For this assignment, your task is write an essay reflecting on the politics of trade, regionalism, and the backlash against free trade. Your essay should take a stand on the whether we should expect to see further trade liberalization given the backlash against international trade and the shift from broad trade liberalization to regionalism. Your essay needs to be organized to present an argument supporting your position. See “Writing Political Science Essays” from the September 14 class for a discussion of what a good political science essay looks like.

This IS NOT a research assignment (except for students doing the “Response Paper Option”, see below), but you are welcome to add additional sources to those assigned for class. Keep in mind that part of your grade is based on your command of the assigned readings, so you are far better off referencing them extensively than in relying heavily on additional sources you provide. Relevant sources for this essay include every assigned reading on trade plus the prior articles dealing with trade politics and globalization from the “Perspectives on IPE” and “Historical Perspectives” units.

Because you may be including your own research, you must cite sources and include a reference list containing each source used. I do not care which format you use (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) as long as you are consistent since all the formats contain the information necessary to find the source being referenced. This applies to assigned readings as well as additional sources – all must be referenced.

If you are doing the Research Project for this class, your essay should be approximately 4 pages long (1000-1200 words double-spaced with normal margins and fonts). Upload your essay to this location using one of these file formats (.doc, .docx, and .rtf). Do not use any other format for your submission if you want me to grade it and consider it submitted on time.

The essay should be your own work. I encourage you to discuss what you are writing about with your fellow students and even have them read and critique early drafts of your essay, but in the end the essay you submit must be in your own words or it is an Academic Honesty violation and will be treated as such.

RESPONSE PAPER OPTION:
If you are choosing to write expanded response papers instead of doing the research project, you will be writing an expanded version of the same assignment with additional research REQUIRED. Your essay should be in the 7-8 page range (2000 words MINIMUM, excluding the bibliography). In addition, you must conduct research on the topic and your essay MUST reference at least three additional high quality sources (peer reviewed scholarship, government documents, or written by an academic author for a policy journal like Foreign Affairs) above and beyond the assigned readings on the issue. Note that you are still expected to heavily rely on assigned readings for this assignment – the research requirement is in addition to the requirement that your essay use assigned readings, not in place of it.