INTST 499W: Seminar in International Studies
Spring Semester 2022
Walton 21
TuTh: 9:40–11:10
Prof. Michael Marks
Office: Smullin 332
Office Tel. 503–370–6932
Administrative Assistant. Tel. 503–370–6060
E-mail: mmarks@willamette.edu
Home Page: http://www.willamette.edu/~mmarks
Office Hours: MWF: 8:00–9:00, 10:15–11:15, and by
appointment
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to provide a structured environment in
which students will undertake an analytical research and writing
project. The senior seminar represents the culmination of
students’ major area of study in International Studies. Research
and writing of the senior research paper is designed to prepare
International Studies majors for post-undergraduate careers in
international business, government, teaching, journalism, and related
fields. The seminar is also good preparation for entry into a variety
of graduate programs.
Student Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course students should be able to write an
extended research paper on a topic of each student’s choosing
analyzing some aspect of international affairs. In the research paper
each student should effectively:
1. Show knowledge of international/comparative/global issues.
2. Demonstrate an ability to undertake critical analysis of issues of
international, comparative, or global significance that draws on and
integrates economic, geographical, historical, and political approaches.
3. Convey an understanding of important international (comparative
and/or global) processes and conditions.
4. Analyze topics of current international significance, with an
ability to relate them to economic, geographical, historical and
political contexts.
5. Identify and discuss multiple dimensions of international trends or
problems, including some combination of those issues’ economic,
geographic, historical, political, and economic elements
6. Present a paper that states a clear and cogent thesis supported by
logical arguments and relevant evidence, and is well written in terms
of prose, organization, grammar, and syntax.
Time Commitment for This Course
Willamette’s Credit Hour Policy holds that for every hour of
class time there is an expectation of 2–3 hours work outside of
class. Thus, for a class meeting three hours a week such as this one
you should anticipate spending 6–9 hours outside of class engaged
in course-related activities. For this course you should allocate your
time among the following two activities: Researching and writing the
multiple drafts of your senior thesis; meeting with the instructor and
other faculty and support staff (e.g., research librarians) to discuss
the progress of the thesis.
Course Organization
Class time and a regular classroom have been set aside for this course.
However, we shall not necessarily meet as a group every week. In
addition to semi-regular class meetings at the scheduled classroom
hours, students will work closely with the instructor in development
and completion of their senior theses. Students will be obligated to
meet with the instructor on a regular basis to discuss their
projects. Each student should come prepared for these meetings to
present their work-in-progress including ongoing bibliographies,
outlines, writing samples, etc. In turn, the instructor will provide
both oral and written comments on student work, guidance on appropriate
methodologies, and references to additional resource materials. Through
this ongoing process of consultation, students will be expected to
re-write drafts of their thesis until they have produced a quality
piece of analysis.
Class sessions will provide a forum for students to think collectively
about the senior thesis project. In addition, students in the course
will have the opportunity to read their peers’ work and offer
support, critiques, suggestions, and frank assessments. Students
therefore will be expected to read their peers’ work and be
prepared to discuss them with a high degree of engagement and
dedication.
Written and Oral Assignments
The main written assignment for this course is a research paper which
constitutes each student’s senior thesis. Each student’s
thesis and empirical research should include factual information about
the economic, historical, and political forces that answer questions
similar to those answered in academic and policy journals. The emphasis
on interdisciplinary studies permits a range of issue areas on which
each student’s paper can be focused. Students should choose a
topic that involves economic relations, historical change, and
political activities. Although the topic can focus on a single country,
there should be implicit or explicit implications for how the country
interacts with other countries in the world. Research on the papers
will utilize primary materials as available, books and articles readily
accessible in the Hatfield Library and online, as well as newspaper and
other news organization archives also readily available via library and
online resources.
The theme of the research paper should elaborate on how best to
understand an issue of international significance looking at its
economic, historical, and political nature. The paper should be
centered on a “why” question and its thesis should answer
in what ways economics, history, and politics have brought about the
current state of affairs for the issue involved. There are an infinite
number of ways of posing and answering a “why” question
which allows students to tailor their paper to their interests
regarding international affairs. Some examples of questions students
might ask are as follows: “Why did the crisis of the Euro occur
in the European Union?;” “Why has the Chinese Yuan not
become a global currency?;” “Why have the governments of
some countries become susceptible to the influences of organized
crime?;” “Why hasn’t government fiscal policy
(either in the form of demand stimulus or government austerity) brought
about expected levels of economic growth?”
