CPW4U Canadian and International Politics

Students will write a short paper on the assigned reading by Stuart Elden titled “Why is the World Divided Territorially” (Week 2).

Your paper will be evaluated based on how you respond to the following three questions:

1) What is the author’s argument?

2) How does the author support their argument?

3) Why does this matter for understanding politics today?

Your short paper must be four pages, double-spaced, and in 12 point Times New Roman Font (this means your paper will be approximately 1,000 words). No additional research is required for this paper. All direct quotes and paraphrased ideas from the chapter by Stuart Elden that you refer to in your writing must be cited in the text of your essay and in your bibliography. The purpose of the short paper assignment is to work on your critical reading and writing skills and to get feedback on your work. Your essay will be evaluated based on how you demonstrate your knowledge of the reading and your application of key course concepts to analyze their significance for understanding politics.

This is not an argumentative paper. In other words, you do not need a thesis statement for this paper and you do not need to do any independent research. However it is essential that your essay does not summarize Stuart Elden’s chapter. Rather, the purpose is to show your analysis of why Elden’s argument and key concepts matter for understanding academic debates and the politics of world events.