Universität Wien

150033 SE Specialist Seminar (M3) - Strategic Gaming (2015W)

The South China Sea Conflict

4.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 15 - Ostasienwissenschaften
Continuous assessment of course work

For BA students of EC A153 (Intercultural Skills East Asia): This course can be chosen as substitute for VU History of East Asia as the latter will only be offered once per academic year. Although offered as MA seminar (EcoS, Sinology), this seminar will be held on BA level.

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 80 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

++++++ IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

This course will be offered as seminar (SE) with 10 ECTS for students of the MA program of Sinology. Here, students need to write an extended seminar thesis.

For all other students (MA EcoS, Complementary Study Programme: Intercultural Skills East Asia [EC Interkulturelle Kompetenz Ostasiens] as well as all other study programs) this class will be offered as SE with 4 ECTS. Here, the final paper will be a much shorter evaluation paper.

Please understand that students cannot choose between both versions due to technical reasons ++++++

This course will be offered as a block seminar. The info meeting will take place on Tuesday, November 17, 1:15-6:15pm in Lecture Room 16, main building. The game will take place on Saturday/Sunday, December 12/13, 9am-6pm in SIN1 (Campus, court 2, entrance 2.3).

Tuesday 17.11. 13:15 - 18:15 Hörsaal 16 Hauptgebäude, Hochparterre, Stiege 5
Saturday 12.12. 09:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum Sinologie 1 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-10
Sunday 13.12. 09:00 - 18:00 Seminarraum Sinologie 1 UniCampus Hof 2 2F-O1-10

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

In the South China Sea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei dispute about overlapping territorial claims. Being supposedly rich in oil and gas resources as well as minerals and fish, these nations claim islands, reefs and rocks in order to extent their 200 nautical miles zone. Most claims, though, are legally and politically contested. Despite the aim of ASEAN and China to draft a Code of Conduct the disputes are far from being resolved, not at least because of China´s preference for bilateral negotiations and its allegedly assertive behavior. As the South China Sea is a globally important sea line of communication, externals actors such as the US, India and the EU have a strategic interest in maritime security, further complicating the overall security situation.

This course takes place as a strategic game. A strategic game simulates a real-world scenario in a controlled setting. Simulating a complex conflict from the realm of international relations, participants form groups representing states or organizations. Groups simulate the role of their respective actor and interact with other actors with the aim of fulfilling a set of objectives utilizing a certain range of means. Interaction of actors is based on a fictional plot distributed to students before game day.

Assessment and permitted materials

The grade will be determined based on the submission of two course-related papers and active participation during the game. Please note that type of assessment as well as ratio of assessment differs depending on your study program:

Assessment #1 (students of all study programs except for MA Sinology):

Paper I: Analysis of the group's interests, aims and means (6-8 pages): 30%
Active participation in the game: 40%
Paper II: Evaluation of the group's performance during the game (6-8 pages): 30%

Assessment #2 (students of the MA program Sinology A 066 811):

Paper I: Analysis of the group’s interests, aims and means (6-8 pages): 20%
Active participation in the game: 30%
Paper II: Seminar thesis: Analysis of the conflict of interests with other claimants and
suggestions for the solution and negotiation tactics (15-20 pages): 50%

Attendance in the first session, submission of papers and continuous attendance at both game days are a necessary pre-condition for a positive grade.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

The main aims of the strategic gaming are:

- gaining knowledge of the complex constellations in the South China Sea disputes
- acquiring a deeper understanding of the interests and positions of the parties concerned
- developing skills to enhance strategic thinking and acting and negotiating in complex situations.

In our case of the South China Sea conflict, students will form groups of up to 10 actors with between 3 and 6 students (depending on the total number of students). These groups will include the main actors in the region (i.e. China, USA), local claimants (i.e. Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia), distant actors with interests in the region (i.e. India, Russia) or international organizations (i.e. ASEAN or the EU).

Examination topics

Reading list


Association in the course directory

PR 421/422,
EC A153 (kann statt VU History of East Asia absolviert werden),
M4 für Ecos

Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:35