Category: Political Science

play the role of a Mexican government official who believes the boundary should be the Nueces River.
When writing your speech keep the following things in mind:
Effective map analysis involves understanding what you are looking at. One effective way to do this is to locate key features (cities, rivers, mountain ranges, etc.) to better understand what the maps are telling you. For example: since the war between the US and Mexico started over a dispute between the southern boundary of Texas, you’ll need to locate the two rivers in question—the Nueces River and the Rio Grand River (also referred to as Rio del Norte or Rio Bravo)—and trace their extent to see how establishing one or the other as the international boundary would affect the size of the territory claimed by each country.
When giving your speech, be sure to make specific references to the map images you used on your slides.
When determining the points you want to make in your speech, consider things like:What advantages was your character’s side trying to achieve by claiming that boundary?
What historical claims were used to justify one boundary versus the other?
How do land claims of Native Americans factor into this debate?
If your side wins the dispute, what does your country plan to do with that territory?
200 to 300 words

I posted in the flies important readings they gave us from book use these and include at least 5-8 quality sources.
Key Things to Focus On
Clear, Structured Writing: Stay organized with clear sections and a logical flow.
Use of Evidence: Support all claims with credible sources.
Professional Tone: Match the style to the professional context you’re simulating (e.g., persuasive for an editorial, factual for an analytical report).
This detailed guide should help you fully understand how to tackle your essay! Let me know if you’d like any further clarification on specific sections.
Step 1: Choose Your Writing Style
You’re asked to replicate a writing style used in professional practice, which means you need to pick a style that aligns with your career interests. Here’s how to choose and approach each option:
Policy Briefing: This is typically written for policymakers and includes:
Key Policy Recommendations: Suggest actions or changes.
Justification: Explain why these changes are necessary based on evidence.
Implementation Plan: Provide practical steps for carrying out these recommendations.
Political Editorial: This is more like a persuasive opinion piece, often published in newspapers or journals:
Opinion/Argument: A clear stance on a political issue.
Evidence: Use statistics, historical examples, or current events to support your argument.
Persuasion: The tone should convince the reader to agree with your viewpoint.
Analytical Report: This style is common in think tanks or consultancy work:
Executive Summary: A short, concise summary of the main points of your analysis.
Detailed Analysis: Break down the issue using data, empirical evidence, or case studies.
Conclusion/Recommendations: Based on your analysis, propose potential solutions or actions.
Grant Bid: This is used to secure funding for a project:
Problem Statement: Clearly define the problem your project will solve.
Solution Plan: Detail your proposed solution and how it will work.
Justification for Resources: Explain why you need specific funds and how they will be used effectively.
Step 2: Pick a Topic
The essay must cover one of the provided topics. Choose a broad topic and then narrow it down into a more precise research question. Here’s a breakdown of potential topics and how to narrow them:
Achieving peace in the Middle East:
Narrow it to: “The Role of International Mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.”
Dealing with the UK asylum backlog:
Narrow it to: “Improving the Efficiency of the UK Asylum System Through Digital Tools.”
The effects of political polarization in the USA:
Narrow it to: “The Role of Social Media in Deepening Political Polarization in the USA.”
Addressing the gender pay gap and gender equality:
Narrow it to: “The Effectiveness of Recent UK Legislation in Closing the Gender Pay Gap.”
Reducing poverty without increasing inequality:
Narrow it to: “Universal Basic Income: Reducing Poverty While Managing Economic Inequality.”
Reducing global climate change successfully:
Narrow it to: “The Impact of Renewable Energy on Global Climate Change Mitigation.”
The global impact of social media on politics:
Narrow it to: “The Role of Social Media in Influencing Elections in Developing Countries.”
Global health crises and how to plan for them:
Narrow it to: “Building Pandemic Resilience: Lessons Learned from COVID-19.”
Step 3: Structure the Essay (1500 words)
Once you’ve chosen a topic and writing style, the next step is to plan the structure of your essay. You’ll need to follow the conventions of the specific style you’ve chosen.
1. Introduction (150-200 words)
The introduction should:
Introduce the issue: Provide some context for why this issue matters.
