Course code: IRS 507

Semester and year: Spring 2026

Day and time: Mondays 18:15 – 21:00

Instructor: Pamir H. Sahill, Ph.D.

Instructor contact: pamir.halimzai@aauni.edu

Consultation hours: Tuesdays 13:45-14:45 CET at Faculty Lounge/Teams. Students will need to email the instructor to arrange a consultation meeting.

Credits US/ECTS	3/6	Level	Advanced
Length	15 weeks	Pre-requisite	No pre-requisites
Contact hours	42 hours	Course type	Master Required

1.      Course Description

This course aims to provoke its readers with the most recent dilemmas of international politics. 

It is in the nature of current events that they raise more questions than they give answers, and it is only with hindsight years later that future scholars will have more insight. This, however, does not preclude us from thinking about poignant situations: on the contrary, it is expected that graduates of International Relations (IR) would be able to think on their feet and give their best educated opinions at a time of need. 

This course thus throws the students into the fray of current issues, scholarly papers, recent expert reports, legal proposals, hot-off-the-press journalist opinions and political press releases; it exposes its students to multiple media and to sources coming from multiple disciplines. 

The goal is to practice the ability to look at such an issue, think about it, and evaluate it from various theoretical/conceptual angles, to think about its broader connections and impacts, within and beyond existing theoretical frameworks, and to think about outcomes and processes of change. 

Further, the course aims to enable students to master the use of various theories, concepts, and methodologies, to conduct academic and policy-relevant research and offer robust theory-driven analyses, and to identify and evaluate theoretical and methodological frameworks and the quality of arguments in scholarly works on current/recent global issues. 

Finally, another equally important objective of the course is to assist students in offering well-structured, informed and plausible answers to questions about major global problems and events, hence, preparing them for the state examinations.  

2.      Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

• think about and analyze a current/recent issue of international politics from at least two theoretical perspectives/angles
• choose and operationalize theories, concepts, and methodological frameworks in their academic and policy-relevant research
• critically evaluate the operationalization of theory and methodology and the quality of argumentation in scholarly works
• think about a current event in its broader connections and implications
• consider and work with a variety of information sources: from scholarly articles to real world evidence
• polish and enhance critical thinking, form an opinion, a position on an issue (which is usually the first step towards finding a solution)
• offer rigorous theory-driven analyses and critical insights on current/recent issues in global politics

3.      Reading Material (All readings are available on the course site in MyLearning)

Required Materials:

1. Acharya, Amitav. “After Liberal Hegemony: The Advent of a Multiplex World Order.” Ethics & International Affairs 31, no. 3 (2017): 271–285. https://doi.org/10.1017/S089267941700020X.
2. Amoore, Louise, and Rita Raley. “Securing with Algorithms: Knowledge, Decision, Sovereignty.” Security Dialogue 48, no. 1 (2017): 3–10.
3. Feng, Huiyun, and Kai He. “Why Will China and Russia Not Form an Alliance? The Balance of Beliefs in Peacetime.” International Affairs 100, no. 5 (2024): 2089–2112. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iiae184.
4. Goeckeritz, Issac. “The Rights of Nature: A Global Movement.” YouTube video, March 31, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuFNmH7lVTA
   .
5. Grzymala-Busse, Anna, Francis Fukuyama, Didi Kuo, and Michael McFaul. Global Populisms and Their Challengers. Stanford, CA: Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, 2020.
6. Ikenberry, G. John. “The End of Liberal International Order?” International Affairs 94, no. 1 (2018): 7–23. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix241.
7. Lanoszka, Alexander. “Disinformation in International Politics.” European Journal of International Security 4, no. 2 (2019): 227–248.
8. McCarthy, Daniel R. “Introduction: Technology in World Politics.” In Technology and World Politics: An Introduction, edited by Daniel R. McCarthy, 1–21. London and New York: Routledge, 2018.
9. Mearsheimer, John J. “Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order.” International Security 43, no. 4 (2019): 7–50.
10. Millward, James, and Dahlia Peterson. China’s System of Oppression: How It Developed and How to Curb It. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution, 2020.
11. Pereira, Joana C. “Towards a Politics for the Earth: Rethinking IR in the Anthropocene.” In International Relations in the Anthropocene: New Agendas, New Agencies and New Approaches, edited by David Chandler, Franziska Müller, and Delf Rothe, 21–37. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021.
12. Putin, Vladimir. “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians.” Kremlin, July 12, 2021. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/66181.
13. Shaw, Ian, and Majed Akhter. “The Dronification of State Violence.” Critical Asian Studies 46, no. 2 (2014): 211–234.
14. Zuboff, Shoshana. “The Discovery of Behavioral Surplus.” In The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, 63–97. London: Profile Books, 2019. 

