Everyday International Relations

Writing Assignment and Oral Presentation Guidelines

Theme and Thesis

The theme of the paper should elaborate on how everyday acts by individual human beings affect and are affected by other people around the world as well as larger processes of world affairs. There are an infinite number of ways of analyzing everyday international relations which allows students to tailor their paper to their interests regarding the theoretical aspects and empirical subject matter of everyday IR. Some examples of everyday international relations are as follows (each of these are hypothetical scenarios based on some common acts people perform everyday):

• An individual builds guest houses in his village in Bolivia to host visitors who want to see what life is like in a farming community.
• A coffee house owner in England decides to purchase only coffee obtained through fair trade practices.
• A group of students  in Canada organizes rallies to protest governments’ policies towards political refugees.
• A woman from the United States escorts individuals to Thailand for gender affirming surgery.
• People from Sweden travel to Denmark to purchase alcohol to bypass retail restrictions at home.
• A group of Buddhist monks from Laos establish a small monastery in France to serve the local immigrant community but also extend outreach to French people interested in Buddhism.
• An individual in Burundi operates an internet radio station broadcasting local folk music worldwide online.
• A group of activists in India provides education in rural areas to combat human trafficking.
• An environmentalist in Iran writes an internationally distributed  newsletter documenting ecological damage throughout the region..

Clearly the above is only a very small list and does not represent an exhaustive summary of the ways in which everyday international relations can be manifested. Notice also that these examples of everyday international relations differ in form from what is typically considered legitimate subject matter for study in traditional theories of international relations which tend to focus on the actions of states, governments, and formal organizations.

Notice also that these instances of everyday international relations expand the scope of factual subject matter that could be considered international relations. Among the actions referenced above are the following subject matters (again, this is not an exhaustive list):

• Business or economic decisions undertaken by one person or a small number of people.
• Social movement activity.
• Shopping choices expressed in the aggregate by people making individual choices.
• Acts of generosity or kindness.
• Actions that transgress (or uphold) dominant norms.
• Documentation of alleged wrongdoing
• Actions that do not seem overtly political.
• Transmission of cultural expression.

Finally, instances of everyday international relations of the sort laid out in the scenarios above can have an impact on world affairs writ large in ways such as these:

• Discreet business decisions can affect regional or global economies.
• Acts of protest can bring about awareness and calls for policy change.
• Cultural exchanges can improve people’s daily lives.
• Documentation of wrongdoing can lead to legal action.
• People acting collectively, although motivated by personal gain, can bring about government response.

In other words, writing the paper for this course involves three main tasks—finding a an example of everyday international relations, analyzing the way(s) in these examples affect and/or are affected by other people around the world, and arriving at a conclusion about what constitutes legitimate subject matter for the study of international relations and why.

Everyday International Relations as Empirical Subject Matter

Traditional theories of international relations—most notably, Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism, and Marxism—theorize international relations as made up of actors such as governments, states, corporations, organizations, and institutions, that act in the aggregate. The actions of these entities are typically understood as involving political undertakings such as diplomacy, war, trade negotiations, treaties, sanctions, laws passed domestically that have en effect on foreign policy, regulations, etc. Even the Constructivist approach, which prioritizes ideational factors such as norms (as opposed to purely material resources) identifies governmental actors as the primary agents in international relations.

Of the major theoretical perspectives in the study of international relations, only Feminist theory puts an emphasis on everyday people as agents of international relations and the acts of those individuals as a part of the ontological reality of world affairs (ontology, meaning factual subject matter), and even some strands of Feminist theory tend to prioritize large-scale international “structures.” Aside from Feminist theory, a small but growing literature in the field of international relations focuses on “everyday international relations” (some of that literature is included in the required reading for this course).

Everyday international relations is comprised precisely of the acts of individuals and groups of individuals in mostly non-official, non-governmental capacity. It is made up of daily activities, some undertaken without conscious effort to effect change, which nonetheless have an impact globally and are affected by actions taken elsewhere in the world. The growing literature on everyday international relations considers these actors and actions legitimate objects of study that are essential features of world affairs. Studied as factual subject matter, everyday international relations can be seen as important for understanding the causes, nature, and effects of what is generally understood as the “stuff” of international relations.

