Category: Political Science

Your assignment in lieu of class next week is as follows: Watch or read/reread C’s speech in full, and write approximately 250 words relating what she says to politics and geography. Post here in the course Chat Space. Here is a link to her video:

Political Parties and Social Movements

Final Paper

Instructions:

Everything I write strikes me as good for nothing

Anton Chekhov

Writing, to me, is simply thinking through my fingers

Isaac Asimov

Final Paper:

Writing is important. It has always been and still is. And there is no clear indication that it will stop being important for quite a while. Writing allows you to focus and develop your thinking skills as well as projecting ideas in a more calmed and slow reflection. It could even turn into a personal trip. Writing makes others read you. Writing rocks.

Now, in these times of fluidity and liquid learning some might question the use of writing a paper for your class. We firmly believe in writing as a way of learning and growing, especially in the social sciences where there is a tradition of elaborating arguments, defending positions, deciphering theories and drawing conclusions. Needless to say, writing well implies reading a lot and rehearsing enough. And that is what we do in this class.

Terms and conditions

Topic

Free topic as long as it is related to the class in a manner that you can explain and justify to the professor. Think about a topic, turn it into a research question and answer it thru the paper.

Length

Paper length is 25003500 words (min.-max.). Papers below/above the requested word count will be penalized with a 5% of the paper grade per each 100 words short/long. When in doubt ask professor. Flexibility can be contemplated for a mastery paper.

Deadline(s)

Deadline ONE You need to upload thru Turnit in your topic proposal and little explanation of what your problem is, why you are interested on it and how you think it is current and worth researching about. No more than 300 words. Do not just write a lame title and send it with nothing else, not even a subject in the email. You will get no answer.

Deadline TWO Your final paper

Structure

Writing isnt easy. Pay attention to how you do it. For help please take a minute to read thru the basics. It is for grad school but serves for you

(https://www.gradschools.com/get-informed/student-guide/how-to-structure-an-academic-paper

).

Title

May sound slightly obvious, but you need a good catchy title for anything you write from emails, to job/school applications to love letters. Please try your best. It sets the tone for what it follows. A boring, predictable title does not look promising.

Introduction

What is your problem/question? Introducing the problem; why you want to write about this and why is it interesting (salience!); basic elaboration in a seductive & puzzling way; early theoretical background (theories, authors, works, etc.); expected findings and a tentative structure to follow (i.e.: This paper will proceed in X parts. An introductory section /chapter will …. Then a first section will deal with … Moreover, Chapter 2 will introduce the data (if)s… Chap 3 will establish the main discussion and, finally, the conclusions should wrap up the main findings…. Something along those lines.

Body

Main sections/chaps/parts.

Here you present data, discuss problem and attempt to solve the puzzle. Number of sections depend on you but take into consideration that for 3000 words a good estimate would not be to have TEN chapters. Probably 2 / 3 will do.

Conclusion

Conclusions are important. They remind the reader the main arguments/discussions, the direction of the inquiry and draws the findings to which the paper has arrived. As a rule of thumb, reserve at least a TEN per cent of the paper length for conclusion.

References

You have no idea how important referencing is. Ideally, someone would have taught you something about it, but it is not a great mystery to find a (JUST ONE) referencing style (MLA, Harvard, Chicago, etc.) and sustain it thru the paper. I use Harvard because I find it easy and intuitive

(https://libraryguides.vu.edu.au/harvard/journal-articles

).

But there are millions of tutorials online. Or you might ask your professor who will happily help. Does not add up to the word count.

Others

You might want to have an appendix with data/images/visuals and the like. This does not count for the word length so do not hesitate to do it visually accessible for the reader. Small does not mean better, colors and simplicity appreciated.

Cover page never hurts, especially in non-printed versions. Save the planet. Of course, an effort on creativity, artsy design and good visuals will definitely be appreciated. Refrain to just add it for the sake of making it look longer.

Spelling and Grammar

Most of us are not native English speakers/writers. So please run a spelling and grammar check before delivering your final draft. You might want to remember, for instance, that in Spanish we normally use much longer sentences, drift around long paragraphs and interestingly end up using many more words to say something, oftentimes not necessarily clearer. We do not want to write the Quijote here.

There is a really nice, entertaining and short book titled Improve your written English. Master the essentials of grammar, punctuation and spelling and write with greater confidence. You can eye thru it (for free) at

http://toefl.uobabylon.edu.iq/papers/itp_2015_12653122.pdf

Footnotes

Perhaps something old school, but useful and beautiful. A way to complement the main text and add a little show off because you are good. See this for help

(https://www.scribendi.com/academy/articles/what_are_footnotes.en.html

).

Anything else? Just ask ASAP as you have the question. Questions posed the day before the deadline do not look good on you.

So, what are you going to write?

