Project Descriptions
Rather than taking a final examination for this course, you will demonstrate your grasp of the topics through a multi-stage research project. This will be a survey in which you will select a topic related to counterterrorism. The final paper must follow the scientific method, which will be explained in class. Or, you may select a content analysis approach; the method will be explained in class. Or, you may use another method of data collection and analysis, but it must be approved by the instructor ahead of time.
This research paper project is divided into five stages, each of which is graded separately and required in order to receive a passing grade in the course. The purpose behind dividing the paper into four checkpoints is that it encourages you to work on it throughout the term and to ensure that the topic incident chosen is acceptable to the instructor.
Topic Selection/Thesis Statement: Islamic State Terrorist Organization.
Final Paper
Please submit a finished paper. The final paper must include all steps of the scientific method: statement of the problem; review of the literature; testable hypothesis; method; findings; and conclusion.
- The paper must include at least four full pages of content, excluding the title page, abstract and bibliography, which must also be included with the final paper as a single document.
- Papers will be in APA format or another acceptable format.
- Proper grammar and spelling are required.
- Papers must be written in Microsoft Word or RTF, double spaced, with no more than 1.25†margins using standard 12 point font.
- Restrict your sources to newspaper articles from major national and international papers, published journals and magazine articles, academic sources, and websites from major organizations and government agencies. Course materials may be used as a reference, but it does not count toward the minimum number of sources. Encyclopedias and dictionaries are not appropriate sources for college level work. Online sources are fine, but they must be authoritative sources. Wikipedia, About.com, and other nonacademic websites are not acceptable sources. (Bear in mind that anyone can submit an article to Wikipedia.) If you are unsure about how to determine whether an online source is a good one, the Online Writing Lab at Purdue University has an excellent resource guide: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/conducting_research/evaluating_sources_of_information/index.html. If you still have doubts as to whether a source is acceptable, send your instructor an e-mail.
- Papers are due no later than the last day of class, October 11, and can earn up to 30 points. However, final papers incorporating the edits made by the professor and submitted ahead of time, by October 1, may earn up to 40 points. Submit the paper as a single attachment via the Assignments Folder.
- Remember, early submissions for the first draft and the final paper receive extra credit.