POLI+385+Term+Paper

POLI 385 TERM PAPER

Research paper (25% of your grade): 1,500 words (not counting the footnotes and bibliography), typed, double-spaced, with properly documented footnotes and bibliography (15-20 sources). Paper is due on the day of our final exam.

Country briefing kind of approach.

Not tons of yada yada but tight prose, succinct point, but each point well-documented (and properly documented)

BASE YOUR TERM PAPER ON THIS TEMPLATE: http://thelearningprofessor.wikispaces.com/POLI+385+Template

Start with the materials in the country list of term paper topics

a. Congressional Research Service Report [Begin with this one for your country]


 * Follow the footnotes, if appropriate.

Here is the master list. But check below for the specific one I want you to you for your chosen country. Congressional Research Reports listing []

b. BBC News Country Profiles home page: Use the Historical Timeline for your paper []

c. Country Studies home page (Library of Congress) [not available for some countries] [read the parts necessary to understand your country] []

Then cycle through the following databases for your country.

CIA World Factbook (home page) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Chiefs of State and Cabinet Members of Foreign Governments (CIA World Factbook) https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/world-leaders-1/

Migration Policy Institute http://www.migrationpolicy.org/

Corruption Perceptions Index (Transparency International) http://www.transparency.org/cpi2014

Pew Center [if other than an Hispanic country] http://www.pewresearch.org/

Pew Hispanic Trends Project http://www.pewhispanic.org/

Woodrow Wilson Center [for your country--if other than Latin America] http://www.wilsoncenter.org/regions

Woodrow Wilson Center Latin American Program http://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/latin-american-program

InSight Crime home [Columbia] http://www.insightcrime.org http://www.insightcrime.org/colombia-organized-crime-news

Washington Office on Latin America http://www.wola.org/

Center for Justice and Accountability [for those doing Columbia] http://www.cja.org/index.php

Latin American Network Information Center (LANIC) http://lanic.utexas.edu/las.html

Council of Foreign Relations home page http://www.cfr.org/

US Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets (US Department of State) home page http://m.state.gov/mc1919.htm

US Embassies home [use for term paper country] http://www.usembassy.gov/index.html

US Agency for International Development (USAID) [search by country] http://www.usaid.gov/where-we-work

UN Global Issues http://www.un.org/en/globalissues/

UN Human Development Reports http://hdr.undp.org/en http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Select from the "Browse by country" drop-down menu on the top right. http://www.unhcr.org/pages/49c3646c2.html

Then use these three sources to develop a succinct last section of your paper for current problems in the country.

New York Times topics page http://www.nytimes.com/pages/topics/

BBC News www.bbcnews.com/news/

Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Listing of permissible countries for POLI 385 term paper

Start with the items listed below for your chosen country.

AMERICAS

Argentina: Background and U.S. Relations (December 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 43816 (19 pp.) []

BBC News Country Profile: Argentina http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18707514

Bolivia: In brief (April 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 43473 (13 pp.) []

Bolivia: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Bolivia http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-18727507

Columbia: Background, U.S. Relations, and Congressional Interest (November 2012) Congressional Research Service Report 32250 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32250.pdf

Peace Talks in Columbia Congressional Research Service Report 42982 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42982.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Columbia http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19390026

Columbia: Country Study (Library of Congress) http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Colombia.pdf

Dominican Republic: Background and U.S. Relations (November 2012) Congressional Research Service Report 41482 (19 pp.) []

BBC News Country Profile: Dominican Republic http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19246340

Haiti: Current Conditions and Congressional Concerns (May 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 42559 (38 pages) []

BBC News Country Profile: Haiti http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19548810

Panama: Background and U.S. Relations (June 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 43620 (20pp.) []

Panama: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Panama http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19888936

Peru: Political and Economic Conditions and Relations with the U.S. (June 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 42523 (20 pp.) []

Peru: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Peru http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19928905

ASIA

Burma (Myanmar): U.S. Policy--Issues for the 113th Congress (March 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 43035 (48 pp.) []

BBC News Country Profile: Burma (Myanmar) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12990563

Cambodia: U.S.-Cambodia Relations and Issues for the 113th Congress (July 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 43113 (19 pp.) []

Cambodia: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Cambodia []

Malaysia: Background and U.S. Relations (May 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 43505 (19 pp.) []

BBC News Country Profile: Malaysia http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15356257

Mongolia: Issues for Congress (September 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 41867 36 pages) []

Mongolia: Country Study http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/mntoc.html

BBC News Country Profile: Mongolia http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-15460525

Philippines:

The Republic of the Philippines and U.S. Interests—2014 (CRS Report 43498) []

Phillipines: Country Study http://www.loc.gov/item/92039812/

BBC New Country profile: Philippines http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15521300

Thailand: Background and U.S. Relations (June 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 32593 (22 pp.) []

Thailand: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Thailand http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-15581957

