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General Instructions
This essay has three major requirements: 1. select one of the seven debates about contemporary Canadian politics listed on page 4, and summarize and analyze that debate; 2. incorporate relevant sections from the Dyck textbook in your discussion of the debate; 3. incorporate a recent newspaper article in your discussion of the debate. Each requirement is discussed in more detail below. The debate, the textbook and the newspaper article are the only sources I expect you to use for the essay. This assignment is a think piece, not a research essay. You need not do outside research that goes beyond these three sources. Due date: Thursday, 10 November. Submit your assignment to me during the lecture. Please include the name of your TA and your section number on the title page of your essay. Late assignments will be penalized three percent per day and may not be graded for some time. Please note that: (1) having assignments due or tests in other courses is not an acceptable reason to miss the essay deadline and (2) neither e-mail nor voice-mail is an appropriate medium to use to request an extension for submitting the essay. Please come to talk to me during my office hours if exceptional circumstances may cause you to miss the deadline. The essay should be approximately 2000 words in length (8 typed pages, double-spaced, with standard margins and standard font size). Please remember to number the pages of your paper. Be sure to keep a duplicate copy of your paper. This assignment is worth 30 percent of your final grade.
2 Citation Format You must cite your sources using the format explained in the Citation Guide, which was distributed today as a separate handout. In tutorial, the teaching assistants will review the essay requirements and the citation format. Please note: papers that do not use the proper citation format will be penalized.
3 In the analytical section, you might ask yourself the following questions: Are the central arguments logically consistent? Are there any gaps in reasoning? Do the YES or NO sides fail to address information that contradicts their arguments? How comprehensive is the coverage of the topic? Do the authors make any questionable assumptions? What kind of evidence is used to support the arguments? What is the quality of that evidence? Is the evidence weak or strong, reliable or unreliable? Are the conclusions supported by the evidence? Be sure to read the debate closely and carefully. I expect you to make up your own mind about the relative strengths of the YES and NO positions, and to document how you came to your conclusion.
The Debates
The seven debates listed below are taken from Charlton, M., & Barker, P. (Eds.). (2009). Crosscurrents: Contemporary Political Issues (6th ed.). Toronto: Thomson Nelson Canada Ltd. The full text of all debates is available on Blackboard in the Assignments link. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Is the Recognition of Quebec as a Distinct Nation a Positive Step for Canada? Can Native Sovereignty Coexist with Canadian Sovereignty? Should Women Focus on Small-p Politics? Should Representation in Parliament Mirror Canadas Social Diversity? Is the Canadian Political Culture Becoming Americanized? Is a Mixed-Member Proportional Electoral System in Canadas Interest? Will Conservatism and the Conservative Party Fail?