Contemporary Issues in International Political Economy

Assessment Task

Topic of the scrapbook selected by the team is cyber security

Assessment of Scrapbook and presentation

Learning outcome 1: appreciate the interrelationship between economics and politics, and the global nature of this relationship
Learning outcome 2: compare and contrast alternative perspective on international political economy
Learning outcome 3: evaluate the importance of history and historical events in shaping the global economy
Learning outcome 4: assess the role and purpose of the institutional framework set up to manage global affairs
Learning outcome 5: evaluate the impact of the global environment on business decision making and practice

You are required to create a scrapbook and a presentation of the same for this module which will focus on a specific issue in the realm of what we would call International Political Economy (IPE). You are to collect information from a wide variety of sources, and in a wide variety of formats. A list of potential sources and formats are given below.
The scrapbook has no word limit as such, given the nature of its content, or expected or required format for presentation. That is a creative task left to you. The scrapbook should be seen as a creative endeavor and your presentation of the work will be rewarded when marked. As such the creative thought that has gone into presenting the information is as important as the content itself. The scrapbook will constitute 25% of the total mark for this module while the presentation, that should relate to the same scrapbook topic and the material therein, will be of 25% of the total mark.

About the Scrap Book

A scrapbook is a type of journal in which you collect "scraps" of information and from these scraps you tell a story. In effect, you create a type of book - hence its name "scrapbook". In bygone days, before computers and on-line means of storing data (the dark ages!) you would use a scrapbook to collect newspaper clips, pictures and other forms of media. These scrapbooks could be issue based or more often than not, people kept scrapbooks to commemorate events or keep memorabilia of pop stars that they followed or football teams they supported. With on-line resources and the nature of data storage today, the scrapbook is rapidly being consigned to history and the nostalgia for a past generation. There is however something in the scrapbook, the way it is presented and the way it can be used that electronic media will never be able to capture. It will mimic I am sure, but the tangible nature of the paper and the content within is more real and alive.

Is the issue contemporary and on-going? By this I mean in the news? Remember you want it to be topical to get information and data.
Does the issue have a clear focus? In other words you cannot say your topic is Economic Blockade. However, you could say your topic is The Economic Blockade of Qatar. Or better still, how is Qatari Business Managing to Operate with Economic Blockade? Notice the focus. This will make it easier to both research and evaluate.

Select an issue that interests you, or is relevant to you in some way, or is in a sector you would perhaps like to work in future.
List of Contributions: At the time of submission of scrapbook you will also submit a list of your contributions in the prescribed format. That contribution list is formative in nature and would be used to judge your contribution to the scrapbook. It is required to review and evaluate your content. What have you learnt from what you have collected? How does what you have learnt, and what you have collected, direct you to what you need to consider or focus upon in order to develop your scrapbook content?