Final Prompts and Logistics, Fall 2019 International Political Economy of East Asia
I. The Prompts Q1. The Asian model of development still holds relevant and positive lessons for todays developing countries. The basic model is an easily replicable one. Many other countries possess or can develop the domestic attributes and institutions that the East Asian nations utilized. Despite changes in the international environment, nations can still find opportunities that they can take advantage of. Todays developing nations can still draw lessons from this model in their efforts to industrialize and develop. [Team D1 (AGREE) will debate with Team B1 (DISAGREE)] [Team D2 (AGREE) will debate with Team B2 (DISAGREE)]
Q2. To understand the flaws of the East Asian approach to development, one should look at what happened during the Asian Financial Crisis. Whenever a government becomes too involved in guiding its economy, policy becomes politicized, investment becomes excessive, and regional and global export markets become saturated. The East Asian approach also entails other significant costs, ranging from authoritarianism to the exploitation of labor to environmental degradation. Given these flaws and costs, newly developing countries should be discouraged from even thinking about emulating this developmental model. [Team C1 (AGREE) will debate with Team A1 (DISAGREE)] [Team C2 (AGREE) will debate with Team A2 (DISAGREE)]
II. Final Logistics — The final debate will be held on Friday, December 13, from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm. The number 2 teams (A2, B2, etc.) will meet in our normal room. The number 1 teams will be meeting in a separate room, TBA. Everyone should be on time, but especially Teams D and B, as they will be going first.
The structure of the debates will be the same as for the midterm, except that each debate will be 60 minutes in length. The formal speakers will be limited to 1 minutes each, after which we will open the discussion to other members of the two teams, and then to the entire class. Since it is a two-hour final, there will be more time for a class-wide debate, so be prepared. As with the midterm, around 5 speakers should present the intro and main arguments, and the remaining members should act as prosecutors/ rebutters. The last member should also serve as a closer.
I will post on Canvas the available meeting times. As we are doing the final on the last day of finals week, we should have plenty of time to get prepared. I will also post the Team meetings as they are determined. Remember that all meetings will be open to all, regardless of team. Also, your team should come to your meeting as prepared as possible.
III. The Take-Home Final Papers As you did for the midterm, you will be writing on BOTH of the two questions in your final exam, except that your essay will be SIX double-spaced pages. Address the other question in a single-page extended outline format.
Remember to cover BOTH sides of the debate and stay focused on the parameters of the question. Get as deep into the analysis as you can. You should have your own position, of course, but you must demonstrate that you fully understand all sides of these one-sided statements. (I append the rubric I use at the bottom of this PDF.) As before, you will need to draw on all of the materials that we have covered throughout the course, including from before the midterm. Also, be sure to bring in insights from our readings when appropriate, especially since we have had to skim so much of the material at the end of the quarter.
You of course are writing your own, original papers, but I encourage you to work with, and learn from, your teammates.
Please put your name on a front cover page, but not on the inner pages of your essay (please include your student ID on subsequent pages). For the extended outline, you can put your name and ID on a cover sheet or in the header.
If you have questions, you can contact me via e-mail or on my cell phone (949-677-7014).
Rubric for grading essays and outlines
I. Substance and presentation — covers both sides, in a balanced manner; stays focused on the parameters of the debate — covers all core points, with proper emphasis on the most important arguments — presents materials in an organized manner (demonstrating understanding of the argument) II. Strength of Analysis — grapples with arguments on both sides, assesses validity of assumptions and evidence — presents strong, thoughtful, deep, and insightful analysis (as opposed to mere description) — has a clear and analytically supported argument/conclusion III. Effort — shows evidence of having really thought about the question — incorporates insights from the readings (i.e., not just based on lecture or group work)
