i need help writing a political science essay on how the European union has been unsuccessful as an international organization during the Israel-Palestine war. instructions:ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS This document should be helpful for (among other things): a/ defining good political science b/ defining a thesis statement c/ outlining paragraph structures d/ spacing expectations e/ suggested font size f/ suggested page margins g/ definitions of citations, numbers of them and style h/ expectations on bibliography and style i/ expectations on academic sources and other sources j/ expectations on page lengths k/ grading scheme and expectations l/ procedures for essay help GOOD POLITICAL SCIENCE 1/ Science must involve thesis statements which are falsifiable (can be proven wrong in principle). i.e. The following is not a falsifiable statement: “X exists but it cannot be verified because it is undetectable.” 2/ Science must attempt (as much as possible) to be value- neutral and avoid personal bias. i.e. The following statement is not value-neutral: “X party is in the ‘pocket’ of special interests and therefore is nasty and should be abolished.” Avoid words like ‘nasty’ above. 3/ Science should look at many variables to explain outcomes. i.e. The following statement is too one-dimensional (although it may be true, it likely is not – research should be done to show if it is): “Group A is in poverty only because of discrimination.” 4/ Science should define (‘operationalize’) variables clearly and set them to numbers if possible (though I realize this cannot always be done). Define terms carefully in such a way that they can be measured (again, if possible). 5/ Personal experiences (sometimes called ‘lived experiences’ – although I would recommend avoiding this term directly because it tends to generalize people too much) can only be part of scientific evidence in very large numbers (usually thousands or more). Otherwise, the best they can do is maybe help illustrate (but not prove) a certain theory or thesis (but note that this is anecdotal in small cases). 6/ Scientific observers do not have to be part of the group (however defined) that they are studying. In fact, not being part of the group may be positive in research in seeing things from more ‘objective’ viewpoints. However, this is not to say that in- group research cannot also yield many important insights. A balance between the two is likely ideal over time. 1/ OVERVIEW/STYLE Thesis statement - one line which clearly sets out the argument. Take a stand! Do not write a discussion paper looking at all the angles. All thesis statements must be of the type where the statement can be proven or refuted. Again, as noted above, be scientific – try to be as detached, value-neutral and objective as possible. Do not get emotionally attached to your essay. Always use academic language and terms. Political science is not journalism. We are not trying to entertain our readers but to inform and educate them. Do not use contractions in a formal essay i.e. it’s – use it is. Avoid slang. Try not to use ‘buzz words’ (normative words you think you must use to get better grades) which may not be necessary to use. In recent years, 3 of these ‘buzz words’ are ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’. Only use such terms if referring to government or private DEI policies directly or if you are defining them well to refer to certain things. Be precise if you use such terms. It may be better to use other terms. For example, many people confuse the more socialist term ‘equity’ (i.e. equality of outcome) with equality of opportunity (a more liberal term). 2/ STRUCTURE Introduction (first paragraph) - half – 1 page double spaced - must have the thesis statement - avoid prose (‘flowery’ or colloquial writing) throughout the paper - outline the major points (at least 3) which support your thesis statement - do not elaborate on the points here - avoid quotations Body of paper (many thematically organized paragraphs) - (mainly double-spaced except for single-spaced long quotes; whatever length assigned) - use statistics, quotations and other support material (always cite these) - on average, you should have 3 citations per page in the body of the essay - do not discuss anything which weakens your thesis statement (refute any counterarguments if used – you do not have to use counterarguments) - avoid going off on tangents (focus on your major points) Conclusion (last paragraph) - half – 1 page double spaced - should not be identical but should be a reiteration of your introduction - sum up: say that you have proven your thesis statement Indent all paragraphs. Do not leave large spaces between paragraphs. Just double-space as normal. A good standard is Times New Roman 12 for font size (or something similar). There are no strict margin requirements but use margins similar to this document. 