Question Strings: Reinforcing Analytical Distinctions
Introduction

This is the question-string section of Lenses of Analysis. Click on the following links to access:

International Security Question String—Missile Defense and the ABM Treaty
International Economics Question String—The Free Trade Area of the Americas
International Environmental Question String—The Kyoto Protocol on Greenhouse Emissions
Regional Instability Question String—Macedonia

  The purpose of the question-string section is two-fold. First, the strings provide students with an opportunity to reinforce the analytical distinctions presented in the Framework section and used in the case study section. The strings are a linked set of questions and answers that take the student through the thought processes that should guide their approach to research questions about international relations. The strings begin with a basic research question and offer two choices. Each of these choices leads eventually to eight endpoints. Initially, the choices do not emphasize a correct or incorrect answer but rather highlight how certain ideas lead to further questions. The selection of one choice places the student on a particular path that is linked to the base assumptions of one lens—either an individual, domestic structure, or systemic focus. The student should proceed through one set of choices and then return to the initial question and move through a different set of choices until all eight paths have been examined. By going through each of the choice paths, the student can reinforce the differences between the three lenses of analysis.

  Second, the question strings, which are organized around contemporary international cases, are supported by external Web links that provide access to official documents, video and audio clips, overview Web sites, and independent analysis from conflicting points of view. The links have been organized to provide background, so that instructors can use the question-string section as the basis for mini-case studies, for classroom discussions of contemporary issues, or as a resource for research assignments.