This is a series of assignments in which you will prepare, and includes everything you need to do to write your final research paper. The final paper is due on Tuesday May 6, and counts for 40% of your final grade

Part I

1. Choose a topic. The topic can be anything related to the themes of the course, and can be general or specific. The best topics link things you are interested in to the theme of the course. I'd encourage you to come in and talk to me about what you're thinking of doing.

2. Narrow down the topic to something do-able in a research paper. Once you've chosen a topic, frame it in terms of a question. The best questions are ones that do not have an obvious answer, that are a kind of puzzle. The research paper will be an answer to that question. Setting up a puzzle also helps you to focus your paper.

3. Method. How will you go about answering the question? There are two parts to this question:

a) What are some possible explanations or answers to your question? And how will you decide which explanation(s) are the most satisfactory? You may have a hunch about what the answer is, but the only way you can know that your answer is the best one is by looking at alternative answers and showing that they aren't satisfactory.

b) What are the sources you will be using? Given the question you are answering, what kinds of evidence, data, sources will you look to in order to try to answer the question and to explore alternative explanations?

Assignment 1.

1. What is your general topic? What is the specific question you would like to answer? Write a paragraph or so explaining why this question is of interest and how it is related to the theme(s) of the course.

2. What are three (or more) possible explanations for the puzzle you have chosen, or answers to your question? Please write about a paragraph for each explanation. Also, what kinds of evidence or data would be needed to answer the questions and consider the alternative explanations?

Due Friday March 21.

Part II

You should draw on a minimum of 15 sources. Of those, 10 should be from published scholarly books or academic journals (not daily or weekly newspapers or magazines). The others may be internet sources but you must be very explicit about the credibility and reliability of the source. (Online versions of academic journals do not count as internet sources.)

Assignment 2: Annotated Bibliography. Prepare an annotated bibliography of your sources. For each source, provide a citation (Author, Title, place/date of publication, Journal name and issue number), and a one-paragraph summary of the main points of the source. (For more info on annotated bibliography see the link under "written assignments" on the online syllabus at http://www.ithaca.edu/gagnon/seminar/ ) Due Tuesday April 15

Assignment 3: Literature Review. Prepare a literature review of your sources. While the annotated bibliography deals with each source separately, the literature review relates the sources to each other. For descriptions of literature reviews, see the links on the online syllabus and the attached description. Although the length of your review will depend on the number of sources you are using, it should be a minimum of 5 pages. The review should not only review the literature but explain how it relates to your question and topic. The literature review may end up being part of your final paper. Due Friday April 25.

Part III

The final paper is due by 4pm on Tuesday, May 6th (Tuesday of finals week). It should be 20-25 pages (double spaced, 12 or 10 pt font, 1-inch margins).