This is a project-based course. Its purpose is to enable you to produce a senior research paper based on your specific preexisting interests within international affairs.  The work you put into it should help you enhance essential skills required by employers and graduate schools, including the collection and processing of relevant sources, clear and concise writing, analytical, critical, and methodological thinking, public presentation, and providing constructive feedback to peers and colleagues.  The final product may prove especially useful as you prepare an application portfolio for a job or graduate school.  Bearing that in mind, I assign a minimum reading requirement for this course: a concise textbook on writing a research paper in political science.  You will spend most of the time presenting the progress you have made on your projects and commenting on the projects of your classmates.  Through presentations and Q&A sessions, you will demonstrate your knowledge and ability to think critically about international affairs.