This course offers a multidisciplinary, collaborative and co-constructed pedagogical journey on re-imagining International Relations (IR) using race as an analytical, methodological and ethical lens. It is aimed at destabilising ‘settled’ knowledge, interlocutors, and scholarly positions. Students will be challenged and invited to actively shape their learning outcomes as part of meaningful inclusion and diversity in the study of IR. The course begins with an examination of how ideas of race shapes and is shaped by imperialism, violence and global politics through a close reading of selected texts, and by interrogating the complicity of key IR concepts on security, human rights and development. The course then takes on a ‘deep dive’ into thematic issues in IR such as transnational social movements, climate change and refugee ‘crises’. The remainder of the course opens up for critical dialogues on re-imagining a future where race is considered not as an ‘add-on’ but as an indispensable starting point for generosity and a more truthful accounting of IR. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand the colonial and postcolonial roots to the discipline and practice of IR
2. Critically evaluate key concepts, approaches and methods for their complicity in the erasure of race in IR
3. Apply historical, conceptual, decolonial knowledges to analyse issues in global politics through the lens of race.
4. Develop strong written, oral and technical communication skills in order to analyse and discuss contemporary issues on race and global politics.

Recommended Resources

Whether you are on campus or studying online, there are a variety of online platforms you will use to participate in your study program. These could include videos for lectures and other instruction, two-way video conferencing for interactive learning, email and other messaging tools for communication, interactive web apps for formative and collaborative activities, print and/or photo/scan for handwritten work and drawings, and home-based assessment.

ANU outlines recommended student system requirements to ensure you are able to participate fully in your learning. Other information is also available about the various Learning Platforms you may use.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). Feedback can also be provided to Course Conveners and teachers via the Student Experience of Learning & Teaching (SELT) feedback program. SELT surveys are confidential and also provide the Colleges and ANU Executive with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to the course
2	Origins of Racial Thinking & Racism	Part 1 Rethinking Concepts and Approaches
3	Traditions of Anti-Racist Thought & Practice
4	Race and Human Rights
5	Race and Security
6	Race and Development
7	Race and Sovereignty
8	Climate Change	Part 2 Empirical Deep Dives on Global Issues
9	Migration
10	Violence and Global Protests
11	IR scholars' dialogue on race and re-imagining global politics	Part 3 Dialogue Series
12	Student-led dialogue on race and re-imagining global politics

Tutorial Registration

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Reflection Essay	20 %	15/08/2023	30/08/2023	1,2,4
Creative output with student presentation and brief explainer (written or unwritten formats)	40 %	10/10/2023	24/10/2023	1,2,3,4
Annotated Course Guide?	30 %	07/11/2023	30/11/2023	1,2,3,4
Class Participation	10 %	25/07/2023	30/11/2023	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines , which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Integrity Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Guideline and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure
• Code of practice for teaching and learning

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Skills website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Reflection Essay

Word limit: 1000 words (excl. bibliography) 

Percentage: 20% 

Due date: Tuesday, 15 August by 5 pm

Requirements:  

 Students will develop a reflection essay analysing any 2 readings assigned from Weeks 1 to 3. Students must demonstrate capacity to synthesise main arguments, summarise and themes, compare/contrast ideas between the articles, and assess strengths and weaknesses of both. 

Assessment Task 2

Creative output with student presentation and brief explainer (written or unwritten formats)

Percentage: 40% 

Due date: Students must sign up for a slot from weeks 4 to 10 when they will present in class. Oral presentation is expected to take no more than 10 minutes.  

Requirements:  

Choose your own creative assessment. The main consideration is that your output engages with the broad aims of this course and seeks to encourage ethically-grounded dialogues regarding race and global politics. Your output must be based on research including scholarly works and relevant empirical data.  

There are two main forms of creative outputs to choose from although students are encouraged to discuss with the lecturers what other types of creative outputs they might pursue. Written examples include but not limited to: manifestos, speeches, (imagined) conversation transcripts, poetry and infographics.

Unwritten examples include but not limited to: movement campaign poster / art, photograph / collage, annotated map, song, short film, and infographics.

Any unwritten output, for example photograph or video, must still be accompanied by a brief explainer providing background information and significance (maximum of 300 words).

Assessment Task 3

Annotated Course Guide?

Word limit: 2000 words  

Percentage: 30% 

Due date: Tuesday, 7 November by 5 pm 

Requirements:  

Students will develop a course guide or syllabus reimagining how they would like an introductory course on International Relations (IR) to be taught. The course guide must include 12 weeks consisting of different themes and assigned readings. Under each week, students must provide a brief explanation on the aims, substance and rationale for the chosen theme, as well as relevance of selected readings (up to 3 per week). It is important that students demonstrate research skills and original application of lessons from this course in building their own Intro to IR course. You are encouraged to push the boundaries of IR by disrupting established canon while showcasing knowledge of how the discipline has grown in leaps and bounds over the last decade and in light of new debates and scholarship. See for one example Jonneke Koomen, “International Relations/Black Internationalism: Reimagining Teaching and Learning about Global Politics,” International Studies Perspectives 20, no. 4 (2019), pp. 390–411. 

Assessment Task 4

Class Participation

Word limit: 100 words (max) per week

Percentage: 10%

Due date: Reflection pieces are due every week from Weeks 3 to 12. To be submitted before class starts.

Students are expected to actively participate in the seminars and to contribute their own critical analysis of the weekly readings. In addition, the students will be required via Wattle to submit every week beginning with Week 3, a 100-word reflection piece summarising what they think are the three (3) most interesting lessons they learnt from the weekly readings and one (1) question they have on either the reading or the weekly topic in general. The reflection pieces will be marked with a score of 1 or zero (for non-submission) and count towards final evaluation of their class participation. In total, students will have 10 reflection pieces for attending all lectures from weeks 3 to 12. 

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. The University’s students are an integral part of that community. The academic integrity principle commits all students to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support, academic integrity, and to uphold this commitment by behaving honestly, responsibly and ethically, and with respect and fairness, in scholarly practice.

The University expects all staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle, the Academic Integrity Rule 2021, the Policy: Student Academic Integrity and Procedure: Student Academic Integrity, and to uphold high standards of academic integrity to ensure the quality and value of our qualifications.

The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 is a legal document that the University uses to promote academic integrity, and manage breaches of the academic integrity principle. The Policy and Procedure support the Rule by outlining overarching principles, responsibilities and processes. The Academic Integrity Rule 2021 commences on 1 December 2021 and applies to courses commencing on or after that date, as well as to research conduct occurring on or after that date. Prior to this, the Academic Misconduct Rule 2015 applies.

 

The University commits to assisting all students to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. All coursework students must complete the online Academic Integrity Module (Epigeum), and Higher Degree Research (HDR) students are required to complete research integrity training. The Academic Integrity website provides information about services available to assist students with their assignments, examinations and other learning activities, as well as understanding and upholding academic integrity.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.
• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

The Academic Skills website has information to assist you with your writing and assessments. The website includes information about Academic Integrity including referencing requirements for different disciplines. There is also information on Plagiarism and different ways to use source material.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Access and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students