First Written Essay Assignment
1. Discuss in an essay of 4 to 8 pages several aspects of nationalism in ex-Yugoslavia from 1980-1995. How did the region change after Tito’s reign? How did each side implement new nationalistic policies? You can approach this question in any way you choose. You can talk about the roles that certain sectors of society played within the context of the region in order to promote nationalism. You can also talk about the implications of the rise of “ethnic nationalism.” You must use at least 1 of the readings assigned in class as the basis for your research. You are more than welcome to use other sources for this paper.
2. Discuss in an essay of 4 to 8 pages the topics which are discussed in the paper on the following website: http://www.seep.ceu.hu/archives/issue52/torsti.pdf . You can approach this essay in more than one way. For example, you can give a “summary and review of readings” where in which you discuss what the paper is about and then you give an analysis of the different themes ending with a concluding statement about what you felt was important about the reading and how it contributes to your understanding of the course discussions and content. Additionally you can give your opinion about the positive and negative things about the reading.
Due Dates:
This paper is due on Tuesday July 20th, 2010 in hard copy by the start of class time if you want extensive comments both about your writing style and about your grade. You may also submit this paper after July 20th, but only until Friday July 23rd, 2010. However, you will only receive a grade, but no comments.
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Second Written Essay Assignment
Your second written essay assignment is different from the first one above and it is also quite shorter than your first assignment. In this second assignment you are to write a precis, which is a summary of the most significant aspects of a text. You will have two choices of text to read and give a summary of. I am not asking you to write a summary and review of readings, so please do not do this. I will go over in class as to my expectations.
This second assignment is due by the end of this month so as to give you more time to finish assignment three which will make up a greater chunk of your final mark for this class.
A short excerpt of what a precis is can be found on the following website from the University of Waterloo:
"UWSA: How to Write a Precis," http://www.architecture.uwaterloo.ca/faculty_projects/terri/precis2.html
This website/PowerPoint Presentation from York University is also good in giving you some clear information pertaining to precis writing:
"Writing a Precis;" http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:6xI2mOHnzeIJ:www.yorku.ca/khoffman/Psyc3010/Writing%2520a%2520Precis.ppt+precis&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=ca
I will go through precis writing in class. We will also do an activity based on precis writing, however, chances are you have probably done it before in your other classes.
This second essay is to be 2 pages to a maximum of 3 pages. Talk to me if you are verbose and would like to discuss how to write precisely in class.
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Third Written Essay Assignment
Your third essay which is worth 30% requires you to do quite a bit of extensive research. You must choose a topic related to the themes discussed in this course within the scope of your paper. You must do this essay in two parts which are as follows:
PART I - Annotated Bibliography worth 10%
PART II - Essay worth 20%
TOTAL for this evaluation - 30%
Your third essay which is worth 30% requires you to do quite a bit of extensive research. You must choose a topic related to the themes discussed in this course within the scope of your paper. You must do this essay in two parts which are as follows:
PART I - Annotated Bibliography worth 10%
PART II - Essay worth 20%
TOTAL for this evaluation - 30%
Here are some of the possible essay topics which you are free to investigate and write on:
*The Role of the Media during War Time (primarily 1980s to 1995)
*Nationalism (Croatian, Serbian) 1980-1995
*The Role of the West in War Time (You can look at Canada, the USA, Great Britain, Germany and France. From this list, pick one or two to examine. Please do not look at all of these areas unless you have a clever way of concisely writing about each)
*Nationalism/Propaganda/Media in ex-Yugoslavia (You can examine how each of these are interlinked)
*Gender roles and their implications (Choose a time period as discussed in class)
*Balkan Perceptions of the West
*Yugo-nostalgia (Role of, significance of)
*The Creation of Yugoslavia
*Marshall Josip Broz Tito
*The Disintegration of Yugoslavia/Fall of Yugoslavia (Importance to history)
*The Dayton Accord (Significance of, implications of, criticism of)
*Balkan Participation in Globalization
*Ex-Yugoslav movies/comedies (What role(s) do they play in this society? You may focus on before and after the war)
* The role of music in the Balkans
*The role of Turkish Ottoman Culture in the Balkans
*The role of religion in the Balkans (Christianity - Catholicism/Orthodoxy), Islam)
*War and Peace in the Balkan nations
*Yugoslavia under Communism/Socialism and today (Significance of, implications of, change)
*Role of sports and leisure in Balkan culture (Soccer)
*Tradition and Modernity
!If you have a topic that you would like to explore further which I have not mentioned above, please talk to me about your topics and ideas before forgoing with your essay. I will not accept any essays which I have not approved. I will approve your essay once I have seen your annotated bibliography!
I can recommend books and online articles which I have read in the part that are quite suitable for each essay topic above that I have marked with an asterisk/star (*).
If you have any concerns about this assessment please do not hesitate to speak to me.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PART I - ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 10%
Your annotated bibliography is a compilation of the sources that you intend to use within the context of your paper. It must be written in MLA format. This bibliography is not only a compilation of sources, but is also an explanation under each source that addresses the following key material/questions:
1. Who is the author or authors and what are his/her/their credentials?
2. How will this source make a contribution to your paper?
You can use a collection of books as your sources but you must use at least 4.
If you choose to use online sources for your paper and only online ones, they must be academic and cannot be websites such as “Wikipedia” although “Wikipedia” is a good starting point in your search for other materials. You must use at least 4 websites. You should also note that allowable online sources also include: videos, images, newspapers, articles, websites and others. Please speak to me if you have concerns about such materials. I would also suggest that you vary the kinds of material that you use for your research paper. You may wish to for instance, use a combination of books and Internet sources which will give you a good balance of materials.
Please talk to me if you have any concerns about sources.
In class, we will discuss how to properly go about writing annotations for your paper. I will provide you with guideline sheets in class which explicitly address step-by-step instructions on how to write an annotated bibliography. It will address everything from how to source the material and how to provide an annotation which addresses the two questions above.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PART II - ESSAY 20%
Your essay will be an analysis of 10 to 15 pages (2500 to 3750 words) on a particular aspect of this course. You are to write using good academic prose and you must show strength in using MLA style appropriately. Those of you who do not cite properly, information from sources that you have found will not receive a grade higher than a 69%. Speak to me if you have questions about citing. Remember that you most certainly can write an exceptional essay and still get a pretty low mark because you do not know how to properly employ MLA or you employ it sparingly or inappropriately.
DESIGNING YOUR ESSAY
Your approach to this essay is up to you, however, I do suggest organizing it in a way that is clear and cogent. Here are some acceptable ways to approach this essay:
The traditional “thesis” approach
Summary and identifications of main arguments in selected readings followed by commentary
Review of Literatures
An analytical review followed by commentary
Critical summary
We will discuss all five of the above ways to address this paper and I will give each of you an opportunity to choose the way you would like to write them. You should choose an approach that you are most comfortable with.