Assignment:
INSTRUCTIONS:
We are going to use the Social Science research methodology by making use of a Grounded Theory and a specific case study to investigate a particular aspect in international security.
The Case Study type of Grounded theory allows for us to investigate a particular topic inductively, meaning that we can proceed from the specifics of the case study itself to arrive at conclusions that are more general in nature.
It is for these reasons that we are using Grounded Theory in this course, and also because it provides us with flexible way to approach our Research Question and test our Hypothesis using an approach that is inductive and qualitative.
It will take a few steps for us to get there, and each of the writing assignments in this course (writing assignments 1 -- Case Study; and Writing Assignment 2 -- Grounded Theory) are intended to help you complete your final research paper (writing assignment 3).
For this writing assignment (Writing Assignment 1 -- Case Study), select a case study that you would like to examine in depth. A case might be a specific peacekeeping mission or a civil war or a specific group of people, like a drug cartel or a terror group or it could be a specific decision or policy. This case study will serve as the basis of your analysis using Grounded Theory.
The purpose of this assignment is to identify and develop a specific case study for use in your research paper.
Introduction (one paragraph): Introduce broadly the topic you intend to investigate. Give your reader an idea of why you are writing this research paper. What are the most recent events in your topic? Your topic should have a beginning and an end date. It should be explored through a specific case. Give a narrative hook to get the reader to keep reading. Put that in the very first paragraph of the paper.
Statement of the Problem (one paragraph): Based upon your Introduction, narrow the focus of your research to something within the topic that is specific enough to research in this assignment. This needs to be included to show why you are asking your question and why this is an important issue.
Research Question: Present a Research Question that identifies the topic and scope of your research in a single, clearly worded open-ended question that is not able to be answered with a "yes" or "no" response. This should be the conclusion to the Statement of Problem paragraph and written in the form of a question.
Specific Case Study (4 to 5 pages): Define and describe the speicif case study you intend to use as the basis of your analysis using Grounded Theory. You will need to identify a specific case, event, policy, or group, and you must identify a specific beginning and ending date for the period of your consideration of the specific case, event, policy, or group you select.
Identify and describe the major individuals, events, and impacts involved in your case study, and provide a narrative account of the events that occur during your period of study. Since we will be using the inductive idea of Grounded Theory to write complete research paper, which starts with specific facts and leads to more general findings/conclusions, identifying and describing the major individuals, events, and impacts involved in your case study, and providing a narrative account of the events that occur during your period of study will provide you with the basis for your inductions and analysis.
Identification of Main Sources of Information & Evidence (one page): In the final section of this writing assignment, identify the sources of evidence you will use for your case study by providing the title and a brief explanation of at least four credible and/or scholarly sources of information (credible - the source is known and respectable; scholarly - academic and peer-reviewed articles and books) related to your topic and Research Question at least two of which much be scholarly).
Be specific regarding which sources address the major individuals, events, and impacts involved in your case study, showing which ones will allow you to rely on at least two different sources of evidence. It is the areas on which you are able to rely on at least two different sources of evidence that will provide you with the most reliable aspects for analysis, making this an essential component of this writing assignment.
Technical Requirements:
• Your paper should be 6 to 8 pages long (the Title and Reference pages do not count towards the minimum limit; longer is acceptable, but shorter will be penalized).
• Use credible (i.e., the source is known and respectable) and/or scholarly (academic and peer-reviewed articles and books). You will need at least four credible and/or scholarly sources (at least two of which much be scholarly) to avoid bias and ensure sufficient reliable information exists on your topic.
• Type in Times New Roman, 12 point and double space.
• Students will follow the current Turabian Style as the sole citation and reference style used in written work submitted as part of coursework.