Ideally, you will be engaged and committed to the project. You can only do that by working on it. Allow time to think about your topic, brainstorm on the different research questions possible, pick the one who interests you most and at the same time seems feasible and doable within your capabilities and time available. Be realistic about it. We all have good intentions till the work load sets in and then panic. Procrastination, for obvious reasons, not recommended.

Writing is an experience. Wonderful or dreadful depending on you. The satisfaction of having a good thing in your hands, working enthusiastically, progressing efficiently, coming to good conclusions, delivering with excitement and receiving a good grade for your effort is unparalleled.

Your call.

Enjoy the ride.

*Write me an essay about the Korea-America relation.

• Length: 4,000-6,000 words (excluding footnotes), including an abstract (max 200 words) and section headings.

*Essays under or over the word limit will be automatically disqualified.

• Format: Times New Roman 12pt, Double-spaced, footnotes using Chicago Style (17th Edition.)

*Chicago Style: A writing and citation style guide with two citation formats:

1)Foot notes and bibliography (*recommended usage for this essay)

2)Author-date

Use of AI chat programs for generating footnotes and bibliographies is permitted; however, the use of AI

in the essay text itself is not allowed.

• Essay format: Follow the exact format and style in the Essay Template document. It is already formatted for style, line spacing, font size/style, margins, and page numbering:

1. Academic integrity: Essays that are written using generative AI programs (i.e., AI to generate sentences/text) and chatbots will be disqualified.
2. Title page: Use the exact font, font size, and line spacing in the Essay Template.
3. Abstract: maximum 200 words. Include 3-5 key words. The paragraph style should be justified as seen in the Essay Template.
4. Introduction: clearly state your problem/puzzle or original research question.

• The first sentence of the first paragraph under Introduction, each Heading/Sub Heading, Policy Recommendations, and Conclusion should be Aligned Left. For subsequent paragraphs, the first sentence of the paragraph should be indented Right. Sub Headings are optional and to be used as necessary. See Essay Template( ) document. Use as many paragraphs under each section as deemed necessary. You may, of course, have several sections with their respective Heading and (optional) SubHeading.
• Clearly state your original research question and explain how you will answer it (methodology)
• Explicitly state why your chosen topic is relevant to the alliance.

1. Citations: cite all references as footnotes using Chicago Style 17th Edition. See the seven sample footnotes in the Essay Template. Do not include a Bibliography or Works Cited page.

Insufficient number of footnoted citations will result in automatic disqualification. If you read it, cite it. If its not your original idea, cite it. It is better to over cite than under cite.

If a paragraph uses one reference, do not wait to cite the last sentence of that paragraph. Instead, cite the first sentence that contains your reference in a footnote, and then write Ibid. in the footnotes for subsequent references in that same paragraph.

1. In the Policy Recommendations section, include a very short opening paragraph to set up your recommendations. Then, begin each policy recommendation with First, Second, Third, etc. each as a new paragraph. Include at least 3, but no more than 5, policy recommendations.
2. Bonus points will be given if you have either a theoretical framework or analytical framework that is articulated clearly in the essay.

• Footnotes: see format below and real samples in the Essay Template document.

1. First name Last name, Journal Article Title, Journal Name volume number, issue number (date): page number(s)
2. First name Last name, Book Title (Place of Publication: Publisher, Year): page number(s).
3. First name Last name, Article Title, Outlet Name, Month, Day, Year, website URL.

Follow the template using the required articles attached.

This page includes instructions for Assignment 4: Research Project and a link (below the instructions) to submit the assignment for assessment. Date due: Week 16 of the Suggested Study Schedule, following the completion of all other course activities Weight: 40% of the final grade General Instructions: This assignment is an opportunity to examine a topic covered in the course (or a related topic) in greater depth than this course format allows. This research project is worth forty percent of your overall mark. You are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the main themes offered in this course and to integrate this understanding into an in-depth analysis. Your essay will begin with a clear statement of the problem under investigation and its relationship to the relevant course materials. It will outline your argument and demonstrate what your stance will be in your paper. You will then go on to develop these ideas, using specific examples from your research. The essay will end with a strong concluding statement. For further information on researching and writing an academic essay, consult the AU Write Site. The essay should be approximately 5000 words in length (20 double-spaced pages, not including title page and reference list). It will be evaluated on the basis of both form and content, including grammar, spelling, organization, and knowledge of the relevant course material and ability to treat the topic critically. Submission Instructions Submit your completed assignment to Assignment 4: Research Project for assessment (submission link will be available upon your course contract start date). Important 1. Once you submit the assignment for grading, your submission is final. To resubmit the assignment, you must obtain special permission from your instructor. 2. Please name your file using the following template: ___ Examples: COMP101_Assignment1_DoeJane_1234567 COMP101_Assignment1_file1_DoeJane_1234567 COMP101_FinalAssignment_DoeJane_1234567

