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No applications are being accepted at this time. The 2009-2010 Coordinating Committee has been chosen.

You will find application instructions at the bottom of this page.

"For over four decades, the Foreign Policy Association has played a major role in helping educate Americans about the world through its national grassroots ‘Great Decisions’ discussion program. During each of my four years as Secretary of State, I welcomed receiving the National Opinion Ballot Report which reflected the enlightened views of Great Decisions participants. I hope that this important program will continue to grow and prosper."
-Warren Christopher, former U.S. Secretary of State

"Since it was started by Professor Dick Ulin, the Chapel Hill program has been a model Great Decisions program. We are always looking to share ideas with other schools about how they can adopt Great Decisions." -Foreign Policy Association Program Manager


Coordinating Committee Structure

Great Decisions is made up of talented and well-versed student leaders at UNC. The committee is led by an executive committee including two co-chairs, a treasurer, an outreach chair, and a publicity chair. The co-chairs are usually selected from the previous year’s committee, and the other positions are chosen at the start of the fall semester. All new committee members choose one of eight topics announced by the Foreign Policy Association, and in pairs or groups of three, are are responsible for finding a speaker for their topic as well as researching and presenting on that topic. Please email current co-chairs Angela Chen (ccangela@email.unc.edu) or Taylor Isenberg (itaylor@email.unc.edu) if you have any questions.

Committee Member Responsibilities

1. Become a topic expert. With your partner, you will research your chosen topic in depth throughout the year. You will need to keep up with news about your topic, post articles weekly for the committee, and give two presentations to the committee: once in the fall and once in the spring.
2. Find a speaker. You will get to know the experts in the field by reading articles, talking with professors, and researching your topic. Teams begin inviting speakers in September and October. Speakers come from all professions: academia, journalism, think tanks, government, non-governmental organizations, non-profit, legislature, and more.
3. Lead discussions. Students enrolled in the spring lecture class (INTS 393) are split into recitations led by the committee members. TAs are responsible for assigning homework, facilitating discussions, and managing a recitation of 10-15 students.
4. Attend community discussions. Great Decisions partners with three continuing education programs in Chapel Hill: Cedars and Carol Woods retirement centers, and Shared Learning. In the spring, committee members attend at least 3 discussion sessions with the outreach groups. (Though often, TAs want to attend every week!)

Schedule

In the fall, the coordinating committee meets every Sunday evening at 8 PM or at a time they choose as a group. You should expect to spend about three hours a week on Great Decisions. Part of this time should be spent reading newspapers, magazines, and appropriate websites, such as the New York Times, The Economist, and Foreign Affairs, in order to stay attuned to international relations. You receive one hour of pass-fail credit for INTS 196.
In the spring, committee members continue meeting once a week to prepare for lectures and recitations. They also attend the lectures which occur on eight Tuesday evenings from 7:00 to 8:00 PM.  After each lecture, committee members lead one recitation section of about 50 minutes. TAs should be able to commit their time from at least 7-9:00 on Tuesdays. Finally, committee members meet with outreach groups at designated times during the week. You receive three hours of graded credit for INTS 394.

Committee Member Profile

The only two qualities that are essential to become a committee member are a genuine interest in foreign affairs and strong ability to hold and direct conversation. The twin roles of both speaker planner and teaching assistant require committee members to be good organizers and teachers, with abilities to engage and feel confident around both professionals and their peer groups. One does not have to be an aspiring diplomat; however, a basic knowledge of current events and foreign affairs is important. Applicants can study in any major and be students in any year at UNC. You do not have to have taken Great Decisions (INTS 393) to be a TA.

Application Instructions
No applications are being accepted at this time.

The Application

Part One:
Submit your resume. Please be sure to include the following information: full name, PID, email address, phone number, year of matriculation for year you would be on the committee (So., Jr., Sr.) and major(s).

Part Two:
Respond to the following scenario. You are choosing a topic for the Great Decisions lecture series in 2010. Your topic can deal with anything significant in world affairs: the environment, war and peace, economics, regional or cultural trends, one specific country, etc. You get to invite an expert speaker from any background: academia, journalism, government, non-governmental organizations, advocacy, someone affected by the issue personally - you get the picture. Please answer the following questions based on your topic.
1. What is the lecture title?
2. Summarize the relevant issue in one paragraph.
3. Who would you like to bring, and why? This must be a real person. Consider having backups in mind, in case your top choice is unavailable.
4. What is one activity you could use in your discussion group to get students thinking about the issue?
Responses should be single spaced and limited to a page. Staple both parts together and leave the three stapled copies in room 3135 of the FedEx Global Education Center no later than 5 pm, Friday, April 10. Finally, email your application to greatdecisionsatunc@gmail.com.


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