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>> I have posted my evaluation of your group presentation on Blackboard. Go to Communication/Group Pages/File Exchange.
>> VIDEOS of the Policy Research Group presentations are now available on the Web page for the group projects: Click here
>> Today 6 December we will try to start the presentations in the Global Collaboratory at 6:00 PM. We will try to open the room by 5:45 PM, so that Group 1 can get set up. We will begin each presentation from our Groups Web page.
>> The second part of your Practitioner Journal is due on Tuesday 29 November. Bob Woodward's book, Plan of Attack, was on the syllabus under "Practitioner Journal" for 18 October, so you should comment on its relevance to practice for you. In addition, you should make comments about your group meetings with each other and me on 18 October.
>> I have created a new Discussion Board (in Blackboard) on a question that follows from the Stanford Prison experiment: "Why do good people do bad things?" Participants in this discussion may earn extra credit.
>> On 15 November we will complete our discussion of group factors in decision-making, including Groupthink, and go on to discuss bureaucratic politics and organizational processes. During the practitioner hour, we will watch the videos on Zimbardo's prison experiment and some of the "lessons" from The Fog of War.
>> This is a reminder that we will not have class on 25 October, but we will meet on 1 November at the usual time to complete the discussion of cognitive dynamics and begin discussing small groups.
>> On Tuesday 18 October we will 18 move on to the next major section of the course: Decision-making. We will begin by discussing Cognitive Dynamics, which is now available in Blackboard as an External Link.
>> The Options Paper assignment is now available. Click Here. The paper is due on Tuesday 11 November at the beginning of class.
>> On 27 September we will have a discussion of Etzioni's book, From Empire to Community. In the Practitioner's Hour, we will continue with Fishbanks, Ltd. I will also like to meet with Policy Groups, 3-7.
>> The group assignments for the FishBanks Ltd. simulation are now available. Click Here.
>> I will meet with Policy Research Project groups 1-4 after tomorrow's simulation.
>> One of last year's students has given me permission to post excerpts from his Practitioner's Journal. Please note that this is only one example of the different reactions and discursive styles of last year's students. [11 September 2005] Click Here.
>> A tentative list of the Policy Research Groups has been posted on the Web site. Click Here.
>> Here are some instructions for logging into the course discussion forum on Blackboard. First go to Blackboard. Second, log in using your login name and your UNIX password, which may be different from your Maxwell password. Third, look for PSC.651.M001.1061, which should be on your list of courses. Fourth, click on the "Communication" button and go to "Discussion Boards." Finally, click on our current forum, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," and post a new contribution or reply to one that was posted by someone else. [5 September 2005].
>> Assignment for 6 September
Please bring a piece of text to class that reflects a realist perspective. The text should be from a practitioner or journalist, rather than an academic person. Here is an example from a speech by Representative Lee Hamilton, "A New US Policy for China," which was given on 15 May 1993 and reprinted in Vital Speeches of the Day, Vol. LIX, No. 14, pp. 450-453:
"From these mixed signals we can conclude that in the future China has a choice: To move toward adherence to intentional norms of behavior--whether the issue is trade, non-proliferation, or human rights--and to be a force for stability in East Asia. Or to become the hegemonic power in East Asia, enforcing its will with military threats and playing a dangerous balance of power game in South Asia, the Persian Gulf, and the Middle East."
>> During the practitioner's hour on 30 September, I will be showing and discussing the film, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold." Because of the film showing the course meeting may go beyond its usual end time [29 August 2005]
>> I changed a setting in Blackboard to make PSC.651.M001.1061 show on your personal course listing. Be sure to obtain your NetID and password before attempting to login to Blackboard [11 August 2005].
>> Here are some instructions for logging into the course discussion forum on Blackboard. First go to Blackboard. Second, log in using your login name and your UNIX password, which may be different from your Maxwell password. Third, look for PSC.651.M001.1061, which should be on your list of courses. Fourth, click on the "Communication" button and go to "Discussion Boards." Finally, click on our current forum, "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold," and post a new contribution or reply to one that was posted by someone else. [5 September 2005].
>> The required course readings can be purchased at the Campus Copy Center in the Marshall Square Mall after 23 August (Reader No. 1023) [11 August 2005].
>> The First meeting of PSC 651 will be at 6:30 PM Tuesday 30 August in Eggers 018 [11 August 2005].