Grading Policy
The final numeric grade will map to the final letter grade according to SUU's standard number to-letter grade conversion scheme. Final grades ending in .5 or higher are automatically rounded up to the nearest whole percentage point.
A: 94-100
A-: 90-93
B+: 87-89
B: 84-86
B-: 80-83
C+: 77-79
C: 74-76
C-: 70-73
D+: 67-69
D: 64-66
D-: 60-63
F: 0-59
Final grades will be assessed through various measures of your performance in the course:
Midterm - 20%
Final – 20%
Syllabus Quiz – 5%
International Mapping Project – 20%
Canva Timeline Project – 20%
Guided Discussions – 15% (3 @ 5% each)
Exams
There will be two exams, both of which are equally weighted. They will be given on Canvas, and the due dates are scheduled in the syllabus. The format of each exam will be multiple-choice and will include any material covered since the last exam. A study guide will be provided in advance.
Syllabus Quiz
A quiz reviewing the course expectations provided in the syllabus will be due the first week of class.
International Mapping Project
This project will have students explore communities in an international context through the lenses of institutions and issue areas. Students will choose a country, border region, or subnational area affected by international politics.
You will create a Google MyMap of a community as you define it with at least 14 important institutions, organizations, actors, or places associated with a major international political issue of your choosing (meaning at least 2 states are involved). Your map will include a minimum of 4 sentences, a photo/graphic/video for each location you map along with a 1 sentence citation for each photo/graphic/video. Further instructions will be given on Canvas.
Examples of map markers you may consider:
- Government offices
- Embassies
- UN offices
- Peacekeeping sites
- Refugee sites
- NGO/INGO sites
- Military installations (checkpoints, bases, etc.)
- Contested territory
- Economic sites (mines, markets, factories, etc.)
This project is worth 20% of the final grade.
Canva Timeline Project
Students will complete a timeline profile for an international political event of their choice (meaning at least 2 states are involved). Consider events like conflict, alliance formation, negotiations, trade deals, embargos, blockades, terrorist attacks, soft power, sanctions, etc. This project will involve the use of free-to-use data visualization software like Canva (tutorials will be given, no prior experience is necessary). Students choose and analyze key events throughout the event of their choice. Students will identify major actors, institutions, and events that contributed to the event. Submissions will take the form of a complete timeline and essay. Additional guidance will be provided on Canvas, and through posted rubrics.
The timeline project + the accompanying essay = 20% of the final grade.
Guided Discussions
Students will participate in 3 guided discussions throughout the course, engaging with modern international politics. These discussions will require reflection on course themes and their application to real global issues.
3 discussions at 5% each = 15% of the final grade.
Assignment Due Dates
All assignments, quizzes, and exams in this course are due on Sunday nights (11:59pm). I schedule it this way to give students the maximum amount of time possible to complete readings, quizzes, and assignments throughout the week at your own pace and according to your own schedule. HOWEVER this means that in most weeks, multiple assignments will be due at the same time. Students are responsible for planning ahead to ensure that all assignments are completed by the deadlines listed in the syllabus. In other words, you should not wait until Sunday to START the assignments/readings/exams for a particular week, and instead should pace yourself throughout the week.