Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Aleksandar Pavkovic
Contact via aleksandar.pavkovic@mq.edu.au
W6A 433
Sandey Fitzgerald
|
---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
4
|
Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to GradCertIntRel
|
Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
POL 304 Creating New States
|
Unit description |
Unit description
Since 1914 new states have been continuously created and their existence justified on the basis of the principle of national self-determination. This unit examines the history of the principle, its theoretical justifications and its application in practice, and provides a basis for understanding the ongoing conflicts of the contemporary world order.
|
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
---|---|---|
Presentation - Internal | 10% | set in class |
Review paper | 20% | 27 March |
Research essay | 40% | 9 June |
Take home examination | 30% | 3 June (week 13) lecture |
Due: set in class
Weighting: 10%
Every INTERNAL student should make a brief talk - tutorial presentation - on one topic that is set for a particular week (see lecture topics in the weekly schedule). The students select which topic they want to talk about. The talk, not exceeding 10 minutes, should introduce the topic to the other students in a coherent and informative manner.
Due: 27 March
Weighting: 20%
Each student should write a essay of maximum 1500 words (5 typed pages) reviewing two or three items (chapters or excerpts) on the required reading list. The students should select by themself which two or three items they want to review. These two items should be related in their topics allowing the student to compare and contrast the views expressed in the reading items. The student paper should summarize, briefly, the main points of each reading item and compare (if necessary contrast) the views or arguments propounded in the items. References should be kept to a minimum (4-5 references using the Harvard (in text) reference system).
The essay writing guide posted on the iLearn page should be followed in writing this paper.
This is an early assesment of the student's progress in the unit. If you do not pass, this unit you would be recommended to withdraw from the unit - you would be notified of your failure before the Census date. This assessment tests your basic skills in (a) research (finding comparable texts)) (b) scholarly text comprehension and (c) writing essays on a chosen topic. At level 600 you are supposed to have more than basic skills of these three kinds, so it is understandable that you cannot continue in this unit without these basic skills.
The paper should be delivered as an electronic attachment to the unit convenor.
Due: 9 June
Weighting: 40%
Students will choose two attempts at secession (not Montenegro nor Chechnya nor the Palestine State) and compare and contrast the political contexts/processes in these two, using sources other than those in the required readings. If in doubt whether your cases are secessions, contact the convenor. You may also apply one normative theory to these two cases and argue that these secessions are justified or not justified by that particular normative theory. Normative assessment is optional; you do not have to do it to get a high mark. But you should be careful to normatively assess a secession only on an explicit basis - by referrring to a particular normative theory. You should avoid implicit ("common sense") normative assessment which is not based on a theory.
Not to exceed 3000 words, excluding the bibliography, but including footnotes or endnotes. Harvard (in text) referencing system.
An essay writing guide is posted on iLearn page and it should be followed strictly (note: You need to back your statements by reference to scholarly sources and not propaganda for or against a secession attempt whether posted on the web or printed. In general, internet sources on the subject are mostly propaganda)
The Criteria for Marking are posted there as well.
The essay should be submitted in hard copy and dropped into the essay boxes for Politics and IR ocated in the W6A foyer by 5 pm on the day of submission; or for external students through the Centre for Open Education (the Centre allows for electronic submission).
Due: 3 June (week 13) lecture
Weighting: 30%
The exam aims to assess the comprehension of basic concepts, theories and case studies discussed in the course. It is based entirely on the required readings and lectures and will cover the whole unit.
Students will be given a set of 6 questions out of which they need to answer 4 in form of a short essay. They are allowed to use scholarly sources to draw upon and to refer to in the essays. They are not allowed to use or to refer to internet sources. Total number of words in reply to the four questions shold not exceed 2000 and should be in fact lest
The exam will be made available on the iLearn unit page and it should be completed within 12 hours of its posting (which is going to be mid-day so as to allow students who are working to do the test). The exam replies should be posted using iLearn Turnitin facility specifically set up for the exam.
There will be one two-hour lecture and one one-hour tutorial each week.
The attendance to both lectures and tutorials is compulsory for internal students. More than 3 unexplained absences may lead to the exclusion from or a fail grade in the unit.
If one cannot attend lectures and tutorials, one should switch, in time, to the external mode of delivery which does not require attendance.
There is a reading set for each week. The list of readings will be posted on the iLearn page of the unit. The readings should be available in the library on e-reserve or online.
In the past two centuries the creation of new states has been justified by references to the right of the peoples to self-determination. In the past fifty years this alleged right has been used to justify the creation of close to a hundred new states, most of which were former colonies of the European powers. Once most European colonies have been transformed into independent states, one can ask: Does this right justify the creation of new states which were not colonies of European powers? Since secession seem to be the principal way of creation of new states, the question can is closely linked with the question of how to justify secession of new states from existing states. The question has been subject to the intense legal and political debate for several decades. Apart from this controversial question, the unit also discusses a few less controversial ones - such as: how do secession happen and how can they be explained within a social science framework?
The weekly topics in the unit are as follows (the required readings associated with the each are posted on the iLearn page of the unit):
1. What does one gain by having an independent state of one’s own (Required Reading: Declaration of American Independence, 1776. Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Slovenia, 1991.The Constitutional Charter of the Republic of Slovenia, 1991)
2. The state: a story of the centralisation of political power
3. The nation: a story of mass mobilisation
4. How to create a new state out of an (old?) nation: the principle of national self-determination from 1789 to 1989
5. Decolonisation, secession and unification: three different ways of state creation.
6. Dissolution of states by sequential secessions: the USSR, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia
7. Peaceful secessions and violent secession: Montenegro (2006) and Chechnya (1994)
8. How to explain secessions: an overview
9. How to justify a secession: normative theories of secession
10. Secession and international law (guest lecturer: Peter Radan)
11. Unification: Germany (1971, 1990), European Union (1993), The World State (??)
12. Reading week: no classes
13. Take home examination
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
The focus of the unit has changed with the change of the name. The focus is now on the process of state creation. In consequence, there are new readings and new lectures.