Introduction to International Politics Assignment: Critical Reading Review
Format and Details of Assignment:
Each student is required to submit a reading review as a course requirement. These "critical reviews" should be 5-6 pages in length. Please do not exceed the 6 page limit. They should briefly summarize the author's arguments as well as your own critique of the reading. Remember, like any essay, a reading response needs to have a thesis which you will argue or defend, using evidence from the text. The thesis should not be the thesis of the author whom you are reviewing. Rather it needs to be your own view or argument about the text: how effective and persuasive it is, and how relevant it is to understanding the issue.
You are not required to do any outside research for the reading response, although you may find that it helps you to situate the work under review within a broader literature. You can also draw on course readings to help provide context or illustrate your points. However, citations are required if you use any other sources, and you must document direct quotes/ideas taken from the piece under review.
For help on how to organize and write a reading review, there is a guide to Critical Reviews posted on the Moodle course site.
Penalties for Late Assignments and Information regarding Submission of Work:
Essays submitted late but within two weeks of the due date will receive a penalty deduction of 5% per day (including weekends). Penalties may be waived only if detailed medical documentation is provided. Submit your review on the Moodle site. Download the file using the submission link. Faxed or e-mailed essays will not be accepted. You are required to keep a copy of the final version of your assignment.
List of articles for review (choose one):
Fukuyama, Francis. 1989. "The End of History?" The National Interest(Summer). (York library e-Resources)
Posen, Barry R. 2006. "A Nuclear-Armed Iran: A Difficult but Not Impossible Policy Problem". A Century Foundation Report. http://web.mit.edu/cis/pdf/posen_frenchcen.pdf
Huntington, Samuel P. 1993. 'The Clash of Civilizations?' Foreign Affairs 72: 3 (Summer), pp. 22-49.(York library e-Resources)
Fortna, Virginia Page. 2004. Does Peacekeeping Keep Peace? International Intervention and the Duration of Peace after Civil War. International Studies Quarterly 48, pp. 269-292. (York library e-resources) or www.columbia.edu/~vpf4/pkISQ%20offprint.PDF
Sassen, Saskia (2002). "Women's Burden: Counter-Geographies of Globalization and the Feminization of Survival", Nordic Journal of International Law 71, pp. 255-274. (York library E-resources)