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Key Learning Area
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Achievement
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Comments
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Australia/US Relations
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B +
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Kevin has maintained pleasing results in this area of study, which is one of the most important in the curriculum. He has worked especially hard on his assignment aimed at maintaining a good relationship with his American counterpart. However, in his enthusiasm to please, the frequency of his telephone contact has become a source of private complaint. Sound progress has been maintained in most areas of mutual interest, though Kevin’s project on the war in Afghanistan looms as a part of the subject requiring greater attention. His aversion to risk has the potential to affect his results over the longer term. Kevin needs to remember that low risk often yields low returns. Overall though, an encouraging performance.
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Australia/China Relations
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D
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A disappointing result since this was once Kevin’s best subject. While he did begin to show improvement towards the end of the year, it was all too little, too late. Kevin’s dismal year can perhaps be explained by his inability to grasp key course objectives, most notably the need for clarity of strategic thinking. Early in the year, Kevin’s assignments seemed calculated to make himself popular, but later his Defence White Paper project was marked by confusing strategic analysis, overly ambitious force design and a poor grasp of defence accounting. His handling of the Stern Hu assignment displayed a wanton lack of diligence, and all year he struggled to come to terms with his free trade studies. In addition, he made a number of significant errors in the public communication component of the course. Kevin needs to think seriously about his approach to this subject and strive for an improved performance in 2010.
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DFAT Project Management
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F
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Kevin’s disappointing result can be attributed almost entirely to idle neglect. He has allocated so little time and resources to this subject, that hopes of a credible performance were entirely unrealistic and his failure thoroughly predictable. Some of his assignments, like his appointment of an Australian ambassador to the Holy See and the Borrowman debacle, were poorly thought out. The idea, in one project, that DFAT should do a great deal more work with simultaneous cuts to resources, was as threatening to the Department’s morale and professionalism as it was a danger to the national interest. This is disappointing because Kevin has promised many times in the past that he would try to take this subject more seriously. In sum, Kevin’s mismanagement and underachievement in this subject area is deeply alarming. The school’s high hopes that Kevin would lift the class average in this subject have been misplaced. He would be well advised to seek some tutoring before the next year’s classes begin.
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Multilateral Cooperation: Global
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A
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Kevin has been very eager to please in this course. He has worked well with others on the group assignment relating to the global financial crisis and the G20. In the latter case, he very commendably drew on the work of his predecessors. His Security Council project has yet to be completed, but he is being diligent – although there are already some disturbing signs that he has become obsessed with it. His willingness to devote time and energy (and apparently unlimited resources) to the assignment on nuclear proliferation may yet prove to have been sensible. By contrast, his global warming project is unravelling and looks certain to remain incomplete. This is clearly one of Kevin’s favourite subjects and not surprisingly he devotes a great deal of time, energy and resources to it. He needs to remember, however, that not every problem in international affairs is best managed through multilateralism, that often bilateralism is preferable, and that becoming preoccupied with structure and process is dangerous.
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Multilateral Cooperation: Regional
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C
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Kevin is a very determined and enthusiastic student in this area of study. He has hurled himself into the major project – on the Asia Pacific Community, but did so, at least initially, with a disturbing lack of preparation and consultation. He has had to adjust his ambitions, but in doing so, he will need to confront the harsh reality that the assignment as originally conceived may no longer be workable. If it is to be retrieved, he will need to listen more carefully to others and be more realistic about outcomes. Kevin seems not to welcome advice at odds with his own views, and does not easily accept failure. These could prove to be a considerable liability in a subject where doing well requires an emphasis on cooperation and accommodation in a field where discordant voices are notoriously difficult to reconcile.
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Australia/Indonesia Relations
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C
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Kevin seems to have thought that he could coast through this course with little effort. As a result, he was struggling to make up ground at the end of the year. This is one of the most important subjects in the curriculum, and one in which active fieldwork is a necessity for success. Kevin’s preference for a few brief visits, some on the way to other places, is not enough. His handling of the last exam (on the topic of the Oceanic Viking) was extremely poor. It demonstrated a weak understanding of Indonesian politics and society, and a regrettable preoccupation for megaphone diplomacy. Whether Kevin has learned anything from this experience and whether he can lift his grade, has yet to be seen. Overall, a disappointing result for a student with a background in diplomacy and a reputation for understanding Australia’s Asian neighbourhood.
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Australia/India Relations
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B -
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Kevin seems to comprehend the importance of this subject, but with his attention often focused elsewhere he has struggled to achieve consistent results. His assignment on Indian students was sloppy and submitted late. A failure to prioritise successfully also saw a crucial fieldwork visit left until far too late in the year. Kevin seemed to hope that he could escape criticism for his performance with rhetorical bluster. A case in point was his uranium sales project, which is a key part of the subject and needs to be mastered by every student. Kevin’s inclination to allow some of his more left-leaning class mates to dominate his thinking in this area poses a long-term threat to his success. This subject is becoming an increasingly important part of the curriculum, but Kevin is being held back. He has the potential to achieve better results, but a more conscientious attitude to his work is required if it is to be realised. An overall mediocre result, reflecting a rather feckless attention to deadlines and details.
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Australia/Japan Relations
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B
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Kevin has been slow to appreciate the importance of this subject. Lack of serious application to the course has caused some worry outside the school, especially in Japan, and his assignments on topics such as whaling and relations with China have been untidy and poorly researched. His free trade project only moves ahead in fits and starts. The advent of a new government in Japan may give Kevin the impetus he needs to give more serious attention to this subject; certainly his recent field trip is encouraging in this regard. But it is difficult to avoid the impression that for Kevin this is not a subject particularly close to his key interests. If this is true he needs to recalibrate, because the Australian State School regards it as a key component of its curriculum.
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