State the purpose: Clarify the objective of your essay (e.g., to provide policy recommendations, analyze a situation, argue for a viewpoint).
Preview your main argument or findings: Give a brief idea of what the reader should expect.
For example, if you’re writing a policy briefing on renewable energy and climate change, your introduction might look like this:
“This policy briefing addresses the growing urgency of global climate change and the role renewable energy plays in mitigating its effects. It proposes a strategic increase in investment into solar and wind energy, supported by evidence showing significant reductions in carbon emissions in countries leading the renewable energy transition.”
2. Main Body (1200-1300 words)
This is where you present the bulk of your research. Your approach will vary depending on the writing style:
Policy Briefing:
Section 1: Problem Overview: Explain the issue in detail (e.g., current problems with climate change).
Section 2: Policy Recommendations: Present specific recommendations (e.g., increasing renewable energy subsidies).
Section 3: Justifications: Use data or case studies to justify your recommendations.
Section 4: Implementation: Describe how the recommendations can be implemented in practice (e.g., through governmental incentives).
Political Editorial:
Section 1: Position: Clearly state your opinion on the issue.
Section 2: Evidence: Use strong evidence to support your argument, whether it’s statistical data, historical facts, or expert opinions.
Section 3: Counter-arguments: Address potential opposing views and explain why your argument is stronger.
Section 4: Conclusion: Restate your position and emphasize the importance of action.
Analytical Report:
Section 1: Executive Summary: Condense the entire analysis into a short paragraph for busy readers.
Section 2: Issue Analysis: Break down the problem using data and evidence, providing a thorough analysis.
Section 3: Evidence and Findings: Present data, charts, or case studies that back up your analysis.
Section 4: Conclusion: Summarize findings and suggest what should happen next.
Grant Bid:
Section 1: Problem Definition: What’s the key issue your project aims to solve?
Section 2: Proposed Solution: Outline your plan to solve the issue, focusing on innovation and feasibility.
Section 3: Resource Justification: Break down your funding needs and explain how each resource will be used.
3. Conclusion (150-200 words)
Summarize the key points you’ve made in your essay.
Reinforce your recommendations or final stance.
Emphasize why this issue requires attention and action now.
Step 4: Reflection (300 words)
This is where you reflect on the process and how it helped your professional development. Structure your reflection as follows:
How is this assessment different from an academic essay?
Consider the practical nature of the assignment. Unlike academic essays, this writing mirrors real-world scenarios where clarity and actionable insights are key.
What did you find useful about the assessment?
Mention how it forced you to engage with professional writing practices, learn how to simplify complex information, or practice making persuasive arguments.
What did you find difficult?
You might talk about challenges such as adapting to a specific writing style or distilling large amounts of information into a concise format.
How does this writing style connect to your career goals?
Discuss how the assignment prepares you for future work. For instance, if you want a career in policy, explain how writing policy briefings or analytical reports will be useful in your future role.
Step 5: Proofreading and Referencing
Proofreading: Carefully check your essay for clarity, coherence, and grammar. Make sure your arguments are logically structured.
Referencing: Be sure to cite all the sources you used and include a properly formatted bibliography.
3. **Conclusion** (150-200 words)
– Summarize your key points.
– Reinforce the main takeaway or call to action (especially if writing a policy briefing or editorial).
Step 4: Reflective Writing (300 words)
– **How was this different from an academic essay?** (e.g., less theoretical, more practical and focused on real-world applications).
– **What was useful about this assessment?** (e.g., learning to write in a professional context, organizing complex information).
– **What was difficult?** (e.g., adapting to a specific writing style, synthesizing large amounts of data).
– **How does this writing style connect with your career goals?** (e.g., if you’re interested in policy work, explain how writing policy briefings will be helpful).
Step 5: Proofreading and Referencing
– Make sure your essay is clearly written, with good grammar and structure.
– Reference all your sources properly and include a bibliography.
Resources to Use
Books & Journals: Use university databases to access articles on the topic you’ve chosen. Databases like JSTOR, ProQuest, or Google Scholar are great for finding academic sources.
