MEMORANDUM ON TERM PAPERS FOR AFRICAN POLITICS

The term paper is intended to provide an opportunity for personal exploration of a topic relevant to the course. The result should be an analytical essay in which the writer presents and defends an argument concerning a suitably delimited subject, based upon careful consultation of the best available resources. The term "essay" is deliberately chosen as the emphasis is upon a thoughtful, informed, disciplined line of reasoning rather than the definitive study on a topic or a particular African country.

Topics will be chosen in consultation with the professor. By 15 FEBRUARY, each student must submit a one-paragraph statement of the proposed topic and a short bibliography of the sources identified in a preliminary search (approximately a dozen references to major books, articles, and chapters on the topic). Individual consultations will be scheduled with each member of the class to discuss the proposal in order to provide feedback and suggestions. All topics must be approved by the professor and may not be changed without prior consultation and mutual agreement. The subject should be limited to a single country as it is usually impractical in a 10-12-page paper to deal with more than one country. The topic proposed does not have to relate a theme on the syllabus, but must relate to African politics. A paper should not attempt a comprehensive examination of the politics of a given country, but focus on some aspect.

LIBRARY SOURCES: While the Africana selections in Barnard's Wollman Library are somewhat limited, Columbia's network of libraries, especially Lehman, Butler and the Business Libraries have a wealth of texts on Africa. Therefore, students should have no difficulties in locating materials for the term paper. After conducting a preliminary search of the available reference and secondary materials, students are encouraged to set up an appointment with Dr. Joseph Caruso, the Africana bibliographer at Lehman library.

REFERENCE: Prior to approaching any reference staff for individual assistance, you should identify your general topic and make a preliminary investigation of the readily available reference guides on Africa. A useful starting point is A Guide to Research and Reference Works on Sub-Saharan Africa edited by Peter Duignan. For general guides to journal articles, see Uncover, Public Affairs Information Service, Social Science Index, International African Bibliography. (See also "Current Information Sources" at the African Studies website maintained by Dr. Caruso). Introductory texts on individual countries for most African states may be found either in a series published by American University or in the Historical Dictionary series published by Scarecrow Press. Basic data and bibliographic information can be found in these works as well as the annual Europa encyclopedia.

JOURNALS: Students are expected to include journal articles in their research. Several major journals in African studies are: Journal of Modern African Studies, Canadian Journal of African Studies, African Affairs, Africa, Africa Today. Several major journals in political science are: Comparative Politics, World Politics, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy. Other relevant journals include: Current History, World Development.

PRIMARY SOURCES: Given the large number of African newspapers and journals available at Lehman Library, the use of primary sources (African newspapers, as well as documents and interviews) is also encouraged. There are also a growing number of websites, but please be sure to identify the source of the material to evaluate its authenticity and accuracy.

CITATIONS: Citations must be used to identify any direct quotations, closely paraphrased material, or for the attribution of any ideas or unusual information from a particular source. These may be given either as a footnote at the bottom of the page, or as an endnote at the end of the text. Citations may employ either standard footnote style or use the author-date system, but not both. For guidance as to the correct format for citations and the bibliography, you may refer to Kate L. Turabain Student's Guide for Writing College Papers or The Chicago Manual of Style

*** Be careful to avoid the academic sin of plagiarism. This form of theft is defined as the representation of the work or ideas of someone else as your own. It may consist of reproducing passages from some reference work verbatim without citation. Or in a more aggravated form, it is the submission of a term paper composed by someone else whether purchased or borrowed. Plagiarism can be inadvertent, arising through carelessness in the failure to footnote a passage taken from a reference book, or closely paraphrasing from it. In your note-taking, be sure to identify passages directly copied, noting the page number(s), so that if you use them in your essay you will recognize when you are employing direct citations. Even unintentional offenders risk incurring the penalties for plagiarism. Naturally a plagiarized paper will receive a failing grade and be reported to the chair of the department who will decide what further actions are appropriate.

EVALUATION: There will be three major criteria for evaluation of papers. The most important is the quality of its substantive analytical content. The effectiveness of exposition-- the presentation-- will also be a significant factor. A paper strewn with grammatical errors, littered with spelling mistakes, and/or without a logical introduction and conclusion will necessarily suffer in evaluation. Also included in the grade is the quality of documentation in terms of a reasonable number of diverse, well-chosen sources. The length of the paper (10-12 pages) is intended as a guideline rather than a rigid limitation. It is difficult to effectively cover a topic in less space. While there is no penalty for somewhat longer papers, the length of a paper will not enhance its grade (and may make for a disgruntled reader).

The paper is DUE ON THE LAST DAY OF CLASSES.

Be sure to leave yourself ADEQUATE TIME FOR DRAFTING your paper. Students frequently fall into the trap of turning a paper composed in a grueling all-night session without further revisions or even proofreading. These papers necessarily fall short of their potential (and the desired grade). Such a tactic will mean that you will fail to receive full credit for the time and labor invested in the research stage of paper preparation. To get the maximum benefit out of the editing by your peer review, be sure to provide them with a complete, proofread version of your paper. Strongly advised suggestion: START WRITING AT LEAST ONE WEEK BEFORE THE DUE DATE.