politics of Postcolonial Africa final paper

politics of Postcolonial Africa final paper
politics of Postcolonial Africa Guidelines for the Final Paper
As mentioned in the Updated Syllabus, we decided to adopt a final paper as opposed to a final exam.
This final paper can be submitted either as a ‘personal’ assignment or as a group of two.
However, we would appreciate it if, in the case of the latter, both students will contribute equally to the paper.
What we are looking for:
A good research question. While we have a list of potential topics below, we do
appreciate curiosity and writing a paper that is interesting to you! As such, please
send either to Dr. Koren or Alex Klein your topic & research question. We’ll help
guide you in the beginning process.
The Structure of your paper should be as follows:
o An introduction and an empirical puzzle. This should present, in short, the
topic of the paper and why your research question is important.
o Research question / Assumption
o A General Background
o Your research – can be in the form of an argument or a comparison. If you
want to do something more unique (policy proposal, etc.), please contact us
beforehand.
o A conclusion that recaps your research and looks back at the research
question.
One thing that we appreciate is if the different ‘parts’ of your paper ‘are in sync.’ This
helps make the paper – ‘focused.’ What we through ‘in sync’ is that all parts of the
paper relate to one another and that there is a clear line from beginning to end.
Technicalities:
Due date: TBD
No more than 7 pages (excluding front page and bibliography). However, having it
shorter than 7 pages isn’t an issue. We’ve seen brilliant papers that were 5 pages –
so use how much space you need up until 7 pages.
Spacing: 1.5.
As usual, it is essential to cite all information in an academic manner. A good
program that can help you cite properly is Zotero which is an open-source program
for Windows, macOS, and Linux that can help you (there is even a plug-in for Word).
We expect the paper to be submitted via Moodle. And as always, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact either Dr. Koren or me.
Potential Topics:
The Structure of the Libyan Society: Local and Global Aspects.
Tribal communities in Africa and Globalization: How does Globalization impact Tribal Communities in Africa (with a case-study).
The Nation-state model in Africa: What is it derived from?
Identity and culture: Main Components for a State building in Africa?
Sudan’s Social fabric: what is it built from?
The role of Sufi orders in Senegalese politics.
The role of IGAD in East Africa.
The implications of the Kenyan-Somalian conflict (find a field that interests you).
The differences between States under various types of colonialism (Compare different countries? Ideologies, justifications, results).
Toward a New Definition of Africa.
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