The Yegiora Files

It is very disappointing to note that many of you have not mastered the art of doing APA referencing. So the big question is, did you learn about APA referencing in the skills unit taught in year 1 (PG115)? Why is it difficult to be accurate when using the APA referencing format? Referencing is an integral part of academic writing. The University of Adelaide defines referencing as acknowledging the sources of information that you have used in your written work. Since you have 24 hours access to the internet you can consult other sources to compare and contrast. In our context, written work means your glossary posts, forum posts, write ups or essays. For IR202, the expectation is for you to reference accurately the other sources of information you used to help you understand the definition shared by your peers in 2017. Many of you have done a lazy job in referencing. The task itself is an academic task and not a letter written to your pen pal in New Zealand or some other place. A

In our IR202 class yesterday, we listened to presentations on two important concepts in international relations; 'Balance of power' and 'national interest'. One disadvantage that I mentioned when commenting on both presentations is the presenters inability to come for consultation. Consultation is defined generally as a meeting for deliberation, discussion, or decision . It is also explained as seeking and giving of advise, information, and/or opinion, usually involving a consideration .  Furthermore, the University of Tasmania gives an explanation of student learning consultation. The consultation with a student learning adviser supports you to develop the academic skills you need to succeed in your study, such as: assignment writing, exam preparations, referencing, numeracy and English language skills. Each of you have goals that you want to achieve academically. Some of you want to work hard so you can be given a TESAS scholarship. Some of you, your goa

Group one decided to do a video presentation on their assigned case. They got help from students from the Department of Communication Arts. I thought their video presentation was creative and well directed. I am sure they developed the key graduate attributes of communication, research and information technology during the planning and production of their video presentation. They experienced some technical hiccups relating to the quality of the sound and submission of their write up. I am confident that they will learn from these experiences and improve. Here is a preview of their work.

We have watched two different videos relating to the topic for this week. One talked about APEC and the possibility of it becoming one of the hottest regional organization in th is century . The other talked about the staging of the APEC leaders summit focusing on the competition between Australia and China . I would like you to discuss and present your argument in relation to the proposition for this week in our next class. The proposition is: "The PNG government should spend more money to develop various facilities in Port Moresby that will be used for the APEC leaders meeting in November 2018." In order to argue constructively, you will need to first understand APEC as a regional bloc. The APEC website is informational. Also, we have in our reading folder, on our unit website, the required readings for this week (week 6). I would like to argue for the proposition. The PNG government with the help of its partners like Australia and China should continue to build var

What is the meaning of anarchy? Different online and offline sources will give you an array of explanations. Anarchy is a central concept in our study of international relations. Merriam-Webster defines anarchy as absence of government. Another meaning is the absence or denial of any authority or establish order.  The definition from Merriam-Webster above is more or less the definition we are after. It sets the basis for understanding the concept of anarchy in international relations. The hierarchical structure of the domestic political system is another good starting point for anyone trying to explain the concept to foundation year students of international relations. This will help students to distinguish between the structure of the domestic and international system. From my point of view, I believe a prerequisite unit on political theory discussing the works of various political philosophers should be taken prior to studying international relations theory. Moreover, a unit

When I got my 2018 diary, I was very eager to see the 2018 theme. I read the theme and then deeply pondered about how to align my units to the theme. I then remembered the Moodle managers and their presentation last year (2017) after they came back from Ukarumpa. The training was conducted by trainers from the Summer Institute of Linguistics. They showed us some interesting apps and software that we could use for learning and teaching. One particular software that they talked about was audacity . I went to the audacity site and found out that it is a free, open source, cross platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing. I downloaded audacity and installed on my computer. I thought the software was a bit complex but as I continue to use and familiarize myself with the different functions, I realized that it was just like any other software.   The use of this software together with the use of Moodle constitutes elearning . The digitized content from your podca

Elman in his opening sentence under the segment on classical realism refers to Carr's work titled 'The twenty years' crisis, 1919-1939' . He stated that classical realism is dated from 1939 after Carr was able to distinguish realism from utopianism (idealism).   The explanation of classical realism given by Elman is derived from the works of other notable scholars. Among them is Morgenthau , his work forms the basis of political realism. Other American political scientists like Niebuhr and Kennan also feature in Elman's list. Elman states that in classical realism, the desire for more power is rooted in the flawed nature of humanity. States are continuously engaged in a struggle to increase their capabilities. Elman goes further by saying that because there is no centralize authority to regulate the behaviour of states, states act in their own interest. We can use the domestic political system to help us understand this structure. In the domestic system, we