Description
About
SIM – Bridging is an Assignment where you explain how the Political Actor you are representing thinks abstractly, strategically, and tactically. Additionally, you are asked to explain the connection between the status quo and network by answering three questions.
Estimated Time
An estimated 2 hours is needed to complete this activity.
Political Actors think Abstractly, Strategically, and Tactically
Political actors are not just conceptual objects that bounce around and connect in our minds. Political actors exist in the real world in the form of individuals and institutions.
Political Actors in the real world think abstractly, strategically, and tactically.
ThinkingLinks to an external site. means employ one’s mind rationally and objectively in evaluating or dealing with a given situation.
While abstractlyLinks to an external site. means something that concentrates in itself the essential qualities of anything more extensive or more general, or of several things; essence.
StrategyLinks to an external site. means a plan, method, or series of maneuvers or stratagems for obtaining a specific goal or result. So, thinking strategically means employing one’s mind rationally and objectively towards a plan, method, or series of stratagems for obtaining a specific result.
Lastly, tacticsLinks to an external site. means any mode of procedure (i.e. the plan, method, or series of stratagems) for gaining advantage or success.
Example of a Non-Political Actor Thinking
Imagine a non-political actor, say yourself.
What is at least one abstract idea you think about? Let’s say the idea is love ❤️.
With this abstract idea of love ❤️ in our mind, what would be a strategy to achieve this abstract idea?
A few strategies arrive in our mind, such as learning how to write poems ✒️, or learning how to bake heart-shaped cookies , or how to grow bridge red roses .
Now, that we have some strategies, the question is what do we think about tactically? Well, it’s about translating these strategies into concrete action steps.
So, it’s maybe taking a creative writing course, submitting draft poems for review, and reading them out loud to your teacher and classmates.
It could be finding a step-by-step recipe for cookies, buying the needed ingredients, and following the measurement and mixing steps.
Or, it be visiting to your local nursery and taking a 1-hour course on successfully planting, growing, and trimming roses.
Bridging Concepts of the Status Quo and Network
In addition to considering how your represented political actor thinks abstractly, strategically, and tactically, we also can bring together the conceptual objects of the status quo and network together.
Now, you can think about how your represented Political Actor would bridge the status quo and network together, or you can personally consider how to bridge the status quo and network together.
The idea of bridging together the status quo and network may imply “adding” the ideas in your mind. However, bridging can also be down by “subtracting”, “dividing”, or “multiplying” the concepts together.
Instructions
Step 1: Respond to 3 Questions about what your Political Actor Thinks Abstractly, Strategically, and Tactically About and Why
I’d like for you to consider how your Political Actor you chose to represent thinks abstractly, strategically, and tactically.
Please answer the following three questions:
What does your Political Actor think abstractly about and why?
What does you Political Actor think strategically about and why?
What does your Political Actor think tactically about and why?
These are open-ended questions with no “right” or “wrong” answer, so please be creative, use your imagination, and don’t overthink it.
Step 2: Respond to 3 Questions about Bridging the Status Quo and Network
Remember that the status quo is defined as the “current state of affairs” where there are keepers and changers. And we can have the status quo on 1-dimension, 2-dimensions, or 3-dimensions policy space.
Furthermore, recall how a network can be organized and relationships between political actors can be denoted either as positive, neutral, or negative.
In the context of the simulation, please answer the following three questions:
Why is it important to keep the concept of the status quo and the concept of the network distinct?
Why is it important to bridge the concept of the status quo and the concept of the network together?
How can you bridge the status quo and network together?
These are open-ended questions with no “right” or “wrong” answer, so please be creative, use your imagination, and don’t overthink it.
