Activities and Assessment Tasks

Girls in a school supported by the UN

Module 1: About the UN – Online Quiz worth 20%

• Week 1: Background and History of the UN (Structure of the UN video and readings, Setting up your Personal Learning Environment)
• Week 2: The UN today (Introduction to International Relations Theory, post notes and thoughts to blog)
• Week 3: UN Reform (Reflections on limitations of what UN can achieve, relate to International relations theory in practice)

Module 2: Doing Country Research – Position paper worth 40%

Kids receive treatment for measles by Unicef

• Week 4: Country Research (What is it, and why is it important. What issues are current today? BLog and tweet your thoughts.)
• Week 5: Briefing Paper (Pick a topic and write a Briefing paper. Publish to blog and tweet to share with peers. Review peers’ papers.)
• Week 6: Position Paper (Refine and condense this into a Position paper. Publish to blog and tweet to share with peers. Review peers’ papers.)

Module 3: Diplomacy and Negotiations

• Week 7: Diplomacy (online video and audio case studies)
• Week 8: Negotiations (online video and audio case studies)

Module 4: Model United Nations eSimulation and Debrief – participation in the simulation 40%

• Week 9: Opening the Debate (present your position paper on the proposal and consider the position of the other delegates)
• Week 10: Substantive debate (negotiate amendments to the proposal, consider alliances, which additions/deletions do you support?)
• Week 11: Substantive debate (negotiate amendments to the proposal, whose amendments will you endorse?)
• Week 12: Finale debate and vote (working across countries to decide on the wording of the final resolution)
• Week 13: Debrief (in class reflect on interactions, skills learned and challenges)