Recommended materials:

The course convener has uploaded a number of works to MyLearning’s Resources folder to help students choose readings for their B Session Presentations and Book Reviews.

4.      Teaching methodology

• Seminar-style interactive lectures
• Student-led discussion and analysis of the content on an issue through research-based presentations and work
• Involving students in theory and data-driven research and analysis
• Quizzes

5.      Course Schedule

Date	Class Agenda
February 02, 2026	Topic: Introduction to the Course Content and the Role of Theory in IR Description: The first part of the session will outline the structure of the course, what is expected of students during the semester, and will also finalize the schedule of B session/Part B presentations. All assignments and grading processes will be explained. In the second part, there will be a discussion on the role of theory and methodology in academic and policy-relevant research, as well as the importance of multi/interdisciplinarity in International Relations (IR). Reading: None. Assignments/deadlines: None.
February 09, 2026	Topic: Liberal International Order: Crisis or Decline? Description: Lecture. The session discusses the rise of liberal international order (LIO) and puts it in its context, before exploring two scholarly works on its crisis and/or decline. The lecture explores the issue from liberal institutionalist and neo-realist theoretical perspectives. After the lecture, students will choose and/or will be assigned scholarly material for their B session Presentations and Book Reviews. Reading: Ikenberry, G. John. “The End of Liberal International Order?”; and Mearsheimer, John J. “Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order.” Assignments/deadlines: Each student must come to the class prepared with the potential topic in their mind for their individual B session presentation and book review essay. The books they wish to review should be about or be directly related to one of the current global/international issues covered during the semester (specific and more instructions are given in Section 7 of the syllabus).  We will discuss and finalize the topics, articles, and books after the lecture in class.
February 16, 2026, 2026	Topic: How Many World Orders? - Part A Description: Lecture. The lecture examines the (emerging) world order, debates the notion of multipolarity/multiplexity with a special focus on the rise of China and Russia, and offers a critical theory-led analysis. The second part explores the (im)possibilities of Beijing-Moscow alliance.  The final part of the session dissects and analyses a Putin’s policy document on Russia-Ukraine relations and offers a critique. Reading: Acharya, Amitav. “After Liberal Hegemony, "The Advent of a Multiplex World Order”; Feng, Huiyun, and Kai He, “Why Will China and Russia Not Form an Alliance?" and Putin, Vladimir, “On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians”.  Assignments/deadlines: All students submit their material for B session presentations and book reviews to MyLearning by Sunday February 15, 2026, by 11:59 pm (23:59) CET. Students read the B session/Part B material for next week.
February 23, 2026	Topic: How Many World Orders? - Part B Description: Mini lecture offering an alternative and critical perspective on the future of the world (dis)order(s). Students’ presentations and discussion. Reading: Provided by students, uploaded to MyLearning’s Students’ Readings folder. Assignments/deadlines: Student presentations on approved topics and articles. Students revise all sessions A readings and lectures’ content for the first quiz which will be given in the fifth week of the semester.
March 02, 2026	Topic: A Brave New World of Artificial Intelligence – Part A Description: Lecture. The session will offer a multidisciplinary discussion and analysis on the rise of big data capitalism, AI and the use and impact of technology on global politics within the context of IR and Science and Technology Studies (STS).  The first part of the lecture explores both orthodox and critical approaches to the STS-IR nexus. The second part discusses Big Data Capitalism from a classical as well as neo-Marxist theoretical lens. Reading: McCarthy, Daniel R, “Introduction: Technology in World Politics; and Fuchs, Christian, “Karl Marx in the Age of Big Data Capitalism”. Assignments/deadlines: Students will take the first quiz of the semester during the last 30 minutes of the session. Students should bring their laptops/tablets to the class to take the quiz via MyLearning. Students read the B session/Part B material for next week.
