4 pages

SOCIAL SCIENCE 1430/39 9.0 INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

FIRST ESSAY ASSIGNMENT Fall 2014

___ Due Date: October 21, 2014 (before 8:30am) Weight: 10% Length: 1,000-1,250 words (4-5 typewritten double-spaced pages; Font: Times New Roman 12).

Word count must be included in title page. ___ QUESTIONS: Choose one of the following two questions:

1. It has been suggested that development is not a neutral term and that the field of development is highly “contested.” Drawing on class readings and notes, explain the meaning of these statements and discuss in what ways the ideas about development introduced in the course so far may have challenged the ideas that you had when you started the course.

2. The modernization and dependency perspectives provide two different explanations of the lack of

development or underdevelopment in the Global South. Compare and contrast the main propositions of these perspectives and discuss their respective strengths and weaknesses. In your opinion, which perspective offers the best insight? Why?

INSTRUCTIONS: ♦ The essay must be organized around a clear argument (expressed in a thesis statement) addressing the

essay question.

♦ The essay must be based on relevant course readings, lectures, and tutorial discussions. No additional external sources can be used. Students must provide examples from the readings to illustrate their ideas or those of the authors under discussion.

♦ The essay must be clearly organized. It should contain a title page, an introduction, a thesis statement

(in bold), a main body, and a concluding paragraph. Each paragraph must be clearly structured around a topic sentence (in bold).

♦ The essay must use standard academic referencing style and include a bibliography of all course

sources cited in the assignment. ♦ The use of direct quotes must be kept to a minimum. ♦ Students are encouraged to review the Students Paper & Academic Research Kit (SPARK) in

preparing their assignment for important tips: http://www.yorku.ca/spark/

PENALTIES FOR LATE ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments are due on the day of the lecture before 8:30am. They must be submitted online through the course’s Moodle site. Please note that each essay will be checked through turnitin for possible breaches of academic honesty. Individual TAs may also request that in addition to submitting online students hand in a hard copy of their essay. Assignments submitted late will receive a penalty deduction of 2 points per day. No essays will be accepted after one week (no exceptions). Late penalties will be assigned based on the date and time of online submission. Late essays will not necessarily be returned on the same day as essays submitted by the due date. Students who submit late assignments must notify their Teaching Assistant and must attach an electronic version of their paper with the notification message. Students anticipating problems submitting their assignments on time, and who have proper documentation for their circumstances, must contact their TAs to discuss whether they can be granted an extension. Please note that the course director does not grant extensions. Requests for extensions after the deadline will not be considered except under exceptional circumstances.