Using at least three of the sources provided, you will evaluate one of two specific international relations case studies.

Assignment: 40%

Write an essay of approximately 1500 words on one of the following topics. These essay topics have specific subsections with specific word counts and students must write to these criteria. Your essay will be marked on the basis of the assignment criteria sheet below and you must use 7 – 10 academic sources for your research. A list of preliminary sources is provided below to help you get started, and you must use at least three of the sources provided.

 

Assignment Topic Questions: Terrorism in world affairs

Since September 11, 2001 governments throughout the world have faced the challenge of new forms of international terrorism.

Using at least three of the sources provided, you will evaluate one of two specific international relations case studies. These are terrorism and counter terrorism (see chapter 7) in either one country of the global North OR one country of the global South. The global North consists of countries of the developed world, such as New Zealand, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Russia, the states of Europe, Canada and the United States of America. The global South consists of nearly all of the rest of the world. For the assignment you will also assess terrorism in terms of one of the following different theories of world politics; Realism OR Liberalism OR Marxism (dependency/world systems) OR Constructivism OR Feminist critiques (see text chapter 2)

So your actual assignment title would be something like one of the following titles;

The terrorist threat in the global North: A realist perspective on terrorism and counter terrorism in A (name of country) OR The terrorist threat in the global North: a Marxist perspective on terrorism and counter terrorism in B (name of country) OR The terrorist threat in the global South: a feminist perspective on terrorism and counter terrorism in C (name of country) OR The terrorist threat in the global South: a realist perspective on terrorism and counter terrorism in D (name of country).

 

In your assignment you must cover the following subsections using the word count indicated (subsection titles are not part of your word count);

1. Introduction (100 words)
2. The nature of terrorism (text chapter 7) (200 words)
3. How terrorism might be viewed from the perspective of any one international relations theory, such as either Realism or Liberalism or Marxism (dependency/world systems) or Constructivism or Feminist critiques. (text chapter 3) (300 words)
4. Case study of terrorism in a country from either the Global South or the Global North (400 words)
5. Example of counter-terrorism in your selected case study (300 words)
6. Conclusion: explain why this supports the contention that terrorism is a greater threat in either the South or the North (200 words)

Your case study can focus on economic, social, or political issues, and on any terrorist group. Note the grade rubric provided.

Note: Papers should be typed using size 12 font (double line-spacing), as well as spell-checked. Please submit this assignment on (or before) the due date so as to avoid possible penalties. All assignments must use Harvard AGPS Referencing. Refer to the USQ library guide for details on this.

At first year level in nearly all instances you would use page numbers for your in-text references with the Harvard AGPS system.

An important note on sources: When preparing Assignments, students must use at least 7 to 10 sources in total and must consult and cite at least three relevant books or book chapters (online or hard copy), and cite at least three relevant journal articles (online or hard copy). Students MUST use at least three sources from the list provided by the lecturer in week 4. The library catalogue and Google Scholar are useful tools for searching for journal articles and book chapters. If students wish to use other non-academic Internet sources they are restricted to one appropriate Internet source, other than news articles or government reports. Information on determining the reliability of Internet Sources follows the marking criteria sheets. You must consult and cite relevant academic sources and these sources should be the primary sources from which you draw your information. Do not use Wikipedia or other encyclopaedia as sources for university level work.

Preliminary sources (Students MUST use at least three sources from this list.)

A list of INR1000 Assignment Sources will be placed on the front page of the Study Desk by week four.

