Papers and Projects
PROJECT DESCRIPTION Spring 2004***AAA Style GuideOver the course of the remainder of the semester, you will prepare a paper on one of the topics listed below. If you pursue a career in the field of International Studies, you will find that writing empirically-based papers such as this one, based on original research, is routine and essential. They are written by consultants to international institutions or NGOs; activists; congressional interns doing reports for a senate subcommittee; middle managers writing feasibility studies; and investigative journalists. Goals of Assignment: To gain a greater understanding of the complex interconnections between international institutions and local sites that have important consequences in daily lives. To learn how to critically evaluate sources, to analyze information for relevance, and to synthesize in order to draw conclusions based on concrete and specific particulars  Topic: International Projects 

1) Pick a project proposed or carried out by either a public organization (e.g. a government; a development agency; an international organization such as the IMF or WTO; a UN program such as UNESCO or the UNEP) or private institution (e.g., corporate, NGO) .

2) Select one of the following as the focus of your paper:
    (a) Analyze its impact on a specific ecosystem, including its human inhabitants. (For instance, effects on flora and fauna, biodiversity, health, global warming, erosion, pollution, food supply, social relationships, etc.). 
    (b) Investigate the network of relationships (social, political, economic) that determined how that project was created, and how decisions about that project have been/are being made.
    (c) Investigate and explain the ways in which the project organization was or was not able to establish effective links with local populations in pursuing goals that were important to them (e.g., refugee groups. HIV/AIDS education or medical projects, economic and/or infrastructural developments, international justice cases).

Note: Focus on one project, not an institution. You are looking at the networks of relationships that go into decisions to act in particular ways in particular places. The point is to learn about political and economic interconnections, as well as connections among agents that have their origins in social and cultural dynamics (e.g. shared or conflicting value systems, involving education, class, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc.) 

Examples: The IMF bailout of the Indonesian economy; the Asian Development Bank's plans to build a dam on the Mekong River; UNESCO's reconstruction of Angkor Wat or another World Heritage site; the Population Council program aimed at AIDS prevention in Africa; a Doctors Without Borders operation in Rwanda; the "Plan Colombia" war on drugs; Exxon's prospecting for oil in the Yukon. 

The project is to be completed in two stages. Each is MANDATORY.  We will not grade a final paper if you have not submitted an Initial Statement by the due date:

1.Initial Statement (Due anytime, but no later than March 26th): In no more than one page, state the project that will be the focus of your research. Explain why you think it will prove relevant to the goals of the assignment.  Specify at least 5 useful sources you have already found (e.g. specific books, articles, web pages, phone contacts, interviews). 

3.Final Paper (Due Friday April 16): Your final paper should consist of 6-8 pages of text (double-spaced,12 pt). If they will provide supporting evidence for your research or help to clarify your conclusions, you may attach charts, figures, and/or illustrations. These will not count toward your goal of 6-8 pages, but will be considered in evaluating the quality of the report.  All sources, including those for charts, figures and illustrations, must be cited.  Use the ***AAA Style Guide