Academic and Professional Writing in International Relations and Politics - ZIP

General data

Course ID:	2100-MON-APW-ZIP
Erasmus code / ISCED:	14.6 Kod klasyfikacyjny przedmiotu składa się z trzech do pięciu cyfr, przy czym trzy pierwsze oznaczają klasyfikację dziedziny wg. Listy kodów dziedzin obowiązującej w programie Socrates/Erasmus, czwarta (dotąd na ogół 0) – ewentualne uszczegółowienie informacji o dyscyplinie, piąta – stopień zaawansowania przedmiotu ustalony na podstawie roku studiów, dla którego przedmiot jest przeznaczony. / (0312) Political sciences and civics The ISCED (International Standard Classification of Education) code has been designed by UNESCO.
Course title:	Academic and Professional Writing in International Relations and Politics - ZIP
Name in Polish:	Academic and Professional Writing in International Relations and Politics - ZIP
Organizational unit:	Faculty of Political Science and International Studies
Course groups:
ECTS credit allocation (and other scores):	(not available) Basic information on ECTS credits allocation principles: the annual hourly workload of the student’s work required to achieve the expected learning outcomes for a given stage is 1500-1800h, corresponding to 60 ECTS; the student’s weekly hourly workload is 45 h; 1 ECTS point corresponds to 25-30 hours of student work needed to achieve the assumed learning outcomes; weekly student workload necessary to achieve the assumed learning outcomes allows to obtain 1.5 ECTS; work required to pass the course, which has been assigned 3 ECTS, constitutes 10% of the semester student load. view allocation of credits
Language:	English
Type of course:	elective courses
Mode:	Classroom
Short description:	The aim of this course is to provide practical experience in developing the research, writing and editing skills required for successful careers in international relations broadly defined.
Full description:	This course will provide practical experience in developing the research, writing and editing skills required for successful careers in international relations broadly defined. While especially well-suited for Masters’ and PhD students seeking academic careers, the course will also benefit those aspiring to internationally focused positions in government, international non-governmental organisations or the private sector. Classroom sessions will be based on case studies drawn from various areas of international relations, involving both policy-oriented and theoretically based approaches. Assessment will be based primarily on students researching, writing and editing scholarly articles, policy briefs and/or opinion pieces in English to standard approaching suitability for publication.
Bibliography:	Seminar 1 22 April Introduction: Different kinds of academic and professional writing Suggested readings David Thunder, “Back to Basics: Twelve Rules for Writing a Publishable Article,” PS: Political Science and Politics 37, 3 (July 2004), pp. 493-95 http://www.cs.nott.ac.uk/~pszga/tips/twelve_rules_for_writin_a_publishable_article.pdf Seminar 2 29 April Key features of successful academic writing Suggested readings Shunji Cui and Barry Buzan, “Great Power Management in International Society,” The Chinese Journal of International Politics 9:2 (2016): 181-210 https://doi.org/10.1093/cjip/pow005 G. John Ikenberry, “The end of liberal international order?” International Affairs, Volume 94, Issue 1, January 2018, pp 7–23, https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix241 Jack S. Levy and William R. Thompson, ‘Balancing on Land and at Sea: Do States Ally Against the Leading Global Power?,’ International Security Vol. 35, Number 1 (2010): 7-43, https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/files/publication/Balancing_on_Land_and_at_Sea.pdf Andrew Moravcsik, “Taking preferences seriously: a liberal theory of international politics,” International Organization, 51, 4 (Autumn 1997), pp. 513–53, https://www.princeton.edu/~amoravcs/library/preferences.pdf Seminar 3 6 May Key features of successful public commentary, popular writing and opinion pieces Suggested readings Anne Applebaum, “A Warning from Europe: The Worst is Yet to Come,” The Atlantic, October 2018 John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt. “The Case for Offshore Balancing: A Superior U.S. Grand Strategy,” Foreign Affairs, July/August 2016 Andrew Moravscik, “Europe is still a superpower,” Foreign Policy, April 13, 2017 Thitinan Pongsudhirak, “Is the Indo-Pacific eclipsing Asia-Pacific?” Bangkok Post, 2 August 2019 https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1722875/is-the-indo-pacific-eclipsing-asia-pacific- Seminar 4 13 May Key features of successful professional and policy-oriented writing Suggested readings Saskia Brechenmacher and Thomas Carothers, “Defending Civic Space: Is the International Community Stuck?” Working Paper, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2019 https://carnegieendowment.org/files/WP_Brechenmacker_Carothers_Civil_Space_FINAL.pdf Laura ffrench-Constant, “How To plan, write and communicate an effective Policy Brief: Three Steps to Success,” https://www.researchtoaction.