GPP 115, Fall 2017

GSI Ioana Chinan

Paper Guidelines

General Requirements

• Paper length: 8-10 pages (1800-2200 words) in 12 point, times new roman font
with 1” margins.
• The paper must be properly cited, and all sources noted.
• Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and a student may “receive a reduced final grade
or failing grade in the course” and may also result in the student being reported to
the Center for Student Conduct per UCB policy.
• Use Chicago style citation.

Working with Sources and Text

• For sources navigate research engines: Oskicat, JSTOR, Project Muse, LexisNexis
or others; choose scholarly articles from last 15 years.
• See Ananya Roy’s book Poverty Capital for a good range of good sources to use
• Roy, for example, uses a range of sources: official documents (CGAP annual
reports, BRAC research reports), newspapers and magazines (The Economist, New
York Times), critical scholarly journal articles and recent research (Theory and
Event, The Journal of Development Studies, The Journal of Palestinian Studies,
Public Culture, Third World Quarterly, Social Text, The New Left Review, etc.),
as well as scholarly books and chapters from academic books (Here you might cite
Naomi Klein, The Shock Doctrine, Goldman, Imperial Nature, Tim Mitchell, Rule
of Experts).
• Use at least 3 academic humanities and social science journal articles outside the
articles in the reader and at least 2 books written by authors with academic
affiliations, again, outside the reader.
• Drop some of the terms of interest into an “Advanced search” in OskiCat,
GoogleScholar, JSTOR, ProjectMuse, and see what comes up. Start to read around
and find a more specific angle.
GPP 115, Fall 2017
GSI Ioana Chinan
• Narrow your case down and get a specific research purview. *Might be the
most important step* You only have 8-10 pages. Smaller is always better for
papers that you only have about 1 month to write. How can you take those initial
key terms and make them even more specific, smaller, and more narrow, so that
you can write something closed and detailed? (Obviously, you could not write a
history of microfinance in 8-10 pages, but maybe one specific, technologically-
driven microfinance initiative in Cambodia would work, etc.)
• Gather a range of sources, physically go to the Main Stacks and get an armful of
books, download or print off some new research articles from academic journals,
find some recent major investigative reporting accounts or institutional reports.
• Takes notes on while you do the initial process of culling and reading different
texts, these notes will help you start to refine your research statement
• Read with a critical eye looking for compelling evidence. Never take anything the
author says for granted, pay attention to how authors use evidence and frame
analysis.
• Your thesis statement will accord to you as you are complying your sources and
you take notes as you research. Eventually, you should have a developed
hypothesis for your paper.
GPP 115, Fall 2017
GSI Ioana Chinan
Topic Suggestions

Some examples below for those of you who are still not so clear about your paper
topic:
Environment
• Key themes:
o Millennial/Green era of development
o Global Warming/Carbon emissions
Philanthropy
• Key themes:
o Philantrocapitalism/ aid
o The creative class/the global poor

Commodities/trade
• Key themes:
o Consumerism/Sustainability
o Fashion/clothing industry
Microfinance
• Key themes:
o Grameen Bank/CGAP
o Microcredit/subprime lending

See table below for analytic writing guideline

GPP 115, Fall 2017
GSI Ioana Chinan

Criteria A B C D/F

Clear organization Clear Organization is Organization is

that walks the organization less than clear, unclear and/or
Organization

reader through the but strays or organization paper strays

paper, does not slightly is clear but some substantially
stray off topic digressions from topic

Paper has clear, Paper has Paper has Paper has little
strong arguments discernable arguments but to no
Argumentation

that go beyond arguments but often falls into arguments,

description may be description spends most
somewhat time describing
unclear or
weak

Numerous, varied Details and Some details and Little to no

and relevant facts support facts to support relevant details
details and facts arguments, arguments, but and facts to
support arguments but may not not enough and support
Support

provide some lack arguments

enough or relevancy
may be as
relevant as
possible

Demonstrates Conveys Gets basic Basic content is

Content Knowledge

excellent content content correct wrong,

understanding of adequately but is otherwise incorrect, or
content and is but fails to uncomfortable substantially
comfortable with elaborate with material incomplete
nuances in
material
GPP 115, Fall 2017
GSI Ioana Chinan

Demonstrates Demonstrates Demonstrates Makes no

excellent some, but not little analytical attempt to
analytical a great deal originality, relies provide original
originality, either of, analytical mainly on analysis
Originality

in creating new originality, arguments and

arguments or in either in evidence already
relating facts in creating new covered in class
new ways (beyond arguments or
what is covered in in relating
course material) facts in new
ways

Variety of Some variety Limited variety Mostly single-

Level of Discourse

sentence in sentence in sentence clause

structures, good structure, structure, little sentences, little
use of cohesive adequate use use of cohesive to no use of
devices of cohesive devices cohesive
devices devices

Precise diction, Generally Limited Incorrect use of

rich use of good vocabulary, not vocabulary,
Vocabulary

appropriate vocabulary always precise or very limited

vocabulary choices with accurate range
some variety,
minor errors
in diction

No major errors, a One major Two or three Numerous

few minor errors error or major errors major errors
Grammar

that do not distract several minor combined with

errors that do minor errors
not distract