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Term Paper Deadlines, Instructions and Sample Topics Read all instructions. See formatting instructions. See sample topics. Note the following important dates:
1. Submit a written proposal of your paper. Discuss your ideas with me beforehand. Many issues come up in class that may hold your interest and provide you with a topic to explore. The proposal must include: § The proposed title of the paper. Several sample topics are provided at the end of this document. You should select topics on which substantial literature exists. § A proposed Table of Contents. This can be changed later § A brief summary of your project (< = 1 page) § Seven or more academic references based on your search of the material on this topic. Failure of timely submission will result in 25% subtracted from the term paper score.
Tuesday, April 8: Paper Draft Due 2. Submit a draft of the paper (25% of the paper grade). This draft must meet all formatting requirements listed later in this handout. It should be approximately 10 pages in length, not including charts, tables, and appendices. The draft must include: § An ‘Introduction’ section that states the broad context of your writing and the specific problem that you will examine. In the last paragraph, describe the sectional layout of your paper. § A section on the review of the literature. This is an important part of the paper, should anchor your work in existing literature, and should be written with great care and thought. Describe the development of relevant ideas and current understanding of the issues. Provide a critical review of the literature. Do not merely describing what others have said, but providing evaluative arguments assessing the merits of important points. You may also relate these evaluative arguments to your own ideas that you will present later on in the paper. This task is not an easy one, so you should plan your schedule to give it adequate attention. Nuanced, analytical and rigorous arguments are expected. § One other section, examples of which are Historical Background, Theoretical Issues, Policy Implications, A Case Study, etc. Wednesday, May 7 at Noon: Term Paper Due in my Office 3. Submit the completed term paper (75% of the paper grade), due at Noon on Reading Day in my office. The term paper must meet all formatting requirements listed later in this handout. It should be 18-20 pages in length, not including charts, tables, and appendices. All papers are required to have a substantive discussion of economic theory. Arguments should be based on these theories. If your topic is largely descriptive rather than analytical, you must see me well before the proposal deadline for my specific approval. Use of publicly available data is expected. How you use the data will depend upon you. Statistical or econometric analyses are not expected, but are acceptable. Read your work carefully and ensure there are no grammatical and spelling errors. Strong penalties will apply for careless writing and editing. Cite all works in a Reference section at the very end of the paper. Use at least 7 academic references, not including newspaper and magazine citations. Formatting and Presentation Instructions § Attach charts, tables, and appendices at the end of the paper, but before the References. § Organize your arguments in well defined ‘sections’ associated with the development of the arguments. Identify each Section by an appropriate heading.
§ Provide a ‘Title page’ with the title of your paper, your name, etc. § The ‘Table of Contents’ should follow the title page, listing the Section headings their page numbers. § Type with double-spacing, 12-point font and normal margins. § Number all pages. These topics are suggestive of the diversity of issues that past students in this course have analyzed. § “Inflation, Interest Rates, and the Stock Market: A Complex Interdependence” § “An Analysis of the Costs and Benefits of the EMU and Its Specific Consequences for Spain” § “An Analysis of Regulation and De-regulation in the Financial Sector” § “Generation X: Preparing for Retirement” § “Time to Bond with Europe: Effects of Monetary Integration on the Bond Market” § “Resolving a Crisis in Emerging Markets” § “The Future of Money” § “Effects of Corporate Spin-offs on Shareholder Wealth” § “Derivatives” § “Anatomy of a Financial Crisis: Southeast Asia Disintegrates”
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