A MODEL NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL PROGRAM Building an Understanding of International Affairs through Collaborative Analysis and Problem Solvin g By Simon A. Mould, Ed. D
INTRODUCTION
Author Information Dr. Simon Mould is an adjunct professor of history and international studies at Northwest University in the greater Seattle area. Simon has over 18 years of teaching and curriculum design experience, serving as Interim Principal and also Head of the History and Government Department at Christ Church Academy, a classical Christian school in Kirkland, Washington. He has developed a wide range of curriculum products in History and Government and developed many courses including History of Western Civilization, Biblical Literature, Modern European History, International Affairs, and Statesmanship.
The production of the Model National Security Program has involved the work and input of many students and faculty at Christ Church Academy and Regent University to which this project is indebted. Copyright Š 2014 Nation Rebuilders Bothell, WA 98034 www.nationrebuilders.com Email: simonamould@live.com All rights reserved. No reproduction of this work without permission. Second printing, July 2014. Printed in the United States of America
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INTRODUCTION
Introduction The task of turning the attention of today’s students, whose world is largely defined and driven by American popcelebrity culture, toward current world affairs and international events is a formidable challenge for today’s teachers. Teachers attempt to resolve this problem with interesting and engaging lectures on Modern World History and International Affairs yet it is clear the lecture approach seldom works and thus a different methodology is needed to engage student’s interest in world affairs. More often, studies are revealing that teaching methods which encourage greater student participation and collaboration yield better academic results. It was from this realization that I set about to implement an educational activity that would foster student’s participation in collaborative analysis and problem solving as it related to dealing with current international affairs. If students could run a National Security Council meeting, dealing with the real world issues and events of the day, rather than hypothetical scenarios, perhaps they would engage the process of how to research international developments and how to practice collaborative analysis and consensus based problem solving. It was during the summer of 2001 that I developed the model National Security Council program that would be adopted at the beginning of the coming Fall semester. During the first week of class the program was explained, responsibilities were assigned, and the first meeting was scheduled in advance – for September 11th. As you can imagine, as students convened for the first council meeting, my previously drawn up remarks to reiterate the need to understand current events was hardly necessary. The tough realities of American leadership amidst daunting global challenges in the shadow of the terrorist attacks had become overwhelmingly apparent to twelfth grade students who only hours before seemed thoroughly isolated from the real world. America’s response to these unfolding events of 9/11 has had far reaching consequences that will still undoubtedly have some implications for the world that this young generation will come to lead. Global issues pertaining to security, democracy, development and economic stability need more than student awareness, but an engaging method of educating the next generation. By focusing on understanding how decisions in current world affairs are made today, students will begin to see how such decisions carry long term implications – of which they may be dealing with the outcome in years to come. The model NSC program enables students of modern history, international affairs and economics to analyze the different policy options that should be considered and the long-term implications of those choices. It enables the student to develop critical thinking and communications skills through a highly engaging participatory learning environment. Rather than receiving typical lecture based instruction alone, students are guided to analyze credible and authoritative information regarding unfolding international events that will enable them to collaborate and deliberate more effectively in a team setting. The model NSC offers the students the ability to develop leadership skills through research, problem solving, logical analysis, and collaborative decision making on a variety of issues pertaining to foreign policy, global development, economics, terrorism, and human rights. The model NSC program features a set of collaborative projects and exercises focused on the development of U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century, including:
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INTRODUCTION
Model National Security Council Meetings: Participating in weekly collaborative discussions where students analyze international events and deliberate over problem solving solutions. Weekly Intelligence Briefings: Compiling research of important international events and relations that require a weekly synthesis of information, analysis and proposals. Presidential Memos: Drafting occasional papers that provide an evaluation of expert analysis and proposed policy options with predicted outcomes. Press Briefing: Conducting press briefings to explain and defend current policy in the role of an official, or probe and question current policy or actions in the role of a journalist. The features of this program are designed to enable students to discern the decisions and policies that they believe must be made in U.S. foreign policy in order to advance the strategic objectives that are defined through a collaborative effort among the students. This informational brochure explains the educational methodology behind the program design. Additional information that provides comprehensive instructions to both instructors and students in the facilitation of this model NSC program can be obtained at www.nationrebuilders.com .
