Spring 2015 Global Classroom Course - GVPT356

University of Maryland College Park & Tel Aviv University
Global Classroom Course
GVPT356, Section 0201 & PUAF689L, Section 0101
Capstone in International Development and Conflict Management
Spring 2015 Semester
Instructors: Dr. Stacy J. Kosko (UMD), Dr. Brian Polkinghorn (TAU)
Time: Wednesdays 9:15 am – 11:45 am
Room: 1101 Van Munching Hall

Prerequisites: Undergraduates: GVPT354, junior or senior in good standing; Graduates: 
prior coursework in international development or conflict management.
Admission: By instructor approval only; requires application

COURSE DESCRIPTION
A pilot initiative sponsored by the University of Maryland’s Office of International Affairs, this blended-format course (part traditional, part online) will pair 10 UMD students with 10 Tel Aviv University students in the International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. 

They will spend the bulk of the semester collaborating in teams comprised of equal numbers of UMD and TAU students, working to research and produce creative, viable, and sustainable solutions to major contemporary development problems. Each team will be challenged to build expertise about a specific problem in a specific locale. The search for solutions to these problems will be complicated by a context of violence, in the form of a humanitarian emergency, post-conflict reconstruction, or another aspect of conflict prevention, management,
or transformation. The primary assignment and “deliverable” for each team of UMD and TAU students will be a jointly written professional brief. By the end of the course, all students should develop both hard skills and issue expertise. This course will be team-taught by faculty members from the two participating programs.

OTHER IMPORTANT DETAILS

• This course satisfies the GVPT356 requirement for completing MIDCM. This course is for elective credit for IDEV and ISEP but is not a project course.
•  This course may satisfy the Global Studies Signature Course elective requirement (determination pending).
• Students should be aware of the distinct demands that the blended format and remote international collaboration will require, especially around communications and the coordination of activities with the time difference.
• All students must set aside the normal meeting time as a dependable commitment in their schedules throughout the semester.
• As part of the blended format, the instructors and students will not convene in classrooms for every session. Instead, some sessions will meet in classrooms (with a remote connection established between UMD and TAU), while some sessions will occur entirely online. In addition, some sessions may be devoted to work by project teams.More generally, students are expected to spend considerable time working independently in their project teams, with fewer faculty-student contact hours than in an ordinary course. 
• Classroom sessions will use a venue equipped with videoconferencing technology.
• Students are also urged to videoconference with one another on a regular basis, independent of scheduled class meetings. Essential technology includes a computer or smart phone with a high-quality camera and high-speed internet connection, as well as VOIP software that allows video-calls between more than two people (e.g., Google Hangouts; Skype is an option, with a premium subscription). Recognizing that not all students may have the requisite technology, we will identify and as appropriate make arrangements for students to have access to a technology-equipped classroom or other venue during select off hours.
• This course will enroll both undergraduate and graduate students.
• This course is broadly about the practice of development in conflict-affected settings — not about the Middle East, or the Arab-Israeli conflict.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?
Students who are juniors or seniors in good standing and either (1) will have completed GVPT354 in advance of 
taking this course, or (2) will have completed coursework broadly relevant to international development and/or conflict management.

HOW DO I APPLY?
Interested students should submit (1) a resume, and (2) a brief statement (300-500 
words) addressing the following questions:
Why are you interested in this Global Classroom course? What features of this course attract you? In what ways are you suited to handle the challenges that a blended-format course and international collaboration 
can present? Why do you feel you would make a constructive contribution to this Global Classroom initiative?

For best consideration, applications should be emailed to MIDCMinfo@umd.edu by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, November 4, 2014. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis after this date as long as spots remain. To pick up an application, you can contact us at gvptadvising@umd.edu or come to the Government and Politics Advising office in 3014 Tydings Hall

By applying, you are committing to follow the parameters of the course as outlined
above. In particular, this will entail (1) taking the initiative to acquire the necessary technology or to utilize the facilities and resources that are provided, and (2) making appropriate efforts to interact and work collaboratively with your project team, including scheduling meetings to accommodate time differences.
Decisions will be made and students notified by Friday, November 7, 2014 or on a 
rolling basis thereafter.