FINAL RESEARCH ESSAY – SOC 783 TRANSNATIONAL STUDIES
Thirty percent (35%) of your grade will be based on a research essay due on June 17, 2016.
Please follow the guidelines below, and don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. I
answer most e-mails within 24 hours. You may come and see me for help during my office hours
or e-mail me to make arrangements for another time that is convenient for you. In other words,
there is no excuse for problems with this assignment! My schedule is very flexible and I enjoy
meeting with students – please take advantage of this fact☺!
I have also posted some readings, under Week 6, which will help you to think about how to pick
a topic (“Picking a Research Topic” Turabian 1-3), how to look for sources (Sociology Writing
Group Chapter 4) how to plan an argument and write the paper (Turabian chapters 6-8 and 11-
16) and how to finish up and edit your paper (“SWG – Part III”). There is also a citation guide
from the American Sociological Association that you should follow for structuring your in-text
citations and your reference list.
STRUCTURE:
The purpose of this essay is to think sociologically about transnationalism. The assignment is
very broad – you may choose any topic related to transnationalism, whether we have covered it
in the class or not. I will approve the topic and make sure that your research question is narrow
enough to answer successfully in an essay of this length.
The final essay should be between 10-12 pages (2.5 cm.” margins, double-spaced, 12 pt. Font).
This is a minimum of about 3,500 words and you should not exceed a maximum of 5,000 words.
TIMELINE:
April 7, 2016 A few preliminary sentences in class about your potential topic (You can
change it at any time with my approval)
April 14, 2016 One-paragraph statement explaining your choice of topic is due via e-mail.
I will approve your topic within 48 hours so you can begin work. You may
send this at ANY time; you do not have to wait until the due date.
May 19, 2016 A short (1-3 pp.) preliminary summary of your work is in the
HOMEWORK VAULT.
June 17, 2016 FINAL ESSAY IS DUE in the HOMEWORK VAULT by 23:59.
LATE ESSAYS will be marked down by 2 points per day (out of a maximum of 35 points).