International Political Economy of East Asia
1 ESSAY INCLUDE
6 PIAGE DOUBLE SPACE FOR ONE QUESTION
AND 1 PAGE SINGLE SPACE FOR ANOTHER QUESTION.
PROMPTS
- The Prompts Q1. “The Asian model of development still holds relevant and positive lessons for today’s developing countries. The basic model is an easily replicable one. Many other countries possess or can develop the domestic attributes and institutions that the East Asian nations utilized. Despite some changes in the international environment, nations can still find opportunities that they are able to take advantage of. Today’s developing nations can still draw lessons from this model in their efforts to industrialize and develop.” [For the debate, Team D will AGREE, Team A will DISAGREE] Q2. “To understand the inherent flaws of the East Asian approach to development, one should look at what happened during the Asian Financial Crisis. Whenever a government becomes too involved in guiding its economy, bad things follow. Market signals become distorted, investment becomes excessive, and regional and global export markets become saturated. Economic decisions become overly politicized and infected by crony capitalism. The East Asian approach also entails other significant costs, ranging from authoritarianism to the exploitation of labor to environmental degradation. Given these flaws and costs, newly developing countries should be discouraged from even thinking about emulating this developmental model.” [For the debate, Team B will AGREE, Team C will DISAGREE]
** Remember that your team has been assigned to DEBATE only one side of these one-sided statements. For the WRITTEN part of the midterm, you must show that you understand BOTH sides of the two questions.
Note: I recognize that both of these questions are large and difficult, and that you may not feel that you have enough information to do the debate and papers. The readings are very important in this respect. Do your best, and I will grade accordingly. Don’t sweat it (TOO much).
Remember to cover BOTH sides of the debate, and stay focused on the parameters of the
question. Get as deep into the analysis as you can. You should have your own position, of
course, but you must demonstrate that you fully understand all sides of these one-sided
statements. (I append the “rubric” I use at the bottom of this message.)
As before, you will need to draw on all of the materials that we have covered throughout the
course, including from before the midterm. Also, be sure to bring in insights from our readings
when appropriate, especially since we have had to skim so much of the material at the end of the
quarter.
You of course are writing your own, original papers, but I encourage you to work with, and learn
from, your teammates.
* Please put your name on a front cover page, but not on the inner pages of your essay or
extended outline (please include your student ID on subsequent pages).
You will be writing on BOTH of the two questions in your midterm exam. Answer one of the questions in a five-page, double-spaced essay (20% of your total grade). Answer the other in a separate one-page, single-spaced extended outline format (10% of your total grade). It is up to you to decide which of the questions to answer in which format. Use reasonable fonts and margins.
You of course can/should have your own position, but you must at the minimum demonstrate your understanding of the other side of the argument. Think hard about the arguments, counter-arguments, critiques, and comebacks; include in your essay only what is most crucial and relevant. This means analysis, not mere description. Remember to stay focused on the question. For the single-spaced, one-page extended outline, you will also need to cover both sides of the debate in roughly equal form. But because you are limited in space, you need to focus on the most crucial information and analysis. Consider leading off with a summary statement of one position, followed by the main substantive arguments to support that position. You should consider using “bullets” or short headings combined with prose. You should then do the same (summary statement, bullets and prose) for the other side of the debate. You should include a short, integrative conclusion. There is a lot of information to cram in, so you must economize on space. Make sure the outline is organized and that the information is presented in a clear and logical manner. For both papers, you are responsible for all materials covered in the readings, lectures, and class discussions. You need to demonstrate that you have mastered the readings for the course. For the essay, cite relevant authors when appropriate, either in footnotes, parenthetically, or in the text of your analysis. You do not need footnotes for the one-pager, but put everything into your own words. One reminder: each of you should write your own, original papers (of course). That said, I encourage you to work with your teammates in terms of the substance and even the structure of the paper. I think you will find that you can learn a lot from each other. Also, this course is not
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graded on a strict curve, so you should think in non-zero-sum terms (i.e., it is OK to help each other!!). ** Please put your name on a separate front cover page, but not on subsequent pages (I prefer to grade the papers “blind”). You should include your student ID number on every page in case any of the pages are lost. **
Rubric for grading essays and outlines
- Substance and presentation
— covers both sides, in a balanced manner; stays focused on the parameters of the debate — covers all core points, with proper emphasis on the most important arguments
— presents materials in an organized manner (demonstrating understanding of the argument) II. Strength of Analysis
— grapples with arguments on both sides, assesses validity of assumptions and evidence
— presents strong, thoughtful, deep, and insightful analysis (as opposed to mere description) — has a clear and analytically supported argument/conclusion
III. Effort
— shows evidence of having really thought about the question
— incorporates insights from the readings (i.e., not just based on lecture or group work)
For this class, I am Team C, so pick Question 2 for AGREE to be 5 pages will helpful. Or you can pick whatever your best! It’s ok
There is photo for essay sample of format for 1 page writing, check it when you doing the 1 page.
