FINAL RESEARCH ESSAY – ESOn4007 CONTEMPORARY MIGRATION RESEARCH


Fifty (50%) of your grade will be based on a research essay (35%), including the draft (10%), and
the peer review (5%). Please follow the guidelines below, and don’t hesitate to contact one of us
if you have any questions. We will answer most e-mails within 24 hours. You may come and see one of
us for help during our office hours or e-mail to make arrangements for another time that is
convenient for you. In other words, there is no excuse for problems with this assignment! We really
enjoy meeting with students – please take advantage of this factJ!


We have also posted some optional readings under the Study Materials page, linked to the
Interactive Syllabus, under “WRITING RESOURCES,” which may help you to think about how to pick a
topic and develop a research question, find and engage sources of literature, and plan for and
actually write your paper. 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.
And perhaps most importantly, there is a guide to acknowledging, paraphrasing and quoting sources,
to help avoid any unintentional plagiarism.


STRUCTURE:


The purpose of this essay is to think sociologically about migration. The assignment is very broad
– you may choose any topic related to migration research. You may write a conventional research
essay or a research proposal for a study. We 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 approximately 10-12 pages (2.5 cm. margins, double-spaced, 12 pt. Font),
for a minimum of 3,500 words, and a maximum of 4,000 words.


TIMELINE:


May 3, 2021               One-paragraph statement explaining your choice of topic is due via
e-mail. We 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 24, 2021 – 11:00            Draft of the paper to be uploaded to the HOMEWORK VAULT.


May 27, 2021 – 23:59            PEER REVIEW of the Paper Draft to be uploaded to the HOMEWORK
VAULT.


June 20, 2021 – 23:59            FINAL ESSAY is due in the HOMEWORK VAULT.




LATE ASSIGNMENTS will be marked down by 2 points per day.