Identifying Examples of Everyday International Relations and Developing a Paper Topic

The first task for writing the paper for this class is to identify an example of everyday international relations of the sort described above. In choosing an example of everyday international relations students can draw on any aspect of politics, economics, society, or culture in any country or as it applies to a global issue or international relations. The instance of everyday international relations could be from one or more countries. Students can use the list above as a guide. Reading news sources or simply relying on personal observations is one way to start this project.

In choosing an example of everyday international relations students should try to identify an original example that has not been chronicled extensively, although the larger concept (e.g., commerce, social activism, journalism, acts of transgression, acts of kindness) obviously will have been written about in the wider literature on everyday international relations. Everyday international relations is a common and pervasive feature of international relations (albeit, one that until late has largely gone unnoticed), and therefore it is unlikely students will find a concept that no one has noticed before. However, there should be something original about each student’s analysis and therefore a plausible approach to the project could be to study the application of theories of everyday international relations to a specific issue.

Students also could undertake a comparative analysis of several instances of everyday international relations. For example, scholars have documented ways in which organized labor constitutes a form of everyday international relations. A student could compare the relative effectiveness of efforts to organize labor to determine which strategies are more likely to bring about change relative to others. In analyzing instances of everyday international relations students might also ask who initiates change and how that change affects other people in other parts of the world. What are the reactions of institutions of formal political authority in the face of instances of everyday international relations? Are those who undertake everyday international relations leaders, political opponents, interest groups, social movements, outside experts, revolutionaries? Questions such as these offer potentially useful avenues by which to develop a paper topic.

Students should also consider counterfactuals. That is, would we expect a different outcome if different forms of everyday international relations were employed? This is an essential ingredient of any analytical social science paper.

Research and Empirical Evidence

Evidence to support the paper’s thesis can be about any aspect of everyday international relations. Relevant topics/issue areas that could serve as the paper’s subject matter include, but are not limited to, the following (i.e., this is only a partial list):

• Economic policy
• Social welfare issues
• Political participation via political parties, referenda, interest groups, social movements, etc.
• Questions of identity including race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, etc.
• Political change
• Relations between central governments and regional governments
• Protest and revolution
• Foreign policy
• War and international security
• International organizations/institutions/cooperation
• International economics and trade
• Global environmental issues
• Global human rights
• Foreign aid and global charitable organizations

Empirical evidence for the paper can be acquired simply by reading daily news accounts of international relations. Additionally, students can find ample information about international relations through books and articles readily available in the Hatfield Library and online as well as newspaper and other news organization archives also readily available via library and online resources.

Theoretical background on everyday international relations and IR theory in general can be found in the assigned texts for the class, however students are encouraged to research other scholarly materials on the nature of international relations.

Organization

Analytical essays of the nature assigned for this course typically adhere to some variation on the following organization:

• Introduction
• Brief statement of empirical issue to be explained
• Review of theoretical literature, i.e., schools of thought that might explain the empirical issue
• Presentation of evidence, facts, and information
• Analysis of theoretical literature in light of evidence, facts, and information
• Conclusion

Although, as noted above, there are variations on the standard outline of an analytical essay, for this project the organization of the paper probably would work best if it followed an order something along these lines, however there could be modifications as the topic dictates:

I. Introduction

      A. Summary of the topic and thesis statement

II. The instance of everyday international relations that will be studied and made intelligible through an analysis of everyday international relations

      A. Brief description of whatever aspect of everyday international relations is under investigation

III. Overview of theoretical literature on everyday international relations and IR theory in general

      A. Course readings and other scholarly texts

IV. Evidence of how the instance of everyday international relations is affected by and has an effect on individuals elsewhere in the world

      A. Description of the instance of everyday international relations

      B. Description of who acts globally and for what reason

      C. Description of how the global affects the local

      D. Description of how the local affects the global

      E. Other considerations as relevant

V. Analysis

      A. Reflection on how the study of this particular instance of everyday international relations furthers an understanding of the role of everyday acts in global affairs

      B. Consideration of the broader implications of this particular instance of everyday international relations in comparable instances, cases, situations

VI. Conclusion

      A. Implications for further study

Each draft of the paper should be divided into sections and the sections should be indicated by descriptive subject headings specific to each student’s own paper (e.g., not just generic headings in the sample outline above).

