Introduction
Essay Topics: Find some tentative
examples of topics below. Students are to write on any (one) of these topics
below (with some modest
adjustments e.g., the country of focus, if necessary).
Some essays have two
parts i.e., for or against an issue. Students are at liberty to write their
essays to support either perspective.
Any student who prefers
an alternative topic must seek prior approval from the instructor.
These alternative topics MUST be on a
weekly theme discussed in class or on the course outline.
Tentative Essay Topics (Choose one of the topics below)
1. Assessing
why a government with a female majority and female leadership (may) act
differently than governments dominated by men.
2. Assessing
the impact of multiculturalism on Canada’s democracy. Has it been beneficial?
3. Assessing
why political parties are important to safeguarding (Canada’s) democracy.
Instructions and
Guidelines
·
Essay Length: 1000 – 1200 words, excluding footnotes/endnotes and
bibliography.
·
All cited works must be
properly referenced. This includes the course textbook, if
consulted. Wikipedia,
Dictionary.com and Britannica.com ARE NOT academic sources.
·
Lecture slides are based
on the required texts for each week, as such, any reference to materials
found on slides can be traced to the source i.e., the reading text. Students
must therefore consult the reading material, and cite it as such, and NOT the
lecture slide.
- APA,
MLA, or Chicago citation manual is accepted. - Font:
Times New Roman, 12 – point font and double spaced. - Make
sure that the essay title is indicated on the cover page. - Take
note- a cover page must be inserted with relevant information
(student name, course code and Student number). All
pages must be numbered. - There
will be a 5% (per day) penalty on late submissions.Criteria
Comments
Points
Argument/ thesis, discussion of key themes and
structure of the Essay
What is the argument
being made? Is there a clear thesis? Is the thesis supported
sufficiently? Are the arguments rooted in key texts (primary text/ weekly
discussions in class), are the themes and concepts adequately discussed? Are
the nuances within a concept discernible within the argument presented?Are the arguments
coherent? Is the essay well structured (an introduction -with a clear
thesis; a body – discussion of key themes & rooted in required
text; a discernible conclusion); intra paragraph coherence (are the
sentences within each paragraph building upon each other? Is there a flow of
argument?); inter paragraph coherence (are paragraphs well structured? Do
they build on each other? Is there a logical flow of arguments? Are
paragraphs interlinked?Page numbering, title
page with relevant information9
Use of Sources
Did the essay engage
the primary text? Did the student consult external ACADEMIC sources? Are the
citations well done? Is there a reference list/ bibliography at the end of
the essay? Take note- A
minimum of three (3) academic sources must be consulted in developing your arguments.3
Grammar, spelling and Punctuation
Is the essay littered
with spelling errors? Are there any significant grammatical errors, are
sentences well structured (take note of incoherent arguments, awkward
sentences); punctuation (use of commas to enhance fluidity of essay, periods
at the end of sentences, caps at the beginning of sentences)3
Total
15
Additional Info
Late submission
Penalized 5% per day
(unless proof of documented illness, and other extenuating circumstances).
Instructor’s discretion will be applied to each case, and students MUST
contact instructor before deadline of assignment.-5% per day
Exceeding word limit
Any excess beyond
10% of the required word count will be penalized.1 – 2 points deduction