COURSEWORK 1: 2,000-WORD ARTICLE CRITIQUE[Contributes 25% to total module mark]
The first piece of assessed coursework involves the analysis of an article on a facet of diplomacy listed below. You should choose just ONE article to assess. Your analysis should be a sustained reflection on the main themes of the article along with the detractions, merits, and implications of your chosen article. The word limit is 2000 words. The articles are all available for download from the M23ISS Moodle page.
The articles:
1. Kelley, J. R., ‘The New Diplomacy: Evolution of a Revolution’, Diplomacy and Statecraft, 21: 2, 2010, pp. 286-305
2. Rudin, H. R., ‘Diplomacy, Democracy, Security: Two Centuries in Contrast’, Political Science Quarterly, 71: 2, 1956, pp. 161-181.
3. Grieg, J.M., ‘Moments of Opportunity: Recognizing Conditions of Ripeness for International Mediation between Enduring Rivals’, The Journal of Conflict Resolution, 45: 6, 2001, pp. 691 – 718.
In more detail, your analysis should critically interrogate the assumptions and commitments of the article chosen. Whether you agree or disagree with the article chosen for the analysis, you should critically explore the claims being put forward, the assumptions (explicit or implicit) that underwrite these claims, and the implications for theory and/or practice that emerge from the article. It is encouraged that you use the wider literature to help inform your analysis. It may be useful to consider some of the questions below:
A. What is the context of the article – who is the author and what circumstances are part of the background to the writing of the article?
B. What argument is the author making?
C. What assumptions underpin the argument?
D. How does this article link to other journal articles and books that you have read on the topic?
E. Is there anything in the article that you might challenge? How convincing is the argument/analysis being put forward by the author?
F. What difference did reading this article make to how you think about the topic in question?
