PSCI 2223 (Spring 2006)

Introduction to International Relations

Professor Jupille[1]

 

Research Essay Assignment

 

The research essay assignment affords you the opportunity to dig deeply into a particular topic of relevance to our course, to analyze the issue, and to communicate your analysis in writing.  This assignment counts for twenty percent of the overall grade for this course, so you should be prepared to invest a significant effort in researching and writing it.

 

Your assignment is as follows:

 

  1. First, choose a topic and conduct preliminary research on the topic.
  2. Second, write a brief essay proposal.
  3. Third, submit a first draft of your essay.
  4. Fourth, revise your essay and submit a final version at the end of the course.

 

The goal of this four-step process is not to make unnecessary work for you, but rather, to guide you through the process of developing and refining your essay.

 

Here are the details:

 

STEP 1: CHOOSE A TOPIC

 

The broad topic for the essay is the following: How well do Realism and/or Liberalism explain events in International Relations?  Working with your TA, you will have to choose an event or set of events and analyze it/them using these dominant theories of International Relations.

 

There are many potential topics, such as:

 

  • the Iraq War;
  • the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;
  • transnational terrorism;
  • global warming or other global environmental issues;
  • the Darfur genocide, human rights, humanitarian intervention, etc.
  • regional/international institutions (e.g., UN, WTO, IMF, World Bank, EU)
  • nuclear proliferation (e.g., Iran, North Korea, etc.);
  • etc., etc.

 

These are just a few examples.  Feel free to define a topic appropriate to yourself, in conjunction with your TA or me.  Once you have chosen a topic, you should go to the library and spend a few hours on preliminary research so that you will be ready to move to Step 2.

 

STEP 2: ESSAY PROPOSAL

 

You must write a brief essay proposal (less than one page) in which you do the following:

 

  • First, identify the specific event or set of events that your essay will address.
  • Second, state whether you think this is best explained using realist or liberal theory.  Present a hypothesis, or provisional answer.
  • Third, identify the sources of information that you will examine to evaluate the validity of your hypothesis. Note: for your final draft, you must cite at least ten non-class sources; internet sources can comprise no more than half of your references.  Failure to respect this requirement will result in a 1/3 grade reduction.
  • Fourth, identify alternative arguments and state what kind of evidence would prove or disprove your hypothesis.

 

Don’t worry if your proposal is a bit rough. Just address these tasks as best you can.

 

You are required to submit an essay proposal to your TA at your recitation during the week of February 13th. Your TA will probably tell you to narrow your topic down even further and can also make specific suggestions about how best to frame your paper.

 

Failure to submit a proposal on time will result in a 1/3 grade reduction in your final paper grade.

 

STEP 3: FIRST DRAFT

 

Based on the feedback you receive on your proposal, you will then proceed to researching and writing the entire essay. During this period, you are welcome (but not required) to continue consulting with your TA and/or the professor.

 

As you do your research, bear in mind that your final paper should include the following elements:

 

  • a clear argument; and
  • appropriate and sufficient evidence to support your argument; and
  • serious consideration of alternative arguments or explanations.

 

A few words about structuring your paper:

 

A good paper is one that is built around a clear structure, so you should outline the main points of your paper before you start writing. It’s easier to overhaul your outline than it is to overhaul a fully-written essay, so spend some time thinking about the structure of your paper before you launch into the writing.

 

Your paper should have a clear introduction (conforming to the specific guidelines below), a body (in which you flesh out your argument with evidence, and consider alternative arguments), and a conclusion (in which you summarize your argument and findings and “open” the essay to consideration of broader themes).

 

A few words about WRITING your paper:

 

I require an “introductory paragraph” conforming to the guidelines that I have posted.  It must introduce the topic, state the main argument of the essay, set forth the plan by which the essay unfolds, and state the essay’s conclusion.  In brief, after having read the first paragraph, your reader should know *precisely* what the paper is about, its main claims, how it unfolds, and where it will end up.

 

Write the paper in coherent paragraphs. Each paragraph should flow naturally and logically from the previous paragraph, and on to the next paragraph, following a clear train of argument.

 

Good writing is clear writing. Write in simple, declarative sentences. Use the active voice, not the passive voice.  (For advice on style, click here.)

 

Feel free to quote from books, articles or experts, but do not waste space with very lengthy quotations – briefly paraphrase these passages instead.

 

For a compendium of common writing errors, click here.

 

For advice on overcoming writer’s block, click here.

