Essay outline, 2-3 pages (single-spaced): This assignment asks students to select a topic on their own that (1) is related to the theme of this course, (2) addresses change in a policy field, (3) compares a policy field between Canada and the USA, Australia, or an EU member state, or (4) deals with a weekly topic that appears in this course.
The outline must be structured in the following manner using these subheadings:
Introduction. Students will introduce the problem or issue they want to address and which theories, concepts, etc., they will employ to explore it. A central research question will then be identified. Following this, a thesis statement that clearly and concisely sums up the essence of the proposed essays argument in one sentence will be presented.
Development. Students will introduce and discuss the main idea(s) for each of the three sub-sections comprising the proposed essay.
Conclusion. Students will offer preliminary conclusions.
Annotated bibliography. Here, students are asked to select three preliminary sources that do not appear in this course for the forthcoming essay. These must be academic sources, i.e. sole authored or co-authored books, chapters from an edited book, or articles from scholarly journals. In the description of the source, students must (1) provide the bibliographical reference, (2) state the sources general argument in about two to three sentences, and (3) illustrate in two to five sentences why and how the source may be useful to the forthcoming essay.
A deduction of 0.8 will be applied to the grade of an outline if it is not single-spaced. A penalty of 0.8 will also be applied if it is not structured with the subheadings as described above.
The following is used to assess the outline:
Does the outline state the problem that it wishes to raise? (/1 mark)
Are concepts raised? (/2 marks)
Does the outline clearly and concisely state the preliminary thesis? (/3 marks)
Are three sub-sections present? (/1 mark)
Is there a logical connection between the three sub-sections? (/2 marks)
Does the outline provide an adequate description of what each sub-section will argue? (/2 marks)
Are preliminary conclusions present? (/1 mark)
Are three scholarly sources present in the annotated bibliography? (/1 mark)
Did the annotated bibliography provide proper bibliographical references? (/1 mark)
Is the outline specific about why its sources are relevant to the forthcoming essay? (/1 mark)