March 09, 2026	Topic: A Brave New World of Artificial Intelligence – Part B Description: Mini lecture on the posthuman condition in the age of big data and cyborgs along with a critical analysis. Students’ presentations and discussion. Reading: Provided by students, uploaded to MyLearning’s Students’ Readings folder. Assignments/deadlines: Student presentations on approved topics and articles. Students continue working on their book review essays.
March 16, 2026	Topic: Surveillance Capitalism – Part A Description: Lecture. The session explains the ways surveillance is used as a means of biopolitical control, and to achieve goals deemed crucial for national security and interests. It critically discusses the emergence and consolidation of surveillance capitalist governmentality, and its globalizing biopolitical effects with the help of two case studies. Reading: Millward, James and Dahlia Peterson, China’s System of Oppression: How It Developed and How to Curb It; and Zuboff, Shoshana, “The Discovery of Behavioural Surplus" Assignments/deadlines: Students prepare for the midterm exam.
March 23, 2026	Topic: Midterm Exam Description: Students take the mid-term exam. They must bring their laptops to the class. The mid-term will consist of two parts, the first of which will have short answers. All answers should be between 150-200 words long. The second part of the exam will be comprised of two essay questions, having 60% weightage of the total marks. Each essay answer should be between 500 and 550 words long. For the detailed description of the assignment, instructions, and assessment breakdown please refer to section 7 of the syllabus. Assignments/deadlines: Students continue working on their B session presentations and book review essays during the mid-term break and the Easter holiday week. Students read the B session/Part B material for the session of April 13.
March 30-April 03, 2026	Midterm Break
April 06, 2026	Easter Monday
April 13, 2026	Topic: Surveillance Capitalism – Part B Description: Minilecture further expanding on the previous session’s discussion on surveillance capitalism. Students’ presentations. Reading: Provided by students, uploaded to MyLearning’s Students’ Readings folder. Assignments/deadlines: Student presentations on approved topics and articles. Students begin proofing and editing their book reviews.
April 20, 2026	Topic: Disinformation, Populism and Democracy – Part A Description: Lecture. Using case studies and real-world examples, this lecture will discuss the impact of disinformation on global politics, the revival of populism, democratic backsliding, and the future of democracy. Readings: Grzymala-Busse, Anna, et. al., Global Populisms and Their Challengers; and Lanoszka, Alexander, “Disinformation in International Politics”. Assignments/deadlines: Students submit their book reviews via MyLearning by April 26, 2026, 23:59 (11:59 pm) CET.
April 27, 2026	Topic: Disinformation, Populism and Democracy – Part B Description: Minilecture on disinformation and propaganda in the Global South. Students’ presentations. Reading: Provided by students, uploaded to MyLearning’s Students’ Readings folder. Assignments/deadlines: Student presentations on approved topics and articles. Students read the B session/Part B material for next week.
May 04, 2026	Topic: The Anthropocene and Climate Change Description: Lecture. In this session students will learn about the notion of Anthropocene and its usage in IR. The session explores climate change from both green theory and environmentalist perspectives and offers a critique of consumerist capitalism as a driving force behind climate change. Reading: Pereira, Joana C, “Towards a Politics for the Earth: Rethinking IR in the Anthropocene”; and Goeckeritz, Issac, “The Rights of Nature: A Global Movement”, Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuFNmH7lVTA Assignments/deadlines: Students revise all readings and lectures’ content for the final quiz.
May 11, 2026	Topic: War and Conflict in a Globalized World Description: Lecture. The lecture presents a futurology of the security practices and how wars are/will be fought. It also explores the emergence of a new power technology complementing the sovereign/coercive/juridical, disciplinary, and biopower technologies as well as Mbembian notion of necropower/necropolitics. Reading: Amoore, Louise, and Rita Raley, “Securing with algorithms: Knowledge, decision, sovereignty”; and Shaw, Ian, and Majed Akhter, “The Dronification of State Violence”. Assignments/deadlines: Students will take the final quiz of the semester during the last 30 minutes of the session. Students should bring their laptops/tablets to the class to take the quiz via MyLearning.
May 18, 2026	Topic: Book Review Presentations Description: Students present their reviews of the chosen books. Assignments/deadlines: None.

