Research Strategy

A. In order to adequately research the project you should first go the Cunningham Memorial Library and find the previous issues of the Congressional Quarterly Researcher. You will be able to find a chapter dedicated to your topic; this chapter will provide you with the overview of the issue, important controversies and additional research information on the topic.
B. In order to get the maximum points in this assignment, your one page paper will have to include the following elements.
1. Page 1. Title Page
2. Page 2-3. Identify and briefly summarize the main question you will be discussing in the paper, and state why you think it is a significant global issue today based on what you read in the CQR chapter. For example, what did you learn about the issue’s relevance to national security interests and why it is significant.
a. Include three Pro and three Con arguments made by experts and policy makers on either side of an issue, such as, for example, should the U.S. work towards a nuclear arms free world. The sources from the CQR, should be cited.
3. Page 4-6. A critical discussion of the issue taking into account the policy recommendations of the experts and policy makers. A critical paper must evaluate (1) the most compelling arguments in your opinion on both sides of an issue. (2) the evidence of either side of an argument (historical analogies, current developments, other expert opinions etc) you think most compelling and why. You may include references to any data (whether it is based on expert opinion or is provided as a table in statistical form if these are emphasized (for example, an increase in number of insurgents fighting in Afghanistan as a measure of the power of the Taliban). (3) the perceived bias or flawed reasoning you believe is evident in the analysis and why you think there is bias.
4. Page 6 should include a conclusion, in which should include your opinion on the issue
5. Page 7. A bibliography
C. In addition to the Congressional Quarterly researcher, you should integrate class lectures or power points, additional assigned articles etc. where appropriate into your essay. Any additional sources you want to use should be reliable—ie. , vetted by other scholars or by well-established journals that have in place editorial controls on investigative reporting. That is to say, that non peer reviewed materials such as blogs or talk show information will not be accepted as a research resource.
D. Among the sources you can use in the paper that meet the above standards are included:
a. Scholarly Journals
i. Foreign Affairs
ii. Journal of Contemporary History
iii. World Politics
iv. Journal of International Affairs
v. Foreign Policy
vi. American Journal of Political Science
vii. Cooperation and Conflict
viii. Foreign Policy
ix. Global Governance
x. International Peacekeeping
xi. International Affairs
b. Magazines and Newspapers
i. The Economist
ii. The Financial Times of London
iii. The New York Times
iv. The Washington Post
v. Le Monde (English edition)
vi. The Atlantic Monthly
vii. Harper’s Magazine
viii. The New Yorker
ix. The Nation Magazine
x. The Wall Street Journal
II. Paper Formatting Guidelines
A. General APA Guidelines
1) Your essay should be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper (8.5″ x 11″) with 1″ margins on all sides. You should use 11 or 12 pt. Times New Roman font or a similar font.
2) You should have at least three appropriate citations. Citation rules
i. Avoid using quotes as much as possible. Paraphrase your sources instead using your own voice to analyze the issue. But make sure you attributed ideas to your sources. If you must quote, keep it to a minimum. I will deduct from papers that have more than 5% of the text in direct quotes from other sources
ii. When you paraphrase or quote, use the APA conventions. The format style is as follows:
In the body of the text
She stated, “Students often had difficulty using APA style,” but she did not offer an explanation as to why (Jones, 1998, p. 199).
According to Jones (1998), “Students often had difficulty using APA style, especially when it was their first time” (p. 199). Jones (1998) found “students often had difficulty using APA style” (p. 199); what implications does this have for teachers?