BORDER SECURITY Conflict Resolution and Preventive Diplomacy (original) (raw)
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International Studies Perspectives, 2013
This article reviews experiences from a large-scale student simulation, which concluded the Istanbul Conference on Mediation: Enhancing Peace through Mediation that took place in February 2012. We share insights on two unique aspects of the simulation. First, the paper examines a rare case where the simulation crossed paths with real life: a number of the impersonated officials (and offices) including the president of the General Assembly of the UN, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, and the Director of the Policy and Mediation Division of the UN Department of Political Affairs were in the audience and shared their impressions. Second, the setup of the simulation was more complex than its typical in-class counterparts. Our insights from this multiday, multi-stage, and multi-issue simulation can inform colleagues who plan to run larger scale simulations. Besides sharing experiences on a number of logistical points, we especially draw attention to the constructive role facilitators can play in augmenting the learning benefits accruing to the students from simulations.
For some time, simulations have been used to understand the complexity of international relations and diplomacy. Many contemporary teacher-scholars believe using simulations, games, and strategic exercises is the most effective way to teach learners negotiation skills. This multi-day immersive setting allows students to develop character profiles and apply theorydriven strategies to a real-world diplomatic crisis. Develop the High Stakes Diplomacy (HSD) model of principled negotiation for use in international relations and diplomacy courses. HSD is an experiential learning simulation designed to educate learners on the perils of positional bargaining in international negotiation, enhance student leadership and followership experiences, and engender positive diplomacy skills. The High Stakes Diplomacy simulation, developed in January 2022, supports the application of experiential learning techniques for knowledge retention, student learning, student motivation, and theory-building. To assess learning, this study draws on Kolb's (1984) model of experiential learning, which consists of four points of awareness: (1) concrete experience, (2) reflective observation, (3) abstract conceptualization, and (4) active experimentation. The frequentative negotiation rounds occurred across three 75-minute class sessions. The author used pre-assessments, multiparty peer observations, and a post-assessment survey and debriefing to gauge learning outcomes and experiment validity. The post-simulation survey revealed that 83.3 percent of participants found the High Stakes Diplomacy simulation facilitated greater learning of the method of principled negotiation. This result reflects a 50 percent increase in student learning from pre-assessment levels.
How to efficiently teach in an increasingly complex field like European Studies is subject to a burgeoning literature. At the same time, the use of simulations to convey fundamental concepts and theories at an undergraduate level is catching on particularly in international relations (IR). To complement more traditional forms of teaching at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) such as lectures, the broadening of pedagogical methods to include simulation-based learning has the potential to impart important competences to the student body, including public speaking, debating, communicating and negotiating skills.
Using Hybrid Simulations to Enhance Student Learning of International Relations Theories
Issues in Educational Research, 2021
The theoretical frameworks explicitly or implicitly employed by diplomatic historians and international relations scholars can lead to significantly different explanations for the same historical events. Therefore, a sound understanding of the basic international relations theories is required for a more comprehensive understanding of international politics. However, students tend to shun theoretical topics and debates, considering them irrelevant to practical issues and problems that they face in their daily lives. This paper argues for employing simulations as a way of enhancing student learning of international relations theories. It provides a justification and outline for the organisation and development of a hybrid simulation using the Council on Foreign Relation's Model Diplomacy interactive platform. Hybrid simulations integrate components of both face-toface and cyber simulations, with students physically interacting during the more formal simulation procedures (e.g., making formal policy statements and voting) and using the cyber environments for informal activities (e.g., as negotiations). Ultimately, hybrid simulations transform the learning environment by restructuring the interaction process between instructors and students and can contribute to enhancing student learning and their understanding of the main theories underscoring international relations theories. The use of hybrid simulations becomes more relevant as universities continue to promote more online educational opportunities for students and as unanticipated disruptions require them to have more options available to continue providing students with the best educational experiences possible.
SSRN Electronic Journal, 2013
One of the challenges of teaching American undergraduates in an "Introduction to International Relations" course is fi nding a way to make topics and themes seem relevant to students. This article recounts the author's experiences using the board game "Diplomacy" in his course. The game places students in the role of decision makers in the international arena and simulates the international politics of pre-World War I Europe. In addition to being a powerful simulation of the diffi culties of international relations, the game teaches students about one of the most debated wars in the history of the discipline.
2006
The most common challenge confronting instructors of international relations is engaging "resistant populations" in meaningful dialogue. The use of simulations has long been touted as an effective way to overcome challenges associated with student learning. Simulations provide experiential learning, which helps students develop the crucial skills required for the study of the international politics. While this claim seems logical, there have been few studies that have actually measured the impact of simulations on student learning in the classroom. Additionally, the "resistant population" is often absent from discussions of this kind. A preliminary study of the effect of simulations on the "resistant population's" learning was conducted in the Introduction to International Relations (POLS370) course at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the Fall 2005 semester. Doug Eder, Vice Provost and Director of the Office of Undergraduate Assessment and Program Review, provided support for this project in the area of assessment. In addition to discussing the characteristics of the "resistant population, this paper discusses the simulation mechanism and assessment devices used in this study. The paper also provides an overview of the preliminary findings of the study.
Sears (2018) War and Peace in International Relations Theory - A Classroom Simulation
Journal of Political Science Education, 2018
Simulations are increasingly common pedagogical tools in political science and international relations courses. This article develops a classroom simulation that aims to facilitate students’ theoretical understanding of the topic of war and peace in international relations, and accomplishes this by incorporating important theoretical concepts about the causes of war found in international relations theory into the design and implementation of the simulation. In addition to sharing a successful classroom simulation with other international relations instructors, the article makes two important contributions to the pedagogical literature on simulations. First, it shows how simulation design can be usefully based on the theoretical concepts and/or substantive problems that course instructors aim to impart to their students. Second, it demonstrates that it is possible to achieve important learning objectives with low-intensity simulations that do not require a big investment of time, energy, and resources. Citation: Nathan Alexander Sears (2018): War and Peace in International Relations Theory: A Classroom Simulation, Journal of Political Science Education 14(2): 222-239.
War and Peace in International Relations Theory: A Classroom Simulation
Journal of Political Science Education
Simulations are increasingly common pedagogical tools in political science and international relations courses. This article develops a classroom simulation that aims to facilitate students' theoretical understanding of the topic of war and peace in international relations, and accomplishes this by incorporating important theoretical concepts about the causes of war found in international relations theory into the design and implementation of the simulation. In addition to sharing a successful classroom simulation with other international relations instructors, the article makes two important contributions to the pedagogical literature on simulations. First, it shows how simulation design can be usefully based on the theoretical concepts and/or substantive problems that course instructors aim to impart to their students. Second, it demonstrates that it is possible to achieve important learning objectives with lowintensity simulations that do not require a big investment of time, energy, and resources.