Dear POL 180 students,
An updated syllabus (version 4.0) that adjusts for the fact we have fallen one class session behind is posted to moodle. Discard previous versions of the syllabus.
For Monday’s class, you have no additional reading, as we will cover the white paper readings that were initially supposed to be discussed yesterday. Enjoy the short reprieve.
The reprieve will indeed be brief, as we have a series of new assignments due soon. This first is your proposed white paper topic, due Tuesday to the moodle folder. Please review carefully the instructions for the white paper at the back of your syllabus, and then give some thought to your white paper proposal.
The proposal should be a 1-2 paragraph explanation with 1-3 sources listed.
Example:
“I propose to write a white paper on policy options for a US government response to the Ethiopian war and humanitarian crisis. Over the past year, the Ethiopian government has been at war with one of its federal member states Tigray. That war has produced one the world’s worst humanitarian disasters and has displaced two million people. It also threatens to break Ethiopia, one the largest countries in Africa up into multiple ethnic enclave states, with the risk of violent spillover across the wider region. The current debate over the best course of action ranges from staying out to offering diplomatic mediation to imposing sanctions to fully backing one side or the other. My white paper will provide context analysis of the war and humanitarian crisis, assessment of competing narratives, assessment of US interests and leverage, consideration of options, and a recommended policy.”
Citations:
Michelle Gavin, “Ethiopia: US Sanctions Threat Attempt to Change the Equation” Council on Foreign Relations (Sept 20, 2021) https://www.cfr.org/blog/ethiopia-us-sanctions-threat-attempts-change-equation
Yohannes Gidamu, “Why US Policy on Ethiopia and Horn of Africa is Flawed” Daily Sabah News (July 19 2021) https://www.dailysabah.com/opinion/op-ed/why-us-policy-on-ethiopia-and-horn-of-africa-is-flawed
White House, “Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration Actions in Response to Ongoing Crisis in Northern Ethiopia” (Sept 17 2021) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/17/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-actions-in-response-to-ongoing-crisis-in-northern-ethiopia/
We also have a group stakeholder mapping exercise (worth 5% of the grade) due Oct 19. The instructions are also in the back of the syllabus. In separate emails I will send out the list of teams to which you will be assigned. We’ll leave 5 minutes at the end of Monday’s class for you to meet with your team to introduce you to one another and find a date and time to meet to undertake the short mapping exercise.
Best,
Ken