RESEARCH PAPER

You are required to write a 10 page paper (typed and double-spaced) which will account for 30% of your grade. The purpose of this paper is to examine, analyze, and evaluate a topic bearing on European politics, economics, or society. The paper should do the following:

1. pose a significant and EXPLICIT RESEARCH QUESTION(S)-in question form

2. discuss and analyze carefully selected aspects of the topic

3. provide and evaluate relevant data (documents, statistics, biographies etc.)

4. examine and critique contending perspectives and interpretations

5. draw your own conclusions

6. note the BROADER SIGNIFICANCE and RELEVANCE of your findings for the study of European or comparative politics

In addition to the paper's 10 PAGE BODY, you should also include endnote references (any consistent and clear source citation system is acceptable, which cites author and page number where appropriate). Footnotes or endnotes should be numbered consecutively throughout the paper. Please DO NOT use the same number to make multiple references to the same source.

Also you are to provide a CRITICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY, which describes and evaluates each source used in a couple of choice sentences. This should be separate from the endnote references. Please also include a ONE PAGE SUMMARY OUTLINE of the paper to be placed after the title page. The outline can use a letter and number format ( A. 1, 2) or simply provide a summary overview written in complete sentences.

The papers will be due in class on MARCH 31 (WED.). Late papers will be penalized, and may not be accepted if turned in more than one week late unless you have talked to the instructor. Late papers can be turned in to the Pol. Sci. secretary who will note the date turned in. Papers written for other courses are not acceptable, whether revised or not, when in doubt as to the originality of your research paper effort please check with me. Please MAKE TWO COPIES of your paper, only ONE needs to be turned in, while the other will serve as your backup copy.

Plagiarized work will result in a zero for the paper. Plagiarism includes quoting directly from a source without acknowledgment in a footnote, or simply paraphrasing someone's analysis or interpretation without citing the source. Common knowledge does not need to be footnoted.

You may select a topic listed below or propose one of your own. In either case, however, you should check with me to obtain formal approval. Topical diversification may be encouraged to limit pressure on library resources and to facilitate the group integration exercise.

TOPICS

LEADERSHIP

intellectual biography (Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, Mary Robinson, Gerry Adams, David Trimble, Francois Mitterand, Helmut Schmidt, Helmut Kohl, Vaclav Havel, Lech Walesa, Papal Succession)

INSTITUTIONS

(political parties in a European country-excluding the BIG 3)

background, views, strengths, weaknesses, electoral performance

interest groups (trade unions, agricultural or business lobbies)

monarchy (Spanish or Swedish)

regional organization (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Council of Europe)

European Court of Justice

European Commission on Human Rights

European Convention on Human Rights and Protocols

NATO- military reforms or other demands made on newest members (Poland, Czech, Hungary) and public opinion on NATO membership

ECONOMICS / ENVIRONMENTAL

economic analysis of a European country/ sector/policies or within the EU

civilian nuclear power (France)

energy policies

role of major corporations (Nokia; Fiat; and the like)

environmental challenges and policies (Germany, EU)

Rainbow Warrior incident (involving Greenpeace)--

EU accession (Poland)-qualifications, agreements, domestic opinion

SOCIAL

status and role of women in one or two countries

ethnic relations (Spain, France, Germany)

European "skinheads"

role of intellectuals (France)

problem of crime and criminal justice policies

post-authoritarian responses to former repressive leaders, officials, and bodies—(East Germany and Stasi, Czech and communists)

educational system and policies

health care system and policies

INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS OR VIOLENCE

Falklands War

National or EU perspective and policies on possible war with Iraq

problem of terrorism (Basques in Spain, Red Brigades in Italy, Islamic militants in Europe, November 17 group in Greece)

Italian, French, or German reactions and responses to the 9/11 and al Qaeda terrorism

Tony Blair and Britain’s response to the war on international terrorism

Politics of peacekeeping in Afghanistan involving European states

HISTORICAL

Decolonization (British, French, Spanish, or Portuguese)

Rise or fall of fascism in Italy

Politics of NATO nuclear deployment in Europe in the 1980s

Transition to democracy (Spain, Greece, Portugal, or Poland)

Killing of Olaf Palme, Swedish Prime Minister

Switzerland’s distinctiveness