International Situation

INTERNATIONAL SITUATION
Assignment Instructions: Take a recent example of an international situation you read about in the news. Briefly describe the situation and the main actors. Using the foundational theories of international relations that we have studied thus far in the course (realism, liberalism and constructivism), identify and describe which of these theories you believe explain the actors’ actions.

Explain your reasoning. Reinforce your argument by incorporating at least three of the assigned course materials. Don’t forget to include an introduction and a conclusion. Writing the midterm assignment – read instructions carefully. In university courses, assignments (or assessments) are meant to give students the opportunity to demonstrate what they have been learning in the course. Because of these objectives, it is imperative to incorporate the specifics of what you have been studying in the course into your assignments. You accomplish this by answering the question in the assignment in terms of the readings for the course. The format: an analytical essay One assignment that you will see often is the analytical essay.

The reason this style of essay is so popular within the field of IR is that it has a very practical purpose. In the practice of IR (out there in the “real world”), problem-solving is routine. As a university graduate and a critical thinker, you may be asked to look at an issue, figure out what is going on, and solve a problem. So think of an essay question as you would an assignment from your boss: “I need you to take a look at this problem and solve it for me using things from your IR toolkit. Present a well-written, concise answer to me in four pages. I need it by tomorrow morning.”

CLICK HERE to get this paper

This is how it happens out in the world – and this is what your university education is preparing you to do. The trick in presenting an effective analytical essay is in its structure. To achieve structure in the essay, you need to follow an outline that organizes your thoughts and presents the analysis in a symmetrical, logical fashion. The importance of your “answer” or thesis statement Answering the essay question is what creates a “thesis statement” – the thesis being your big idea. The answer to the question demonstrates your understanding of the overall topic and your critical analysis of the various parts of the problem. How should you proceed with the midterm assignment

1. Don’t try to write the thesis statement first. Think about the question and then come up with a list of possible reasons. This list initially may have several reasons. What you want to do is to group the reasons in a logical way – one that makes sense in terms of IR. Very often groups of reasons fall into economic, political, social, cultural, and/or military reasons in IR. If the majority of “reasons why” fall into one of those groups, then that is a good indication of your overall answer or thesis.

2. Focus on supporting your arguments. Very rarely is thee an obviously right or wrong answer. You are graded on how well you support your thesis. You want to be able to provide a sound and convincing argument.

3. Focus on the interior parts of the essay – and write the introduction and conclusion last. Sometimes the process of writing actually helps you come to a conclusion. This is a natural process and one even the best writers follow. What has to happen, though, is that your thoughts need to be pulled together in some way into that overall statement or “answer.” So write the interior paragraphs (reasons why) first and then go back to write the introduction and conclusion.

CLICK HERE to get this paper

One last thing. Remember that an analytical essay is highly-structured. That means each paragraph should look like all the others in terms of style and substance. Make sure that your introduction and conclusion are as substantial as the interior parts of the essay. Writing to the limit (four pages) is an art and something you need to learn to do. So don’t write fewer than four pages and don’t write more. You may need to write over a just a little and then edit away the extra parts to bring the essay to four pages.

Your essay should include: · an introduction which provides background, your thesis, and a preview of your main points. · three body paragraphs. Each one should include one of your main points, evidence from the readings and analysis. Do not rely too heavily on quotes. Frequently, paraphrasing is your best option. · a conclusion that ties your ideas together and discusses their significance.

CLICK HERE to get this paper