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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.