Short Paper
Write a paper in one of the following 3 topical areas: Economic Policy, Social Policy, External Relations and Internal Security. Each paper must use at least two different original sources - at least one of them an official European Union source. The paper must be 5-8 pages (12-point type, double- spaced pages) in length or1500-2400 words. The due date of the paper is as follows, determined according to the topical area chosen:
- Paper for Week 7 (Economic Policy): due Feb. 18 (Tuesday)
- Paper for Week 8 (Social Policy): due Feb. 25 (Tuesday)
- Paper for Week 9 (External Relations and Internal Security): due March 4 (Tuesday)
For details and sources, see the assignments for each of the above weeks 7, 8, and 9 (these can be accessed directly by clicking on each topical area link above).
Papers submitted for each of these weeks will serve as the basis of class discussion on Thursday of the week dedicated to that topical area. Each student submitting a paper that week should be prepared to make a brief, informal presentation of the findings of their paper in that Thursday class.
Details on content of papers and use of sources
Each paper must have as its basis original sources or documents. Although secondary studies (books and journal articles) may be consulted for background, the paper must be based largely on these original sources or documents. The paper may take any approach to its topic, as long as that approach involves an extensive use of these sources or documents and the topic pertains to the relevant area. For example, the paper may summarize the nature of an issue or problem addressed in the sources or the views of different groups presented therein. Or it may describe the process by which the issue or problem was resolved, or analyze the context of the issue or process as presented in the documents.
The size of these sources can vary, depending on the subject, and need not be large. The assignments section for each of the weeks devoted to these topical areas offer a guide to locating sources and documents relevant to that week's area.
Use of sources and documents must in all cases conform to the following minimum criteria:
- The paper must demonstrate some independent search in original sources and documents on the part of the student. An important feature of the assignment is this independent search process, which is essential to learning about the source itself. The course website provides an extensive guide for this purpose.
- At least one source or document, preferably several, must be an official European Union source. These are available for consultation through multiple outlets: websites, publications available for consultation in the Knight Library Document Center, and published works in the stacks of the library's general collection.