英语论文网

Your task is to write an 8 page paper (double-spaced, 12 point font, I inch margins, plus any tables, graphs, maps, and bibliography. Excluding figures and works cited),studying a post-colonial nation, in which you discuss how its geographical boundaries and society have been shaped by colonial influence, and make an argument about the implications of this for the country today (these implications may be cultural, political, or economic)

In this assignment you will focus on how European colonialism has been crucial in shaping our globalizing world by drawing out some ways that European colonialism shaped the borders of post-colonial nations. Many post-colonial nations contain diverse ethnic groups in conflict with one another, and many conflicts are about sub-national communities seeking independence. This assignment is about territory and national identity, and about how all political boundaries have to be understood in historical light.

You should not try to summarize everything you find about the country (this is NOT A REPORT), but briefly indicate some ways in which that country’s boundaries were drawn under the influence of colonialism. If indigenous or biophysical boundaries were already in place when European colonists arrived, make sure you discuss how they were interpreted, ignored, or changed by the Europeans. Some of the ways that this might have appended is through exploration and the claiming of land: displacement o f native people; agreements between the colonizing powers and native peoples; power struggles between the European empires; annexation or partition. Consider how the drawing of these boundaries and colonial influences within the country affected that country, both internally, and with respect to its broader relationship with the rest of the world. You must then assess how this colonial legacy has played out for the country in question, making an argument to this effect.

COLLECT INFORMATION FOR YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT

-Research your topic by consulting statistical sources, books, journal articles, and the Internet.
-Allow this research to guide the development of your thesis statement- do not simply pick sources and quotes that help you make an argument you have already decided upon ahead of time.
-Please not that you are expected to draw widely on research materials available both in conventional form (scholarly books and journal articles, newspaper and magazine articles, government documents (including statistics), etc.) and from the Internet. You may start with resource listed in the required reading for the week on colonialism to obtain some basic background information and suggestions for further reading.
-At a minimum you need to draw on 4 scholarly (i.e. peer-reviewed) publications (excluding required readings), and at least 8 sources in total for the paper as a whole.
-The Internet can be an excellent source of contemporary information, but it also harbors material that is of low quality, unreliable, and has no place in scholarly inquiry. Where Internet sources are consulted, you should exercise care to ensure that material is drawn only from reputable sites.
All Internet sources should be cited fully and accurately and should include the date on which the site was accessed. In addition, you need to avoid excessive reliance on Internet sources. No more than one third of references used in this rese