Government Reports: For policy-related essays, government publications or official reports can provide real-world data and insight.
News Outlets: For political editorials or analysis, reputable news sources (e.g., The Guardian, BBC, The New York Times) are helpful for current events.
NGO or Think Tank Publications: If you’re writing on global issues or grant proposals, reports from organizations like the World Bank, United Nations, or think tanks like Chatham House can offer in-depth research.

From Realism, Liberalism, and Constructivism. Which do you think best describes the world today? Write an essay that addresses this question. Make sure that your argument represents your view.
I attached 3 articles about realism, 2 liberalism and 2 constructivism
Second article about constructvisim link ( https://www.amacad.org/publication/emerging-risks-declining-norms/section/3 )
( you are free to choose from the 3 options, also use and cite the articles I provided, also find outside sources as long as you still use some of the articles I provided to defend your argument, as well you can use them to argue against each other)
cite article readings, e.g., (Keohane 1998) with page numbers.
I also attached the paper writing guide please follow it, have a strong thesis that follows the essay.
Thank you, if you have questions reach out.

write a brief research proposal. (Less than 1 page) This proposal should briefly explain what you are interested in writing your paper on, what if any research you have done already, and any preliminary sources.

write a brief research proposal. (Less than 1 page) This proposal should briefly explain what you are interested in writing your paper on, what if any research you have done already, and any preliminary sources.

Please write a 400 word blog that summarises the critical points and information given in the 3 PowerPoints that I will attach, plus the sources that I attach.
 Summary of the critical points covered in sessions 2, 3, and 4, and assess the relevance of the concepts and theories to understanding the Middle East.
 Identify from the recommended readings the critical points of the problems of the region and possible solutions. For example, rentier state, power and authoritarianism, and development.
Grading Criteria
Your blog should cover
 Your understanding of the critical points covered in sessions 2, 3 and 4.
 Successfully recognised and articulated the significance of the
concepts and theories with thorough and well-founded reasons.
 Understanding and relevance of the readings.
PLease USE the Sources from the reading list that I will provide. Thank you. I will attach everything, please go through all the PowerPoints and sources in the reading list to write this blog.
Please make sure that the font is size 12, and use 1.5 spacing, as well as a margin in the corner of the page. please provide a word count( excluding the bibliography. Please use in text citations in the blog when referring to sources.
HARVARD REFERENCING. PLEASE also number the pages.
PLEASE NOTE: you DONT have to use all the sources I have completed, but please use at least 4/5 of them and include ALL these sources in the bibliography and any other external ones that you use.

The outline and topic is included in attachment.
The presentation will include:
Name the case
Discuss the facts of the case
Discuss the history of the case (what laws or legal action was taken)
Discuss the issues or the facts of the case and legal questions the court must decide
Discuss if the court’s decision or holdings were for the plaintiff or the defendant and the reasons for the decision.
Discuss the concurring and dissenting opinions from the judge or if a jury trial, the jury
References slide with a minimum of 2 scholarly sources.
Important: In this assignment, you are expected to elaborate on the points you made in the prior assignment in Week 6. This assignment will be graded on your strength to elaborate and explain the facts of the case, proper use of visual aids, good narration, presentation of the case, and how well you stick to the case. Do not copy-paste the outline into this and call it complete.
This assignment is worth 225 points.
Requirements
Length: The presentation should be 7-8 slides long if using PowerPoint excluding the title and reference slide. If you choose to do a video or narration, the length requirement should not exceed 5 minutes.
Font should not be smaller than size 16-point  
Parenthetical in-text citations included and formatted in APA style  
Title/Introduction slide required
References slide minimum of 2 scholarly sources in addition to textbook if cited)
You can either narrate your presentation, make a video, OR use speaker notes to elaborate on the content on the slides.
Grading
This activity will be graded based on the Written Assignment Grading Rubric.
Rubric:
1. Identifies numerous facts that go above and beyond highlighting the importance of the case and make the case foundations explicit.
2. The presentation covers an exceptional level of case history to make the legal actions surrounding the case clear and detailed.
