The Essay can cover any political related subject. The grade you have received on your paper is determined by how well you followed this rubric:
How well defined is your topic? Does it relate to political science?
How well developed is your thesis statement? The thesis statement is the sentence that states the main idea of a writing assignment and helps control the ideas within the paper. It is not merely a topic. It often reflects an opinion or judgement that a writer has made about a reading or personal experience. In the case of this research paper assignment, your thesis statement is a one sentence summary of what the entire paper will be about.
How effective is your introduction? Did your first sentence “hook” the reader? Did you introduce your topic to the reader in a way that assumes they do not know much about it? Does it flow nicely? Was your thesis statement clear? How well did you transition into the body of your paper?
First section (body 1): Did you explain the issue in depth? For example, if your topic is “the war on Syria,” this is where you more fully explain what the issue is. Here is where you would tell the reader about Syria’s history (briefly!), what is going on there now, and what will most likely happen in the future at the current rate.
If this were my paper, I would talk about the mistakes the United States made when, for example, it invaded Iraq and draw a parallel between the two situations. I would transition with a statement about how the United States should or shouldn’t proceed.
Second section (body 2): Did you explore what others are saying about your topic? What does your textbook say? What are Democrats/Republicans saying? What is the academic community saying? What is public opinion (look at social media for this)? What are some or all of the different opinions and what are their recommendations?
Third section (body 3): How strong are your policy recommendations? Have you explained to the reader your stance on the issue after researching what the topic is about and what others are saying? Do you agree with any particular group and why?
For example, I would go in depth about what the U.S. should do differently than its previous attempts at nation-building and how this would affect the future of the country in question (Syria) and the United States. A good way to approach this section is to imagine you are writing a policy proposal for a member of Congress on a specific policy issue. It can be either a domestic or international issue.
Conclusion – Did you restate your thesis in a few, brief sentences? Does it include a statement briefly outlining what you learned, what others can learn, and what the benefits are should your advice be taken?
For example, “If the United States does decide to take action in Syria and follows the recommendation provided within this paper, Syria will have a better chance at resolving [whatever problem you discovered about your topic].
How well did you follow the formatting and style guidelines found in the syllabus? While I am looking more for content, I will take into consideration things like grammar, structure, spelling, and punctuation.
References – Did you use at least three outside sources? Is one from a peer-reviewed, scholarly source?
