Peace Movement Profile Research Essay

Description

Worth 35% of final grade.

Essay proposal: 10% of final grade, submit to Dropbox in Week 7.

Final essay: 25% of final grade, submit to Dropbox in Week 12.

In this course, you have been introduced to many peace movements represented by people, organizations, actions, events, and ideas. For this assignment, you will research and write a profile of a peace movement / group / individual. You should choose a topic that interests you and possibly relates to your own life in some way. Before you commit to a topic, you should determine that there are adequate sources available for your research and writing.

Here are the steps:

• Choose a peace movement of the past that interests you. Don’t wait until your proposal is due in Week 7 to think about a topic. Glance ahead at the module topics in the course to see if something catches your interest. Review The Year in Peace and Justice History link provided throughout the course, to get ideas. Also, see the list below for some suggestions.
• If it is related to a topic we cover in class, it must be a particular aspect of that movement, ie. don’t just write about Gandhi, write about a particular campaign within that movement; don’t just write about the anti-nuclear movement, write about a particular happening, demonstration or organization that came out of the movement.
• Your research must include at least 6 different sources, only 3 of which can be websites; the other 3 must be print sources (books, journal articles, etc.); e-books or e-journals or e-magazines can be considered print sources (ask me if in doubt). You can use more than 3 print sources and less than 3 websites. Several different ‘pages’ on one website are considered 1 source. If this diversity of sources is difficult for your particular topic, check in with the instructor.
• Must be double-spaced, 12-pitch font, and approximately 1500 words (this means about 6 pages, not including citations and bibliography/list of references). 
• Must have a title page, bibliography/list of references, and cite sources correctly using either Chicago Style OR APA.
• You will submit your final essay as a Word document (not PDF) in a Dropbox, according to the due date in the Course Schedule.
• In order to ensure that your essay is original, that you are using quotation marks correctly, that you are paraphrasing and citing your sources, and not plagiarizing them, you should consider submitting a draft of your essay to Turnitin. You should do so 2-3 days before the final essay due date. Turnitin will send you an originality report; here is a guide for interpreting the results: Guideline for Students on How to Use Turnitin (PDF). This is for your benefit, so that you have the chance to catch and fix errors in citation and paraphrasing before you submit your final paper for grading. This is optional, not compulsory. If you choose to opt out of Turnitin, you should advise the instructor by the  by the deadline specified in the Course Schedule.

Your essay should address the following questions, among other information you choose to offer:

• What event/issue prompted the formation of the movement (or motivated the individual/group)? Related to this, what are the aims/goals of the movement?
• What kind of nonviolent philosophy/ideology, if any, did the movement (or group/individual) espouse?
• What methods and tactics did the movement (or group / individual) utilize?
• Did the movement use a particular symbol to communicate its message?
• How has this past peace movement influenced the present? For example, does the movement still exist and how has it changed? Or, can you identify a present-day peace movement that was influenced by your chosen example from the past?
• Evaluate the success or failure of the movement, or your opinion regarding the potential for either.

Proposal

In Week 7, you are required to submit a 1-2 page proposal for your essay that will include the following:

• Working title for your essay.
• One paragraph that outlines the topic (approximately 200 words), including 1-2 sentences that define how your topic qualifies as a ‘peace movement.’
• Preliminary bibliography of at least 4 sources that you have found thus far. Annotations are NOT required, but your sources should be listed corrected in Chicago or APA style.  This gives you a good opportunity to practice your chosen citation style.

For research help, visit the Peace and Conflict Studies (PACS) subject guide online: Peace and Conflict Studies: Getting Started.

If you need more specialized assistance, the Peace and Conflict Studies liaison librarian, Laureen Harder-Gissing, is available for consultation. Contact her by email through the research guide. Laureen and her staff at the Milton Good Library at Conrad Grebel University College are very helpful. If they are unavailable, you will be directed towards the University of Waterloo Library online reference services.

These websites may also be useful for the purpose of research on your topic:

Waging Nonviolence

International Center on Nonviolence Conflict

Albert Einstein Institution

Metta Center for Nonviolence

Global Nonviolent Action Database

Nonviolence International

Nonviolent Conflict News

Peace Magazine

How To Submit Your Assignment

Please note that the following instructions pertain to this specific assignment. Instructions for other assignments may differ.

Your assignment must be submitted online to the Peace Movement Profile Research Proposal Bibliography Dropbox by the deadline specified in the Course Schedule. Dropboxes can be accessed from the Course Home page by clicking Submit and then Dropboxes on the course navigation bar.

Your assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) file.

Please refer to the Submitting to a LEARN Dropbox page for general guidelines, and how to submit to a dropbox.

Essay Topic Ideas

Here are some topic ideas for your Peace Movement Profile Research Essay.  Do a quick Wikipedia search to find out more about the names and ideas below. You might also consider checking The Year in Peace and Justice History link for ideas of historic ‘happenings’ in peace history. If you are unsure if your topic fits the requirements of the assignment, contact the instructor.

How To Submit Your Assignment

Please note that the following instructions pertain to this specific assignment. Instructions for other assignments may differ.

Your assignment must be submitted online to the Peace Movement Profile Research Essay Dropbox by the deadline specified in the Course Schedule. Dropboxes can be accessed from the Course Home page by clicking Submit and then Dropboxes on the course navigation bar.

Your assignment must be submitted as a Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) file.

Please refer to the Submitting to a LEARN Dropbox page for general guidelines, and how to submit to a dropbox.

How Your Assignment Will Be Graded