The first assignment you are required to complete is a proposal for your
argumentative essay (see the Argumentative Essay section below) and an article review. The
proposal should be approximately 150-250 words and include a paragraph describing your topic.
This paragraph is so that I can get a sample of your writing and I just want you to write a broad
overview of your topic. In the paragraph(s) you will use citations (footnotes, Chicago Manuel of
Style) and have a minimum of two. As well, the proposal must include a tentative thesis
statement, the main points that will be used to support your argument and a list of at least four
strong sources. There is a sample proposal in UR Courses in the Assignments section which
shows you how your proposal should look. As well, below are a list of potential topics.
In addition to the proposal, you must also submit an article review. From list of sources on your
essay proposal, you will choose one (it must be a peer-reviewed, academic article) and write a
review of it. The review should be 400-750 words (2-3 pages) and answer the following
questions. What is the authors main argument? What are the strengths of the article? What are
the weaknesses of the article? Finally, what do you think of article? Aim for a paragraph for each
of these. You do not have to have citations for this assignment, or use additional sources, but if
you choose to do either, you need to use Chicago Manual of Style (footnotes).
Essay Topic List
Create your own topic but be sure to check with me.
Should the Canadian Senate be elected? Why or why not?
Which system do you think is better, a Parliamentary System or a Presidential system?
Which voting system do you think is superior, STV, SMP, PR, MMP?
Which system for selecting Supreme Court Justices do you think is superior, the
Canadian or the American?
Are stronger global governing structures a good thing?
Examine how an ideology relates to something that youre interested in. Two examples
are, how the Smurfs represent a Stalinist society and how in soccer the English Premier
League is a traditionalist (Burkean) organization.
Examine how democratic an organization is or how strong its democratic institutions are.
For example, you could argue that a symphony is not a very democratic organization.
Argue that Globalization is mostly positive or, alternately, that it is mostly negative. You
can also examine whether or not globalization is new or if it is inevitable.
Examine the ideological components of a political party, for example, the Liberals in
Canada or the Republicans in the United States.
Scrutinize the rise of religion in the political sphere in either Canada or the United States.
What effects has it had?