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/PBWeekLauraFCfinal.pdf “Transnational Organised Crime as a Threat to New Zealand’s National Security: An Evaluation of Policy Settings and Capability,” Model policy brief submitted by a Master of Strategic Studies student, Victoria University of Wellington, 2018 (copies to be distributed to class) Seminar 5 20 May Effective research and argument in scholarly writing Suggested readings Jeffrey W. Knopf, “Doing a Literature Review,” Political Science & Politics, Vol. 39, No. 1 (January 2006), pp. 127-132 https://my.nps.edu/documents/104100049/104162922/Doing_a_Literature_Review.pdf/8e356cb7-8320-4d82-8d29-11c85cc7c6ad “Structuring an academic 'argument' within a journal paper,” https://iuuk.mff.cuni.cz/~andrew/EAP/Structuringanacademicjournalpaper.pdf Patrick J. McDonald, “Great Powers, Hierarchy, and Endogenous Regimes: Rethinking the Domestic Causes of Peace,” International Organization 69:3 (2015) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0020818315000120 Seminar 6 27 May Originality, voice and style in academic writing Suggested readings John Mueller, “War Has Almost Ceased to Exist,” Political Science Quarterly, 124 (Sumer 2009) pp. 297–321 https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25655656.pdf?casa_token=09tt0KqgDJUAAAAA:eRVONJPsf8yc40eEiPHUWyeqrWMlwsi1AwVn9LIarNLI5NxKsavzINCSqCxxtMw0mtkHEgKKQ4YNDQkOhTkIv_PpPHRNSrgIH9-tvR9UGFrgjXCxJYU Susan P. Robbins, “Finding Your Voice as an Academic Writer (and Writing Clearly),” Journal of Social Work Education, 52:2, (2016), pp. 133-135, https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2016.1151267 Helen Sword, “Writing higher education differently: a manifesto on style,” Studies in Higher Education, 34:3, (2009) 319-336, https://srhe.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03075070802597101?casa_token=N0n1XJYXTSwAAAAA%3A_B59cl0Lt_bDVn7iQDtUWBJe9bxenfhxekswAiPWJIRsh8zJt84xQZfgUW8Phrwl7RjTM00mNexG#.XifQ8sgzbIU Stephen Walt, “Who are the most entertaining IR scholars?” Foreign Policy, April 28, 2011 https://foreignpolicy.com/2011/04/28/who-are-the-most-entertaining-ir-scholars/ Seminar 7 3 June The final touches: mastering the technicalities Suggested readings Alexis Grant, “25 Editing Tips for Tightening Your Copy,” The Write Life, https://thewritelife.com/edit-your-copy/ Shona McCombes, “A quick guide to proofreading,” Scribbr, https://www.scribbr.com/language-rules/what-is-proofreading/ “Writing an Abstract,” https://www.wgtn.ac.nz/education/pdf/Writing_an_abstract.pdf “Writing a Great Abstract,” International Studies Association, https://www.isanet.org/Conferences/New-Orleans-2015/Information/Abstracts “The art of editing,” University of Leicester, https://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/editing Seminar 8 10 June Comparing notes: student presentations and reflections Suggested readings George Packer, “The Enemies of Writing,” The Atlantic, January 23, 2020 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/01/packer-hitchens/605365/?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share
Learning outcomes:	Students who pass this course will be able to: 1. Understand and develop the skills and competencies required for successful research, writing and editing in international relations and political science 2. Identify and critique effective academic and professional writing on diverse topics in international relations and political science 3. Understand and apply the different kinds of writing styles required in three key contexts of contemporary international relations: academic scholarship; policy analysis and advice; and public engagement 4. Gain practical experience in enhancing their research and writing skills in these different contexts by preparing scholarly articles, policy briefs and opinion pieces in English
Assessment methods and assessment criteria:	Assessment items and workload per item (%): 1 Op-ed or scholarly article review (800-1,200 words) - 20%. Due date - 15 May 2020 2 Research proposal or literature review (1,000-1,200 words) - 20%. Due date - 27 May 2020 3 Scholarly article or policy brief (2,500-3,500 words) & associated presentation - 60%. Due date - 5 June 2020 (draft); 19 June 2020 (final)
Practical placement:	n/a

This course is not currently offered.

Course descriptions are protected by copyright.
Copyright by University of Warsaw.