3/ CITATIONS Citations are from sources (i.e books, journal articles, newspapers, on-line websites etc.). With citations, you are showing where your evidence to prove your arguments is from. You will almost always have many more citations than sources because many sources will provide multiple citations. a/ Always cite direct quotes. b/ Always cite words you have reorganized form a source. c/ Always cite statistics right away (on every sentence line – not just at the end of a paragraph of statistics). d/Try to cite major theories which are clearly not your own. When in doubt, cite – but do not cite every line of your paper. If a quote is shorter than 30 words, use quotation marks around it. Cite it. Example: “There are three main bodies of writings on subsidiarity, all of which try to clarify the idea” (Jonasson, 2000). If a quote is longer than 30 words, centre the quote on every line, indent on both sides (do not double space) and do not use quotation marks. Cite it. Example: In essence, the Group of 22 advocate that Canada should adopt a subsidiarity which is largely 'bottom-up': The principle of subsidiarity states that decision-making should be as close as possible to citizens. Government powers should be assigned to the lowest level where they can be effectively exercised. Although this principle embodies a decentralist thrust, it also provides justification for moving jurisdictions upwards when there are important cross-border spillovers.1 The above paragraph shows that the authors recognize the 'decentralist' face of subsidiarity but they see it mainly as a grass-roots, 'bottom-up' principle. Do not use single marks unless you are emphasizing a word or phrase (eg. a slogan). In general, the minimum number of citations you should have is 3X the page numbers (double-spaced). Make sure that you have citations in the right places though. You may use footnote or endnote or bracket style. Use a proper referencing style of your choice (eg. MLA, APA etc.). All sources should have: author, title, publisher, place published, date and page no. Net sources must have Web address. Brackets may have less information. 4/ BIBLIOGRAPHY (this shows your sources used for the citations – you may have multiple citations per source) 1. Ibid., Pg.5. Use a proper referencing style of your choice (eg. MLA, APA etc.). All sources should have: author, title, publisher, place published, and date. Net sources must have Web address. Only put sources in the bibliography which you have cited in the paper. You should have at least 4 strong academic sources for a first year level paper, 6 for a 2nd level and 8 for 3rd and 4th level. Academic sources generally are books, textbooks, journal articles and data sites written/complied by political scientists (or by other academic fields if they directly relate to your topic). Political journalistic sources are not considered academic but many are good to use as sources. Of course, you are encouraged to use some non-academic sources when appropriate (it is up to you how many) but these should not be the core of your research. 5/ PAGE LENGTH Whatever assigned in the outline. You may go over page limits or citation limits (within reason); it is always better to go over than under. The page limit does not include the bibliography (you must have this), a title page (you do not have to have a title page) or endnote pages (if using endnotes). 6/ GRADING WHAT I AM LOOKING FOR: 1/ good style (spelling, grammar, proper academic writing) 2/ proper structure (see above) 3/ good content (Did you prove your essay? Is your information correct?) 4/ research (good sources and citations) NOTE: Each section is not necessarily worth 25% each (indeed, research tends to increase in importance in upper years); the grade is a holistic assessment of all 4 sections (and these blend somewhat into each other in any case). Mark are given out as a percentage of 100. Students start at 0 and then build up (technically, you are not losing grades for mistakes, you are gaining them for excellence). The University of Western Ontario Senate has adopted a set of grade descriptors which explain the meaning of grades assigned in all university courses: A+ 90-100% One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level A 80-89% Superior work which is clearly above average B 70-79% Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory C 60-69% Competent work, meeting requirements D 50-59% Fair work, minimally acceptable F below 50% Fail I grade based on the UWO grade standards above. Generally, a paper with major problems in at least one the 4 areas listed above (or enough minor problems in 2 or more areas) will not get 80% or above. A paper with major problems in 2 or more areas will likely be under 70%. If these are severe enough or are numerous enough, they may result in a failure (under 50%). To get 90% or more, a paper must have no issues at all in at least 3 sections and only very minor ones in the 4th section. The following items below do not follow a strict quantitative scheme but are an overall impression of a section. NOTE: What is listed below is a list of examples and may not cover all items criticized in a paper. Major problems – i.e. big content mistakes and/or omissions; numerous spelling and grammar mistakes or lack of academic writing; poor structure; poor sources and citations (or a lack of them in the proper places) Minor problems – i.e. similar to the above major problems but less errors and less severity in the mistakes Very minor problems – i.e. very little of the major problems above - such as a few missing commas, a typo or two, a triple space instead or a double etc. NOTE: Once handed in, an essay is considered your final submission. You may hand in a better final version but, if late, the late penalties will apply. 7/ Help You can always contact me to see if a thesis statement or topic is valid. But if you are choosing a ready-made thesis in a course outline, there is no need to do so. If I have at least 3 days before the due date, I am willing to look at your introduction and/or an outline of your paper (this can be in point form) and give you some feedback. I will not examine a total rough copy or the proposed bibliography. Please e-mail me the intro and/or outline – this will give me more time to think it over. I can look at it after class, or during office hours etc. but I would have less time to consider it.
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