Identify and Analyze the Event from News Cycle - Assignment Help

Aim: The aim of this task if for you to theorise. It will involve that you identify an event in the news cycle and analyse the

• Actors (e.g. states, institutions, people’s movements, civil society, individuals, businesses, influential people etc)
• Processes/dynamics (e.g. an institution approved a decision, a country attacked another country, a state got sanctioned, a diplomatic mission, a protest, etc)
• How the event affects world politics

This assessment is more like a report than an essay. This means that you must use subheadings as suggested below.

What you have to do:

Step 1: Identify an event in the news cycle. When you are choosing your event, do so thinking that you have to theorise it, that is, look at it from a theoretical perspective.

Step 2: Identify the Level of Analysis (see week 3) – system, state, group, individual. Ask yourself, who do I want to focus on to explain this event under consideration? There is no wrong answer, this is your choice.

Step 3: Depending on the level of analysis that you choose, you must identify the actors that are relevant for your analysis.

Step 4: Analyse the relation between the actors and the structures within which they operate

Step 5: Think about one or two concepts that can help you explain/understand the event, why an actor acts in a certain way, the reaction of other actors. See week 3 for a list of possible concepts.

Step 6: produce the report as follows:

Structure:

• Summary of the event (150 words) – be short and concise. Present the facts only from a neutral perspective. Leave the analysis for the next sections;
• Actors (250 words) – name the actors and analyse who they are and how much power to act they have. You might want to consider their history in a short form if it’s relevant to your analysis.
• Dynamics/processes (300 words) – here is where you describe what happened with an analytical eye. Think about the structures that enable actors to act in a certain way and the concepts that you might want to use to explain the event.
• The implications for world politics (300) – here you must analyse how the event under consideration will shape international relations. Will it affect existing relations among states? Will it spark change? Will it shift power relations? Who will be empowered? Who will be disempowered? (this is where it becomes clear if your theorisation aims to explain, understand or change)

You must reference your sources and use at least 5 reliable sources. I expect that you will draw primarily from the internet and the news. Make sure to cite reliable sources.

GRADING CRITERIA AND FEEDBACK

Disciplinary Criteria

• Ø Critical Analysis: Evaluation of evidence that provides a reasoned, evidence-based analysis;
• Ø Research: Engagement with relevant and reliable sources
• Ø Structure and Expression: A clear and logic ordering of claims using proper style, spelling and grammar
• Ø Referencing: Sources cited in accordance with one accepted referencing style

Graduate Capabilities

• Ø Writing (WR): an ability to write logically focussed arguments supported by academic referencing and basic rules of grammar
• Ø Critical Thinking (CT): an ability to explain and support assumptions and perspectives to formulate an organised and integrated response
• Ø Creative problem solving (CP): an ability to construct convincing recommendations based on identification of elements of a problem and the application of problem solving techniques
• Ø Inquiry/Research (IR): an ability to identify, manage and reflect on analytical requirements for research problems