Final Paper Assignment
Due date: MARCH 27th
The purpose of the final paper is for you to conduct research and prepare a paper on one particular aspect of Peace & Conflict Studies that you find most interesting or compelling. You are welcome to choose any topic. One good way of choosing a topic is to look through the syllabus and/or the textbook and find something that sounds fascinating to you.
However, you are required to clear your topic with me before beginning work. This is because I often find that students choose topics that are either far too broad to complete satisfactorily in the time available or too narrow to be able to find a sufficient number of sources to study. Submitting your topic for my approval means that I will be able to check your idea before you start writing, which significantly decreases the likelihood that you will be able to write a decent paper. If your topic is not appropriate or not doable, I will ask you to select a new one.
The deadline for submitting your paper topic is February 20, but I strongly encourage you to do so sooner.
FINAL PAPER GUIDELINES
The final paper is subject to the following guidelines.
- Length: The final paper should be 6-8 pages of text (double-spaced, 12-point font, normal margins). Cover pages, bibliographies, maps, illustrations, etc. DO NOT count against your page limit, but they are welcome (and a bibliography is required). Please number your pages. Please do not include a “cover page” or an “abstract” or anything like that.
- Sources: Whatever topic you choose to write about must be something that can be verified through citations, so you’ll need to provide me with at least TEN good sources (Wikipedia and random websites do not count). These sources can be serious online resources (including reputable news sources, nonprofit organizations, governmental site, etc., but not just someone’s personal website, social media account, or some random blog), books, scholarly articles, etc., but at least FIVE OF YOUR TEN SOURCES must be books or academic articles. You’ll need to cite them and put them in a bibliography at the end of your post. If you’re unclear whether something is a “good” source or not, please feel free to contact me. Please use APA to cite your sources.
- Due date: Your papers will be due on MARCH 27th at 11:59 pm. Late papers will not be accepted.
OTHER IMPORTANT GUIDELINES:
Your term paper will have to have some kind of argument or thesis (if you are unsure about how to write a thesis statement, please contact the Writing Center).
Example: “American immigration policy at the US-Mexico border is driven more by nativism than by economic concerns.” You would then present your case, using evidence, and demonstrate why the counter-argument (for example, that economic concerns drive border policy).
A mundane list of facts and events does not make for an interesting paper. This means that that you will have to make some kind of claim or argument in the paper. However, this does not mean I just want an opinion piece or a “rant.” You will need to back your claims up with solid and convincing evidence and compelling reasoning. Simply stating that you believe something to be true does not mean it is true or convincing. Furthermore, try to avoid normative language like “good” or “bad,” “unjust” or “wrong.” These are value judgements and it’s better to let the facts speak for themselves. Your job is to convince a skeptical reader that your argument is correct, not just to voice your personal opinion.
Finally, focus your argument. If you try to argue too many different points, you’ll wind up not being able to say much about any of them.
Example: If you write about importance of changes in American immigration policy over time, you’ll have to do more than tell me that it happened and then proceed to give me a timeline of what events happened – you’ll also have to tell me (for instance) why it is important to questions of identity, how changes in the border reflected political changes in the country or the world, and why that matters. You will have to back up whatever you say with evidence and facts.
Example: If you write about the US-Mexico border, you need to do more than say (for example) “I think that American policy at the border is racist and it separates families, which is wrong. So US border policy is unjust.” A better way to frame this argument might be to argue that the border policy has historically be driven more by racial concerns than economic ones. The family separation issue, furthermore, is a separate issue. If you want to talk about the issue of racism in US border policy, talk about that. If you want to talk about family separation, talk about that. Trying to talk about both means you’ll spread yourself too thin (because there is a mountain of literature written about both issues, for one thing, and for another you only have 6-8 pages!)
NOTE ON SOURCES:
One goal of this paper is to teach you how to evaluate sources, which is a crucial skill not just for students, but for people who are aspiring to professional careers as well. Knowing which sources are “good” sources and which sources might be more unreliable means that you’ll be able to discern when someone is making a good argument (during a political debate, for example) and when someone is merely trying to manipulate you or simply being dishonest. Learning to evaluate sources is key to developing this skill.
Importantly, I’d like you to find sources outside of what we’ve read for this class. It’s fine to cite a textbook once or twice, but you also need to go well beyond just what I have already given you: this is a research paper, which means you’ll have to do some research.
Since the appropriateness of your sources will be part of your grade, I encourage everyone to read the following guide, particularly if you don’t have a lot of experience doing research:
Also, I urge everyone to visit the WSU library (in person or virtually) and talk to a librarian about your project. They will likely be of major assistance to you. There are some research guides at this link that may be of use to you, but they’re no substitute for talking to a real librarian:
http://guides.lib.wayne.edu/Links to an external site.
Many students try to submit papers using only random websites that came up at the top of a Google or library web search. This is not acceptable and is usually quite obvious. Many of you have may not have ever for scholarly articles during your time as a student, but learning how to do this will significantly improve your ability to conduct research, both in this class and in other classes you will take. You can find some information on how to do this here: http://ask.lib.wayne.edu/a.php?qid=11109Links to an external site.
I also strongly advise you to visit the library and talk to a librarian for help on identifying good sources and doing research. Helping students is part of their job, so take advantage of the resources that are available to you!
Additionally, you will be evaluated on how appropriate your citations are. Did you cite things that actually required a citation or did you simply provide citations to basic, obvious facts in order to meet your quota of ten sources? In other words, I don’t want or need a citation for “common knowledge” stuff like “Mexico City is the capital of Mexico.” Nor, for example, do I need you give me a citation for the population of the country you’re writing about if it’s not really relevant to the argument you’re making.
NOTE ON EDITING & PROOFREADING:
If you find the process of writing a research paper to be overwhelming or challenging, I STRONGLY encourage you to consult the Wayne State Writing Center. Its whole purpose is to help you become a stronger, more understandable, and, ultimately, more convincing writer. Visit them; consult with a tutor; write a better paper; earn a better grade. It’s that simple.
NOTE ON PLAGIARISM & CHEATING: It scarcely needs to be mentioned, but DO NOT attempt to cheat on this paper. I will run it through UniCheck, which will tell me if you’ve copied-and-pasted parts of your paper from other sources AND if you’ve turned in the same paper for another class (which is prohibited). If you are caught cheating – and I do catch a few people every single semester – you will get an “F.” Please note that lengthy quotes are not allowed, even if you ultimately cite the author. The paper must be substantively your own work.