 

A few words about acknowledging and citing sources:

 

Every time you use somebody else’s ideas or words, you must acknowledge the source of the information (unless the information is common knowledge).  See the discussion of plagiarism below for more information.

 

You may acknowledge these sources by using footnotes, endnotes, or in-text notes. Don’t get hung up on details of citation style: what really matters is (1) that you cite your sources in such a way that readers can identify your sources and check your facts, and (2) that you use the same citation style throughout the paper. (For examples of different citation styles, click here. When citing Internet sources that do not have printed equivalents, identify the author, document title, Internet address, and the date that you retrieved the document.)

 

Append a bibliography at the end of the paper, and include all the sources that you used in writing the paper.

 

A few words about plagiarism:

 

University policy: Using another's ideas or words without acknowledgment may result in a failing grade for a particular assignment, a failing grade for the course, and/or suspension for various lengths of time or permanent expulsion from the university.  Examples of plagiarism may include:  failing to use quotation marks when quoting from a source; failing to document distinctive ideas from a source; fabricating or inventing sources; and copying information from computer-based sources such as the Internet.

 

Follow these helpful guidelines if you have any doubt about what constitutes plagiarism.  When in doubt, cite your source.

 

You may not submit the same work for credit in two different courses unless you obtain permission from the professors teaching both courses.

 

Obviously, submitting an essay that was written or researched by somebody else, or obtained from an essay-writing service, is prohibited.

 

Submitting Your Draft:

 

When you have completed the first draft of your essay, re-read it for clarity, grammar, spelling and punctuation.

 

Print your essay double-spaced in a normal font (e.g., 12-point Times New Roman), number the pages, put your name and student number and the name of your TA on the title page, and staple all the pages together.  Your research essay should have a title other than “Research Essay”.  Try to think of something catchy that interests the reader but also speaks to the themes of the essay.

 

You are required to submit the first draft at your regularly scheduled recitation during the week of March 13th.  Failure to submit your first draft at that time will result in a 1/3 grade reduction in your final grade for the essay.

 

STEP 4: FINAL VERSION

 

Based on the comments that your TA provides on your first draft, you will revise your essay and produce a final version.  Your TA may instruct you to do additional research or substantially rework the paper.

 

When you are done, print your essay double-spaced in a normal font, number the pages, put your name and student number and the name of your TA on the title page, and staple all the pages together. Append a bibliography. Also, please include a word count of your entire paper on the title page (click here if you don’t know how to do a word count).

 

The final version of the research essay is due in lecture on Wednesday, May 3rd, at the start of class. It must be between 2,000 and 3,000 words in length.

 

We will use the following criteria to evaluate the research essays:

 

Argument 40%

Evidence 40%

Writing 20%

persuasive or unpersuasive

specific or vague

well written or poorly written

clear or unclear

accurate or inaccurate

grammar is correct

sophisticated or superficial

relevant or irrelevant

spelling is correct

considers alternative arguments

thorough or incomplete

formatting follows guidelines

 

organized or disorganized

 

 

Your final research essay grade will also reflect the quality and timeliness of submission of your first draft, proposal and final paper.

 

LATENESS POLICY

 

Final research essays submitted after the start of class on Wednesday, May 3rd will be subject to deductions according to the following schedule:

 

Papers turned in after 10:00 a.m. but before the end of class

1/3 grade (3 pts.)

Papers turned in after 10:50 a.m. but before 5 p.m. on the due date

2/3 grade (6 pts.)

Papers turned after 5 p.m. on the due date, but before noon on the following day

1 full grade (10 pts.)

Papers turned in after noon on the day after the due date

1 1/3grades (13 pts.)

Papers turned in anytime on the second day after the due date

2 full grades (20 pts.)

Papers turned in anytime on the third day after the due date

3 full grades (30 pts.)

Papers turned in anytime on the fourth day after the due date

4 full grades (40 pts.)

… and so forth

…

 

Heavy workloads, bad planning, oversights, and computer malfunctions are not acceptable excuses for lateness. If your explanation is medical, you must provide a doctor’s note explaining why it was impossible for you to complete the assignment by the due date.

 

SUMMARY

 

Like your university experience more generally, writing a paper affords you the opportunity to engage important issues, to come to your own understanding of their contours and importance and to communicate that understanding with maximum effectiveness.  Take it seriously and do your very best, but also enjoy the process.  Please feel free to speak to your TA or me as you proceed.

 

Good luck!


[1] Substantially borrowing from Professor Roland Paris, whose substantial contribution is acknowledged.