Posted: April 1st, 2014
What factors are responsible for the outbreak of ethnic hostilities in former Yugoslavia
VIII. Research Project
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the issues, concepts and theories in ethinc politics. An important part of this goal is to help you develop analytical skills necessary to grasp these dynamics. As such, throughout the course of the semester you will be asked to write a research project concerning an issue in ethnic politics.
1. Research Proposal:
In order to help you think about the final project in advance you are required to submit a research proposal by Tuesday, March 11, beginning of the class. In the proposal you need to specify
àThe question that you will answer.
àYour thesis statement, or your argument.
àAny major issue(s) that you will focus in greater detail while answering the question.
àShort bibliography with at least 3 academic citations.
à2-3 sentences for each citation. The sentences should show how these sources are relevant to answering your question.
2. Substantive Issue Related to the Project:
The paper should persuasively support and elaborate on the argument stated in your thesis section. As such, while you could present arguments that contradict your line of thought, you do not necessarily have to do so. Yet, if you decide to present arguments that oppose your claim, you need to show convincingly how your argumentation accommodates or refutes them. While doing so may constitute an extra work for you, it may also improve the overall quality of your argument. In both instances, please keep in mind that this is a paper written for a political science not a history course. Therefore, you will need to use historical phenomena to support your arguments. Mere narration of events without showing any connection to your main thesis will not earn you much cre
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3. Format for the Research Project:
· The research project must have an introduction, a thesis statement, a body, and a conclusion. The research project should have a clear organizational structure including transitions between the sections.
· Introduction: In this part you need to get reader’s attention. First, state the question that you are answering (5% of the paper grade). Then, explain why it is an important question (5%). You may include any practical (and theoretical) advances that answering this question will bring. If you think that the question you are answering is ambiguous, please make sure to interpret the problem in the way you understand it. If the question you are tackling is too broad, narrow it down. (10%)
· Thesis statement: In this section clearly state your argument. It means that your statement has to clearlycontain your key explanatory (independent) and the dependent variables (15-20%). Your thesis statement should start with: “In this paper I argue that [… XàY]” or “The major argument of this study is [… XàY]” Although you do not have to explain the logic of your thesis in this section yet, be sure to define any major concepts that you are using in your argumentation, if applicable (0-5%). Do not use definitions from dictionary or web. If the authors from the reviewed studies provide a definition of the main terms, you may use these. (20%)
· The body section: In this section you will need to (1) show the logic of the argument. In other words, explain why we should expect a relationship between the factors that you think are important and the phenomenon/phenomena that need/s to be explained (25%). In this section try to make the big points that relate to the question that you are answering. After you write a paragraph try to re-read it to make sure that it is clear how this paragraph relates to the question under consideration.
While writing this section you will need to (2) elaborate on the previous literature that has dealt with this problem as well (25%). The purpose of this exercise is to see what we know about the answers to your question based on other people’s research and how your paper “fits” into it. In writing this section you should avoid presenting mere paragraphs that describe one by one previous studies. Rather, your task here is to analyze previous studies and explain how they are similar and different. If there is more than one explanation to the phenomena that they study, try to explain why there might be two or more explanations. This means that you need to assess previous knowledge and present your own judgment about its relevance to the question.
In this section try to demonstrate how your answer “fits” the previous knowledge. If there is a disagreement among scholars on a particular issue, does your study solve this disagreement? Does it take any particular side? If so, then why? If there is a complete agreement among scholars on a particular issue, does your argument agr
ee with them or does it bring a new revolutionary explanation that overturns the conventional wisdom? Or maybe the problem has not yet received much attention and you are a pioneer in explaining the phenomenon (phenomena) of your interest. In either case, demonstrate how your argument is superior to other explanations, if any of them exist. (50%)
ee with them or does it bring a new revolutionary explanation that overturns the conventional wisdom? Or maybe the problem has not yet received much attention and you are a pioneer in explaining the phenomenon (phenomena) of your interest. In either case, demonstrate how your argument is superior to other explanations, if any of them exist. (50%)
It would be admirable if you could collect and analyze (qualitative or quantitative) data, whether from primary or secondary sources. However, it is not required for the purposes of this paper. It is better to demonstrate the knowledge of relevant literature than to engage in original research in the course of the semester.
· Conclusion: In this section, briefly re-state the issue that you investigate and its importance. Re-emphasize your own answer to this question and its place in the previous research. Indicate any potential areas for the future research in light of the statements you make. (20%)
· You could choose the project topics from the list below. It is, however, possible to write on another topic if you obtain written permission from the instructor in advance.
· The project should be in a double-spaced format.
· It should be 9 to 12 pages long, not counting the front sheet and references.
· The paper should be typed in a 12-point font.
· The body of the text on a page should be framed by 1-inch margins.
· Your paper does not need to be bound—just stapling or clipping is fine.
· Please number the pages on the paper.
· Your paper must have a bibliography in a format shown below.
· While the Internet could be used as a source of information, you must employ at least seven academic sources, meaning academic books and articles. Some academic sources are available in the “full-text” electronic format. You could access them via the University server. Readings assigned in the class could also be used.
· Whenever you use information from another source, in other words, when you paraphrase or quote directly, you must give a credit to the author by properly citinghim/her. Not doing so constitutes an act of plagiarism. The format of citations is given below.
