International Politics

[ninwa]

oh ok thanks
so mine would be either my boyfriend dumping me for this 'friend' of mine
or
spiders
lots and lots of SPIDERS
which i cannot STAND

mine would be being burnt alive.

tho now that you mention the bf thing ... maybe that's up there for me too

[Collin Li]

ron paul rules

Seconded.

[choc_bananas]

grr, my school seems to be crap. but then, i knew tht already. we didnt have enough students to do international studies AND national politics or whatever so my school called it International Politics. wonderful.
and we had to do Australians foreign policy. we focusd on taiwan and china too... yay... cos its easy... cough full marks on SAC coughh....
lol

i don't understand how they could have taught you a different subject... I'm pretty sure that you have been studying International Studies.

If your exam is on the 21st it's International Studies.
If you exam is on the 15th it's National Politics.

HERE IS THE DIFFERENCE:

Int. Studies:
1: Globalisation / Internationalism
2: Global Conflict / Terrorism
3: Asia / Pacific Region
4: Australian Foreign Policy

Nat. Pol.
1: AUS / US Political systems
2: Continuity & Change
3: Aus Domestic Policy
4: Aus Foreign Policy

they are 2 different subjects. Although the 'foreign policy' area of study overlaps they are approached differently.

[ninwa]

whats politics like?

I wanted to do it last year instead of boring old bus man, but seeing as only 2 ppl signed up for it my school cancelled it for last year and I didnt know about distance ed then lol

[choc_bananas]

it's really good. There is heaps of reading like in International, however the material can be more bland at times. More learning about systems and processes than IR theory (which is more fascinating in my opinion). But yeah, it's a really good subject with loads upon loads of content (like IS) which you heightens your awareness/understanding of the world in which we live.

[igs07]

Yeah I do International Studies/Politics whatever you want to call it.  I thought it'd be an awesome subject, but by the end I've got notes and shit all over the place, there was no set structure like my other subjects, I do somewhat like it, I can learn the informaiton easily because it is actually kind of interesting.. but certainly not what I expected it to be AND it gets marked up by 2 if you get over 35!

[choc_bananas]

do you have the text book by Derek Scott and Anna Lousie Simpson? It sets out the structure clearly and covers all areas in 'some' detail.

Look at the study design --> the key knowledge dot points. they cleary outline the content of the course and what you will need to know for the exam.

[Insane_Emm]

pfft choc bananas, thanks for telling me how my school runs stuff.

the class is International Studies. i know that. i said we CALLLLL it International Politics, and we've COVERED some stuff from Politics, like a deeper look at Aust Foreign Policy. k?

[igs07]

So will that Power and Int Politics book suffice for revision and know some current updates in the news?  The book even has the vcaa key learning points and stuff... I don't know how else I can revise. cheers

[choc_bananas]

So will that Power and Int Politics book suffice for revision and know some current updates in the news?  The book even has the vcaa key learning points and stuff... I don't know how else I can revise. cheers

Yeah the text is a good starting point for revision.

Organize your notes under the key knowledge dot points.
Try to keep the brief and in your own words.

Once your notes are compiled I would recommend going through each topic and locating recent examples, statistics, quotes etc.

Also go through all the key terms that could be used as definitions and make sure you are able to define them properly and clearly - have examples for these aswell...

hope that helps! :-)

any questions feel free to ask. :-)

[igs07]

Thanks dude, also, I know the essay topic is on Power in the Asia-Pacific, i've decided to do China, does that mean I don't need to know anything on North Korea or could there be questions on it throughout the exam?  Any ideas on what the Asia-Pacific topic will be, like the use of hard and soft power or something?

[choc_bananas]

Yeah you are fine to only focus on China.

I dont know much about Nth Korea but knowledge may also be helpful for other sections. For example.

Globalisation/Internationlism
Nth Korea hasn't opened its markets to the economic forces of globalisation. What have been the consequences/benefits?
Multi National Corps haven't infringed on its sovereignty in any way.. however, UN sanctions have.

Terrorism/Conflict
Was listed by the US as a state that sponsored terrorism.
In the 'axis of evil'
Maybe an example of state terrorism?
Example of limitations to US power?

power in the asia pacific
definitely important to China.
Influences China's national interest and foreign policy formulation/implementation.
History - Korean War, Communist heritage...
China's use of diplomacy, aid etc (many examples)

Aus Foreign Policy
Potential point of conflict for our region - important to national interest.
Important consideration with relationship with China.
US alliance - whats their stance? Does it match ours? Why?



..there is just a few i could come up with but im sure theres more! The good thing about IS is you can never have too many examples!

[choc_bananas]

oh and the essay topic - i don't know what it will be (sadly)!

Just remember there will be a choice of 3 and they will come straight out of the key knowledge dot points... look at last years and see.

:-)

[ninwa]

oh and the essay topic - i don't know what it will be (sadly)!

Just remember there will be a choice of 3 and they will come straight out of the key knowledge dot points... look at last years and see.

:-)

There's really not that many different topics they can give us. Most of them will be something to do with how a state in the APR uses power to achieve its aims/objectives. Except worded differently to try to trick you

You can also mention how the US relies on China as one of the only states which can negotiate with N.Korea re: its nuclear weapons program and part of its power comes from that, or something (I read it somewhere but I can't remember exactly what it said ... I promise I'm not making it up )

[igs07]

International politics is easy, maybe because I can retai the information well I guess compared to other subjects, my teacher reckons no one will get over 40 its hard, but firstly it gets marked up 2 if you get over 35, and getting 35-36 can't be hard