ICONS: Fall 1998 University Simulations

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Fall 1998 University Simulations

Project ICONS is offering the opportunity for universities throughout the world to participate in a foreign policy simulation exercise over the Internet during the Fall 1998 semester. By completing and returning the enclosed questionnaire, you can arrange to participate in one of the simulations offered or receive information on future simulations.

ICONS is currently expanding its simulation offerings in order to provide more opportunities for interested faculty members to use an ICONS simulation. ICONS will be conducting the following two simulations during the Fall 1998 semester:

Title	Dates	Cost
The International System	October 19 - November 20, 1998	$600 for one team, $300 each additional team**
Managing International Security: The New Europe	November 2 - November 20, 1998	$300 for one team, $150 for each additional team

The International System

This simulation is ICONS' traditional five-week offering. The simulation will be global in scope and will focus on a variety of issues such as arms control, the Middle East, human rights, international trade, Third World economic development, the global environment, international drug trafficking, and world health. This simulation is appropriate for general international relations classes, foreign policy classes, and comparative politics classes.

Managing International Security: The New Europe

This three-week, case-based simulation casts students as negotiators for European states (east, central, west) involved in the on-going effort of redefining the regional security agenda. The scenario will focus on the need to define institutional channels appropriate to both traditional security issues (nuclear proliferation, arms control, territorial integrity) and the "new" security challenges (ethnic conflict, natural resource competition, demographic instability). This simulation is most appropriate for courses on European politics, international negotiation, and international security.

ICONSnet SOFTWARE

We will continue the use of our World Wide Web-based software that was implemented in the 1997-98 simulations. All that is required to access the system is a computer with a connection to the Internet and a web browser. Although the system functions best using Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer (the two most popular web browsers), there are text-based browsers that work on older computers running DOS. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your current or expected computer equipment or access.

Click here to access a questionnaire concerning participation in the Fall 1998 simulations. To allow time to plan for the simulation, please return the questionnaire ASAP. If you prefer, you may respond via e-mail; just be sure to answer all relevant questions. If you have any questions, please contact Beth Blake at (301) 405-4171, by fax at (301) 314-9690, or by e-mail at bblake@gvpt.umd.edu.

**Unfortunately, it has become necessary to raise our participation fee for the 1998-99 academic year. While this may sound like a hefty, one-time increase, it reflects an acknowledgment of the accumulated increases in costs over the past several years. The program cost has been $500 since 1991. During this period, we undertook a major initiative to make the ICONS software more user-friendly so that instructors could devote more of their time to the curricular aspects of the program, and less on technical set-up and maintenance issues. We trust that you will agree that the new, improved software is worth it.

ICONS is located at the University of Maryland. For more information, please contact icons@gvpt.umd.edu.