TERM PAPER ASSIGNMENT
PS336, Fall Semester 2005
The Assignment:
Each student is required to write an paper that analyzes the politics of an international or foreign environmental problem. The paper is to be in the range of 6-10 pages (double-spaced in 12 point font). Papers must be written by the student submitting it and the paper must be written exclusively for PS336. Plagiarized papers (including ones purchased over the internet) will receive no credit and will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
The paper is due by class time on Monday, November 21. A topic should be selected and submitted to the instructor by class time, Wednesday, September 21, and an outline of the paper by Wednesday, November 1.
The Topic:
The problem should be one that (a) is environmental in some respect, (b) has foreign or international aspects, and (c) lends itself to political or policy analysis. A list of suitable topics is included below.
Narrowly defined topics normally work best. Avoid broad topics, such as "world food problems" "combating global climae change," which cannot be handled very adequately in a short paper.
The paper should not simply be a rehash of one of the topics on the syllabus taken up in class and in the readings, such as the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, but it can be a more specific subject that is related to these topics.
Importance of Political Content and Analysis:
In writing the paper, be sure to emphasize the political dimension of the problem. What actors are involved and what are their interests in the issue? Are there international organizations that are working on the problem? Are there any international treaties that are applicable? Are nations taking conflicting positions on the issue? Are there important disputes within countries that impact on national policies? Is the "tragedy of the commons" analogy relevant? Of course, some of these questions may not be applicable to your topic and others may be difficult to answer with available information.
Please keep in mind that your assignment is NOT to simply to advocate a position on a certain issue. Rather than starting with a thesis, begin by asking a question. You are encouraged to approach the topic in an objective way that acknowledges diverse viewpoints on your topic. Having considered competing perspectives, you may then conclude by making policy recommendations.
Criteria for Grading:
Papers will be graded on the basis of content (suitability of the topic, coverage the subject--including recent developments, the quality of analysis, and objectivity) and composition (organization, clarity, grammar, spelling, typos, footnotes/endnotes). For further suggestions on composition, you are strongly encouraged to click on Suggestions for Writing a Good Term Paper.
Suggested Topics:
The following are illustrations of the type of topics that would be suitable. Recently added topics are in green.
-International efforts to conserve a specific species (whales, elephants, rhinos, sea
turtles)
-Environmental problems of the Black Sea (or Caspian Sea, Aral Sea, Great Lakes)
-International efforts to ban driftnet fishing
-the AIDS pandemic in Africa
- Mad Cow Disease and US-Canadian Relations
-Environmental issues in outer space (or Antarctica or the Arctic)
-China's Three Gorges dam project (or India's Sardar Sarovar dam)
-One country's policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., in the United
Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Japan)
-One country's efforts to combat urban air pollution (e.g., China, India, Mexico)
-Environmental problems of a major international river system (e.g, Danube, Rhine,
Rio Grande, Mekong)
-Environmental Problems in Iraq (under Hussein)
-An international fisheries dispute (such as between between the United States and
Canada on salmon)
-Population policies of China (or of any other country, including those with negative
growth, such as Russia)
-International rules on trade in toxic wastes
-Conflict over water in the Jordan river valley (or the Nile or the Tigris-Euphrates
river systems)
-Trade disputes over "dolphin-safe" tuna (or over hormone treated beef)
-International regulations on persistent organic pollutants (POPs)
-The Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate
Change in Buenos Aires (2004)
-The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
-Famine in North Korea
-Role of DDT in Combatting Malaria
-Russian Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol
-The Bush Administration's Efforts to have the Senate ratify the Convention on the Law of the Sea
-The 60th Anniversary Summit of the United Nations
Researching Your Topic
Increasingly, websites offer convenient access to information on many of the topics that you may have selected. For starters, check the list of Internet Resources that have been developed for this course, as well as the websites listed in the syllabus for specific topics. The following are some websites that may prove to be generally useful. You may also consult with the instructor or teaching assistant Annita Wilborn.
Google (all purpose web browser)
Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe (an on-line service that can be used to locate newspaper, magazines, and journal articles on any subject, by conducting a keyword search; it is updated daily and contains texts of articles; click on "news"--then "general news")
IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development) Linkages (a website that can be used to access current and previous issues of Earth Negotiations Bulletin, an online newletter which provides detailed day-to-day coverage of major international negotiating sessions on a variety of environmental problems; also link to the electronic Linkages Journal which has short articles on a wide range of international environmental topics, has brief summaries of past meetings, lists forthcoming meetings, and abstracts of recent literature in the environmental field)
Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI) (a highly useful database of environmental treaties and ratifications that can manipulated to provide a number of useful types of lists)
United Nations Environment Program (contains links to websites on a United Nations treaties and other initiatives that address a number of environmental problems, such as climate change, ozone depletion, pesticides, desertification, biodiversity, etc.)