| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Attendence and Participation | Attendance and participation to discussions are mandatory for this class. The goal here is to learn how to ask good questions and provide thoughtful answers. You have 3 excused absences. Each extra absence will lower your final attendance grade by 10%. There will be the possibility of cancelling out your unexcused absences by writing an extra assignment. However, more than 10 unexcused absences may result in failure to pass the course. | 10% |
| Mid-term exam | The exam will take place in week 5, class 10. It will comprise up to 10 questions covering definitions of concepts (short answers) and one open question (essay) that requires theoretical argumentation. Further indications in class.
| 30% |
| Article review (due week 8, class 15) | The students are required to write an analytical review of an academic article that will be chosen from a given selection of articles. The review will be tested for accuracy in the presentation of the material (40%), logical structure of the argument made (40%) and depth of content / critique / research (20%). Further instructions in class. The length of the review is 1000 words - the equivalent of exactly 3 pages of text (Times New Roman, size 12, space 2). Further instructions in class. | 15% |
| Oral presentations (due week 11, class 21 and 22) | The students will be grouped in pairs of three; they will be required to conduct a research on a contemporary event or topic of world politics and present their analysis and findings in front of the class. Each group will submit a research abstract (one paragraph which includes the title and a few sentences explaining the issue pursued in the presentation) with running bibliography by September 26. Students must use not only the media but also academic (scholarly) sources; they must construct and use a theoretical argument / perspective explaining or interpreting their topic. The oral presentation will take 15 minutes and will be graded according to the following criteria: the documentation of material (25%), the capacity to communicate in a clear manner and stimulate the peers' thoughts (25%), the logical structure of the theoretical argument (25%) and depth of content and research (25%). Further instructions in class. | 15% |
| Final exam: research essay | In the final exam you will have to write one research essay. In this essay, you need to demonstrate knowledge and ability to apply the material covered throughout the course as well as some additional research. You will have three weeks time to prepare the essay question and you will write the answer in class, under exam conditions. Excellent answers will formulate a convincing argument; will discuss theoretical positions relevant to that argument; will back the argument with empirical evidence; will refer correctly to authors and will draw on relevant/significant sources. The argument will be well- organized and written as clearly as possible. Your answers will be marked according to the following criteria: documentation and presentation of material (35%), logical structure of the argument (35%) and depth and content of research (30%). Further instructions in class. | 30% |