While 2024 may seem unique in the number of countries holding elections, International Relations faculty know there is no end to international events to fill an introductory course. Our students, however, come to us with a variety of background knowledge and interest levels in global politics. Students also are accustomed to finding news on social media, including Twitter/X, Instagram, and TikTok. These curated sources often reinforce their existing views and can be particularly limited in terms of perspectives. This Global Newspaper Assignment helps students use library resources to find non-U.S. sources on a topic and identify their various perspectives. In my experience, this relatively simple assignment helps students both identify their own perspective and those of other countries.

In this resource, I provide the Global Newspaper Assignment and Research Worksheet. I include a list of sample topics from Spring 2024, my grading rubric and a follow up reflection question I ask students at the end of the semester.