Posted: April 13th, 2015

Should migration be encouraged or prevented?

1. Should migration be encouraged or prevented?

Specifications and advice

(i) The assignment is a 5,000 word essay worth 30% of the overall mark. The word count does not include the bibliography. The essay is to be submitted via Turnitin by 23:59 pm on April 12, 2015.

(ii) All the questions are equally easy.

(iii) The basic requirement in writing the essay is to make a clear, well-supported argument in response to your chosen question.

(iv) The 5,000 word limit is intended to allow you to develop a substantive answer to your chosen question. You should:

• read widely on the scholarly literatures relevant to the question;
• familiarise yourself with the core debates that matter to the question;
• take a position on these debates; and
• draw explicitly on your readings in setting out and defending your position.

To this end, you should not simply rely on the required and recommended readings in the course list, but conduct your own further research. (A good indication of the strength of an essay is the extent of the bibliography and how the texts listed are referenced in elaborating your argument.)

Note: writing the essay also contributes to preparation for the exam.

(v) Each of the questions focuses on a particular aspect of contemporary world politics, however you should seek to situate your answer in the broader context explored by the course. To this end, before starting you may find it useful to revisit the course overview and the readings for week 1.

(vi) You are encouraged to discuss your essay and proposed arguments with your tutor and myself – in good time to revise your essay.

As noted above, the essay’s word limit is 5,000. Please do not go over this (see appendix 5 of this for the school’s penalties for going over the limit: http://www.soas.ac.uk/registry/examresources/chairs-of-boards-and-sub-boards/file67075.pdf). I would suggest aiming to write 4500 words, and allow yourself extra space if required.

There is no minimum. The school regulations – see also the link above – state: “The word limit prescribed for each piece of assessed coursework is a maximum. Assessments are designed to enable students to achieve excellent marks without writing to the limit. There is consequently no specific penalty for work that is under-length.” However an essay which is significantly shorter than 4500 words is unlikely to cover the relevant material in sufficient depth.

If you are struggling to find things to say in response to your chosen question, it’s a good indication your essay is underdeveloped, and that you should read more extensively and build a more complex understanding of the issues and theories relevant to the question. Indeed, you should find yourself having to make difficult choices as to what to leave out and keep in when writing your answer!