POLS210 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

LECTURER: GUIDO BENNY

GUIDELINE ON WRITING RESEARCH PAPER ASSIGNMENT

This assignment worth 20% of total course’s mark

• Write a short argumentative essay on a topic of your interest from the five choices:

1. Is Globalization a Cure, or a Curse? (Theme: Globalization, International Trade/Finance,

North/South)
2. What Types of Armed Aggression will become the major fault line in the Geostrategic
landscape? (International Security)
3. Will the Great Powers Intervene to protect Human Rights? (Human Rights)
4. Is the World Order going to the Bipolar World Order? (Major Power Relations)
5. Is Non-Traditional Security a more important agenda for Malaysia than Traditional Security?
(International National, Regional and Global Security / Human Security)
6. How should we respond to the offer of China's Belt and Road Innitiative? (Major Power /
International Economics)
7. How should we respond to China's Policy of South China Sea? (Major Power/Foreign Policy)
8. Should we support US greater involvement in Southeast Asia affairs? (Major Power/Foreign
Policy)

• Guidelines:
• Deadline: Wednesday, 17 July 2019, 23:55 pm
• You are required to adapt International Relations Theory(s) to the chosen topic as well as use
a critical analysis to the question chosen.
• Themes for the questions are given in brackets to be used as a guideline to answer although it
is not a requirement.
• Answers should be in an argumentative essay format and between 1000-1500 words (Not
including Footnote or Reference).
• There should be a minimum of 3 references from peer reviewed sources (i.e. journal
articles).
• Each term paper must be submitted through Turnitin Plagiarism software before
submission. Any paper without the Turnitin report attached to the assignment will not
be graded and be given an F.
• Make sure that YOUR Similarity Index does not exceed 30%.
• This will be 1000 to 1500 words [4 to 6 pages] long, and you are expected to use some of the
theories learned in class, and apply them to the topic in question. Papers will be due by the final
week of classes.
• Example of Essays:
• https://www.ukessays.com/essays/international-relations/terrorism-prevention-program-homeland-4518.php
• https://www.ukessays.com/essays/international-relations/assessment-military-influence-middle-5130.php (This
essay should be supplemented with “List of Reference” for a more perfect marking).
• https://www.ukessays.com/essays/international-relations/democracy-address-insecurity-7426.php (This essay
should be supplemented with “List of Reference” for a more perfect marking).
• https://www.ukessays.com/essays/international-relations/weak-governance-social-cohesion-8919.php
• https://www.ukessays.com/essays/international-relations/the-role-of-the-un-in-peace-support-operations.php

• https://www.ukessays.com/essays/international-relations/democratic-peace-theory-2418.php
 RUBRIC FOR ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAY

Student Number: ______________________ Name: ___________________________________

No Exemplary Developing Moderate Incomplete Point

Thesis/ Argument 4 3 0-2 /4
• Knowledge and • Knowledge and • Lack of knowledge
understanding is understanding not so and understanding of
clear clear subject matter
• Relevant content • Some relevant • Irrelevant content
covered in depth content but not discussed
• Clearly focused enough • Lacks focus
• Student’s thesis is a • Misplaced focus • Student’s work does
clear, arguable, well • Student’s thesis is an not have a thesis
developed, and outline of points; it is
definitive statement not an arguable
of position. It answers statement of position
a why or how
question

Factual Support 5 3-4 0-2 /5

• Ideas are well • Not well supported • No or unsatisfying
supported with with evidence details or ideas
evidence • Facts are described developed
• Facts accurately or narrated without • Facts are inaccurate,
used to support effective link irrelevant or missing
arguments • Student makes an • Student makes no
• Student synthesizes attempt at synthesis attempt at synthesis
textual evidence and
points back to thesis
statement

Opposition/ 5 3-4 0-2 /5

Refutation • Student clearly and • Student explains • Student does not
fully explains opposition and gives /unsatisfyingly
opposition and refutation- explain opposition or
persuasively refutes does not refute
it

Organization – 3 3 2 0-1 /3
• Well organized with • Mostly organized with • Disorganized
proper paragraphs some missing • Unclear what topics
• Ideas, details and paragraphs are being discussed
examples presented • Not all ideas are tied • No sense of
clearly or fit together beginning and
conclusion

Structure and 3 2 0-1 /3

mechanics - • Well-formed • Some sentences • Very poorly
3 sentences, varying in poorly constructed constructed
style and length but still sentences
• Few if any spelling understandable • Spelling and
and grammatical • Some spelling and grammar errors
errors grammatical errors present barrier to
understanding

TOTAL POINT: /20