US & UN Peacekeeping

PSC 335 American Foreign Policy Fall 2021
University at Buffalo, SUNY Professor Vesna Danilovic
Research Essay and Presentation
Research Essay (20% of the final grade). Each student will write a 4-page research essay in MS Word (double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font, paginated). In writing this paper, you will analyze a single issue in American foreign policy from the list of thematic and regional issues (see pp. 3-4).
In writing your paper, you will organize it according to four sections and each section will be weighed approximately equal in determining the paper grade:
(1) Background analysis presenting the nature of the problem, its historical origins, development, and current situation.
(2) Description of U.S. foreign policy on this issue, both past and current policies.
(3) Analysis of major actors who influence and shape U.S. policy on the issue in general and in particular instances of major decisions (past and present).
(4) Critical evaluation of past and current policies, and policy recommendations for the future.
The essay must be written in MS Word, double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point font, paginated, and cannot exceed 4 pages except for the title page and bibliography that do not count toward the 4-page limit. Any violation of the technical and stylistic requirements will result in a one-letter grade penalty for the essay.
Topic Selections
Each student will write on only one topic after e-mailing me his/her preference ordering among the assigned 3 (three) topics. The topics will be directly drawn from the list of thematic and regional issues on pp. 3-4 below. These topic distributions will be posted on UB Learns under the ‘Research project’ tab on October 15 (Friday). Your preference ordering should be clearly listed in your message and only among the three topics listed under your name by October 19 (Tuesday) to the instructor at vesna@buffalo.edu. If I do not receive your preference ordering among the assigned 3 topics under your name, then it will be assigned to you. The final list of topics for all students will be posted on October 20 (Wednesday) on UB Learns under the ”Research project’ tab.
Research Sources
Only the sources provided below (see p. 6) can be used toward developing your project. For the finished paper, each student must cite at least 10 different articles or other document formats from the listed sources and the printed equivalent of these ten sources must not be less than 50 pages. A student’s failure in either of these respects will result in an automatic grade of F for the project. Also, given the limited length of this assignment (only 4 pages), do not quote or paraphrase the sources, but use only your own words. This will also count against the grade if violated.
Since much of what can be found on the web is unreliable and/or biased, you should not be using any other source unless I approved it well in advance (these requests for additional sources should be made two weeks before the submission deadline at the latest).
PPT slides file (5% of the final grade) and In-class Presentation (5% of the final grade). At the end of the semester, you will give a 5 minute presentation of your research paper in the form of PowerPoint slides. The presentation will then be followed by a 5-minute Q&A discussion. Importantly, please note that part of your “participation” grade in the course will be evaluated based on how well engaged you are as an audience member while others are presenting by asking questions during their Q&A period.
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ESSAY & PRESENTATION SUBMISSION (Deadline Nov. 12 by 6 pm at the latest):
Do NOT send a link to Google drive, but make sure to attach both the PPT file (.pptx or .ppt) and your essay in MS Word (.docx or .doc) to your message when you submit your project to our TA Chris Newton (cnewton2@buffalo.edu) by the deadline. Label both files under your last name ONLY. Please do follow the Electronic Communication guidelines for the content of your message as described on the UBLearns course page.
Time Limit for Presentation
Each student will have approximately 10 minutes total for their individual presentation and feedback. If there is any remaining time, it will be used for a Q&A session, in which the rest of the students can ask questions directed either toward one particular individual or the entire group.
Important Dates and Deadlines
October 15 (Fri.) – project overview; research strategies & resources – pre-recorded video
October 15 (Fri.) – the initial list of assigned 3 topics per each student will be posted on UB Learns under
the ‘Research project’ tab
October 19 (Tue.) – each student must email to the instructor at vesna@buffalo.edu the preference
ordering among her/his assigned three topics by 10/19
October 20 (Wed.) – the final distribution of topics (one topic per each student) will be posted on
UBLearns (under the ‘Research project’ tab)
November 12 (Fri.) – research essay in MS Word and project presentation in PPT should be e-mailed to
Chris our TA, at cnewton2@buffalo.edu by 6 pm at the latest Research essay presentations in Power Point will be held on these dates:
Nov. 15-19, Nov. 29-Dec. 3, Dec. 6-10*
*the order of presentations will follow the topic order in this document (pp. 3-4 below)
Plagiarism Statement
Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in this class and will result in an automatic grade of “F” for the course. You may find more information about academic dishonesty at https://catalog.buffalo.edu/policies/integrity.html.
In-Text Citations & References (Bibliography)
You must properly cite your sources either in the text or on the separate, last page listing all web pages you consulted for your project (do not list only general websites). This last reference (bibliography) page does not count toward the 4-page limit. Reference list entries should be arranged in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name or the institution’s name (if no author is indicated on their website page). You should use the Chicago Manual of Style for citing journal articles and electronic sources. For the examples see p. 5. Since this is a relatively short paper, do not quote or paraphrase but use only your own words. However, if you do find it necessary to quote the source, you may use only one quotation and keep it short (one sentence at most) and use proper quotation marks, citing it according to the citation manual.
