The impact of cotton intensification in Central Asia

Work type:          Research paper

Format:      APA

Pages:        6 pages ( 1650 words, Double spaced

Academic level:  Undergrad. (yrs 1-2)

Discipline:  Natural Sciences

Title: APPENDIX 2 Optional Final Research Paper Instructions

Number of sources:     3

Paper instructions:     

APPENDIX 2

Optional Final Research Paper Instructions.

Instructions attached

Lecturer advice write this assignment using this two topics. 

1.) Discuss the impact of cotton intensification in Central Asia. And How and why was cotton put into this dry region?

2.) Discuss the multiple issues associated with the drying up of the Aral Sea, especially on the local Karakalpak population?

APPENDIX 2

Optional Final Research Paper Instructions

Instructions for Optional Final Critical Analysis Research Paper:

This paper is designed around the idea that you will further develop and compare one of the general themes or case studies discussed in class (or will be discussed or is directly related to the themes covered during class). These topic is for you to choose, but some ideas can be an analysis such topics as resource extraction issues, desertification, hyper-urbanism, hyper-industrialization to the impacts of river damming, deforestation, and agricultural intensification, conflict minerals, etc. The analysis must be focused on the regions/countries discussed in class (Africa, Middle East, Central, Eastern, South, and Southeast Asia) and compared with one or more regions within our study area that have similar issues.

This paper is intended to be a critical analysis of the theme/topic you choose, so you must look at all sides of the debate surrounding the issue. Questions you can ask include: How has the definition of the theme/topic changed over time? How is the issue used or misused politically/socially/environmentally in our study areas? What are the various scales that are impacted? What evidence is found on-the-ground in support of, or contradictory to, your topic—positive and negative examples? Are there alternatives, lights at the end of the tunnel, or course corrections that you can identify through your research?

Paper Requirements:

1) Six (minimum) to eight—or more–(complete) double-spaced pages with 1” or 1.25” margins and in Times New Roman 12pt font. Please number your pages. Include your name and the title/topic in the header of the first page or on a cover page. Do not include this in the body of the paper.

2) The paper must have a clear thesis statement (what you will look at specifically in the paper or the questions you will ask—basically, what you are going to prove or disprove in the paper) and a solid conclusion that ties the whole paper together.

3) The paper must be clear and grammatically correct.

• No contractions and no colloquial statements
• Remember, you cannot “know” what authors are thinking, you have to find references to it in their work
• When using block quotes be sure to single space and “tab” the entire quote over once.

4) You must use (drawing important quotes into your text) a minimum of four outside, peer-reviewed, academic sources (journal articles and books), but try for more— and no internet sites.

• Try to find sources younger than 20 years (1990s and 2000’s)
• You need to incorporate the ideas of experts in the field into your paper whether you agree or disagree with them
• Do not use quotes that state obvious points, rather use ones that are essential to furthering your argument.

What do not count as sources:

1. Internet sites (the internet may be used only to find online copies of journals through the library webpage).
2. Sources that are three pages or less.
3. Encyclopedias
4. Newspaper articles (unless prior approval is given)
5. Other introductory Environmental, Science or World Regional textbooks (can be used for further reading or clarification but are generally not interpretive).

5) Be sure to incorporate any outside sources covered in class when applicable. Vague mention with no references are not acceptable.

6) Include a Works Cited page at the end (see bibliography format below). This is a separate page and does not fulfill the 6-page minimum above.

7) Please upload a copy of the paper to the “Optional Extra Credit Research Paper” on the course’s Canvas site.

8) Everyone must discuss their topic with me well in advance of submitting the paper.

Extra Bits:

Possible Paper Format

1. Introductory paragraph (thesis statement or research questions)
2. Literature review section/paragraph (not always applicable, but a discussion of how others have approached your topic in the past)
3. Analysis paragraphs (your discussion of the topic using a combination of original sources, scholarly interpretation and your own interpretations)
4. Conclusions section/ paragraph (final summary of your discussion, review of your thesis and what you found)      

Thesis Statement:

Thesis statements should be clear, concise, and compelling. It should not only say what you are going to do in the paper but also how you are going to do it (what sources you will use, what questions you will ask, etc). An example is:

“. . .  Drawing from the works of Jones (1987), Smith (2004), Inwood (1998) and Norseman (1976), I will examine the changing definition of desertification and how the process is reflected in the changing ecosystem of the Aral Sea region in Central Asia.”

Quoting in the paper:

Use of block quotes to be at a minimum (no more than two or three block quotes of 4-5 lines).

Block quotes are used for quotes over four lines long and need to be separated from the text, single spaced, and tabbed over.

– If you use someone else’s exact words put them in “quotation marks” and cite them

– If you paraphrase (not exact words but their ideas are the same) cite the author and year with page numbers when possible.

Word of advice: when in doubt, include a citation. Using someone else’s words or unique ideas without citation is plagiarism and will result in a failing grade (“History repeats itself” does not need a citation).

Citation Types:

Parenthetical citation: an exact quote is cited with “quotation marks” and the author, year, and page numbers are given: (Sourvinou-Inwood 1998 pg 204).

Endnotes are fine but do not count to satisfy paper length requirements.

Bibliography Style:

Be sure to alphabetize your bibliography. Any accepted style is fine as long as the author’s name, year, the title, place of publication, and publisher is present. I personally prefer the Chicago 14b style:

Smith, John. 2007. Conflicts Over Nature. Granville: Denison University Press.

For journal articles:

Smith, John. 2006. “Humans and the Environment” in Journal of Human-

Environment  Interaction 26: 2, pp 123-165.

Grading Rubric:

What I will look for (and reduce your grade if you do not include these points in light of those mentioned in 1) through 8) above):

Thesis statement:

          Is the introduction clear and essential to the purpose of the paper (no stories)?

Is the thesis of the paper basic or advanced?

Is there a description what sources they will use or questions to be asked?

Use of scholarly sources:

          Quotations from multiple pages from the outside sources

          All authors quoted and cited

          Use of citations to further the thesis

          Do the works cited in the paper match those in the bibliography?

Complexity of the argument:

          How well does the paper integrate the thesis?

          Does the paper actually follow the thesis?

          Are all sides of the issue investigated?

Is the discussion basic or does it go into the issues surrounding the question?   

Clear and grammatically correct prose:

          No colloquialisms or contractions

          No wild assumptions or judgmental words

          No misspellings and wrong words

Conclusions:

          Are the goals of the paper adequately fulfilled?

          Does the conclusion wrap the paper up (good) or introduce new ideas (bad)?

          Does the conclusion show that the author thought about the topic?