4. Proofreading
· Final project drafts given to the instructor TWO weeks before the projects’ due date will be com
mented and returned promptly to the students in order to provide feedback on their progress. However, doing so is NOT a course requirement. Using or not using this opportunity is at students’ discretion. While using it is likely to increase students’ grades, not taking this opportunity will not decrease them.
mented and returned promptly to the students in order to provide feedback on their progress. However, doing so is NOT a course requirement. Using or not using this opportunity is at students’ discretion. While using it is likely to increase students’ grades, not taking this opportunity will not decrease them.
· Before submitting the paper please proofread it and run the spell-check. Proofreading is important, as spell-check will not catch certain typos, let alone any logical inconsistencies.
5. Deadlines
· The research project is due by Thursday, April 17, beginning of the class.
· Research proposals should be turned in by Tuesday, March 11, beginning of the class
6. Penalties
· Too short or too long papers will be penalized by reducing up to 10 pointsfrom the final project grade.
· Not complying with pagination requirement will lose you 5 points.
· Plagiarism will result not only in a significantly reduced grade in the course but also in disciplinary action, according to University rules as explained below.
· Papers and abstracts/proposals submitted late will not be accepted.
· Electronic submission will not be accepted.
7. The List of Potential Research Questions
1. In October of 2011, Euskadi ta Askatasuna (ETA), the Basque socialist revolutionary organization for national liberation, declared a ‘definitive cessation of its armed activity’. Why did ETA decide to undertake this strategy of peaceful conflict resolution? Why did the organization do so at that time?
2. What factors are responsible for the outbreak of ethnic hostilities in former Yugoslavia? Which set of factors—historic, communist, or post-communist—has a larger bearing on eruption of ethnic conflict in this part of Europe?
3. Some scholars claim that ethnic conflict was on the rise since the collapse of the communist camp. Is this observation factually accurate? If so, what factors can explain an increase in ethnic strife in the immediate aftermath of the cold war?
4. Evaluate the prospects of ethnic coexistence in the post-Hussein Iraq.
5. Juxtapose the causes and processes of disintegration of the Czechoslovak and Yugoslav federations.
6. Why does ethnic conflict seems to be more salient in Iraq that i
n Afghanistan?
n Afghanistan?
7. Discuss the role of the EU accession process on the dynamics of interethnic relations in Eastern European countries.
8. Select any other topic discussed in class and give it more in depth coverage.
9. If you would have another idea in mind not covered in class, speak to me separately for approval.
a. Citations
Please cite your papers thoroughly and use the specified format. Failure to do this will result in a significant grade penalty. The citation requirements for this class are as follows.
a1. Direct Quotes
You must enclose direct quotes—text taken word for word from another source—in quotation marks. Right after the quote, in the parentheses put the author’s last name, the year of publication and page numbers. Within the parenthesis, the author’s last name and the year of publication should be separated by a comma. Use a colon to separate the year of publication and page number. Books as well as newspaper and journal articles have the same format. The appropriate punctuation for the sentence should follow the parentheses.
Example: “The transition in East-Central Europe from the centrally planned economy to the market economy turned out to be a very complex process” (Hegedüs, 1999: 132).
a2. Indirect Quotes (Paraphrasing)
Whenever you employ somebody else’s ideas and put them in your own words, you have to give a proper credit to the original author. At the end of the sentence provide the author’s last name as well as the year when the study was published. Alternatively, the name of the author could be integrated into your writing.
Below is a direct quote from Higley and Lengyel:
“The basic difference between the institutional changes that occurred before and after state socialism’s demise was that the former were intended to reproduce state socialism while the latter were meant to transcend it” (Higley and Lengyel, 2000: 8).
If in your writing you express this idea in your own words, you still need to give credit to the authors.
The fundamental novelty of institutional reforms in the post-communist period is that they aim to go beyond the socialist system, rather than replicate it (Higley and Lengyel, 2000).
Alternatively:
Higley and Lengyel (2000) point out that institutional reforms implemented in the post-communist age are designed to surpass state socialism rather than replicate it.
Whenever in writing an entire paragraph or idea you are employing a single source, show it at the beginning of the paragraph:
Higley and Lengyel (2000) consider a fundamental change in the way institutional reforms work in Central and Eastern Europe with the demise of state socialism. Particularly, focusing on the role of elites they point to…
If the ideas on wh
ich you rely are general to the entire article/source, you do not need to list a page number.
ich you rely are general to the entire article/source, you do not need to list a page number.
a3. String Citing
String citing is stringing together a lot of direct quotes and connecting them by your own words. It is not acceptable. Use direct quotes only when they are especially relevant to the author’s idea. It is not appropriate to quote information that relates to pure facts rather than ideas. Doing so suggests that you do not have a clear understanding of the material. As a general rule, direct quotes should be one or two sentences in length.
String citing makes it impossible to assess and grade the work. Simply, it does not contain much of student’s own work.
b. Bibliography
To the end of your paper attach a list of all references used for writing your paper. The list should be in alphabetical order. The format should be as follows:
Books
Higley, John, and György Lengyel. 2000. Elites after State Socialism. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
Roskin, Michael G. 2002. The Rebirth of East Europe.4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Regulska, Joanna. 1993. “Self-Governance or Central Control? Rewriting Constitutions in Central and Eastern Europe.” In Constitution Making in Eastern Europe, ed. A. E. Dick Howard: The Woodrow Wilson Center Press/The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Articles in Journals and Magazines
Roeder, Philip. G. 1999. “Peoples and States after 1989: The Political Costs of Incomplete National Revolutions.” Slavic Review 58(4): 854-82.
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