PO4700 - Tom Pegram

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Summary on PO4700 Teaching Method

This is a summary of the approach PO4700 will be adopting in our weekly meetings from Week 5 onwards and, in particular, the role of the study briefs. In order to promote participation in class we will be moving to a discussion format in our weekly meetings.

This will be an opportunity for all of you to develop your understanding of the material in a constructive peer group setting to complement the reading that you are doing each week. The study briefs will be a key resource in this regard.

Please read this summary carefully.

PREPARATION FOR CLASS

From next week, comprehensive lecture slides for the topic will be uploaded onto WebCT a week in advance of the lecture. If anyone is still not registered for Web CT inform me ASAP.
You will all be expected to conduct your readings with reference to the slides. The slides will signpost your independent reading and will provide a firm foundation upon which to develop your understanding of the topic.
Review and comment on study briefs (as below)

CLASS

At each lecture, we will begin the class with any questions and concerns you may have regarding the slides, the topic and/or the readings. This will be an opportunity to seek additional guidance regarding any concepts, topics, or theories/theorists you encounter on the slides and which we may need to cover in more depth during discussion. I will be very happy to assist in clarifying any issues for your benefit and that of the group.
We will then proceed to conduct a highly participatory discussion for the remainder of our time together. This will entail everyone having done the readings and having a firm grasp of the basic prior to the study group meeting. In order to aid you in this task, the study briefs will be important.

STUDY BRIEFS

Study briefers should come to class able and willing to elaborate the claims made in your study briefs for the benefit of your colleagues. In order to ensure that everyone gets maximum value out of this approach, we will also be instituting compulsory peer review for each study brief submission by group.

In other words, you will ALL be expected to read the study briefs prior to class and have provided feedback. We will do this in the following way:

Study briefs (as already noted in the syllabus) must be submitted in Microsoft word format 48 hours prior to the Tuesday or Friday group meeting. The study briefs will then be uploaded onto this webpage
From next week (Week 5 – Constructivism) everyone will be expected to visit their group webpage and leave an informed comment/argument/critique on at least ONE of their group study briefs, based on their readings. Please sign in using your full names and the comments must be substantive.
Everyone will be expected to comment on at least ONE study brief for their group but are welcome to offer more. Anyone who does not provide a comment on any study briefs will be first in line for discussant in class! NB. All the study briefs merit comment so please seek out the study brief with the least comments.

IMPORTANT: please remember to read study briefs with a critical eye. It is important that you do not necessarily take author’s claims at face value. Please refer back to your readings when assessing the veracity of claims made by your peers. In sum, they should not be relied upon for revision purposes.

General Information on Study Briefs (extract from Syllabus):

Each student will have to prepare a study brief prior to ONE lecture in Michaelmas Term and ONE lecture in Hilary Term.
Study briefs should be 800-1000 words in length (minimum 800 words, maximum 1000 words).
The study briefs should be in Microsoft Word format, doubled spaced, and in 12 point font.
The briefs must be sent to me as an email attachment a minimum of 48 hours before the relevant lecture. My email address can be found on the front of this syllabus. Late submissions may be refused

The purpose of the study briefs is threefold:

They must address ONE of the questions at the top of each week’s readings, drawing explicitly on the principle points raised by the required readings.
They should pose at least two additional questions that arise in the course of writing your answer to the question.
Where possible, these questions should make reference to the general themes of the course (i.e. IR theory and security in term 1; and human rights in term 2).

In order to prepare your study briefs, therefore, you should read the relevant week’s required readings, address one of the three questions at the top of that week’s readings and pose at least two additional questions regarding your chosen topic. I will provide feedback on your study briefs within two weeks of submission. This feedback will be qualitative and formative (i.e. will not form part of your formal assessment).