3. The presentation clearly points to the specific civil liberties issues that the courts had to determine to issue a verdict.
4. The presentation clearly lists whether the court ruled for the plaintiff or the defendant along with the reasoning provided by the court and key details directly related to understanding the ruling. Any holdings or court imposed conditions as part of the verdict are also listed.
5. The presentation clearly points to the verdict and provides clear detail of the affirming and dissenting opinions.
6. Audible and clear volume without ambient noise, has a good pace, and stays to the topic or clear speaker notes with details that demonstrate a clear and exceptional understanding of the case. Overall excellent delivery.
7. The presentation includes all required components, is visually clean and appealing with effective use of visuals.
8. The writing is concise and free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The presentation contains 7-8 slides excluding the title and reference slide. If narrated, the narration is 3-5 minutes.
9. The references are provided in accurate APA format.

POLS 495 – secondary literature and thesis proposal
Secondary literature review 60% Thesis proposal 40% Total 100%
POLS 495
1. Careful reading and analysis of a secondary literature list which has been drawn up by the student and the supervisor;
2. Writing a 5,000 word (approx) review essay of that literature;
3. Writing a research proposal which includes:
a. the identification of the issue(s) to be addressed;
b. an assessment of the primary sources available;
c. a thesis statement;
d. a proposed strategy for research.

(This is a two-part assignment. The first part is the only part I want completed which is the annotated bibliography prior to writing my final essay. If you read further down, my professor states that not every source has to be annotated only some as she is able to tell if it will help me further in my next essay writing. I need reliable sources chosen to best help me with the research and completion of the final essay. In the assignment instructions I will provide both the annotated bibliography assignment instructions and main essay instructions that way you can read and see how both assignments are intertwined. This is important because good sources will help me complete the main essay portion. It is a lot of reading and instructions but I’m providing all of this because it will help guide you to what the professor exactly wants).
This is the requirements for the annotated bibliography:
You are required to submit a bibliography for the Intergovernmental Relations and Federalism Written Assignment This bibliography should be divided into 5 sections that correspond to the 5 sections of this assignment due in week 10. (Sections are provided right under this paragraph). Please include the sources you have found – both academic in the form of peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters written by specific authors in edited books – and the 20 media articles you plan to use. You may also find relevant information on the websites of online semi-academic news sources (eg. The Conversation; The Walrus; The Hub, Policy Options) or Think tanks (eg. Canada West Foundation; Generation Squeeze, CD Howe Institute). You can also use government press releases. A more fullsome list and links to all of these kinds of sources are found in my announcement dated October 15)
The five sections:
Section 1: Jurisdiction
Section 2: Government Perspectives
Section 3: Analysis of Positions
Section 4: Analysis of Strategy
Section 5: Reflection
Below is the Rubric for grading this assignment. It will be graded out of 15. (It is in the files).
(This is an important announcement that my professor provided that will help answer any questions about the assignment of the bibliography):
As a reminder, the topics of the Intergovernmental and Federalism Written Assignment that you can choose from are:
1.Are you interested in the housing shortage in Canada? Then choose: The Housing Accelerator Fund
2.Are you interested in the quality of health care in Canada? Then choose: The 2023 10 year Federal Health Care Funding Agreement
3.Are you interested in the Environment? Then choose: The Carbon Tax
*(You can choose any one of these 3 topics above^ if you have good knowledge in any of them and I can base my final essay off of it, I just chose the quality of healthcare since it is most interesting to me)*
I’m excited for you because in doing this assignment you are seeing intergovernmental relations play out in real time about real issues!
Remember, the bibliography should be divided into five sections that correspond to the five sections of the written assignment on intergovernmental relations that you will submit in week 10. Owing to the contemporary nature of these issues, you will need to use newspaper articles as a key source for completing the assignment. You must have at least 20. Then you will also want to use academic analysis including chapters from ebooks available in the library and peer-reviewed academic journal articles on the library website.
