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Purpose and contribution
The purpose of the simulation is to facilitate active learning and open alternative learning
paths to students who do not respond well to conventional lecturing approaches.
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The
goal is to gain a deeper understanding of international relations concepts and political
processes by encountering such concepts and processes within a simulated environment.
The Simulation Director (SD) assigns each student a role in a country or organization,
assigns the task generating goals, and asks them to accomplish them given economic and
military power constraints. The SD then assigns points to each goal and students keep
track of the ratio of the goals achieved and the points acquired. In addition, the outcome
of the simulation (i.e., total goals and points earned) determines students’ grades. During
the simulation, students actively engage in the processes of multilateral crisis bargaining
and conflict resolution among states and non-state actors. While negotiation and/or
economic coercion often occurs, the game allows for the show and use of military force.
While trying to accomplish their goals, students encounter concepts such as terrorism,
intelligence, globalization, human rights, arms control, conflict, cooperation, international
trade, conditionality, and sovereignty as well as explore the nuances and details of
diplomacy. Students also learn about the foreign and domestic politics of a country and/or
organization and theories of international relations. During play, students must recall
such conceptual definitions and theoretical insights from the course and apply them to
individual actions. Moreover, students develop critical and analytical thinking skills
while thinking strategically in the complex international arena. They are able to
experiment with learned and unlearned strategies to achieve their goals. First-hand,
students discover the difficulties of achieving cooperation under anarchy. While the
simulation has the same key components of any simulation (e.g., role playing), we design
constraints that hold students accountable for their actions. Because their grades depend
on the goals achieved and the resources consumed, each entity’s finances force decision-
makers to consider the costs of their actions and plan strategies to increase their
combined resources. Furthermore, one’s military capability influences one’s strategy.
The article begins with an overview of the simulation process and then we move
to explicating each step taken to run the simulation. The description serves as the
simulation director’s guide to planning, arranging, and running the project. This is a
semester-long process that culminates with a three day simulation and a debriefing
session. Though it takes effort, we feel the payoffs for the students and the instructor are
Convention