How does it help us? The contemplative pause refers to designed moments in the classroom where students can pause, observe, feel their own emotions, and notice their reactions. It includes practices of metaposition.

  Karen offers some practices such as short pauses during lectures or discussions and asking students to notice their internal responses and feelings before moving on,and practices to integrate somatic or emotional awareness; mindfulness, noticing the body, breath, moments of silence. And of course, she asked the students for some survey data, and students reported that they valued the pauses/reflections, and that they helped with attention and emotional processing.

  Karen Litfin also invites all teachers to use this kind of technique so it would be easier for all students to succeed.

   We all know that learning skills help us learn, gain knowledge effectively, and apply what we have learned. So, what do learning skills include? Learning skills include critical thinking, creativity, communication, active listening, self-management, and more.

  There are many kinds of learning skills that help people understand new information and solve problems. For example, active listening helps students understand lectures better, while collaboration allows team members to complete projects efficiently. These skills are very important because they prepare us for success in school, university, work, and everyday life. I think everybody should work on improving their learning skills. Even if you don’t have certain learning skills, such as memorizing information, active listening, collaboration, or analyzing, you can develop them by practicing consistently and seriously.

   In short, learning skills are vital tools that everyone can develop and use to achieve their goals.

Key terms:institutions,anarchy.

Paraphrase:

the quote “self-help and power politics are institutions… not essential features of anarchy” from The False Promise of International Institutions by John J. Mearsheimer. John means In international relations, anarchy means there is no world government above states, and institutions are rules or organizations like the UN or NATO that are supposed to help states cooperate.This quote is important because it shows Mearsheimer’s main argument. He says that even though the world is anarchic, states don’t have to fight or compete just because there is no higher authority. Instead, states choose to behave in self-help and power-seeking ways, and over time these behaviors become like “institutions” or normal patterns. In other words, power politics is not forced by anarchy ,it’s created by states themselves.

This connects to the whole text because Mearsheimer argues that international institutions are weak and cannot change how states really act. He believes states will always focus on survival, security, and power, no matter what institutions say. That’s why he calls it the “false promise”,people think institutions bring peace, but in reality, power and self-interest control international politics.

In short, the book explains that cooperation is limited, conflict is natural, and institutions do not have the power to stop states from acting in their own interests.

Key terms:group, common interests.

Paraphrase:

The quote “the larger the group, the less it will further its common interests” from Theory of International Politics by Kenneth N. Waltz . Waltz explains that when many states try to work together, it becomes harder for them to achieve their shared goals. This happens because bigger groups face more problems coordinating their actions, and the interests of each state may not match perfectly. In other words, the more members there are in a group, the more difficult it is for everyone to agree and act in the same way. This idea connects to Waltz’s main argument that the structure of the international system especially anarchy, where there is no world government,limits how states behave. Even though alliances, or institutions exist, they cannot fully control what states do. States still act mainly to protect their own security and interests. This shows why cooperation between many countries is often difficult, and why the international system naturally encourages self-help and competition.

Key terms:power, no escape.

Paraphrase:

This quote is from The False Promise of International Institutions by John J. Mearsheimer. Mearsheimer is saying that in international politics, power is always present and cannot be avoided. Even if states try to cooperate or create institutions like the UN, power still controls how they behave. States always worry about their own security and try to gain advantages over others, which leads to competition and conflict.

Key words: mind, education-learning, process.

Paraphrase:

Litfin is explaining that our mind is always learning something new and taking in new knowledge and information. It learns and understands new things by thinking and reflecting, not just memorizing facts. To fully understand information , we always need to analyze, ask questions, apply and evaluate. As Liftin said, learning is an active process. Our mind is not just empty container to be filled with facts, it takes time to understand everything clearly

This quote shows how the world works with the international system. There are two main ways to look at how countries act. The first is analytic scheme. It is a tool to study and understand how countries behave and interact. The second is postulate. It is a basic idea about how the world works and explains why countries act the way they do. This is important because it shows that the system decides what countries do, not just the leaders or government. Waltz says that countries always try to survive and protect themselves because there is no world government.For example, even small countries build armies or make friends with stronger countries to protect themselves. Another example is that countries often form alliances when one country becomes too powerful.

Academic Reading

Key terms: Structure, existence/casual powers, process

Paraphrase:Wendt argues that "structure" doesn't act on its own or independently. It only exists because of ongoing social interaction. That means that things like ruler or power in international politics are not fixed, they only happen because people keep doing things that create and keep them in place.

Key terms: Anarchy, states, make of it.

Paraphrase: In his quote, Wendt try to explain that anarchy in international politics doesn't mean a world of conflict or chaos. Because it comes by action of states.it becomes what states going to treat it .If states will cooperate with each other, anarchy can be peaceful.But if states will fight or threat to each other, then anarchy becomes dangerous.

Key terms:Recognized patterns of behavior / practice, expectations, convergence

Paraphrase:

In this qoute ,Mearsheimer is saying that international institutions exist because states notice common ways of acting (recognized patterns of behavior).These practices or actions help states allow states to give clear expectations about how other states are going to act, what they will do next. That means that they know what to expect from others. And finally,their expectations become converge,meaning that they actually were predictable.

Paraphrase:

Mills argues that the sociological imagination allows us to see the connection between our personal lives and broader historical and social forces. In other words, our personal experiences are not just private matters, they are also shaped by the society and historical period in which we live.

Key terms: realist model, rational egoism.

Paraphrase: Keohane explains that he is using a realist approach, which means that states act in their own self-interest. This idea called "rational egoism", means that states make decisions to gain the most benefit for themselves rather than for moral or altruistic reasons. By starting with this assumption, Keohane shows that even when states act selfishly, international cooperation is still possible through institutions and repeated interactions that encourage predictable and coordinated behavior.