The Justice Department’s claim that in the most recent release of the Epstein Files, they found that there is no credible evidence to keep an investigation going on Trump. These new files have shown something bigger than just one single allegation but it exposes a more in depth crisis towards the fact that people don’t trust institutions anymore. Although if the Justice Department’s conclusion is fully accurate, the number of Trump related references in the documents themselves, combined with the years of political hesitation and decision making, leaves many Americans wondering whether they are seeing the truth fully or just the version that they’re allowed to see. This reaction makes a lot of sense especially that the administration promised to be transparent then comes along dragging their feet and all of a sudden dumps millions of pages on the public all at once. Yes this does count as releasing the files but being practical it is impossible for ordinary people including journalists to meaningfully look through. When these institutions behave in such ways that make searching and looking over the files difficult, it is hard to build trust amongst the people. Being transparent only after pressure and in a sense that no one can realistically analyze doesn’t reassure anyone but does the complete opposite. At the same time, the emotional weight of the whole Epstein scandal is impossible to ignore. His crimes were horrific, and the survivors’ accounts, in which some mention having interactions with Trump, carry this heavy morality that deserves justice and to be treated in a more serious matter. Even the possibility that powerful men might have been connected to this abuse he had brought upon can bring up anger, grief and a deeper sense of being betrayed. Those feelings aren’t out of character but they come from a long history of people avoiding taking accountability for doings that were so wrong while the victims are out here just left to act like nothing really happened. Although it is very important to separate unverified evidence from what actually happened. In the end, the controversy between Trump and the Epstein files says less about one man and more about a system that just constantly fails to provide clarity. Until institutions show true transparency while also being proactive and timely, the public will keep fill in the gaps with distrust. Especially in a democracy, having distrust is not only unfortunate for everyone but it is also very dangerous

FINAL Paper im writting about The Death Penalty and Inequality in the United States And my main idea is: Im explaining how race, money, and state laws affect who gets the death penalty, and why that makes the system unfair. Upload the final draft of your paper here. Make sure you include a Work Cited page. It is Due at 8 AM February 3. You cannot present without a research paper! If the turnitin similarity score is higher than 25 percent I will not grade your paper. Your paper should not have more than 20 to 25 % of quotes. If you have questions please message me on Canvas. Community Project: What to do Community Project You will pick a community issue that affects our community and research a political solution. You should choose a level of government to investigate, it can be a local, state or federal issue. More information on this assignment will be forthcoming. (See end of Syllabus and Online Canvas Shell for details). WHATS IT ABOUT: Community Issues Research Project (worth 20% of your total class grade) Main Objective: For this project, you will select a community issue impacting our community and explore potential political solutions. Choose a level of government (local, state, or federal) to investigate, preferably related to your major or personal interests. Assignment Breakdown: Research Paper: Length: 4 to 5 pages (excluding works cited page). Formatting: Times New Roman font, size 12, 1-inch margins, double-spaced. Content: Present your researched findings and proposed solutions to the identified community issue. Presentation: Duration: 4 to 5 minutes. Format: Oral and visual presentation of your research findings and proposed solutions. Project Components: Identify the Problem: Choose a community problem that you’re passionate about or personally interested in investigating. Pose a question related to the problem as a central inquiry. Level of Analysis: Determine the governmental level you will investigate concerning the identified issue. For instance, analyze local responses to homelessness in Glendale/Burbank or broader solutions in Los Angeles County or the city of LA. Research Phase: Clearly present the identified problem and why it resonates with you. Frame your problem as a question using the ‘who, what, where, when, why, and how’ elements. Problem: Homelessness in the community. Rephrased as a question: How has the pandemic exacerbated homelessness locally? What are the primary causes contributing to homelessness in LA? How do governmental policies impact the homeless population? Example: Paper Structure: Introduction (Argument/Thesis): Clearly state your thesis or argument outlining proposed solutions to the community problem. Body (4 to 5 pages + Works Cited page): Use MLA format and cite a minimum of 2 primary sources. (From Scholarly Journals that are peered reviewed). Discuss the problem, proposed solutions, and supporting evidence using the ‘WH’ questions. Conclusion: Summarize your argument and evidence in one paragraph. Presentation Requirements: In class 4 to 5-minute presentation. Presentation Content: Clearly articulate the identified community problem and proposed solutions, incorporating visual aids as necessary. Unlimited Attempts Allowed Available: Jan 19, 2026 12:00am until Feb 1, 2026 11:59pm1/19/2026 to 2/1/2026 Fill out the following (first draft/details may change) What is your thesis statement? (draft) [one to two sentences] What is your tentative title of your paper? The death penalty in the United States is supposed to be fair, but race, money, and state laws often affect who gets sentenced to death. This shows that the system is not as fair as it claims to be. The Death Penalty and Inequality in the United States