Background information on the term paper:
- students have select a topic related to the curriculum themselves and topics have been approved by the lecturer
- papers will usually have an empirical focus, though clearly anchored in theory/concepts
- papers will often be based on existing research and a limited volume of original material (e.g. evaluation reports, government documents)
- but it is fully possible to write papers with small original analysis (based on existing datasets)
Typical Structure:
- Topic, research question (1 page)
- Theory and expectations/hypotheses (3-4 pages)
- Empirical description, including case selection (4-5 pages)
- Analysis and discussion (3-4 pages, most important)
- Conclusion (1 page)
Main criteria for assessment - substance
- relevance of topic, narrowing down topic, research question
- accurate description of theory, definition of core concepts
- linking theory and empirics:operationalization
- motivation of case selection, separating description & analysis of case
- discussion of implications of case, answering the research question
- use of literature beyond the course syllabus
Main criteria for assessment - formal aspects
- between 3500-5000 words, references excluded
- clear structure, headlines, paragraphs, page numbers
- use of references, coherent referencing style and bibliography
- use of clear language, understandable sentences
The grading of the term papers should follow the general guidelines for Political Science, see here:
/studier/eksamen/karakterskala/fagspesifikk-karakterbeskrivelse/sv-isv.html