6.      Course Requirements and Assessment (with estimated workloads)

Assignment	Workload (average)	Weight in Final Grade	Evaluated Course Specific Learning Outcomes	Evaluated Institutional Learning Outcomes*
Class Participation (Attendance is mandatory)	22	20%	Explore current issues from different theoretical angles and offer critical assessment, clearly communicate ideas, and strengthen public speaking.	1, 2
Mid-term Exam	30	20%	Polish and strengthen critical thinking, understand concepts and theories, efficiently comprehend, explain, and use various theoretical approaches with the help of concrete cases and examples, and refine academic writing skills.	1, 2
B Session Presentation	40	25%	Think about a current issue of international politics from at least two angles, and explore its implications, consider and work with a variety of information sources, and offer a plausible and critical analysis with informed and theory-driven opinion.	1,2, 3
Readings and lectures related Quizzes	32	15%	Understand concepts related to current issues in world politics and enhance critical thinking.	1,2
Book Review and Presentation	26	15% + 5%	Advance and strengthen critical thinking, comprehend and explain notions and concepts in the chosen book, critically assess its theoretical and methodological frameworks, content, refine research and academic writing, and strengthen public speaking.	1, 2, 3
TOTAL	150	100%

*1 = Critical Thinking; 2 = Effective Communication; 3 = Effective and Responsible Action

7.      Detailed description of the assignments

B Session Presentations:

The course will focus on 6 current issues beginning in session 2. For 4 issues (beginning in the third week of the semester), there will be sessions/part A and B. All A sessions are interactive, seminar style lectures (and minilectures) exploring an issue from at least two theoretical/conceptual and/or methodological positions. 

For each B session, the student must prepare a PowerPoint/Canva presentation on one academic work from a theoretical perspective that is relevant to the stated current issue. 

A number of scholarly works related to each topic are uploaded to the MyLearning’s Resources folder for students to choose from, if they wish to. Otherwise, they must select and discuss a peer-reviewed article or policy paper published in a credible and reputable publication with the course convenor for his approval at the end of the second session of the semester i.e., February 09, 2026. 

Students are required to submit the pdfs of their approved readings via MyLearning by Sunday February 15, 2026, by 11:59 pm (23:59) CET. 

In their presentations, the student should be able to identify, understand and explain the theoretical and methodological framework(s) of the chosen paper, explain how the theory and methodology are utilized, and summarize the main arguments of the text and discuss their application to the issue. 

After that, the student will choose a different and/or contrasting theory and apply it on the paper under assessment to offer a theory-driven, critical analysis and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of its argumentation. For example, if an article utilizes green theory to discuss and critique the capitalism and climate change nexus, then the student should use and apply a contrasting/different theory (such as environmentalism, liberal institutionalism) for their analysis. 

The student should be able to form an opinion on the issue with the help of the theory they employ and explore the implications for the issue/topic/case. 

In terms of content, each presentation should have two equally divided portions, i.e., one for the dissection and summary of the paper and the second to apply another theory on it and offer a critical analysis. 

Each student will have between 35 to 40 minutes for the entire presentation, meaning that half of the time should be given to the dissection and summary of the paper and the remaining half to the application of contrasting theory and critical assessment. Not following the time-limit will lead to a lower grade for the assignment.  

While the students are allowed to have notes and occasionally use them when presenting, they will receive an automatic failure if they consistently read from notes and use them to answer post-presentation questions.  

If a student is absent for an unexcused reason on the day of their presentation, they will receive an automatic failure of the assignment and will be given an opportunity to retake it.

The student’s grade is based on the degree of understanding of the texts, arguments, theories, and methodologies, their ability to choose relevant theories/concepts and their skillful application, and engagement in informed discussion utilizing texts alongside a variety of data/evidence sources in their critical analyses as well as forming and defending their theory-embedded opinions.