Assignment marking criteria (note the 10% allocations)

	HD (85-100)	A  (75 to 84)	B (65 to 74)	C (50 to 64)	F   (≤ 49%)
Sources/ research (at least 7-10 sources must be used; and these must include at least 3 from the list provided by the lecturer) 10% of marks	You have demonstrated wide scholarly reading through the use of numerous and varied sources of a high scholarly quality. You have clearly employed these sources in your argument and demonstrated sound understanding of, and critical engagement with, these sources.  Your sources include many current and up-to-date references.	You have used a good number of scholarly sources and demonstrated how your understanding of these sources has informed your argument.  A greater variety of sources may have benefitted your essay. Some of your sources may have been improved, perhaps in currency.	You have used sufficient sources to demonstrate some informed knowledge of the area; you may have lacked sources for some points that would have been improved by support or your essay may have benefitted from a greater variety of sources. Perhaps some sources are not appropriate for scholarly work.	You have used the minimum number of sources; some of your sources may not be appropriate to scholarly work. You may have some points that require sources to support them and you have not provided any.	You have not employed enough sources or your sources may be unreliable or unacceptable in scholarly work.
Structure introduction main body conclusion 10% of marks	Your essay structure is clear, flows logically and has no superfluous material.	Very good work. Your essay structure is logical and well balanced.	Your essay structure is good, but you can do more to improve this.	Your argument structure is present, but not well defined. The structure could be improved.	Your essay needs a clear structure, with introduction, body and conclusion
Analysis/ Argument 30% of marks	Excellent examples to advance your discussion.  Your analysis was clearly integrated into your argument structure, with high-quality arguments and well supported conclusions.	You have used very good arguments that draw on evidence to support your conclusions.	You have developed a good argument was well explained and connected to the course themes	Your argument could have been more effective, but you have made a sound attempt.	Difficult to understand. Unconnected ideas. Lack of support for conclusions
Facts / Topic knowledge 30% of marks	A very advanced knowledge of topic content with significant originality	Advanced knowledge of topic content with some originality	Good knowledge of topic content	Sound knowledge of the relevant topic	Did not demonstrate knowledge of topic
Expression grammar spelling writing 10% of marks	Your writing clearly and powerfully represents your ideas with elegant and concise phrasing and no errors of spelling or grammar.	Your writing clearly expresses your ideas in a concise and effective manner; you may have few errors of grammar or spelling.	Your writing communicates your ideas, but expression may be improved, it may be too wordy or awkward.  You may have some grammatical and spelling errors.	What you are trying to say is generally clear; however you may have clumsy expression and several grammatical and spelling errors.	What you are trying to say is not always clear; you may have numerous grammatical and spelling errors.
Referencing (include page numbers for both direct and indirect quotes) 10% of marks	You have references that are clear and well executed in the correct Harvard format with no (or almost no) errors.	You have references that are clear and well executed in the correct Harvard format with minimal errors.	Your referencing is mostly present, but may have errors. You may have applied a system of referencing other than Harvard.	Your referencing is poorly executed, and needs work. http://www.usq. edu.au/library/ help/referencing /harvard	Referencing is not present in you essay.

 

Marker comments

 

Marker name                        Percentage Grade

Guidelines for assignments

In preparing assignments students should take the following criteria into consideration. This information will be of assistance to you in writing the shorter papers, and in preparing draft (practice) essays for the examination.

• Clarity in defining the topic, its breadth and scope.
• Clarity in stating the central argument.
• Ability to utilize, integrate and correctly cite a range of sources (that is, originality, not plagiarism).
• Ability to state the summary/conclusion clearly and concisely.
• Style and presentation, including neatness/legibility, spelling, written expression, organization of the paper, the proper integration of any tables, figures or appendices, and the presentation of notes and bibliography.
• Timely submission for assessment.

In order to prepare an essay of which you can be proud there are at least five interrelated steps:

Step 1: Selecting your topic

1. Read through the list of questions carefully.
2. Select the question which you feel most confident of answering.
3. Consider this question fully and make sure you understand the issues raised. These issues will form the framework of your essay.

Step 2: Collecting pertinent information

1. Prepare a brief statement outlining the focus and scope of your paper.
2. Quickly survey each available book or article to determine whether or not it contains relevant information.
3. Take brief notes in your own words from the appropriate sources.
4. Record the specific location of potentially useful quotations.
5. Use a separate page (or card) for each major idea and/or each reference source.

