You will need to identify the event and briefly explain what happened (or is happening), when, and where. You will then analyze the event by determining why it happened as it did. In doing this, you will identify the state and non-state actors involved. Once you’ve identified the actors, you will use the theories of international relations to help you understand why this event/issue was important to each of them and why each responded as it did. The impact of balance of power, globalization, economics, culture, politics, and many other factors will help you analyze your topic.
Here’s your golden list:
Focus on your thesis. Pick one specific event (for instance, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, Operation Enduring Freedom, the founding of the EU, the founding of the UN etc.) What at are you setting out to prove, and why? Why is this topic important or relevant? How will you prove that it is important? This is key, as your thesis should be stated right up front, in your Abstract as well as in your papers introductory paragraph. A thesis-less paper is a paper without direction, so please do take your time to focus your thoughts on what you are setting out to write about, and why.
This is an example of an effective thesis: [what] The Fall of the Berlin Wall was an historical moment in international relations [why] because it accelerated the end of the Cold War changing the balance of power established in 1946, [proof] as witnessed by the crumbling of the USSR in 1991.
Now jolt down the structure of your work: make sure that each section hinges upon proving your thesis, and that you include effective transitions between each section. This will help you to keep your focus on the heart of the matter, rather than being derailed by information that is not essential for your paper.
Ideally your paper will have 4-5 sections: An introduction (about 10 percent of your paper), an historical backgrounder (about 20 percent of your paper), the main body of your paper (about 60 percent of your paper, accounting for at least a couple of specific, corroborating historical examples), a conclusion (about 10 percent of your paper).
This is a multi-layered topic, so make sure to ADDRESS ALL of its parts; You can do this by outlining your work before your start drafting your final paper.
Your paper must be 10 pages long, approximately 1500-2000 words maximum (the word count trumps the page count), excluding title page, footnotes, abstract and bibliography, which must also be attached; Please note that papers that will be too long, or too short are penalized in the grading rubric.
Remember to include your Abstract in your paper: This is very important as papers without abstracts are also severely penalized in the grading rubric.
Please remember to include your word count and to proofread your work: As one might expect there is very little leniency for grammatical oversights in our grading rubric.