Assessment Breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Technical: being present being prepared being within time/structure limits	30%
Substantive: demonstrate in-depth knowledge of theories, concepts, and methodologies and ability to utilize this knowledge in a clear, concise, well-structured manner think about a current issue of international politics from different theoretical angles, and explore its implications, aptly and deftly operationalize theoretical and conceptual toolkits consider and work with a variety of information sources, offer a plausible and critical analysis with personal opinion	70%
Total	100%

 

Mid-term Exam:

The mid-term exam will include questions drawn from lectures (plus minilectures) and Session A readings as well as questions based on issues, theories, and concepts discussed during lectures.

 

The exam will have two parts. The first, worth 40% of the grade for the assignment, will have short answers. All answers should be between 150-200 words long.

The second part of the exam will be comprised of two essay questions, having 60% weightage of the total marks. The essay questions will be about two current issues, for which the students will be provided with two academic excerpts from papers that will serve as points of departure for their analysis. The students will demonstrate they can efficiently comprehend, explain, and use various theoretical approaches in their long answers with the help of concrete cases and examples. The students should offer comprehensive, theory-assisted, critical analysis along with their personal opinions. Each essay answer should be between 500 and 550 words long.

 

Both short and long-form answers must clearly exhibit refined critical thinking and academic writing skills. 

Not following the word-limit for both short and long/essay answers will result in receiving a lower grade. 

The exam will be given online to all students via MyLearning on March 23, 2026, at 18:25 (6:25 pm) CET and will end at 20:25 (8:25 pm). After the 120-minute allotted time, the exam will not be available. 

All students must be present during the exam in the classroom.
 

Students with approved remote status will be taking it via Teams with their cameras on throughout the session. The course instructor may also ask them to share their screen for the duration of the exam. Non-compliance with both conditions will automatically result in receiving failure for the assignment.

 

All students must bring their laptops/tablets to the class so that they can access MyLearning.

 

If an on-site student cannot attend the exam due to a justified (and excused) reason, they will take it on campus on a different date, otherwise, they will receive an automatic failure for the assignment and will not be allowed to retake it.

 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Polish and strengthen critical thinking and understand concepts and theories	35%
Efficiently comprehend, explain, and utilize various theoretical approaches with the help of concrete cases and examples	40%
Refine academic writing skills, offer robust analysis along with personal opinion.	25%
Total	100%

 

Quizzes: Apart from discussing reading assignments each week, quizzes will be given to students from A session readings, lectures, and minilectures. These will be short answers, in written form. 

All answers should be between 150-200 words long. Not following the word-limit may affect the grade. All surprise quizzes will be given to all students via MyLearning. 

All quizzes must be answered during the 30-minute allotted time in class, at campus (and via Teams if the student’s remote status is approved). 

Students with approved remote status will be taking it via Teams with their cameras on throughout the session. The course instructor may also ask them to share their screen for the duration of the exam. Non-compliance with both conditions will automatically result in receiving failure for the assignment.  

If an on-site student cannot attend the quiz due to a justified (and excused) reason, they will take it on campus on a different date, otherwise, they will receive an automatic failure for the assignment and will not be allowed to retake it. 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Understand concepts related to current issues in world politics	50%
Practice and refine critical thinking	50%
Total	100%

 

Participation:

Attending and participating in class is one of the best ways to gain an understanding of the course topic and material. Participation is premised on having read the assignments for that particular day and actively engaging in the class discussion. 

Participation does not mean speaking for the sake of speaking, asking questions that are off topic, criticizing another person for not understanding something, carrying on a private conversation with another student. Participation does mean contributing thoughtfully to the conversation or debate, asking questions if something is not understood, honestly attempting to answer a question even if you are not sure you are correct. 

The student’s grade will be based on the quantity and quality of participation. 

If you are still reading, it tells a lot about your devotion to your studies. I appreciate it and I have a small reward for you, please come to me during the class when I ask who read the syllabus and collect your reward. Please do not inform your classmates and friends about what I have written here in the syllabus. The whole point is to find out whether everyone reads it carefully or not.  

