RESEARCH PAPER TOPIC GUIDELINES
TOPIC SECTION
Your topic is globalization. Globalization has affected every country on the globe and the cultures of many nations are actually very different from even 50 years ago. Some have been affected in positive ways and others in negative ways. For this paper, you will research the effects of globalization on the people in the country that you are select for a list of countries to research (see below). Focus on the people and how their lives have been affected, not on GNP.As you will learn through the course, GNP is not a measure of the well-being of the people of a nation.
NOTE: I do not want a paper that reads like the CIA World Factbook or is just a lot of information copied from sources. I want you to apply the knowledge you have gained from the course materials and readings to your discussion of the topics.
To begin the assignment, locate the country which you have been assigned to research.
DRAFT
To help you better understand what will be expected for the final submission of the paper you will submit a draft of the first few topics to get feedback. Before we begin, let’s clarify what this draft is and is not. This draft is to be a well-researched submission of the first topics of your final paper. It must be well written and of a quality that you would consider submitting for the final version of a paper. It is NOT a thrown together bunch of facts without attention paid to good writing, grammar, punctuation, etc. In other words, it should be an attempt to write your best possible paper.

INTRODUCTION
You must select one of the following hypotheses and state it (as written below) in your introduction after conducting your research. Do NOT change the wording.
1. Globalization has been good for the people of my country.
2. Globalization has NOT been good for the people of my country.
The introduction is a brief overview of your paper and includes your thesis statement (which you select from one of the two given above). It is not where you present your research. Here is a good handout about writing introductions if you are unsure of how to do so: http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/introductions/
HISTORY SECTION
For this section of the paper you will compare/contrast three historical periods in your country: pre-colonialism (the lives of the people at the time of the arrival of the colonist), colonialism (how lives of the people changed during the colonial period) and globalization (how the lives of the people changed after the end of the colonial period through today). You are to look at how the lives of the people changed in each period and what occurred in the country. , I do not want an encyclopedic type discussion of a list of dates and things that occurred on those dates. Think back to our discussions of the components (consumer, laborer, merchant and nation-state) and draw on those discussions to talk about the people (not the country in general). For each section you should address who were the laborers, consumers, merchants and leaders (may be tribes rather than nations). How did they interact and what was the relationship between the people? To clarify, let’s define the periods as they will be used for this paper.
Pre-colonialism: the period before a nation was colonized by a more powerful Western nation. For this section you are to look at the lives of the people of your country just prior (no more than 5 years before) to colonialism. I do NOT want to hear that 2000 years ago the region was settled by cavemen or whomever. You are looking at the conditions in the country at the time the first Europeans began to colonize.
Colonialism: the period during which a powerful Western nation occupied and governed another nation. In this section you are looking at how the lives of the people changed when the colonizer gained control. Colonialism usually included the development of settlements and the take-over of the land by the colonizer who usually subjugates the native population.
Globalization: the period after which independence was won but no sooner than 1944 when the IMF, World Bank and United Nations were formed at the Bretton Woods conference (see http://profwork.org/wsy/aglz/bw.html for a brief overview). Although independence may have been gained prior to the Bretton Woods conference, it set the stage for the flow of money and goods globally. This period (Cold War) was the period during which the world was divided into multiple camps (First World, Second World and Third World). The actual growth of contemporary globalization can be said to have begun around 1989 with the collapse of communism and the fall of the Berlin Wall. In this section you are looking at how the lives of people changed after the end of colonialism and the beginning of globalization until the current time. Globalization (often called neocolonialism) is usually more defined as a period in which international trade and investment allows a more dominant power to control the resources of a weaker nation.
After you have explore the changes to the lives of the people in your country as a result of colonialism, move forward to modern times and explore what has happened since. Address each of the following topics and how the people of the country are affected as a result of globalization today.
The history section is the only section in which you will discuss past times in your country. All additional sections must be written about your country during the last 10 years. You may give some back ground information in each section but focus on the current state of the country.
POPULATION SECTION
Remember, your topic is globalization, not population. In this section, you are looking at demographic changes that may have occurred as a result of globalization and whether these changes were beneficial to the country. Remember, you are testing your hypothesis
Globalization has brought with it the migration of people as national boundaries become lessened. Some good sources to learn more about globalization and migration are
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/559
http://ftp.iza.org/dp3890.pdf
https://www.iom.int/jahia/webdav/shared/shared/mainsite/about_iom/en/council/86/MCINF_268.pdf
http://www.population.org.nz/wp01-content/uploads/2010/01/nzpr-vol-33-and-34_peter-s-li.pdf
Also think of the class discussion on population and that of your text and assigned readings. Migration occurs into and out of countries and also within the country itself as with rural to urban migration.
The best way to approach this section is to:
1. Give a brief overview of your country’s population. What is the population, who are the people, are most people native to the country or immigrants?
2. Investigate if there is migration into or out of the country and why? Is it related to globalization and, if so, how? What is the effect of this?
3. Investigate if there is migration within the country, for instance, rural to urban migration. Is this related to globalization and, if so how? A good example is that in many countries agribusiness has taken over large tracts of farmland to produce agricultural products, driving the small farmer off of the land on which food was grown to feed the family and make at least a small income. The farmer was then forced to migrate to the city to seek work, usually in poor paying jobs and living in slum/ghetto areas. This would be an example of how globalization created migration that was not beneficial. You might also look at migration as the result of plants outsourced to your country. Remember, focus on what happened to the lives of the people.
4. Summarize what you learned and determine if population movement is related to globalization and whether it has been beneficial or negative. If negative, this section would support the idea that globalization has had a negative effect on the country.

