Book review (1000–1500 words) due Session 5: 20% of the final course grade
Early in the course, you will select a book published in approximately the past ten years that directly addresses questions and concerns on the course syllabus. We provide several suggestions at the end of the syllabus. You should indicate your book selection on the course website no later than session 3. The ideal selection for this project is a dissertation-turned-into-book or a similar monograph with a clear set of theoretical propositions and related empirical project. No duplicate reviews of the same book are allowed, so sign up early to get your preferred options. Relatedly, you should not select an edited volume. You will write a review of the book in a style that is appropriate for Perspectives on Politics, the flagship book review outlet for the discipline. Your essay should critically—but generously—describe the key theory and claims of the book; how it compares to related works, particularly on the course syllabus; and the evidence provided to support those claims.
Research proposal memo (1000–1500 words) due Session 6: 20%
Propose 2–3 research ideas, one of which you will explore for your final project. The idea will include a brief motivation based on existing literature and a clear statement of the research question/hypothesis that is tested, with possibilities for testing it. The question could be descriptive, conceptual or causal in nature.
Research and proposal presentation (15 minutes) due Session 11: 10%
Students will present their progress on the final research project, based on one of the ideas from the proposal memo. Ideally, you have already tried some data analysis (quantitative and/or qualitative).
Research paper (4,000–6,000 words) due Session 13: 35%
In this assignment, you write a short paper based on your research proposal. The paper will include literature review, research question, hypotheses you are testing, research design and data description, data analysis (quantitative and/or qualitative), and your conclusions. More advanced students are welcome to include a section on further steps/additional data needs, which we can comment on.