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Being present and attentive Refraining from using phones, smartwatches and laptops/tablets for non-class purposes Refraining from talking with individual students outside the bounds of the class discussion	10%
Actively engaging in the class discussion and offering critical insights. Demonstrating understanding concepts relevant to the subject-matter discussed in each session Asking questions when something is not understood	55%
Clearly communicating ideas Attempting to answer questions Refraining from talking off topic	35%
Total	100%

 

Book Review and Presentation:

Students will choose a book about a current issue relevant to the field(s) of IR/ir, do research, and write between 1,050 and 1,200 words (excluding the reference list) essay in which they will provide a comprehensive critical analysis along with their opinion. Students must strictly follow the minimum and maximum word-limit. Not doing so will negatively affect the grade. 

Students must choose a book on a different current issue/topic for the review than their B session presentation article.

Students will choose a book and discuss it with the course convener in class at the end of the second week of the semester. A number of books are available in MyLearning’s Resources folder for students to choose from. Students will also be assisted in choosing appropriate books. Once approved and finalized, the pdfs of books must be emailed to the course instructor so that they are uploaded to MyLearning for other students to go through them before the book review presentation.

Reviews should summarize key arguments of the book, its theoretical/conceptual premise, and methodological approach. The body of the essay will be an academic analysis that should lead to a reasonable conclusion.  

The review must use Chicago referencing style (i.e., in-text author-date system) plus a list of references at the end. Bear in mind that Wikipedia is not a proper academic SOURCE. Students need to rely on academic literature and credible media information sources for their reviews. 

All reviews should be submitted via MyLearning by April 26, 2026, until 23:59 (11:59 pm) CET. Progress with the research work will be discussed in class. Missing the deadline may result into failing the essay assignment. 

After submitting their book reviews, the students will prepare an 8-minute-long PowerPoint presentation about it and present it during the final session of the course i.e., May 18, 2026. 

Assessment breakdown

Assessed area	Percentage
Critical insights and academic writing,	50%
Comprehend and explain notions and concepts in the chosen book, critically assess its content.	25%
Clearly, coherently, and precisely communicate ideas, strengthen public speaking	25%
Total	100%

 

8.      General Requirements and School Policies

General requirements

All coursework is governed by AAU’s academic rules. Students are expected to be familiar with the academic rules in the Academic Codex and Student Handbook and to maintain the highest standards of honesty and academic integrity in their work.

Electronic communication and submission

The university and instructors shall only use students’ university email address for communication, with additional communication via MyLearning or Microsoft Teams.

Students sending e-mail to an instructor shall clearly state the course code and the topic in the subject heading, for example, “COM101-1 Mid-term Exam. Question”.

All electronic submissions are through MyLearning. No substantial pieces of writing (especially take-home exams and essays) can be submitted outside of MyLearning.

Attendance

Attendance, i.e., presence in class in real-time, at AAU courses is default mandatory; however, it is not graded as such. (Grades may be impacted by missed assignments or lack of participation.) Still, students must attend at least two thirds of classes to complete the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are excused, they will be administratively withdrawn from the course. If they do not meet this condition and most of their absences are not excused, they will receive a grade of “FW” (Failure to Withdraw). Students may also be marked absent if they miss a significant part of a class (for example by arriving late or leaving early).

Absence excuse and make-up options

Should a student be absent from classes for relevant reasons (illness, serious family matters), and the student wishes to request that the absence be excused, the student should submit an Absence Excuse Request Form supplemented with documents providing reasons for the absence to the Dean of Students within one week of the absence. Each student may excuse up to two sick days per term without any supporting documentation; however, an Absence Excuse Request Form must still be submitted for these instances. If possible, it is recommended the instructor be informed of the absence in advance. Should a student be absent during the add/drop period due to a change in registration this will be an excused absence if s/he submits an Absence Excuse Request Form along with the finalized add/drop form. 

Students whose absence has been excused by the Dean of Students are entitled to make up assignments and exams provided their nature allows. Assignments missed due to unexcused absences which cannot be made up, may result in a decreased or failing grade as specified in the syllabus. 

Students are responsible for contacting their instructor within one week of the date the absence was excused to arrange for make-up options.

Late work: No late submissions will be accepted – please follow the deadlines.

Electronic devices

Electronic devices (e.g. phones, tablets, laptops) may be used only for class-related activities (taking notes, looking up related information, etc.). Any other use will result in the student being marked absent and/or being expelled from the class. No electronic devices may be used during tests or exams unless required by the exam format and the instructor.

