ESSAY TOPICS & INSTRUCTIONS
The goal of this essay is to demonstrate your understanding of the course content by:
1) analyzing the root causes of a current conflict at the personal, community, national or international level
2) identifying the biggest blockages to its resolution and
Here is a list of topics to choose from
- The Cliven Bundy Land Standoff in Nevada. http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/bundy-blm/bundy-stands-ground-public-land-conflict
- The Theresa Spence Hunger Strike http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/news/theresa-spence-hunger-strike/
- The Idle No More Protests
- The Occupy Movement in New York City
- The Oka Crisis
- The Alberta Oil Sands Project
- The Northern Gateway Pipeline in Northern BC
- The Iran Nuclear Deal
- The Syrian Conflict
FORMATTING & LAYOUT
This paper should be about 8-10 pages in length (not including title page, abstract and reference list). Papers over this page limit will be penalized.
The course paper should be written in APA style. Papers that do not follow APA style will be penalized points.
You may not re-use materials from the class postings in the essay. You should, however, cite at least six sources in your paper. These citations need not—and should not—all be direct quotes. Remember, you must cite the source when you are paraphrasing or commenting upon someone else’s ideas. These sources may be articles and/or book chapters we have read in class. However, you will likely need to consult additional resources in order to complete this assignment. Be sure that you are using scholarly sources: no blogs, chat rooms, or pop magazines. I do not consider Wikipedia to be a valid source of information for scholarly research – do not cite from Wikipedia!
Remember, this research term paper is not an Op-Ed piece; be sure to cite evidence to support the claims you make. Unsubstantiated claims and lack of scholarly evidence will adversely affect your grade as specified in the below grading rubric.
The emphasis of this assignment is supporting the development and expression of your critical thinking and analytical abilities; it is NOT on description alone. You are therefore well-advised to use one of the models or frameworks which we were introduced to in this class as the basis for objectively testing your claims about the case you have chosen.
SUBMISSION PROCEDURE AND DEADLINE
The final paper is due on or before. Late work will be penalized 0.5 points per day to a maximum of 10 points. Please upload your paper to the assignment drop-box on our course website.
GRADING RUBRIC
Assessment – Final Paper | Points Possible | Points Awarded |
The analysis is presented using a model, framework, or theory from the literature & the analysis is sufficiently detailed and in-depth | 20 | |
The analysis is of a high quality because it is objective, links and integrates multiple ideas, and uses proof from the case to illustrate major points about the causes and blockages of the conflict | 10 | |
Assignment instructions were followed | 2 | |
Assignment is structured properly with a Title Page, Introduction, Analysis, Conclusions and a Reference Section in APA format | 2 | |
Writing is clear and concise plus free of spelling & grammar mistakes | 2 | |
Assignment is within specified page limits | 2 | |
Assignment contains at least 6 citations from class readings and other reputable sources in APA format | 2 | |
TOTALS | 40 |