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ACADEMIC METHODS AND OBJECTIVES
Academic Methods and Objectives
Participatory Skill Methodology Experts in education and government today are calling upon teachers to place a higher emphasis on student participation in order to foster the skills that are necessary for more meaningful participation in American civics classes. One of the concerns often cited is the declining interest and participation in politics and international issues along with the declining apathy towards national service among young people today. American Teacher published the findings of a poll commissioned by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (2002) of 1,500 15 to 25-year-old Americans that revealed a significant number of young people who are are spurning career opportunities in public service and politics. A study by Keeter, Zukin, Andolina, and Jenkins (2002) entitled The Civic Health of the Nation: A Generational Portrait revealed that youth between 15 and 25 years old often lack attentiveness to public affairs. The report claims that youth who grow up regularly discussing political issues find it “important to pay attention to the world around them – and take the next step of doing something” (p.30). The report proposes that schools provide training grounds for civic involvement through participation in discussion that ultimately create avenues for future service. The report concludes that students who attend schools which engage their participation tend to be more interested in becoming involved. However, requiring attention to politics and government is not sufficient, “it is when students report that teachers encourage open discussions about these matters that their scores on scales of civic behavior climb…Students who have been taught these skills, especially letter writing and debating, are much more likely than those lacking such education to be involved in a range of participatory acts inside and outside the school environment” (p. 32). To encourage greater student participation, Ahmad-Llewellyn (2003) believes that it is imperative that as students progress through high school and college, teachers must encourage student’s opinion formulation and their participation in decision-making activities. The model National Security Council program, along with its featured activities, has been designed to facilitate a high degree of student participation that seeks to develop their capability of conducting analysis, formulation and presentation of opinions within the context of a collaborative experience designed to problem solve. The participatory skills that are fostered through the practice of this model NSC program are in part, derived from a model of civic education for democracy developed by Dr. Patrick, entitled Content and Process in Education for Democracy. The model encourages: Interacting with individuals and groups to promote personal and common interests. The model NSC program works most effectively where interaction over current world issues is discussed in such a way as to discover potential solutions for the common good.
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ACADEMIC METHODS AND OBJECTIVES
Monitoring public events and issues. Effective student participation in the Model NSC program is predicated upon adequate preparation where students are regularly monitoring unfolding international news and analysis. This will enable the student to more confidently engage in discussion, collaboration, and group analysis. Influencing policy decisions on public issues. The model NSC program works most effectively as students develop the skill of evaluating opinions based upon differing political philosophy, or understanding the competitive nature among different government agencies, or the juxtaposition of numerous national interests that are to be held in tension. The program calls for students to present informed opinions in an attempt to either influence the crafting of new government policy, or to defend existing government policy. Deliberating and making decisions about public policy issues. While the analysis of problems and the evaluation of possible solutions is necessary, the model NSC program will prompt students to build a consensus in the deliberation stage that will conclude with decision making on policy development.
Critical Analysis Development Given the political and philosophical nature of current international issues, learning about such issues requires more than just an understanding of the basic facts. Today’s issues are often skewed by the bias media and government who wish defend their own intellectual, political or economic interests. Critical analysis and evaluation is paramount to understanding and applying wisdom judiciously. Shivley and VanFossen (2001) explain that critical thinking skills are essential to a democratic society where citizens are encouraged to participate and engage in issues by assessing the accuracy, authenticity, validity, reliability, and worth of data that is used to justify policy positions. Chester Finn (2006), President of the Fordham Foundation, believes that it is necessary for educators to equip tomorrow’s adults with the combination of knowledge, values, judgment, and critical abilities so that students can decide for themselves what will secure or endanger their freedom and their country’s security. In light of this, the model NSC program is designed to help students develop the following critical thinking skills: Judging the credibility of sources. Effective research is encouraged based on the ability to identify credible and authoritative information and analysis from multiple sources: media, academic, government, etc. Asking clarifying questions.
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The related assignments in the model NSC program will require students to probe the validity of arguments with appropriate questions posed in the council meetings or in the press conference. Explaining and predicting events or outcomes. In the context of the model NSC meetings and Presidential memos, students will evaluate a particular proposed course of action by attempting to identify what outcomes might develop in response to the proposed action. Students will continually evaluate proposed actions in light of previously defined objectives. Identifying conclusions, reasons, and assumptions. Students will need to explain what they see as the motivating factors that cause states and/or its leaders to determine a particular course of action. Defining terms and defending policies appropriately for different contexts.
