The purpose of this assignment is to encourage you to understand the connections between real-world events and the concepts/approaches of political economy by applying academic scholarship.
Once you have completed Unit 3, write a critical commentary on a hotly contested public policy issue currently being debated in the media or in society at large. Identify a book, movie, journal article, podcast, or video from a reputable source that addresses this issue, and review this piece. Your commentary on the piece must focus on one recent policy issue related to any one of the main themes discussed in Section 1: democracy, citizenship, employment, immigration, feminism, resource dependence, the climate crisis, etc.
Start by writing a brief summary (two pages maximum, or approximately 500 words) of the main issues or arguments from the piece you picked, and then relate these back to the key themes and concepts addressed in the assigned readings of the units in Section 1.
Your commentary must answer the following questions:
- What major arguments are put forward in this book, movie, article, podcast, or video?
- What made you pick this particular piece?
- How does it relate to the assigned readings?
- What are the strengths and limitations of the arguments put forward in the piece?
- Is this public policy issue relevant to your own life?
- What did you learn from this exercise?
Your essay need not take the form of a formal book-review, but it must answer all parts of the assignment.
Provide definitions of the key concepts and theories relevant for your analysis from the readings in the course. Support your arguments with empirical and theoretical evidence. Illustrate major points with specific examples and/or figures obtained from scholarly sources. If you want to use additional sources that are not in the course reading list, confine your research to academic sources and reputable popular publications (of the sort included in the readings for this course). Note that Wikipedia will not be accepted as an academic source. Consult the AU Library’s Internet Searching guide to learn what to look for when using online resources.
You must provide complete in-text citations and bibliographic references for all sources that you quote, summarize, or paraphrase in your commentary. Use a standard citation style (Chicago, MLA, APA, etc.) consistently and correctly.
Your assignment must be typed, double-spaced, 1,500–2,000 words in length, and carefully proof-read.
Read the “Guidelines for Essays and Examinations” and “Academic Integrity” sections of the Au undergraduate Calendar before writing your assignment. Read the academic misconduct policy to understand how you can ensure intellectual honesty.