FINAL RESEARCH ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS CSOn4006 MIGRATION, TRANSNATIONALISM AND THE CITY (Autumn 2022) Fifty percent (50%) of your grade (10% for the draft and 40% for the final version) will be based on a research essay due on January 23, 2022.* Please follow the guidelines below, and don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. We have also posted some readings, under the Study Materials Page under “Learning Materials,” which will help you to think about how to pick a topic (“Picking a Research Topic” Turabian 1-3), how to do library research (Sociology Writing Group Ch. 4) and other general writing tips (Turabian Chapters 4-5, 6-8, and 11-13). There is also a citation guide from the American Sociological Association that you should follow for structuring your reference list and a file entitled “Acknowledging Sources” that will help you avoid “accidental” plagiarism. Finally, there is a file outlining the difference between analytical and descriptive writing. STRUCTURE: The assignment is very broad – you may choose any topic related to migration, transnationalism and the city, as long as you call upon some of the theory we have covered in the class. 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 10-14 pages (2.5 cm. margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12-pt. font). The total word count should be between 3,000 – 4,000 words. Please do not exceed the word count limit of 4,000 words. TIMELINE: November 28, 2022 A draft (1,000+ word) preliminary draft, including a research question/problem, is due in the HOMEWORK VAULT. December 1, 2022 Peer-to-peer feedback due in the HOMEWORK VAULT. January 10, 2022 FINAL ESSAY IS DUE FOR MASTERS STUDENTS SITTING FOR THE STATE EXAM. January 23, 2022 FINAL ESSAY IS DUE in the HOMEWORK VAULT by 23:59. LATE ESSAYS will be marked down by 2 points per day. *IMPORTANT NOTE: Students sitting for the State Master’s Exam MUST submit their essays by January 10, 2022. Guidelines for the DRAFT of the final paper IMPORTANT: The draft of the final paper is to be submitted by December 9, 2022 at 22:00 in the IS Study Materials-Homework Vaults-Drafts in a document called: Surname(s)_draft The draft is worth 10 points toward the final grade. LATE drafts (as well as final papers) will be marked down by 2 points per day. The draft should contain approximately 1,000-1,200 words. The draft of the final paper should consist of: - Introduction/background of the topic (what is already known about the subject? What is not known about the subject and hence you would like to write about? Are there conflicting views on the subject that you would like to discuss? Why do you consider it an important topic; why should the reader be interested in it?) - Research question or problem you want to address (list one key “how” or “why” question to be answered in the paper + max. 3 sub-questions developing the subject) - Theories, concepts, literature (what existing knowledge is relevant for your subject, what literature you are planning to use – you may list the key titles (these are not included in the 1,000-1,200 word count). - Hypothesis, main argument (what do you expect to find out, what do you want to argue) - Preliminary Outline of the paper (what topics you need to cover in order to answer your question) Guidelines for the peer-to-peer feedback on the draft of the final paper IMPORTANT: The peer-to-peer feedback is to be submitted by December 14, 2022 at 11:00 to IS Study Materials-Homework Vaults-Feedback in a document called: Surname(s)_feedback The peer-to-peer feedback is worth 5 points toward your final grade. By December 7, 2022, you will find the document “Final essay and peer-to-peer review division” in the IS Study Materials with working pairs - you will find out whose draft you should comment on. Prepare a short commentary on the draft of your colleagues (300-400 words). The goal of the peer-to-peer feedback is to improve the quality of your papers. The peer-to-peer feedback should include: 1. Evaluation of the topic of the paper – Is the topic/aim of the paper clear enough? Is there a clear research question/problem articulated? 2. Evaluation of the theoretical background – Is the topic framed by adequate theoretical concepts? 3. Is the main argument/answer to the research question clearly outlined? 4. Potential strengths and weaknesses - What are the strengths of the draft? What are the weaknesses? What do you suggest to improve the quality of the paper?