I have spoken to many of you who have contacted me about the assignment, and here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions:
Can I can use other forms of online analysis, other than newspaper articles? YES! But you must have 20 newspaper articles, and there is some really good analysis in traditional e-books and journal articles available through the library website that you will also want to utilize.
What other kind of online analysis is acceptable? Things like articles in online news magazines that are quasi-academic like The Walrus: https://thewalrus.ca/; The Hub: https://thehub.ca/; Policy Options: https://policyoptions.irpp.org/; The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/ca;
Are there any other kinds of sources I might find useful? YES! There are some great think tanks that have publications you can utilize. Some think tanks are specific to a policy area; others are general and have publications on many specific issues. You might want to take a gander at: The MacDonald-Laurier Institute: https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/ Generation Squeeze: https://www.gensqueeze.ca/ The Canada West Foundation: https://cwf.ca/; The David Suzuki Foundation: https://davidsuzuki.org/; the Canadian Climate Institute: https://climateinstitute.ca/; The C.D. Howe Institute: https://www.cdhowe.org/
Anything else I should consider as sources? YES! Be sure to visit the Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat to find out the latest press releases and meetings of ministers on your policy issue: https://www.scics.ca/. Also, check out the Council of the Federation website for the Premiers’ collective point of view: https://www.canadaspremiers.ca/.
How do I find newspaper articles? You go to Canadian Newsstream through the library website, and then enter search terms. Beside each document on the left will be a newspaper icon if it is a newspaper. (see image below)
Do I need to include the ProQuest URLs in my bibliography for my newspaper articles? PLEASE NO. Just the citation for the article itself, including page numbers.
What does a newspaper page number look like? Something like A4 or B2 will come at the end of the article because this means it’s in section A of the newspaper, on page 4 of section B of the newspaper on page 2 etc. See the image below, where the page number is A12.
Do I have to have the same number of sources for each section? NO!
Can I repeat sources – in other words, use one source in one of the five sections of the assignment and use it again in another section? YES! but you must have a reason to do so – don’t just repeat the same sources for all five sections!
Is this an annotated bibliography? NO! You don’t need to explain what is in every source. BUT, because I am familiar with publications on these issues, I will know whether yours are going to actually help you write that section of the written assignment.
This is the requirements for the Final essay: (Do not complete final essay just bibliography portion above). (I posted it to help guide you with answering what is needed for the next step of the essay portion and what should be required in the annotated bibliography)
Overview
Provinces and the Federal government are always engaged in intergovernmental relations. (See chapter Chapter 7 of Bakvis and Skogstad). These relations take place outside of any elected legislature and take the form of multilateral meetings among executives (cabinet ministers, or premiers and the prime minister); bilateral negotiations conducted privately between the federal government and each jurisdiction; and multilaterally, bilaterally, and indirectly through the media. Governments talk to each other through the media to signal where they stand on issues; and governments talk to Canadians through the media to gain public sympathy for their position.
This assignment asks you to explore these intergovernmental dynamics in one of several current policy areas garnering the attention of federal and provincial governments. These policy areas will be identified by your instructor in the first week of the class, under “announcements”. The goal of the assginment is to understand how federalism affects the development of policy solutions in Canada, and how it shapes the strategies of the federal and provincial governments to achieve desired solutions. It also is intended for you to dive into an issue that is currently or has recently garnered the attention of politicians, the media and Canadians alike.
Submission
Please review the submission instructions provided in the Course Specific Standard Statements section of the Outline. It is your responsibility to verify if the submission was successful. Be sure to keep a backup copy of all of your assignments in the event that they are lost in transition.
Structure and Layout
Your assignment should be no more than 15 pages, excluding bibliography.
Suggested Page Distribution
Section 1: Jurisdiction – 2-3 pages
Section 2: Government Perspectives– 3 pages
Section 3: Analysis of Positions – 3 pages
Section 4: Analysis of Strategy – 2 pages
Section 5: Reflection 4-5 pages
Executive Summary
Section I – Jurisdiction
Please outline the jurisdiction of the federal and provincial governments in this policy area. Make reference to the Constitution Act of 1867 and discuss how the interpretation of this jurisdiction has evolved over time. For instance, if the topic were “child care” (which is not specifically mentioned in the Constitution Act of 1867), how do the provinces claim authority in this area? How does the federal government become involved in this sphere? Which parts of the Constitution do they cite? Overall, what are the methods they use to intervene? Do they primarily use tools of fiscal federalism (such as conditional and unconditional intergovernmental grants) or do they intervene directly through legislation? In this section, you should also refer to chapter 2 of Bakvis and Skogstad, which discusses self-rule vs. shared-rule.
