PAPER GUIDELINES (Fall 2021)

Requirements for final paper
1) Title page, with a creative title, your name, name of the course and the date
2) Text: 20-25 pages (5600-7200 words), double-spaced, Times, 12 pt, 1” margins. Please use in-text citations to indicate sources, with footnotes only when additional information is required.
3) Bibliography. Include all sources you have cited in your paper. You should include at least one source from class (theoretical article or chapter), plus a minimum of eight scholarly sources—books and journal articles—from outside of class. Bibliography and notes should follow University of Chicago style. You should also use at least 1-2 primary documents documents (speeches, constitutions, interviews, government documents, Twitter feeds from political leaders, etc.).
News and magazine articles and Internet sources should only be used if they are known and legitimate sites, and easily fall into the above categories; citations for internet sources (not databases) should include the web address. You should also use at least one recent news article from a reliable news publication to bring your paper up to date.

Proposal (1-2 pages, double spaced) and preliminary bibliographies: Sept. 29 (50 pts)
The preliminary bibliography is a list of at least eight potential sources (books and academic journal articles) which you might use for your paper. These should include one in class source and at least seven sources other than those assigned for class. You do not need to have obtained the materials from outside of class yet, however I strongly recommend that you read a relevant article from class to help you shape your topic. For database searches, check Academic Onefile, Project Muse, JSTOR, and Political Science Complete for article citations, and Waldo and Link+ for book citations. Working bibliographies should be presented in correct bibliographic form (University of Chicago or APA are preferred)—check a style manual, such as Purdue OWL, online. You do not need to include a web address for articles accessed through library databases.

Introductory paragraph with clear thesis and detailed outline: Nov. 4 (50 pts)
The introduction presents the issue, shows why it is interesting and important, explains case selection, and states the argument that will be developed and backed up in the remainder of the paper. The outline should follow traditional outline format (I,A,B,1,2,abc, etc. See a style manual.)

**Note that all preliminary work must be received on time to receive credit! The topic also must be approved before you can submit any subsequent assignments.

Due-date for final paper: Tuesday, Dec. 7, by 11:59 pm (300 pts). **Please submit both a hard-copy and an electronic copy of your paper (to Moodle). The final graded version of the paragraph & outline (with my comments) should be attached to the hard-copy of the final paper. Please also keep a file with all notes from your research, in case I have any questions about sources.

**Late papers will be penalized 20 points per day. No paper will be accepted more than three days late.

Topics:
Papers may analyze the quality of democracy or challenges to democracy in any country case, or you may choose to systematically compare two cases. Papers should focus on developing a causal explanation, i.e. why democracy weakened or became stronger, why challenges emerge, or the impact of specific events or developments on democratic quality or stability. You should deliberately apply one of Eckstein’s more theoretical approaches (i.e. heuristic, plausibility probe, or crucial case) or Przeworski and Teune’s comparative methods, either “Most Similar” or “Most Different” systems. The proposal should indicate which approach you will be using.

Oral Presentations:
The oral presentation is a graduation requirement at Whittier College, and the dates will be publicly announced. You should therefore be well-prepared for this presentation, with a thoughtful discussion of the main points of your paper. You should put together an outline before your presentation and practice, so that you can avoid simply reading your paper (which will take too long anyway!) Presentations should last approximately 15 minutes, and should include a visual component, i.e. PowerPoint or Prezi. Following each presentation, we will have a discussion in which the class and any visitors will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide suggestions for the paper. Presentations will be worth 160 pts (16% of your class grade); you will be graded on preparation, ability to respond to questions, and overall effectiveness. Dress appropriately; this contributes to the overall impact of the presentation.

Grades: Papers are graded on (1) content and depth of research, (2) argumentation and organization. and (3) presentation (clear and grammatically correct writing, with appropriate citations). Passing this assignment—which is required for graduation—means successfully meeting all basic requirements for length, research and topic, with no evidence of plagiarism or academic dishonesty. An “A” paper would have to be exceptional with respect to all criteria, including research, argumentation and writing.

Plagiarism will be not be tolerated, and will automatically result in an “F” for the course, as well as being reported to the Dean of Students. Make sure you always use quotation marks whenever you are using someone else’s words, and provide citations for others’ words and ideas, as well as specific information. Bibliographic entries must accurately reflect the sources that you have used.

How to avoid plagiarism:
Sometimes, avoiding plagiarism takes an extra effort. Do not simply cut and paste from an on-line source into your paper: quotes need to be used only selectively, and must always be in quotation marks with the citation. Make sure that when you are taking notes from readings, you keep quotation marks around the borrowed words and that you keep track of the full citation, just in case you end up using this as a quote. Whenever you are using someone else’s idea, specific data, or someone else’s words (even 3 or 4 words in a string, or one very specific term) you must cite the source. If you are re-writing another’s ideas in your own words, make sure it is completely your words, and not merely shifting around words and phrases; since this is someone else’s ideas, you will still want to cite your source.