In addition to the final senior thesis, students will be asked to
submit a short ungraded preliminary overview of their proposed topic as
well as first, peer-editing, and second drafts of the paper.
There is no required minimum or maximum length for each draft of the
paper. There is an old adage (variously attributed to Abraham Lincoln
or J. D. Salinger) that, in answer to the question “how long
should a man’s legs be?,” the answer is “long enough
to reach the ground.” In other words, your paper should be long
enough to accomplish its task (no longer, and no shorter). Having said
that, it is most likely that a good first draft will range between 3000
and 4500 words (10 to 15 pages), a good second draft probably will fall
into the 4500 to 6000 word range (15 to 20 pages), and a good final
draft most will most likely run between 6000 to 9000 words (20 to 30
pages), all give or take. Each draft of the paper should include a
title (on a title page), an abstract, and a bibliography.
Students will also be required to make an oral presentation of their
paper to the rest of the class.
Additional information about the paper and oral presentation will be
made available on a separate hand-out provided by the instructor.
Grading and Policy on Academic Honesty
Incompletes will only be given under exceptional circumstances such as
serious illness. You may appeal any of your grades during office hours
only after you have handed in a typed, reasoned memorandum detailing
the specific reasons why you think the grade you received is not
justified.
Late writing assignments will be assessed a one-third grade penalty per
day (e.g., a B+ paper handed in a day late receives a B). Early
submissions of assignments are gladly accepted.
The final grade will be determined as follows: First draft 25%; Second
draft 30%; Final draft 35%; Oral presentation 10%.
Note: Failure to complete any of the drafts of the senior thesis
(including the peer editing draft) or the oral presentation shall
constitute failure of the course.
Everything you turn in must be your own written work. You may not copy,
borrow, or appropriate other authors’ work, unless you are doing
so in the form of a cited quotation. All references to other
authors’ work must be fully documented in the form of citations
and/or footnotes, and direct quotes must be indicated as such with
quotation marks. Suspected cases of plagiarism will be pursued
vigorously and appropriate penalties (including an “F” for
the course) will be applied.
Willamette's
Plagiarism and Cheating Policy
Class Attendance and Participation
Given the collaborative nature of the senior thesis process, students
are expected to participate in offering guidance and feedback to their
peers. Therefore, students are expected to be prepared to discuss each
other’s work in progress. Peer editing is a requirement of
this writing-centered class. In addition, attendance at other
students’ oral presentations is mandatory.
Electronic Devices in the Classroom
Laptop computers can assist in note taking and wireless Internet access
on campus can aid in organized classroom exercises. However, laptop
computers can also be a classroom distraction. Laptop computers are
permitted in class for note taking purposes. Additionally, there may be
occasions when the class as a whole may want to use the campus wireless
network to look things up online. However, please refrain from checking
e-mail, online chatting, websurfing, game playing, etc. during class.
If you are observed doing so during class time, you will asked to no
longer bring your laptop to class. Additionally, cell phones should be
turned off prior to class.
Accommodations
Students requiring accommodation should contact the Office of
Accessible Education Services (Student Success Hub in Matthews Hall,
Phone: 503–370–6737) for consultation and to make the
necessary arrangements.
Commitment to Positive Sexual Ethics
Willamette is a community committed to fostering safe,
productive learning environments which values ethical sexual behaviors
and standards. Title IX and school policy prohibit discrimination on
the basis of sex, which regards sexual misconduct—including
discrimination, harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual
assault, and stalking. University community members understand that
sexual violence can undermine students’ academic success. Students
affected by sexual misconduct are encouraged to talk to someone about
their experiences and get the support they need. Please be aware that
all faculty members are mandatory reporters and therefore are required
to report any instances disclosed to them by students to Willamette’s
Title IX Coordinator. If you would rather share information with
a confidential employee who does not have this responsibility, please
contact the university’s confidential advocate at confidential-advocate@willamette.edu.
Confidential support also can be found with SARAs and at the GRAC
(503–851–4245); and at WUTalk, a 24-hour telephone crisis counseling
support line (503–375–5353). If you are in immediate danger, please
call campus safety at 503–370–6911. For more resources, visit https://willamette.edu/notalone/index.html
Optional Course Texts
There are no assigned readings for this course aside from the materials
students will collect in the course of their research. However,
students might find one or more of the following writing and style
manuals useful in preparing their theses. These books can be purchased
from any online book retailer (e.g., Powell’s, Amazon, Barnes
& Noble, etc.). The purpose of these books is to provide guidance
to students regarding the standards, mechanics, and goals of writing in
the social sciences in general, and international studies in specific.
