Paper #1 - Elections and Legitimacy

Due by 8 p.m. on September 23, emailed to me as a Microsoft Word document (.doc, .docx) to dhopper@marymount.edu. Students turning in papers containing plagiarism will fail the course. Late papers will be reduced in grade depending on how late it is.

Topic: Describe the election in one of the following countries: Israel (March 23), Benin (April 11), Syria (May 26), Cyprus (May 30). Does the electoral system in that country contribute to the legitimacy of the state, and if so how? To address this, your paper will need to consider the following:

What are the rules of the election, and did politicians follow these rules?
What outside forces (unrest, disease, interference, etc.) affected the outcome of the election?
How did the outcome affect legitimacy?
How did the outcome affect policy?

Length: Double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman or Arial font, standard margins of no more than 1 inch on each side. At least 2 pages long (not counting reference list).

Sources: Your paper should refer to our course textbook, plus two or three articles from mainstream newspapers or magazines published after December 1, 2020. There is no need to research more extensive background material from other journals, books, government documents, etc. Use any standard citation format you wish, as long as you apply it consistently.

Cite any article/source you quote directly, and also cite any source that provided you with information or ideas that you incorporate into the paper. Write the paper yourself. Students caught turning in plagiarized work will fail the course and will be reported to the Academic Integrity process.

This assignment asks you to apply concepts from the course to a particular, real-world situation in a country facing significant changes in governance or other stresses to legitimacy. To answer the question, you need to focus on the general logic of governance and consent, and then apply that logic to this particular case. Grades will be based on:

Writing. The paper must have a clear thesis, stated early. The rest of the paper should contain facts and logic that support the thesis.
Analysis of the sources of consent, and what legitimacy means.
Application of these ideas to the country you choose.

There isn't a single right answer to these questions; you will be graded on the thoughtfulness of your analysis. I am aware that this is your first assigned paper -- I ask for Microsoft Word files so that I can more easily provide constructive comments throughout.