The Think Tank Policy Assignment: Authentic Assessment in the Dilemmas of International Ethics?

Rationale for the Think Tank Policy Task

The Think Tank Policy Task is modelled on the Carnegie Council’s Junior Fellows Program, which is targeted at graduates in political science and associated fields. The Think Tank Policy Task is designed to encourage critical reflection of the applied dimensions of ethics within international relations by considering the policy-relevant implications of ethics within IR. Students will be required to identify a policy area within IR and link these to ethical concerns. 

Students are required to devise a hypothetical ‘think tank’ around a substantive issue within IR and put together a (1,500 word) briefing paper and a print-ready pamphlet which promotes the agenda of their 'think tank' (no more than 1,000 words). These will be marked together and file submission details will be available under the 'assessment tab' in Blackboard. 

The briefing paper and print-ready pamphlet will be submitted and marked together in accordance with the standard University grading scheme. Students will also present their think-tank ideas in the last week of semester (week 12 - December 12 2013) and this will function as a substantive component of the way we provide feedback on the task itself. 

This assessment is explicitly linked to the employability agenda by encouraging work-ready skills for students in their final year of undergraduate studies. Students will be provided with a number of examples of Think Tank policy briefings and pamphlets via the module Blackboard site. 

The Think Tank Policy Task is designed to allow for an authentic assessment of the challenges of policy work within the field of politics and international relations. The task is designed to encourage:

• Critical thinking skills, especially in making applied policy judgements within international relations (IR);

• Applied knowledge, by encouraging students to perform a 'real world’ task and construct appropriate policy recommendations;

• Employability, by encouraging students to think reflexively about the value of social science research within policy networks in IR;

• Active Citizenship, by encouraging students to contribute authoritatively and meaningfully to policy debates within IR.

What areas can I look at in the Think Tank Policy Task?
There are no limits on the topics you can select as part of the Think Tank Policy Task. You must be able to demonstrate why a given topic or theme has ethical significance in both the practice and study of International Relations. If you are in doubt, please ensure you speak with your seminar leader (Greg, Christian) or with the module leader (Thomas Moore).

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