PSCI 4002: Western European Politics (Honors)

Fall 2006

Short Paper Guidelines

If you have chosen writing option #1, you will be required to submit four short papers per the schedule on the course syllabus. These guidelines aim to spell out what I expect for this assignment.

The aim of the short paper assignments is to encourage you to think analytically about each of the main course topics (EU history, EU institutions, EU politics/policy/polity, and institutional analysis of the EU). The papers are aimed at articulating, developing and scrutinizing an argument. This is *not* a descriptive paper recapitulating facts covered in readings and discussions. Instead, I want you to think about the topic at hand; develop you own ideas about how it is best conceived or explained; set forth those ideas concisely and logically; and scrutinize those ideas (in terms of alternative ideas and evidence).

The short papers are thus compact exercises in argumentation. They need to be clear, concise, logical and forceful.

Here are some of the nuts and bolts. Failure to respect these requirements will result in point deductions.

• You must have a title page (not included in your page total) which provides a descriptive title (something other than “short paper #x”) and your name. Your name should not appear anywhere else in the paper.
• Papers must be double-spaced, in 12-point font, with normal margins, paginated, and spell-checked.
• Do not bind the papers other than with a staple at the top-left corner.

In terms of structure, the only requirements are as follows.

• You must have an introductory paragraph comprised of four elements: 1) mood music; 2) thesis/argument; 3) plan/outline; 4) implications. This should be very brief, certainly not more than a page.
• You must have a concluding section which summarizes the arguments and findings and identifies implications.
• You are otherwise free to structure your paper as you see fit, but let me emphasize that I strongly favor a logical and transparent structure (e.g., with subheadings).

The topics of each paper will reflect where it arises in the course of the semester. Paper #1 will be on the topic of the history of European integration. Paper #2 will deal with EU institutions. Paper #3 should treat EU politics, polity and policy. Paper #4 will engage institutional-theoretic approaches to the EU.