analytical and persuasive paper

Zook Global 173 International Human Rights

Guidelines for Writing Final Papers

The final paper for this course will offer you the opportunity to explore topics and countries not covered in class, or to revisit topics that were covered but with more depth and from a different perspective. Whereas the first two exams were designed to test your knowledge of course material by answering questions posed to you, the final paper will ask you to show your critical understanding of related material by devising a question of your own and then providing a critically-reasoned answer in the form of an essay. The quality of your answer, of course, is determined by the quality of the question. Do not give in to the temptation to ask simplistic questions; though a simplistic answer might mean that your paper is technically “right,” part of the assignment is to challenge yourself and deepen your understanding of the material of the class—something that a simplistic question cannot do.

The paper has two options: Option One and Option Two. Please choose ONE of the options and then write an essay in which you offer an argument so amazingly brilliant and insightful that human rights practitioners around the world become giddy with optimism. Your essay must be 6-8 pages in length (double-spaced, 12- pt font, and one-inch margins), and you should utilize a broad array of course materials (lectures and readings) and outside sources (see below) to your best advantage in supporting your argument. You may use an additional page for endnotes/references, and also a separate page as a cover sheet if you wish. The paper is due no later than 11:59 pm on Monday, May 10.

This paper constitutes both an essay of original work based on a topic of your own choosing as well as a final exam displaying a mastery of the course material. Please take the time to write a well-crafted essay that combines your outside sources with your carefully chosen sources from the class.

Sources You will need to integrate three different types of sources for this paper.

1. You will need four sources chosen from the readings we have covered in class (from the course reader) and you will also need to draw on lecture notes as well.

2. You will need four substantive/scholarly outside sources for this paper. You can always use more, but never fewer.

Option One This option asks you to choose one topic from among the topics we have covered this semester and then choose a new and different case-study with which to explore this topic. The only restriction here is that you may not write on a topic that you wrote about in the previous paper (so no double-dipping). This will be an interpretive essay in which you offer a persuasive, original argument that incorporates your chosen case-study and relates it in a coherent and compelling way the material from the class. Avoid making the brutally obvious connection; that is, do not argue that “human trafficking is wrong,” or something like that. Also, please avoid making an argument from wishful thinking. You need to prove and persuade with specific, well-chosen examples. Finally, please underline, italicize, or bold your thesis statement.

Option Two

This option asks you to choose one human rights topic that we did not cover this semester and use your human rights knowledge to write an analytical and persuasive essay. This will be an interpretive essay in which you offer a persuasive, original argument in a coherent and compelling way. Please make it clear at the start of your essay what topic you are covering and what your argument will be. Finally, please underline, italicize, or bold your thesis (argument) statement.