teaching

Handout for a Book Review assignment

April 17, 2015 / teaching /
"Book Stack On Wood Shelf" by vorakorn at freedigitalphotos.net
“Book Stack On Wood Shelf” by vorakorn at freedigitalphotos.net

Although I’ve adopted rubrics for all assignments, I also find that students sometimes need more information about my expectations than can be provided in a rubric alone if they are to complete projects successfully. I therefore usually have a handout that details how to complete the response paper, article review, etc. I’m posting here a book review guideline that I’ve used in my “Introduction to Latin American Studies” class. Obviously, the handout is pitched to introductory and sophomore students, who may have limited experience with book reviews. In my experience, although book reviews seem straightforward to faculty, they can be daunting for students. For this reason, this outline gives a great deal of detail about my expectations. Good luck adapting it to your projects. And if you are new the blog, check out the top ten most popular posts. Shawn Smallman, Portland State University.

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New syllabus for a hybrid Global Studies theory class

April 17, 2015 / teaching, Theory / ,

I’ve been teaching my courses as web-infused classes for some time, which means that I put key materials on-line: the syllabus, key terms for every class, a lecture outline, rubrics and readings. I’ve also used an online “dropbox” for students to submit their work. I’ve found that students really appreciate being able to read the lecture outline before class, and that they are more likely to read their papers if I give them feedback on-line. I appreciate that the system allows students to track their grades, so I no longer get the question, “Can you tell me what my grade is now?” And I never have to worry about losing a paper that a student has submitted. …

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Class Assignment: Response Paper and Rubric

April 17, 2015 / teaching / ,
Image of globe courtesy of chris roll at freedigitalphotos.net
Image of globe courtesy of chris roll at freedigitalphotos.net

This quarter I have been teaching an “Introduction to International Studies” class. One of my goals for the year is to have a final assignment that challenges students to reflect on the course material, and to integrate what they have learned from diverse sources. I’ve chosen a response paper of about five pages in length, which they will write to address the following question: …

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Class Assignment: Blog Review and Rubric

April 17, 2015 / teaching / , , ,

In the past, I’ve typically asked students to do a book review in my “Introduction to International Studies”

Image of globe courtesy of digidreamgrafix at freedigitalphotos.net
Image of globe courtesy of digidreamgrafix at freedigitalphotos.net

course. But as students have increasingly moved to using alternative media sources to get their information, I want to make sure that they are thinking critically about these sources. For this reason, I’ve required that my students this quarter write a review (four pages in length) of one international blog. I’ve told the class that the blog review should be a critical look at the blog, which follows the same basic format as a book review. The review asks what the writer is trying to do, and how well do they do it. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the blog? Once that question is answered, then can explore particular questions the blog raises, connections to the class, etc. But the core of this project is a critical evaluation of the blog itself, rather than a summary of its content.  …

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Syllabus for “Introduction to Latin American Studies.”

April 18, 2015 / Latin America, teaching / , ,

Every year I teach an “Introduction to Latin American Studies” course at PSU, which is designed to meet the needs of both International Studies majors and General Education students. Because of the learning objectives for our general education program, I include assignments that focus on group work and oral communication. But the general structure of the syllabus may be helpful for others about to teach the class. If you are interested in Brazil, you might also want to see my own book on military terror in that country. Shawn Smallman, Portland State University: …

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New “Theoretical Foundations of Global Studies” syllabus.

June 24, 2017 / teaching, Theory /

Last summer I posted a syllabus for a new course that I was teaching in fall 2012, “Foundations of Global Studies Theory.” I really enjoyed the class overall, but having taught it once I’ve made some revisions. Here are some of the main changes that I’ve made, with the reasons why, and the syllabus for the new quarter: …

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Video Resources on Security theory.

April 17, 2015 / security, teaching / , ,

This week I’ve been exploring security in my “Theoretical Foundations of Global Studies” class. In my lecture I compared and contrasted Realism and Human Security, then tried to apply these theories to the Mexican Drug War, to see the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches. I then divided my students into groups of three to five at random, and assigned them to speak briefly on behalf of one or the other paradigm in this context. I can say that the students assigned to the Realism group were not happy about that choice, although they did a good job. …

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Careers for International and Global Studies Majors

April 17, 2015 / teaching, Uncategorized /

When Kim Brown and I were working on the book, we were particularly committed to writing the final chapter on careers. We had both spent many years advising students, and we know the questions that they had about employment, and that students couldn’t find the answers in existing textbooks. We tried to map out the career paths that students could take, and the choices that these paths entailed. But something strange happened. As the book went through different iterations, some external reviewers of the text had a strong reaction to that chapter, which they viewed as too “vocational.” Yet Kim and I held fast, because we believed that this chapter was critical for students. Having taught with this text now, I can attest that this is the chapter that students most value, as students have even come up to me to thank me for including that section in the text. …

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International Studies Blog

April 17, 2015 / teaching /

My colleague, Professor Tugrul Keskin, has created a blog for his “Introduction to International Studies” class. The blog posts articles and videos (such as the Hayek versus Keynes rap), and provides links from everything from newspapers to think tanks. It’s a good tool for students trying to find global news or perspectives, or for faculty looking for some classroom material.

Prof. Shawn Smallman

Theoretical Foundations of Global Studies: Exam Questions

April 17, 2015 / teaching, Theory /

I am teaching a class “Theoretical Foundations of Global Studies” this quarter. It’s a challenging course for the students, and my class is currently wrestling with Dipesh Chakrabarty’s book, Provincializing Europe. I’ve chosen the book so that students think about such questions as: How do we understand modernity in a non-Western context? How applicable are social science theories developed in Europe or North America to other world regions? To what extent do Western social sciences implicitly accept models based on historicism, in which other cultures and societies are expected to pass through the same stages as Europe? What is the meaning of modernity? How do the social sciences approach the study of religion? Next quarter I am teaching the same class, but plan to use Edward Said’s Orientalism, which I think most students will find to be a more accessible text. Still, I think that Chakrabarty is a key text to any conversation about the meaning of modernity. …

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