignment accommodations should contact the
Student Support Services at 304.327.4227 to request accommodations before the
start of the semester. Your immediate attention to these arrangements is
necessary to assure a positive learning experience.
Free
Tutoring Services Available: BSC offers free online tutoring for all
BSC students in the following subjects:
Math; Accounting, Managerial; Accounting, Financial; Writing (all
subjects); Grammar; Microeconomics; Macroeconomics; Statistics; Spanish.
Chemistry, etc. This service is free and available 24 hours a day to all BSC
students. Go to http://www.smarthinking.com/ and follow these instructions.
Required Text (Available
Online – Professor will provide):
Basic Facts about the United Nations. 2011.
New York, NY: United Nations
Department of Public Information. [ISBN:
978-92-1-101235-4 or eISBN: 978-92-1-054807-6], 309 pages.
AMUN Rules & Procedures: Bringing Global Perspectives to Future
Leaders. July 2012.
Produced for the 23rd Annual American Model United Nations
International Conference in Chicago, Illinois from 17-20 November, 2012. Oak Park, IL:
American Model United Nations International.
***This class
is web-enhanced and students will be able to access supplemental materials on
the BSC website.***
Jan. 21: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (College Closed)
Jan. 22: Classes begin for Spring Semester
Jan. 25 [Friday, First Class]: World Organizations Past & Present
Readings: UN
Charter [http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/]; Basic Facts about the United Nations.
2011, pp. 3-5.
Feb. 1: Introduction
to the United Nations: The UN Charter
& General Conference Information
Readings: UN
Charter [http://www.un.org/en/documents/charter/];
Basic Facts about the United Nations. 2011, pp. 3-5; AMUN Rules & Procedures, 2012, pp. 3-6.
Feb. 8: UN General
Assembly & General Conference Information
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations. 2011,
pp. 5-6; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 3-6.
Feb. 15: UN Security Council & Role Playing and
Preparation
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations. 2011,
pp. 7-9; AMUN Rules & Procedures, 2012, pp. 7-11.
Feb. 22: UN Economic and Social
Council & Role Playing and Preparation
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations. 2011,
pp. 12-16; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 7-11.
Mar. 1: UN Trusteeship Council &
The International Press Delegation
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations. 2011,
p. 16; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, p. 12.
Mar. 8: MIDTERM
EXAM [Friday]
Mar. 11: Mid-Semester grades due to Registrar
Mar. 11-15:
Spring Break (No Classes)
Mar. 22: International Court of Justice
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations.
2011, pp. 16-17; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 13-15.
Mar. 29: UN
Secretariat & The International Court of Justice
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations.
2011, pp. 17-21; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 13-15.
Apr. 5: UN
Budget & Position Papers
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations.
2011, p. 27; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 16-17.
Apr. 12:
Last Day to Withdraw from course/college with a grade of "W"
Apr. 12: UN
System & Draft Documents
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations. 2011,
pp. 29-41; AMUN Rules & Procedures, 2012, pp. 18-23.
Assignment: [Position
Papers Due] Submit hardcopy of Research
Paper; as well submit electronic copy to me by 11:59 p.m. on 4/12/13.
Apr. 19: UN System & Security Council Rules of
Procedure
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations.
2011, pp. 29-41; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 24-29.
Apr. 26: [In-class Presentations Due] Specialized
Agencies and Related Organizations & Security Council Rules of Procedure
Readings: Basic
Facts about the United Nations.
2011, pp. 42-54; AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 24-29.
May 3: Specialized
Agencies and Related Organizations & GA and ECOSOC Rules of Procedure
Readings:
Basic Facts about the United Nations.
2011, pp. 42-54; AMUN Rules &
Procedures, 2012,
pp. 30-39.
May 10: Summary & GA
and ECOSOC Rules of Procedure [Last day of classes. All course work MUST be completed by this
date. No submissions will be accepted
after this date.]
Readings: AMUN Rules
& Procedures, 2012, pp. 30-39.
May 20:
Final grades due to Registrar electronically