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Dickinson College: Fall 2009 Professor Bova Requirements |
2.
Research Essay: All students will write a 10-12 page research essay worth 20% of
your
course grade. See details below.
3. Class Attendance: Regular class attendance is expected of all students. Your final course average will be reduced by one point for each absence beyond three. In addition, students are also expected to be in class on time. Each day that you arrive after I have taken attendance will be treated as a half-day absent toward the three allotted, non-penalized absences or will reduce your grade by half a point if you are already beyond the three day limit. If you arrive late, it is your responsibility to check with me after class to see that I noted you presence. Do not use your three allotted absences frivolously. They are intended to cover days when you are ill and other emergencies. They are not intended to be used as days off. If you skip three classes without good reason, don’t expect an exemption from the attendance policy for a subsequent absence when you might be seriously ill or when you might need to be away for an emergency of some sort.
4. Class Participation: Class participation is encouraged and will be used at the end of the semester to tip the balance one way or the other when your performance on other requirements leaves you at the borderline between two grades.
RESEARCH ESSAY DETAILS
What is the Assignment? The Oatley reader assigned for this course is organized into sixteen chapters, each of which presents two sides of an important debate in international political economy. Select one of those debates and write a paper which does the following:
| a) briefly identify the issue at hand and the two opposing positions as represented in the Oatley reader (this section should be no more than one-third of your paper), and b) weigh in with your case for whichever side in this debate you think is right and discuss the policy implications of the position you take (this discussion should be two-thirds of the paper). |
Do I Have to do Additional Research? Yes, this is a research assignment. You will start with the two Oatley readings as you identify the issue at hand and summarize the two positions represented in the Oatley selections. But then, in staking out your own position on the issue, you will need to conduct further research on the topic under discussion.
Can I Choose a Different Topic? If you prefer a different topic, that is a possibility. However, you must approach the assignment as indicated above. Specifically, you must identify an important debate in the study of international political economy, you must find two articles representing two different sides of this debate, and then you must write and structure the paper as indicated in points a and b above.
Do I Need Pre-Approval for my Topic? Yes. You must inform me of your preferred topic by no later than October 13. No more than three students can work on the same topic, so don't delay. If you want to do one of the 16 Oatley options, just send me an email to that effect. If you want to do a different topic you must submit a written proposal that poses the issue in the same "x versus y" format that Oatley uses, and you must also identify the two articles that you will use as representative of the two positions on the issue at hand. Accompanying your proposal you will need to provide me with hard copies or links to full text online sources of those two articles.
How Long Should it Be? 10-12 double spaced pages. This length assumes 1 inch margins all around and 12 point font size.
When is it Due? The paper is due no later than Monday, December 14 at 9:00 a.m. Essays turned in after that time will be immediately penalized a letter grade (e.g. from a B+ to a B). Additional letter grade penalties will accumulate each subsequent day at 9:00 a.m. Any essay not received by noon on Friday, December 18 will result in a grade of 0 for the essay. If you choose to leave completion of your paper to the last minute, you must bear the risk that illness or other complications will result in a late paper. As you work on the essay, be sure to maintain a backup on a flash drive or another computer. The "computer ate my paper" defense will not protect you from the late penalty.
How Will Papers be Evaluated? Grades for the essays will be based on the following:
| a)
your research effort as reflected in the quantity, quality, and variety
of sources utilized. b) the quality of the insight and understanding that is demonstrated in the essay, and c) your ability to present your analysis in a well-written and well-organized fashion. |
For details on evaluation standards and grading of papers, click here.
A Note on Plagiarism: The internet may make it easy to turn in work that is
not your own, but it also makes it easy to track down the source of
such plagiarized work. I use specialized software which can find
the source of suspicious papers, and I will prosecute such cases to the
max. That can mean
an "F" in the class, expulsion from the college, and a record that will
make law school, grad school, and many jobs much harder to
secure.
It's not worth it.
Word Processing
Guidelines:
1. 12 pt. font
2. 1 inch margins
3. double line spacing
4. no right justification
5. pages should be numbered