The different activities will require students to make assessments as to how best address or defend an issue with a particular group of people such as government colleagues or members of the press. Decision making skills. The model NSC program not only provides opportunity for students to discover a well-reasoned policy position on international issues, but encourages them to execute their position by summarizing specifically what the different government agencies will act upon in the implementation of policy.
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GATHERING AND ANALYZING INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Gathering & Analyzing International News The fulfillment of the objectives of the model NSC include effective student participation, analysis of international affairs, and team-based problem solving. This will mean that students will need to sufficiently prepare themselves to understand international news on a consistent and regular basis. Student confidence to engage the collaborative process will likely correspond to their level of understanding the issues. Selection criteria for gathering news A common problem in an information rich environment is that students typically use the web indiscriminately to find basic information in the quickest possible time frame. This tends to result in research that is superficial in content lacks valid conclusion statements (Brown and Dotson, 2007). In light of this, the model NSC program has adopted a set of criteria identified by the Educational Testing Service (2005) that facilitates good research: Define the information needed: The student must be able to assess situations as they are unfolding and determine what information they and the other members of the council will likely need in order to deliberate and problem solve. Collect and manage information from digital environments: Students will be introduced to various sources of information from news media as well as analysis of events and issues from think tanks and explanation of policies from government agency sites. Gather sources that contain critical analysis, comparison, and synthesis: Given the nature of the exercises, students will need to quickly note the difference between general news articles and analysis and persuasive essays that can be used to understand how and why events are unfolding and what potential solutions are feasible. Evaluate sources for authority, bias, and timeliness: Students will be considering the expertise and experience of the author within the academic arena or policy making community. Directing the student towards discovering credible news and authoritative analysis generally requires introducing them to a number of news organizations, government departments and agencies, and academically directed research and journals. The following is a sampling of such organizations that the programs encourages the student to use in their self-directed research. News organizations Associated Press
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GATHERING AND ANALYZING INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BBC CNN Reuters Newspapers and magazines The Economist The Financial Times The New York Times The Wall Street Journal The Washington Post The Weekly Standard Opinion editorial compilations Real Clear Politics Real Clear World Think tanks & journals Brookings Institute Cato Institute Council on Foreign Relations Foreign Affairs Foreign Policy Foreign Policy Research Institute Heritage Foundation Middle East Institute Washington Institute for the Near East Government sources: Transcripts, speeches, press briefings, hearings C-Span.org Defense.gov State.gov U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee WhiteHouse.gov
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REFERENCES
References Ahmad-Llewellyn, S. (2003). From knowledge, to service, to citizenship. Phi Delta Kappan, 85(1). Retrieved January 2, 2007, from OmniFile Full Text Mega database. Brown, C., & Dotson, K. (2007, May 1). Writing Your Own History: A Case Study Using Digital Primary Source Documents. TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, 51(3), 30-37. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. EJ774585) Retrieved June 21, 2009, from ERIC database. P.30. Finn, C. (2002). September 11: What our children need to know. Retrieved http://www.edexcellence.net/foundation/publication/publication.cfm?id=65.
July 11, 2006 from
Keeter, S., Zukin, C., Andolina, M., & Jenkins, K. (2002). The civic and political health of the nation. A generational portrait. The Center for Inforamation and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. Retrieved August 29, 2009 from http://www.civicyouth.org/. Patrick, J.J. (2005). Content and process in education for democracy. International Journal of Social Education, 20(2). 112. Shiveley, J. & VanFossen, P.J. (2001). Using internet primary sources to teach critical thinking skills in government, economics, and contemporary world issues. Libraries Unlimited.