Key words: Contemplative pause, not a magic potion, an adventure.

Paraphrase:

Litfin explains that taking time for thoughtful reflection doesn't happen quickly. Instead, it is like a journey, an active process of exploration and discovery that can help us better understand ourselves, our choices, and the world around us.

Paraphrase:

Waltz is saying that when the model of a real system was made make, the model usually shows the shape or structure of how things are connected. But it doesn't include all the real details.

Paraphrase:

Kenneth explains a reductionist theory focuses on understanding a system by studying the actions and interactions of its individual parts, rather than analyzing the system as a whole.

Paraphrase:

Wright Mills explains that the sociological imagination helps us see the difference between "personal troubles"the problems we experience in our own lives, and "public issues" the problems that affect many people and are shaped by society. This way of thinking shows that what might seem like a private difficulty is often connected to larger social forces.

Paraphrase:

Mills argues that the greatest threat to people doesn’t come from outside forces, but from their own inner impulses and hidden destructive tendencies that can be difficult to control.

Key terms: Strong liberals, constructivists, smoke and heat, epistemology.

Paraphrase:

Alexandar wanted to show us that these scholars could actually learn something new from each other,but often they do not do like that.Because of complicated and heated debate about their own knowledge and methods.

If they could find a compromise or could look past these epistemological arguments, they would see how much their perspectives can complement each other.

Paraphrase:

Mills explains that we cannot understand fully the person's individual life on its own , we also cannot understand society on its own. We only can understand them by looking both of them.That means we should try to understand how they connected and shape each other .

Key terms: Political realism, objective laws, human nature.

Paraphrase:

Morgenthau is saying that political realism is based on real, unchanging rules that come from basic human nature. In other words, the way politics works is shaped by how humans naturally think and act. For instance, their desire for power and self-interest.

Key words: Perpetual peace, no empty idea, task, successive approximations.

Paraphrase:

Kant wants to say that the world peace isn't just an unrealistic idea (like dream or wish),it is a goal (task) that people want to achieve. It won't happen immediately, instead Kant is saying that it will come true step by step.

Key terms: modern sovereign, leisure time, slaying.

Paraphrase:

Kant is saying that modern leaders no longer enjoy wars, violence like killing people.They're different from rulers in the past. Modern leaders do not spent their free time (leisure time) for just killing others or watching how others are being killed.

Paraphrase:

Morgenthau says that before we can make society better, we must first understand how it really works. If we don’t understand the rules and forces that shape society, we won’t be able to improve it in a meaningful way.

Key terms: Political realism, theoretical element, normative element.

Paraphrase:

Morgenthau is explaining that political realism is not just a theory that explains how politics works, but it also includes ideas about how leaders should behave and what kind of political actions are responsible.

Paraphrase:

Litfin argues that the mind can think about itself. It can notice not just what it’s thinking or feeling, but also how it is paying attention. In other words, the mind can step back and observe the way it observes.

Paraphrase:

Waltz shows that a theory is a tool that explains how this world works, but it is not the same thing as the real world itself. Even though a theory helps us understand the events, it is always separate from the actual reality.

Key words: Critical theorists, changing state behavior, security competition and war, pluralistic security community.

Paraphrase:

Mearsheimer explains the goal of critical theorists. He shows that critical theorists want to change state's behavior to positive side. That means they want to move away from a world dominated by rivalry and world with conflict, instead of, they want to create a world where every state work together, share security and live peacefully.

Key terms: Law, force, war, pursue the right.

Paraphrase: Kant is trying to show us that law and moral principle more important than using force, even during war.According to him, a war is justified only if it is fought to uphold what is right, not for selfish or aggressive reasons.

Key terms: Cooperation, hegemonic power declines, international regimes, expectations of continuity, reduce uncertainty.

Paraphrase:

Keohane is saying that countries can continue to work together even after the most powerful state becomes weaker. As long as international rules and institutions help countries trust that cooperation will continue and give them clear information, cooperation can still survive and remain stable.

Paraphrase:

Litfin wants to say us that there is always something new and uncertainty when we start to move into something new. Also there are always risks. I don't know what is going to happen and the outcomes don't guaranteed. And some challenges are possible too.

Paraphrase:

Keohane argues when one powerful country takes the lead, it can help bring stability and organization to the international system by creating clear rules and predictable behavior.

Key terms: property paranoia, extreme wealth, sense that everyone is plotting, easily triggered.

Paraphrase:

Monbiot shows that when a person gets really wealthy,he afraid of losing his money and property, like everyone does. They think that other people want to take away their property and these fear can appear very easily.

Mearsheimer is best known for developing the neorealist (or structural realist) theory of offensive realism, which describes the interaction between great powers as being primarily driven by the rational desire to achieve regional hegemony in an anarchic international system. In accordance with his theory, in the 2001 book The Tragedy of Great Power Politics, Mearsheimer says that China's growing power will likely bring it into conflict with the United States.

In his 2007 book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, Mearsheimer argues that the Israel lobby wields disproportionate influence over U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. His more recent work focuses on criticism of the "liberal international order" (laid down in his 2018 book The Great Delusion: Liberal Dreams and International Realities) and why he believes that the West is to blame for the Russo-Ukrainian War.

The Guardian. After studying zoology at Oxford, he began his career as an investigative journalist before becoming a prominent author and activist focusing on topics like climate change, rewilding, and neoliberalism. His work includes best-selling books likeFeralandHeat, and viral videos such as "How Wolves Change Rivers".