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TOPICS
GLOBAL ISSUES (28):
Arms Control
Climate Change (other than energy)
Renewable Energy
Cyber Security and Cybercrime
Drug Trafficking
Immigration (other than DACA)
Immigration issues (DACA)
Economic Protectionism
Economic Sanctions
Foreign Economic Aid (developmental)
Foreign Military Aid & Assistance
Foreign Trade (general)
Global Health: Coronavirus/Covid-19 Epidemic Global Health (other than Covid-19)
Human Trafficking
NAFTA
NATO
Democratic Party and Foreign Policy
Republican Party and Foreign Policy
President Obama’s Global Strategy
President Trump’s Global Strategy
Refugee Crisis
Trans-Pacific Partnership
U.S. and the United Nations (other than peacekeeping) U.S. and the United Nations (peacekeeping)
Current U.S. Military Operations
U.S. Defense Spending
Women’s Rights in the World
HUMANITARIAN CRISES (13): Burkina Faso
Central African Republic Democratic Republic of Congo Ethiopia
Guatemala
Haiti
Mozambique
Nigeria
Northern Triangle of Central America (NTCA)—El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras Somalia
South Sudan Venezuela Yemen
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TERRORISM (6):
Al Qaeda
Al-Shabaab
Boko Haram
Far-Right Terrorism in the West (outside the U.S.) ISIS (ISIL)
Taliban
REGIONAL ISSUES (18):
Africa (Security Issues)
Africa (Economic Development Issues)
Cuba
European Union
Germany
India
Israel (U.S.-Israeli relations, Palestinian question, etc.) Latin America (other than Mexico)
North Korea & nuclear diplomacy
The Pacific Region – security issues
The Pacific Region – economic issues
Taiwan
Turkey
U.S.-China relations
U.S.-Japan relations
U.S.-Mexico relations
U.S.-Russian relations (other than the Ukrainian Crisis) U.S.-Russian relations (Ukrainian Crisis)
MIDDLE EAST (10): Afghanistan
Arab Spring
Iran Nuclear Agreement Iraq
Kurdish issue
Lybia
Pakistan
Saudia Arabia-Iranian rivalry Sunni-Shia Divide
Syrian Civil War
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CITATIONS: Chicago Manual of Style
The following is extracted from: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html
Citing journal or magazine articles – Use the Author-Date System
In the reference list, include the page range for the whole article. In the text, cite specific page numbers.
Example #1 (academic journal)
Citation in the paper: (LaSalle 2017, 95)
Listing in the references (at the end of the paper):
LaSalle, Peter. 2017. “Conundrum: A Story about Reading.” New England Review 38 (1): 95–109.
Example #2 (magazine)
Citation in the paper: (Mead 2017, 43)
Listing in the references (at the end of the paper):
Mead, Rebecca. 2017. “The Prophet of Dystopia.” New Yorker, April 17, 2017.
For additional examples and details, see here:
http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide/citation-guide-2.html#cg-journal
Citing electronic sources
If a more formal citation is desired, it may be styled as in the examples below. Because such content is subject to change, include an access date or, if available, a date that the site was last modified. In the absence of a date of publication, use the access date or last-modified date as the basis of the citation.
Example #1
Citation in the paper: (McDonald’s 2008)
Listing in the references (at the end of the paper):
McDonald’s Corporation. 2008. “McDonald’s Happy Meal Toy Safety Facts.” Accessed July 19. http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/about/factsheets.html.
Example #2
Citation in the paper: (Yale University n.d.)
Listing in the references (at the end of the paper):
Yale University. n.d. “About Yale: Yale Facts.” Accessed May 1, 2017. https://www.yale.edu/about-yale/yale-facts.
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SOURCES
Journals
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Policy
The National Interest
The American Interest
The Economist
International Affairs (England)
(note that our library’s electronic subscription might not cover the last 6 months or so for some magazines/journals – that’s fine, read/research for articles in the past issues as well)
Think Tanks
General:
Council on Foreign Relations By Topics and Regions
Heritage Foundation (conservative)
Under ‘Explore Issues’ select the relevant categories (e.g., Global Politics, Terrorism, etc.)
American Enterprise Institute (conservative)
All relevant entries are listed under the topic Foreign & Defense Policy, but you can also narrow them down by regions and policy issues.
Brookings Institution (liberal)
By Issues/Topics and Regions (scroll down to select subtopics under “browse by topic” or “geography”)
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (center-left): By Issues/Topics and Regions
US Government Sources
Congressional Research Service Reports Department of State
Department of Defense
Department of Homeland Security Department of the Treasury
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Last Completed Projects