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COVENANT LIFE SCHOOL ROLL OUT PROPOSAL
NSC PROGRAM ROLL OUT The program as described in this informational brochure can be implemented either as one package at the beginning of an academic year, or incrementally over the duration of the year. Dependent upon the specific objectives at Covenant Life School, I have drafted this proposal for an NSC program over the course of an academic year with additional components that could be added. The NSC program typically functions as a component of an existing Social Studies requirements, such as a History or Civics class. In addition, some of the components listed below could also be incorporated in an extra-curricular club that caters specifically to students who have a particular interest in this program. The roll out proposal includes learning activities for both an existing class and the formation of an extra-curricular club. Plan for Integration of NSC into a Social Studies Course September: Get the course of the ground as per a normal academic year startup. Alude to the NSC activity that will be coming later in the year. October: Begin to describe to students what the NSC plan is and what it intends to accomplish. Explain to students that they will be taught how to participate in the following month. November: Begin instructing students how to research and understand world news. Host the seminar: Gathering Intelligence for Discernment. Have students provide a weekly reviews of world news and analysis as part of a preparation exercise. December: Explain to students what the NSC does, how it works and how the model program will be run by the students. Explain the different roles, the need to gather weekly intelligence that is put together into a briefing. Select the first round of official positions. January – June: Hold council meetings. Rotate positions on the NSC every 6-8 weeks giving students an opportunity to learn about different aspects of government and foreign policy. Time allotment: In the lead up to launching the program in November and December, plan on giving one class session per week to explaining and preparing the students for the launch in January. One the program launches, give one class session per week for the Council to conduct their formal meetings. All other intelligence gathering and compilation is considered part of the student’s homework load. Plan for Integration of NSC into an Extra-Curricular Club Whether the NSC model is integrated into a Social Studies Course or not, an extra-curricular club can follow the monthly outline above to launch the Council. In its second year of operation, the club may consider adding the following additional components:
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Press Briefings: Conducting weekly press briefings where one student poses as the Press Secretary of a particular government agency and the rest act as journalists. Further instructional information is available on request. Debate Competitions: The club could research debate competitions being held locally that focus on foreign policy issues. The club could help students in their debate skills and provide a forum for debate practice. Field Trips: The club could arrange educational field trips to organizations in the area that focus on international affairs and foreign policy. Potential trips could include a tour of the State Department, C-Span news studio, Think Tank headquarters. Guest Speakers: The club could arrange for guest speakers who integrate their faith and work as a foreign policy specialist to address either the club or a school assembly.
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The model National Security Council program provides an educational activity that fosters student participation in collaborative analysis and problem solving as it relates to dealing with current international affairs. The program prompts students to study international news and developments, enabling them to engage in group analysis of problems and the building of consensus based decision making and problem solving. The model NSC program enables students of modern history, international affairs and economics to analyze the different policy options that should be considered and the long-term implications of those choices. It fosters critical thinking and communications skills through a highly engaging participatory learning environment. Students learn to analyze credible and authoritative information about international events that promotes a rich collaborative deliberation process. The model NSC offers the students the ability to develop leadership skills through research, problem solving, logical analysis, and collaborative decision making on a variety of issues pertaining to foreign policy, global development, economics, terrorism, and human rights. STUDENT ENDORSEMENTS I have always been interested in economics and financial investing, but I have never given much thought to politics. However, hearing from the different members in the NSC on funding for programs such as military campaigns, has given me a new view on how much politics affects the economy. The model NSC has helped me as a student to keep up to date on current events that will affect the economy and the quality of our markets. Adam Cline. Columbia University As a student, the NSC model helped me to see that in today’s highly-charged political atmosphere, there is no such thing as an “isolated decision.” National leaders cannot set policy without drawing global attention, and often suspicion. Even if that decision is meant to affect solely the nation they govern, it will still be paraded before the critical eye of humanity. The program helped me to understand how the NSC is the pilot guiding the ship through the turbulent waters of global politics. Kevin Bradford. U.S. Marine Corps. The model NSC is an invaluable tool for students to learn about the inner-workings of US foreign policy. As a student, it engaged me on a whole new level when I was being asked the hard questions and had to advise the rest of the council about how the United States should respond to international issues. Jay Smith. U.S. Army Special Warfare Center and School During high school, the model NSC helped prepare me to study International Relations in college, giving me a firm grasp on American foreign policy. The program helped me understand how American foreign policy decisions are crafted and presented. Overall, the model NSC increased my interest in foreign policy and International studies, enabling me to focus on current events that has affected other countries as well as America. Josiah Surface. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington.
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