Purchase of
any of these books is optional.
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1995). ISBN: 0-226-06584-7.
Marianne Franklin, Understanding
Research: Coping with the Quantitative–Qualitative Divide
(London: Routledge, 2012). ISBN: 9780415490801.
Jon Furberg and Richard Hopkins, College
Style Sheet (Point Roberts, WA: Bendall Books, 1993). ISBN:
0-9696985-0-X.
Patricia Goodson, Becoming an
Academic Writer: 50 Exercises for Paced, Productive, and Powerful
Writing (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2012), ISBN:
9781452203867.
Diana Hacker, Rules for Writers
(Third Edition) (Boston: Bedford Books, 1996). ISBN: 0-312-11966-6.
Joseph A. Maxwell, Qualitative
Research Design: An Interactive Approach, third edition (Los
Angeles: SAGE, 2013), ISBN: 978-1-4129-8119-4.
Allen F. Repko, William H. Newell, and Rick Szostak, Case Studies in Interdisciplinary Research
(Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2012), ISBN: 978-1-4129-8248-1.
Allen F. Repko, Rick Szostak, and Michelle Phillips Buchberger, Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies
(Los Angeles: SAGE, 2014), ISBN: 978-1-4522-5660-3.
Diana Ridley, The Literature
Review: A Step-by-Step Guide for Students (second edition)
(Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2012), ISBN: 9781446201435.
Neil J. Salkind, 100 Questions (And
Answers) About Research Methods (Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE, 2012),
ISBN: 978-1-4129-9203-9.
Thinking and Writing: A Guide for
College Students (Brandywine Press, 1997). ISBN: 1-881-089-41-X.
Douglas Woodwell, Research
Foundations: How Do We Know What We Know? (Los Angeles: SAGE,
2013), ISBN: 978-1-4833-0674-2.
Robert K. Yin, Case Study Research:
Design and Methods, fifth edition (Los Angeles: SAGE, 2014),
ISBN: 978-1-4522-4256-9.
Course Schedule (Subject to revision)
DUE BY JANUARY 10 (CAN BE SUBMITTED ANY TIME OVER WINTER BREAK):
PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF THE PROPOSED TOPIC
(consult with the instructor as necessary via e-mail, phone, or in person over Winter Break)
January 11–13: Course Introduction
Discussion of the goals of a senior thesis project. Overview of expectations of the paper.
January 18–20: Questions, Theory, and Research
Discussion of the types of questions asked in analytical research,
theoretical frameworks, and the connections between theory and
research. Students should be prepared to discuss their choice of topic,
the main schools of thought engaged by the topic, the types of
empirical sources that will be used in the research, the significant
questions raised by the topic they intend to pursue.
MONDAY, JANUARY 24: THESIS PROSPECTUS DUE
(Including a summary, abstract, outline, literature review, and working bibliography).
January 25–27: Library Resources
No later than this week students should meet with the Social Science
reference librarian at Hatfield Library to discuss the types of
research materials available through the library relevant to each
student’s research topic.
February 1–3: Applying Questions, Theory, and Research to Writing
Discussion of the methods by which theoretical questions are translated
into empirical research. Students should continue to conduct research
on the empirical aspects of their projects.
February 8–10: How to Construct a Senior Thesis
Discussion of the format and structure of the senior thesis.
February 15–17: Some Writing Mechanics
Additional discussion of the nuts and bolts of the senior thesis format.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21: FIRST DRAFT OF SENIOR THESIS DUE
(including abstract and bibliography)
February 22–24
No class sessions. Submit first draft of thesis on Monday.
March 1–3
Class sessions as needed.
March 8–10
Class sessions as needed.
MONDAY, MARCH 14: PEER EDITING DRAFT DUE
Drafts to be exchanged with peer editors no later than 9:00 AM Monday, March 14.
March 15–17: Peer Editing Sessions
Peer editing of first drafts and working second drafts of
thesis. Class will meet on Tuesday, March 15 to exchange peer editing
comments.
March 21–25: Spring Break
No classes.
MONDAY, MARCH 28: SECOND DRAFT OF PAPER DUE
(including abstract and bibliography)
March 29–31: Second Drafts
No class sessions. Submit second draft of thesis.
April 5–7
Class sessions as needed.
April 12–14: Oral Prsentations
Oral presentations.
April 19–21: Oral Presentations
Oral presentations.
April 26: Oral Presentations
Oral presentations.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 27: FINAL DRAFT OF SENIOR THESIS DUE
(including abstract and bibliography)