POVERTY SECTION
POVERTY SECTION: (this section must explore the current time period
Hunger and poverty (you should address whether globalization has increased poverty and hunger in your country.) Who is hungry and why? One way to approach this topic:
1. Give an overview of poverty in the country. How many people are poor, who are they and where are they found in the country (urban areas, rural areas)?
2. Explore why there is hunger. Go back to what you learned about poverty from the text, from assigned readings and class discussion and think about whether any of these apply to your country.
3. Think of what you have already learned from previous sections. Migration often leads to poverty and if people migrate because of global forces, then the ensuing poverty would be a result of globalization also..
4. Think of our discussions and focus on the relationship between the specific examples you may give and be sure you can explain how it is related to globalization. Be specific and give examples to illustrate and support.
5. Summarize what you learn about the poor in your country and determine if globalization has reduced or helped to create poverty. Think about your hypothesis in your summary.

ENVIRONMENT SECTION
Be sure all work is cited correctly. (this section must explore the current time period). You are researching whether globalization has led to damage to the environment in your country. Think about the example that we discussed in the weekly discussion about the environment with NAFTA and the border. After NAFTA factories sprang up in Mexico along the U.S. border because U.S. corporations could manufacture there using cheap labor and no environmental controls. As a result, the area is one of the most polluted on the continent and the health of people in the area has become very poor). Is there a relationship between the environmental issues in your country and globalization? Give specific examples not generalities. Be sure that you clearly explain how any environmental issue you discussed is related to globalization and remember, you may find environmental issues that are not the result of globalization. How to approach this topic:
1. Give an overview of environmental problems in your country. Look at air quality, water quality, deforestation and other issues.
2. Explore the basis of the problems. Remember environmental issues can occur without being related to globalization.
3. Think of our discussions and focus on the relationship between the specific examples you may give and be sure you can explain how it is related to globalization. Be specific.
4. Summarize what you learn and determine if globalization has led to environmental problems in the country.

HEALTH AND DISEASE SECTION
(this section must explore the current time period). In this section you are exploring whether globalization has affected disease patterns . Has globalization bettered or worsened the health of the people of your country? What illnesses can be attributed to globalization and how are they related to globalization? Example: here is an example of the type of disease and healthcare issue you should be looking at. At http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/04/30-12 you will find a brief article that talks about how swine flu developed in Mexico as a result of the factory farms and how because of pharmaceutical patents people were denied access to the drugs needed for this disease. Look for similar things in your countries. (this source is not academically acceptable for use in a paper but can serve as a guide of what to look for as you conduct your research). To approach the topic: To approach this topic:
1. Identify prevalent diseases that occur in your country. Think about previous sections such as the environmental issues and whether they lead to diseases (if an environmental issue related to globalization causes a disease that disease is caused by globalization.
2. Think of our discussions and focus on the relationship between the specific examples you may give and be sure you can explain how it is related to globalization. Be specific.
3. Summarize what you have learned and determine if globalization has been responsible for health issues in your country.

INDIGENOUS SECTION
(this section must explore the current time period). For this section you are exploring how globalization has affected the indigenous populations. We are NOT looking for such things as loss of culture, but actual events causing harm. One example is the building of dams, pipelines, etc. that often force indigenous people from their homes. The type of information found at http://www.sjweb.info/sjs/pjnew/PJShow.cfm?pubTextID=8957 is what you are looking for (this source is not academically acceptable for use in a paper but can serve as a guide of what to look for as you conduct your research).
1. Identify who the indigenous groups are in the country.
5. Explore the issues they face that may differ from those of the mainstream population (loss of land, marginalization, poverty, etc.) Determine if these issues are related to globalization and focus on the relationship between the specific examples you may give and be sure you can explain how it is related to globalization. Be specific.
2. Summarize what you learn and what you determined about the relationship to globalization
PEASANT PROTEST SECTION
Protest against the effects of globalization (are there protests in your country against globalization or its effects. For this section you will focus on peasant protest. In our discussion I posted links with examples of peasant protest which should guide you to the type of information you need to research for this section. To approach this topic:
1. Explore recent protests in your country which involve the peasant population.
2. Determine the relationship to globalization. Give specific examples.
3. Summarize what you learn and concluded about the relationship to globalization
**NOTE** This is the only section of the course in which I will accept sources such as newspapers as recent protest may not yet be written about in the peered journals.
CONCLUSION
This is a paragraph that summarizes your findings regarding the thesis statement you selected. In order to determine your conclusion, you need to assess whether globalization had a negative effect on each of the topics explored. For instance, if there was a negative effect on the majority of topics you would support the thesis that it has not been good for your country.
REFERENCE PAGE
Correctly formatted as per previous guidelines. The template is already formatted and you only need to type in your reference information.