Soccer war or 100 hour war
There is a 12-14 page (double-spaced) research paper. For this assignment, you must choose one event in international politics and decide which level of analysis best explains the outcome. In the paper you should argue not only why the level you identify is best, but also why the others are faulty in fully explaining what occurred. As this is a research paper, you must include footnote/ endnote citations and a bibliography. (Please refer to a writer’s manual, such as Kate Turabian (above) or John Scott, Political Science Student Writer’s Manual, if you are unsure about proper citation forms.)
The three levels of analysis:
Individual- locates the cause of events in individual leaders or the immediate circle of decision makers within a particular country.
Domestic- locates causes in the character of the domestic system of specific states. Thus, war is caused by aggressive or warlike states, not by evil, inept, or misguided people or the structure of power in the international system.
Systemic/International level- outcomes from a system wide level that includes all states. It takes into account both the position of states in the international system and their interrelationships. This involves the relative distribution of power, such as which state; great, middle, or small power, and geopolitics; such as which state is sea or land power. At this level, we are concerned with which state aligns with which other states and which state negotiates with which other states.
The outline of the paper:
I. road map; what is the weakest level, middle and strongest. The thesis; what the argument is, why it turned out the way it did.
II. historical background (half a page)
III. Body
– weakest level (pro & con)
– middle level (pro & con)
– strongest level (pro & con)
IV. Conclusion
The paper is to be written in the viewpoint of the Honduras.
Sources have to do academically credible. No news articles.
Writing criteria:
1. All written work for our class should be typed, double-spaced, and clearly printed. Please use a
“Times” font in a 12-point size, or an “Arial” font in 11-point size. Standard margins are one inch on
all sides. Please do not include a title page with your paper; title pages remind me of dead trees.
Simply put your name, etc. in the “header” on the first page of your text.
2. Always strive for clarity in your writing style. Artful writing need not sacrifice clarity.
3. In addition to clarity of argument and style, strive for clarity in individual sentences. Like the paper
as a whole, a sentence can simultaneously be clear, well formed, and artful. However, when in
doubt, I recommend that you choose the simple and clear sentence over the obscure metaphor or
flowery phrase.
4. The transitions between sentences and the transitions between paragraphs should be reasonable
and easy to follow.
5. Always spell check and proofread your work. Misspellings are the mark of careless work and
indicate your lack of enthusiasm and seriousness for the project. The “spell-check” programs that
come with word processing software are not adequate and very often make mistakes. Such
3. In addition to clarity of argument and style, strive for clarity in individual sentences. Like the paper
as a whole, a sentence can simultaneously be clear, well formed, and artful. However, when in
doubt, I recommend that you choose the simple and clear sentence over the obscure metaphor or
flowery phrase.
4. The transitions between sentences and the transitions between paragraphs should be reasonable
and easy to follow.
5. Always spell check and proofread your work. Misspellings are the mark of careless work and
indicate your lack of enthusiasm and seriousness for the project. The “spell-check” programs that
come with word processing software are not adequate and very often make mistakes. Such programs are useful tools but do not eliminate the need for careful proofreading. Do not replace
your mind with a machine at this stage in your education.
6. All written work should conform to the rules of grammar and punctuation of the English language.
While some points of grammar are more obscure than others are, there are many common
mistakes that you should learn to avoid. Such errors include the use of sentence fragments, the
failure of subject and verb to agree in tense and number, unclear pronoun reference, confusing “its”
and “it’s” or “there” and “their,” etc.
7. The structure of your paragraphs and the overall style and tone of your paper will depend on the
purpose of your writing (summary, analysis, comparison, etc.). When writing, keep in mind what the
assignment is asking of you. Nothing shows the instructor your lack of seriousness more than
failing to follow basic instructions. If the assignment calls for a “summary,” an excellent “argument”
will earn you a poor mark.
8. Make sure that your paper — be it summary, analysis, or argumentation — reads in a manner that
expresses to the reader the thoughts that you want to express. It is foolish and risky to hope that
your reader will be able to read between the lines and know what you meant to say. Rather than
hoping that I will know what you meant to say, say what you mean to say.
9. If you use the words, thoughts, ideas, or arguments of any other person either directly or indirectly
you must cite the source. Failure to do so constitutes an act of plagiarism. The History & Political
Science Department requires the use of the “Chicago Style” (which refers to the formatting required
by the Chicago Manual of Style) for footnote/endnote and bibliographic citations. An excellent
reference source for formatting and footnoting your papers is: Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for
Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 8th ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago
Press), 2013.
10. Finally — and most importantly — attempt to become open-mindedly and critically engaged with the
material. I know that this is difficult in many cases, especially as these two things may seem
contradictory. Politics does elicit strong emotions and passions, and I do not want to stifle that.
However, our goal here is to learn to see other perspectives and ways of thinking, and to be able to
see our own viewpoint with a critical eye. Personal involvement should be a sincere attempt to live
with each issue, to see the issue from both sides, and to address the issue as you see fit (within the
bounds of the given assignment).