Section 2 – Government Perspectives
Identify the position of the federal government on this specific issue. What actions or proposals has it made to address the problem, and what methods is it utilizing? Are these actions primarily through use of its spending power or regulation? If it involves the spending power, who are the recipients of the funds – individuals, provincial governments, institutions, or other governments? Are the funds targeted or broad in scope? Are they a one shot infusion of funds or long-term in nature? What mechanisms are in place for accountability – do the provinces have to report to the public or to the federal government on how the funds are utilized?
Identify the position of two of the provincial governments in this area. You must choose at least one of the following: Alberta, Ontario, Quebec. You can choose only one of the following: Saskatchewan, British Columbia Manitoba. You can choose only one of the following: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador. For example, you could choose both Alberta and Quebec. You could choose Ontario and British Columbia. You could choose Alberta and Nova Scotia.
Section 3 – Analysis of Positions
Analysis (3 pages)
Identify the public rationale behind the position of each government. Here you will want to reference quotations from the elected politicians from the jurisdictions on which you are focusing.
What is the private rationale behind the position of each government?
Here you want to infer from academic analysis and media commentary why each of the three governments has taken the approach they have. In developing your inferences you will want to consider the jurisdictional backdrop which informs the stance of your jurisdiction. For each province, what is the economic and demographic weight of the province in the federation? Does this make them a leader or follower? What is the nature of the economy in each province and at the federal level? Are they contributors to the federation or a takers (have or have not province)? How popular is each of the current governments? Do they have a strong mandate to legitimately speak on behalf of their jurisdiction or are they deeply unpopular currently? When is each jurisdiction facing an election next? Do they need to deliver an “intergovernmental win” in the short term, or are they at the beginning of their mandate and can afford to walk away from an intergovernmental deal that isn’t quite right? Is each government’s budget balanced? Can they afford to walk away from a deal on the intergovernmental table? What are the current policy issues that are receiving the most media/government attention in the jurisdictions you are considering (federal, and each of the two provinces you chose)? Is the topic you’re focusing on one of the major policy issues receiving a lot of media attention?
Section 4 – Analysis of Strategy
Please carefully consider the approach used by each of the three jurisdictions in your issue. Are they using a multilateral, bilateral, or no-negotiation approach? Is the approach hierarchical (where one government is saying “take it or leave it” to others) or collaborative with the governments working together and listening to each other to come up with a joint plan? Does the strategy of any of the governments involve other institutions such as the courts? Why do you think the governments are utilizing these specific strategies?
Section 5 – Reflection
Which of the positions of the three governments you have considered do you agree with and why?
In answering this question, you should think about:
a. whether the positions of the government go against the spirit of federalism (refer to the readings from the first Unit).
b. whether the proposed or agreed-to policy outcomes are going to adequately address the policy problem at hand.
Does Canada benefit from federalism in this policy area, or is federalism an obstacle? Explain your argument.
To answer this question, you’ll again find it helpful to review some of the rationale for federalism in the required readings for week.
Sources and Format
To finish this assignment, you need to locate academic sources related to your topic. The library offers numerous journal articles and ebooks focusing on Canadian federalism, intergovernmental relations, and specific policy areas, which will be helpful. Additionally, you should review at least 20 newspaper articles using Canadian Newsstream, a database of newspaper coverage, to understand the stances of various governments. You may reference any of the required readings for the course as well! Please double space your paper, using Ariel or Times New Roman font and use MLA to format references.

write a brief research proposal. (Less than 1 page) This proposal should briefly explain what you are interested in writing your paper on, what if any research you have done already, and any preliminary sources.