Multiple Drafts

 Three drafts (plus a peer editing draft) of the paper will be handed in over the course of the semester. The paper represents a single analytical and research project to be revised over the course of multiple iterations. Therefore, the paper’s thesis could and should be sharpened, revised, or even altered to take account of additional research and analysis conducted after each draft. Additionally, over the course of multiple drafts students should take the opportunity to alter the order of sections or subsections to accentuate the theoretical and empirical propositions and conclusions, add or remove sources to the literature review, evaluate additional existing claims, add or delete additional or unnecessary empirical information, rectify errors of analysis in the evaluation section, strengthen or clarify the introduction and/or conclusion, correct errors of grammar and syntax and improve the prose.

Length

There is no required minimum or maximum length for each draft of the paper. There is an old adage (variously attributed to Abraham Lincoln or J. D. Salinger) that, in answer to the question “how long should a man’s legs be?,” the answer is “long enough to reach the ground.” In other words, each student’s paper should be long enough to accomplish its task (no longer, and no shorter). Having said that, it is most likely that a good first draft will range between 2000 and 4000 words (7 to 13 pages), a good second draft probably will fall into the 3000 to 5000 word range (10 to 17 pages), and a good final draft most will most likely run between 4000 to 6000 words (13 to 20 pages), all give or take. Each draft of the paper should include a title (on a title page), an abstract, and a bibliography.

Abstract

Each draft of the paper should be accompanied by an abstract that precedes the main text. An abstract is a short (typically one paragraph) summary of a paper and its findings. Most scholarly journals include abstracts that accompany published articles. Students should consult some scholarly journals of international relations and related disciplines to familiarize themselves with the standard method for crafting a one-paragraph abstract.

Style

Students may use any accepted style (e.g., Chicago, MLA, etc.) in formatting the paper. Students should ensure, however, that they use whatever style they choose consistently throughout the paper.

Grading and Deadline

Because the main written work for this class is a research paper with an extended period to complete it, assignments handed in late will be assessed a third of a grade penalty for every day after the deadline they are submitted (for example, an “A–” paper handed in one day late will be marked down a third of a grade to a “B+”). Papers are due no later than the start of class on the day they are due (or the equivalent if the paper is due on a day on which class is not regularly held). The only exceptions made will be for serious illness.

Evaluation of Written Work

An excellent paper will demonstrate excellence in the following:

• It will be well written in terms of prose, grammar, and syntax.
• It will be well organized and follow a logical progression of thoughts.
• It will have a clearly stated and cogent thesis.
• Its thesis will be supported by logical arguments.
• Its thesis will be balanced with counter-arguments and/or competing explanations.
• It will cite relevant course readings and other material as relevant.
• It will be illustrated with empirical examples and other factual material as relevant.
• It will have the appropriate scope, i.e., not too narrow or broad in focus.
• It will adopt an analytical (not partisan) tone unless otherwise directed.

Grading Criteria

Generally speaking, when affixing grades to essays and other assignments, the instructor will adhere to the qualitative assessments associated with letter grades as specified in the CLA Catalog:

A = Excellent
B = Good
C = Satisfactory
D = Below Standard
F = Failing

See http://www.willamette.edu/cla/catalog/resources/policies/

Note on Originality

Everything you submit must be your own written work. You may not copy, borrow, or appropriate other authors’ work, unless you are doing so in the form of a cited quotation. All references to other authors’ work must be fully documented in the form of citations and/or footnotes, and direct quotes must be indicated as such with quotation marks. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be pursued vigorously and appropriate penalties (including an “F” for the course) will be applied.

Willamette's Plagiarism and Cheating Policy

Oral Presentation

In their oral presentations students should convey to the rest of the class the themes developed in their papers. The purpose of the oral presentation is to succinctly convey in speech the ideas that are laid out in greater depth and detail in writing. One way to think about the oral presentation is to imagine that you are explaining your project to a reasonably well-educated person who has not taken this particular class. Each section of the paper should be included in the oral presentation (the presentation in most cases will follow the organization of the paper), but technical details (particularly dealing with theoretical material) in most cases should be simplified so that someone who has not necessarily studied political discourse can still make sense of the analytical perspectives that inform the paper’s thesis.

Visual presentation software (e.g., Powerpoint, Prezi) may be used for the oral presentation but is not required. If you do use visual presentation software, remember that text-heavy slides typically are not effective as they distract the audience. Keep it simple. Also, it is each student’s responsibility to make sure files and devices used for visual presentation are compatible with the electronic devices installed in the classroom.