Vietnam-U.S. Relations: Current Issues and Implications for U.S. Policy (June 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 40208 (39 pp.) []

Vietnam: Country Study http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/vntoc.html

BBC News Country Profile: Vietnam http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16567315

WEST ASIA

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests (April 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 33453 (70 pp.) []

Azerbaijan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (February 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 97-522 (33 PP.) []

Azerbaijan: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Azerbaijan http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17043424

Kazakhstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (July 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 97-1058 (28 pp.) []

Kazakhstan: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Kazakhstan []

Kyrgyzstan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (August 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 97-690 (30 pp.) []

Kyrgyzstan: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Kyrgyzstan http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16186907

Uzbekistan: Recent Developments and U.S. Interests (August 2023) Congressional Research Service Report 21238 (29 pp.) []

Uzbekistan: Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Uzbekistan http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-16218112

AFRICA

Algeria: Current Issues (November 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 21532 (19 pp.) []

Algeria: Country Study http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/dztoc.html

BBC News Country Profile: Algeria http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14118852

Central African Republic Crisis (May 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 43377 (18 pp.) []

BBC News Country Profile: Central African Republic http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13150040

Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Policy (February 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 43166 (23 pp.) []

CRS: US-Africa Leaders' Summit http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43655.pdf

Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire): Country Study []

BBC News Country Profile: Democratic Republic of Congo http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13283212

Guinea: In Brief (October 2014) Congressional Research Service Report 40703 (14 pp.) []

BBC News Country Profile: Guinea http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13442051

Kenya-U.S. Relations: Current Political and Security Issues (September 2013) Congressional Research Service Report (21 pp.) http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42967.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Kenya http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13681341

Malawi: Recent Developments and U.S. Relations (March 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 42856 (23 pp.) http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42856.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Malawi http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13864367

Mali (January 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 42664 (21 pp.) http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42664.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Mali http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13881370

Morocco: Current Issues (October 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 21579 (20 pp.) http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RS21579.pdf

Must include this one from CRS: US-Africa Leaders' Summit http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43655.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Morocco http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14121438

Nigeria: Current Issues and U.S. Policy (April 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 33964 (26 pp.) []

Nigeria: Country Study http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/ngtoc.html

BBC News Country Profile: Nigeria http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13949550

Senegal: Background and U.S. Relations (June 2013) Congressional Research Service Report 41369 (15 pp.) http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41369.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Senegal http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14093674

Uganda: need to add the overview data here

Uganda: Current Conditions and the Crisis in North Uganda (June 2011) Congressional Research Service Report 33701 http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33701.pdf

Must include this one from CRS: US-Africa Leaders' Summit http://fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R43655.pdf

BBC News Country Profile: Uganda http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14107906

Uganda Country Study (Library of Congress) http://www.loc.gov/item/92000513/

TERM PAPER GRADING RUBRIC**

FORM

All essays must be typed, double-spaced, with standard margins, on 8 ½” x 11” white paper. All citations must follow the format recommended by Kate Turabian or The Chicago Manual of Style.

CRITERIA

Superior (Grade: A)
 * Addresses a well-defined, significant, thoughtfully selected topic or question.
 * Addresses the question fully and explores the issues thoughtfully.
 * Shows substantial depth, fullness, and complexity of thought. Goes beyond the obvious. Offers illuminating insights.
 * Demonstrates clear, focused, unified, and coherent organization.
 * Is fully developed and detailed.
 * Evidences superior control of diction, syntactic variety, and transition. May have a few minor flaws.
 * Flawless footnotes.

Strong (Grade: B)
 * Addresses a well-defined, significant topic or question.
 * Clearly addresses the question and explores the issues.
 * Shows some depth and complexity of thought. Demonstrates recognition of important ideas.
 * Is effectively organized.
 * Is well-developed, with supporting detail and good citation technique.
 * Demonstrates control of diction, syntactic variety, and transition. May have a few flaws.

Competent (Grade: C)
 * Addresses a clearly defined topic or question.
 * Adequately addresses the question and explores the issues.
 * Shows clarity of thought but may lack complexity. May tend to rely on the obvious and the cliché.
 * Is organized.
 * Is adequately developed, with some detail.
 * Demonstrates competent writing. May have some flaws.
 * Minor flaws in footnotes.

Weak (Grade: D)
 * Addresses an ill-defined or ill chosen topic or question.
 * May distort or neglect parts of the question.
 * May be simplistic or stereotyped in thought. May be essentially uninformative.
 * May demonstrate problems in organization. May be aimless.
 * May have generalizations without supporting detail or detail without generalizations. May be undeveloped.
 * May show patterns of flaws in language, syntax, mechanics, and citation.

Incompetent (Grade: F)
 * Failed attempts to begin discussing the topic.
 * Deliberately off-topic papers. Failure to understand the topic.
 * Papers so incompletely developed as to suggest or demonstrate incompetence.
 * Papers wholly incompetent mechanically.
 * Seriously flawed or absent footnotes.