The simulation occurs over the entire semester although most of the "action" takes place during the last 11-12 weeks. With the advent of the mandatory computer requirement for first year students, it is expected that students will come to class ready to participate in the simulation
from THE FIRST DAY!!
Students in the class who are not First Year Students MUST have all connections established by MONDAY! A number of early exercises will get students familiar with the use of Lotus Notes and the internet. Students must be facile with these two systems in order to send and receive messages and to access information quickly.
By the third week of the simulation, students will be assigned to one of the political parties in the Republic of Ruritania. During the following three weeks, they will then need to:
2) create a distribution list of all class members;
3) go through the Ruritania WebPage to discover information about the country;
4) decide on expenditures for developing organizations in the electoral districts; and
5) research and eventually develop the manifesto of their party.
In approximately the seventh week, the symbolic head of the Ruritanian state, Prince Brian, will announce the date of the election. Parties will then be allowed to expend their resources during the campaign in such areas as investing in organization, buying research information on the 11 electioral districts of Ruritania, and expending money on
advertising.
After the announcement of the outcome of the elections, the symbolic head of state, Prince Brian, will ask the leader of the party with a plurality of votes in the National Constituent Assembly to form a coalition government. The student and her/his party normally have three days to develop a coalition, reach agreement on the distribution of ministries, and reach agreement on the basic issues which dominated the electoral campaign. When agreement is reached, the new government is installed during the opening of the National Constituent Assembly. For the remainder of the semester, the coalition develops policies in response to problems that arise in country.