Expert Article

The goal of this assignment is to develop expertise in some narrow issue within the course.  You are an expert on an issue of your choice whereas the audience knows little on the subject despite being well versed in economics vocabulary.  Be sure to cite articles written by economists and research published in economics journals as your main references (supporting sources may include studies in other fields such as sociology and psychology) .

Suggested structure of the article:

Part 1: INTRO. 

  • Indicate your hypothesis or research question: What do you intend to accomplish?
  • Give topic overview and important definitions.
  • Include brief history, institutional background, and trends.
  • Cite some telling statistics bearing on the issue
  • Engage readers’ interest: Explain why this is interesting and important.
  • Mention key points of your conclusion. Give your thesis statement.

Part 2: MAIN.

  • Give review, synthesis, and critique of the previous literature surrounding the hypothesis under investigation
  • Quote current literature and facts you have uncovered while researching the issue (you must use articles/books written by economists!).
  • Respond to the question posed in the intro and defend your thesis statement. 
  • Link existing evidence to theories studies in this course.
  • Although interdisciplinary research is encouraged, your paper must include economic analysis
  • Use subtitles if you have several questions or issues within your main topic.

Part 3: CONCLUSION.

  • Brief summary of your key points.
  • Indicate which questions remain unanswered. 
  • Discuss policy implications of your research: is there anything the government should do to improve the situation?

Part 4: REFERENCES. 

  • Your list of references should include at least 3 academic research articles (e.g., from The American Economic Review, Journal of Economic Perspectives, find these on JSTOR), or books, or research articles published online by policy research institutions.  Remember it is important to quote economists.
  • Government publications are considered to be good credible sources.   
  • Other sources may be internet sites, magazines and newspapers, such as the Economist, Businessweek, NYTimes, WSJ. 
  • The course webpage has lots of good links for your research.

Here is how your Expert Article will be evaluated.

Criteria Excellent  A  Good   B Acceptable   C Unacceptable   D Score
Subject, thesis, main question Subject is within course content; thesis or main question is creative, clearly articulated Subject is within course content; thesis or question is conventional Subject is appropriate, thesis not clear Subject is outside course content or not correctly formulated  
Organization of the article There is an introduction,  a main part, and a conclusion Structure somewhat clear and appropriate Structure lacking parts Structure non-existent  
Facts Major points are supported with facts, statistics, examples Facts used generally or sparingly Very few facts and examples are used Facts lacking, opinion reign unsupported  
Critical thinking skills Integrates assigned course readings with own research, applies theories learned in the course to interpret evidence, compares and contrasts arguments with counter-arguments, presents original judgments Some evidence of mastery of concepts from different readings,  weak comparisons, contrasts, synthesis of ideas, some ability to interpret facts using theories covered in class Lacks convincing evidence to support argument,  weak logic, little effort to apply concepts learned in class to explain facts No evidence of mastery of concepts from different readings, comparisons, contrasts, synthesis of ideas;   no own interpretations of facts  
Writing Writing is creative, logical, free from grammatical errors Writing is logical, occasional grammatical errors Writing is coherent, most grammatical errors do not impede meaning Writing is incoherent, lots of errors  
Sources Sources are solid, credible;  include several academic journals and books;  source is used when fact is provided Most sources are appropriate, credible;  include an academic journal and a book;  most facts are referenced Some sources are credible but academic journals and books are not used as sources, most facts are not referenced Only websites are used as sources  

Examples of references

Daniels, J., Radebaugh, L., & Sullivan, D., (2007).   International Business (11th ed.) New Jersey: Pearson Education.

Economy:  Canada.  In CIA Factbook. https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ca.html#Econ

 

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