Eating is not allowed during classes.

Cheating and disruptive behavior

If a student engages in disruptive conduct unsuitable for a classroom environment, the instructor may require the student to withdraw from the room for the duration of the class and shall report the behavior to the student’s Dean.

Students engaging in behavior which is suggestive of cheating will, at a minimum, be warned. In the case of continued misconduct, the student will fail the exam or assignment and be expelled from the exam or class.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism obscures the authorship of a work or the degree of its originality. Students are expected to create and submit works of which they are the author. Plagiarism can apply to all works of authorship – verbal, audiovisual, visual, computer programs, etc. Examples are:

• Verbatim plagiarism: verbatim use of another’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source and designation as a verbatim quotation,
• Paraphrasing plagiarism: paraphrasing someone else’s work or part of it without proper acknowledgement of the source,
• Data plagiarism: use of other people’s data without proper acknowledgement of the source,
• False quotation: publishing a text that is not a verbatim quotation as a verbatim quotation,
• Fictious citation: quoting, paraphrasing, or referring to an incorrect or a non-existent work,
• Inaccurate citation: citing sources in such a way that they cannot be found and verified,
• Ghostwriting: commissioning work from others and passing it off as one’s own,
• Patchwriting: using someone else’s work or works (albeit with proper acknowledgement of sources and proper attribution) to such an extent that the output contains almost no original contribution,
• Self-plagiarism: unacknowledged reuse of one’s own work (or part of it) that has been produced or submitted as part of another course of study or that has been published in the past,
• Collaborative plagiarism: delivering the result of collective collaboration as one’s own individual output.

At minimum, plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the assignment and shall be reported to the student’s Dean. A mitigating circumstance may be the case of novice students, and the benefit of the doubt may be given if it is reasonable to assume that the small-scale plagiarism was the result of ignorance rather than intent. An aggravating circumstance in plagiarism is an act intended to make the plagiarism more difficult to detect. Such conduct includes, for example, the additional modification of individual words or phrases, the creation of typos, the use of machine translation tools or the creation of synonymous text, etc. The Dean may initiate a disciplinary procedure pursuant to the Academic Codex. Intentional or repeated plagiarism always entail disciplinary hearing and may result in expulsion from AAU.

Use of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Tutoring Center

USE OF AI IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED IN THIS COURSE AND WILL LEAD TO FAILURE OF THE SUBMITTED AND/OR PRESENTED WORK. 

If unsure about technical aspects of writing, and to improve their academic writing, students are encouraged to consult with the tutors of the AAU Academic Tutoring Center. For more information and/or to book a tutor, please contact the ATC at: http://atc.simplybook.me/sheduler/manage/event/1/.

Course accessibility and inclusion

Students with disabilities should contact the Dean of Students to discuss reasonable accommodations. Academic accommodations are not retroactive. 

Students who will be absent from course activities due to religious holidays may seek reasonable accommodations by contacting the Dean of Students in writing within the first two weeks of the term. All requests must include specific dates for which the student requests accommodations.

9.      Grading Scale

Letter Grade	Percentage*	Description
A	95 – 100	Excellent performance. The student has shown originality and displayed an exceptional grasp of the material and a deep analytical understanding of the subject.
A–	90 – 94
B+	87 – 89	Good performance. The student has mastered the material, understands the subject well and has shown some originality of thought and/or considerable effort.
B	83 – 86
B–	80 – 82
C+	77 – 79	Fair performance. The student has acquired an acceptable understanding of the material and essential subject matter of the course but has not succeeded in translating this understanding into consistently creative or original work.
C	73 – 76
C–	70 – 72
D+	65 – 69	Poor. The student has shown some understanding of the material and subject matter covered during the course. The student’s work, however, has not shown enough effort or understanding to allow for a passing grade in School Required Courses. It does qualify as a passing mark for the General College Courses and Electives.
D	60 – 64
F	0 – 59	Fail. The student has not succeeded in mastering the subject matter covered in the course.

* Decimals should be rounded to the nearest whole number.

Prepared by and when: Dr. Pamir H. Sahill              January 18, 2026.

Approved by and when: Dr. William Eddleston               January 28, 2026.