Step 3: Organizing your information

1. Read through your notes and sort them into categories that seem useful to you.
2. Organize each group of pages (or cards) into an appropriate sequence, eliminating duplication and irrelevancies.
3. Arrange the groups of pages (or cards) into an appropriate sequence.
4. Using this sequence, prepare a detailed overall plan of your paper.
5. Ideally, consult your lecturer to clarify any points of uncertainty.

Step 4: Writing and revising the initial draft

1. Following your overall plan, write a rough draft as quickly as you can, concentrating on the development of your answer.
2. Stick to the point.
3. Support your ideas with reasons and evidence, including specific examples and/or factual details.
4. Demonstrate that you have been thinking and not merely copying.
5. Ideally, leave this initial draft for a day or so.
6. On your return, check your paper for coherence and clarity, also any gaps and mistakes.
7. Now re-write your initial draft, or sections of it, into a polished whole.

Step 5: Writing the final version

1. Type the final version of your paper. Proofread a hard copy manually (read slowly, with a ruler under each line) and spell-check it.
2. Check that you are correctly using unfamiliar or uncommon words – use a dictionary or thesaurus.
3. Check for incorrect grammar, inaccurate punctuation etc.
4. Follow the exact format prescribed for footnoting, bibliography etc.
5. Allow sufficient time for final proofreading to check for careless errors – spelling mistakes, omitted words, etc.
6. Try to avoid the frantic, last-minute rush to meet the deadline.

 

N.B.

Always include a list of all the references which you used to prepare your essay. This list is your Bibliography, which should appear at the end of the essay, clearly and neatly set out in alphabetical order by author’s surname. When using edited books, remember to use the name of actual chapter authors in your references. For example, McGrew is the author of chapter 1, not Baylis and Smith.

Suggested essay plan

Bear in mind that a paragraph is usually about 150 words long. In a 1500 word essay that gives you about ten or eleven paragraphs, two or more of these will be your introduction and conclusion. Therefore you have only about seven or eight more paragraphs to build and defend your argument. You cannot by any academic standards include more than four, and usually three, arguments or themes into such a framework.

Important information on using Internet Sources

It is important to note that if you do use Internet Sources (excluding online versions of books and journals) they must be carefully selected and you should only use them in conjunction with analytical hard copy sources such as books or journal articles. The sources you use when preparing assignments should reflect a balance. If you search on the USQ library website or Google scholar, you will probably have no difficulties finding appropriate academic sources.

In addition, it is important that you know about the author of the information on the website so you can determine whether or not they are qualified to write on the issue, who they are representing and what were their motivations for writing the information. If the author is qualified to write on the topic, they will normally have their qualifications listed on the document and you should be able to find other articles or books they have written on the field/topic. If the person is not qualified you will often find that there is no mention or little reference to the author. This should be a warning bell that all is not right with that author and a strong indicator that they are not qualified to write about the field/topic.

If you do use Internet sources when preparing your assignments please consider the following information to ‘select’ reliable and critical sources. The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation.

The CARS Checklist for Research Source Evaluation

Credibility	Trustworthy source, author’s credentials, evidence of quality control, known or respected authority, organizational support. Goal: an authoritative source, a source that supplies some good evidence that allows you to trust it.
Accuracy	Up to date, factual, detailed, exact, comprehensive, audience and purpose reflect intentions of completeness and accuracy. Goal: a source that is correct today (not yesterday), a source that gives the whole truth.
Reasonableness	Fair, balanced, objective, reasoned, no conflict of interest, absence of fallacies or slanted tone. Goal: a source that engages the subject thoughtfully and reasonably, concerned with the truth.
Support	Listed sources, contact information, available corroboration, claims supported, documentation supplied. Goal: a source that provides convincing evidence for the claims made, a source you can triangulate (find at least two other sources that support it).