Successful democratisation depends on a willingness of ruling elites to give up power.’ Discuss using either Spain and at least one other European country.
Comparative European Politics Essay Detailed Instructions 2016 Due Friday, April 15 (week 6), by 23:55 Word length: 2500 (within 10%) Weight: 35% of overall course mark The essay requires students to conduct their own research into a major topic covered in the course. It provides students with an opportunity to analyse the specifics of themes of interest and allows them to integrate theoretical and analytical insights. Students will be able to develop a critical understanding of key issues in democracy studies. This assessment item also provides an opportunity to analyse a specific concern within a broader theoretical and contextual framework. A good essay is one which presents a convincing case based on logical reasoning and credible evidence gathered from an array of sources in a clearly organised and well communicated way. Essays are assessed against five key criteria: argument quality, analysis quality, structure, writing and referencing. Original and thoughtful arguments will be rewarded. Essay questions can be found at the end of this document. ESSAY STRUCTURE A good structure is critical to the success of any essay. Below is a guide to help develop a structure that will enable you to get your case across in the best possible way. INTRODUCTION 1. ORIENTATION: introductory sentence to establish relevance of the question (perhaps a comment on what is going on today in that regard). 2. ARGUMENT: clear statement of case/purpose/response to essay question. 3. METHOD: explanation of why you chose those particular countries – remember that there has to be a reason which makes sense. 4. STRUCTURE: explicit outline of the evidence that will be presented and the way it is going to be used to support the argument stated above. BODY 1. CONCEPT & THEORY: Start the essay body by giving a short overview of the central concept (eg. democratisation) and the theory that you will be drawing on to answer the question. 2. OVERVIEW of selected countries: some political/historical background. Keep these sections brief to ensure you have enough space for argument and analysis. Focus on those aspects which are going to be important to your analysis. We don’t need to know what they had for little lunch in prep. 3. ARGUMENT, ANALYSIS & EVIDENCE: Design this part of the essay according to the question and the argument you are going to make. CONCLUSION 1. Restatement of case with a summary of the evidence and analysis presented. 2. Final reflections: perhaps a comment on what is happening in those countries today. FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS Essays MUST BE submitted via SafeAssign. Please use SafeAssign to check drafts of your essay. Students may be asked to submit their notes and drafts of written work before a final mark for the item can be awarded. Use a standard file name consisting of: your name course plus course code plus essay question number. E.g. Hollander 2012GIR Essay 5 Referencing: Essays use an acceptable referencing system (the Harvard system is strongly recommended). If a reference is taken from a particular page, or pages (even if not quoted directly), then the page number(s) must be included. The in-text format should include the author, date of publication, and page number. When words are taken directly from other sources (books, articles and web sites) and reproduced in an essay quotation marks must be used (longer quotes can be indented). If an essay is incorrectly or insufficiently referenced according to standard styles, it will be penalised with a reduced mark. Please do not overdo the use of quotations: there is nothing worse than an essay that looks like a patchwork of quotations. Reference List: Entries in the reference list should be in a standard format, complete and in alphabetical order by authors’ family name. Web addresses should include date accessed/downloaded. Presentation: Use 1½ – 2 line spacing. The font size should be read comfortably, Arial – 11 point, Times Roman – 12 point. Number all pages. Content: Your material should be focused and should address the essay topic directly. The essay must include a clear introduction and a clear conclusion. Your argument is explicitly stated in the introduction, and systematically developed and substantiated throughout the discussion; remember that repeating an assertion does not make it an argument. Your submission should not be a set of notes but a coherent justification of a position. Organisation: Points and sections should always be clearly linked. Provide a cover sheet that includes your name, student number, the title of the essay and the word count (this is additional to the official cover form).
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