– A 3000-word essay excluding bibliography
– The essay should contain a thesis statement that responds to your chosen essay topic, a body that presents a logical argument, and a conclusion consistent with these other features. It should reference supporting evidence, such as direct data and/or references to relevant peer-reviewed academic articles and books.
– The essay should be presented and organized in a professional manner in terms of logic, writing, and physical organization. It must follow scholarly conventions for footnoting, referencing, and the bibliography and contain at least 12 relevant sources beyond the text and course readings. The quality of writing is a key element in determining the grade value of an essay.
– Please use the American Psychology Association (APA) format of in-text, parenthetical citations for documenting sources.
– The essay should be presented and organized in a professional manner in terms of logic, writing, and physical organization. It must follow scholarly conventions for footnoting, referencing, and the bibliography and contain at least 12 relevant sources
– Literature Review: The heart of your paper should be a sound literature review. It is from this that you will gain knowledge of the area of political science with which you will engage to find your thesis statement, research method, and evidence to support your research claim or thesis statement.
–
Thesis Statement or Research Claim: In the social sciences, a thesis statement in the form of a research claim or question is followed by a test of that research claim. This thesis statement or research claim has either an implicit or explicit model or theory that connects the thing to be explained (explanandum) sometimes called the dependent variable with the thing doing the explaining (explanans), sometimes called the independent variable. Another way of thinking about this is “how does variation in the independent variable affect the d_e_p_e_n_d_e_n_t_ _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_?_” _
Explanatory Model: An essay proposes an explanatory model that links an IV and DV and then tests it to see if it is accurate. Please state your explanatory model as explicitly as possible.
Observed facts, events, data, and so forth → _Explanation or Theory → _Observed facts, events, data, and so forth.
Independent/or Explanatory Variable → _Explanation or Theory → _Dependent (effect to be Explained) Variable
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE → DEPENDENT VARIABLE
The arrow in this relationship is your e_x_p_l_a_n_a_t_o_r_y_ _m_o_d_e_l_,_ _s_o_m_e_t_h_i_n_g_ _l_i_k_e_ _“w_h_e_n_ _t_h_e_ _i_n_d_e_p_e_n_d_e_n_t_ _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_ _g_o_e_s_ _up, the dependent variable goes down,” _o_r_ _“w_h_e_n_ _t_h_e_ _i_n_d_e_p_e_n_d_e_n_t_ _v_a_r_i_a_b_l_e_ _i_s_ _i_n_ _t_h_i_s_ _s_t_a_t_e_,_ _t_h_e_ _d_e_p_e_n_d_e_n_t_ _variable is in this s_t_a_t_e_._” _F_o_r_ _i_n_s_t_a_n_c_e_,_ _“to the degree that proportional representation generates higher numbers of electoral parties it reduces the distance between the median voter and the median legislator._” _The explanatory model or theory for this outcome revolves around the way in which parties locate in PR systems and government formation occurs. It is also affected by the level of polarization in the party system (the literature review would explain this).
Your explanatory model, research method, and test of the explanatory model will describe the logic of your argument. Explanatory theories or models may be deductive, inductive, or deductive in reasoning/inference. Your essay should be inductive in form. You may also use abductive reasoning, a simplified version of induction. These are the most tractable forms of reasoning.
Research Method and Evidence: Your explanatory model and research method combine to define a way of testing your research claim about the link between your independent and dependent variables. The test of your research claim is applied consistent with some research method which explains how to collect and analyze evidence or data. Please describe your research method in your essay.
Induction and abduction make use of empirical evidence. You describe the observed facts or data that connect your independent and dependent variables and accord with the explanatory theory or model that explains Political Science 463 L01 W2023 Dr. Anthony Sayers Page 3 of 11
that connection. These empirical data or evidence may be quantitative or qualitative, or a mix of the two. Descriptions of a variety of evidence and associated research methods commonly used in political science may be found in:
Select two advanced or post-industrial democracies each from a different continent (Eastern Europe, Western Europe including Britain and Ireland, Asia, North America, South America*, Australasia). In the question below, those two countries are represented by the letters B and C, the topics to be linked as dependent and independent variables from the list below are represented by C and D..
Through careful description and analysis, compare the character or operation of ___A___ in country ___B ___ and ___C ___ and provide evidence of how it shapes ___D___ in each, making sure to discuss the evidence used to demonstrate or test this claim.
It is possible to do more than 2 countries, but you will need the permission of the instructor (see below).
* Please speak to the instructor before choosing a South American democracy. If you wish to consider two Western European states, please speak with the instructor. It is not possible to include non-democratic states such as Russia.
Topic (_“A_ _& D”)_ _L_i_s_t_ _
• _A_ _m_a_j_o_r_ _p_o_l_i_t_i_c_a_l_ _i_n_s_t_i_t_u_t_i_o_n_ _a. Electoral system
b. Party System
c. Parliament
d. Courts
• _S_u_p_p_o_r_t_ _f_o_r_ _d_e_m_o_c_r_a_c_y_ _
• _Support for or trust in political institutions
• _Representation or feelings of representation (including the median voter)
• _Political participation/voter turnout
• _T_r_u_s_t_ _i_n_ _c_i_v_i_l_ _s_o_c_i_e_t_y_ _
• _T_r_u_s_t_ _i_n_ _p_o_l_i_t_i_c_i_a_n_s_ _
• _P_o_l_a_r_i_z_a_t_i_o_n_ _o_f_ _t_h_e_ _p_a_r_t_y_ _s_y_s_t_e_m_ _
• _T_h_e_ _e_f_f_e_c_t_i_v_e_ _n_u_m_b_e_r_ _o_f_ _p_a_r_t_i_e_s_ _
• _Post-materialism
• _S_o_c_i_a_l_ _c_a_p_i_t_a_l_ _
• _E_c_o_n_o_m_i_c_ _p_e_r_f_o_r_m_a_n_c_e_ _
• _N_a_t_i_o_n_a_l_i_s_m_ _
• _P_o_p_u_l_i_s_m_ _
• _The effects of globalization/deglobalization on politics
• _Some other feature of representative democracy (must be approved by the instructor).
Political Science 463 L01 W2023 Dr. Anthony Sayers Page 8 of 11
You may select other topics and more than 2 countries, but these choices must first be approved by the instructor. You will need to email the instructor indicating the topic you would like to write on, a potential question, the countries you wish to consider, and 12 sources available through the University of Calgary Library that you might use to address the question.
If you are particularly interested in electoral or party politics in Canada, you may also compare two provinces if you may make use of the Canadian Elections Database (http://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca.) in writing your paper. Please see the instructor before embarking on a project that makes use of the database.
Essay Grading
Your essay should
1. Have a clear thesis statement that captures your explanatory model. A thesis statement should read something like:
I will argue that due to the (logic of) institution _A_, country B_ better delivers _D_ in comparison with country C , as evidenced by (evidence/data).
If you are unsure of what is required, please consult the instructor.
2. Provide a literature review that presents the major existing arguments for your topic of interest.
3. Provide a graphic of your argument (see below)
4. Define the principle or outcome you have chosen (how you will operationalize your dependent variable)
5. Give a concise description of the consequential differences in the operation of the institution or element in each country (how you will operationalize your independent variable)
6. Identify how you intend to measure or assess the difference in outcomes (the test of your explanatory model)
7. Lay out the evidence/data and research method that allows you to test and demonstrate this effect.
Jolene J.
7 minutes ago
research essay!research essay!research essay!
Last Completed Projects
| topic title | academic level | Writer | delivered |
|---|