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Guide To Reading Political Science Modules For Undergraduate PDF
Guide To Reading Political Science Modules For Undergraduate PDF
POLITICALSCIENCE
MODULES FOR UNDERGRADUATES
DepartmentofPoliticalScience
FacultyofArts&SocialSciences
NationalUniversityofSingapore
Contents
AboutthisGuide....................................................................................................1
ClassesinPoliticalScience......................................................................................3
Lectures.............................................................................................................3
Tutorials............................................................................................................4
Assessment............................................................................................................5
ContinuousAssessment....................................................................................5
Exams................................................................................................................5
WrittenAssignments..............................................................................................6
ResearchingYourAssignment..........................................................................7
AppropriateandInappropriateResources.................................................8
Notetaking...............................................................................................10
WritingYourAssignment................................................................................11
AcademicWriting............................................................................................11
GeneralPointsofAdvice...........................................................................11
CommonErrorsandThingstoAvoid........................................................13
WritinginParagraphs...............................................................................16
SexistLanguage.........................................................................................17
ReferencingandCitations...............................................................................18
WhentoCite.............................................................................................18
DoIHaveToCitePageNumbers?............................................................22
NotesonUsingQuotations.......................................................................22
Bibliographies...........................................................................................23
HowtoUseCitations......................................................................................25
TheFootnoteStyle....................................................................................25
FurtherNotesontheFootnotingStyle.....................................................28
BracketsintextStyle................................................................................30
WhatisPlagiarism?...................................................................................33
HowtoAvoidPlagiarism...........................................................................33
HandinginYourWrittenAssignments............................................................34
PresentationofAssignments....................................................................34
HandinginWrittenAssignments..............................................................35
LatePenaltyPolicyandExtensions...........................................................35
FinalExams...........................................................................................................36
FurtherAdvice......................................................................................................38
GradesandWhatToDoAboutBadGrades..........................................38
CounsellingCentre....................................................................................39
PoliticalSciencePeersProgramme...........................................................40
Appendix..............................................................................................................43
ii
ABOUTTHISGUIDE
FormoststudentsatNUS,thiswillbethefirstcourseofstudytheyhave
undertaken since secondary school. This poses a number of challenges
becauseuniversitylecturersexpectalotfromtheirstudents.Forastart,
studyatuniversityismuchmoreindependentthanatthejuniorcollege
level. It is up to you to exercise good time management, which means
finding ways to balance family and other commitments with academic
ones,andmakingsurethatyouarewellequippedwiththerighttechnical
skillstodowellinyourcourse.Theseincludehavingagoodideaabout
whatlecturesandtutorialsareforandknowinghowtoprepareforthem;
being able to write competently and hopefully fluently in English;
following correct procedure when you reference other peoples work;
andknowinghowtoanswerexaminationquestions.
Formanystudents,gettingtogripswithallthesethingsinthefirstyearor
twoofstudycanbeprettytough.Somestudyandtechnicalskillswilljust
have to be gained through experience. However, we in the Political
ScienceDepartmentthinkthatwecangiveyouaheadstartbyproviding
some detailed general advice that applies across all modules offered by
theDepartment.Thatadviceiscontainedinthisguide.Somethingsare
relativelyeasytogetrightfromtheoutset,suchasknowinghowtocite
sourcescorrectly,butifyouhavenothavehadtodosuchthingsbefore
theycanappeardifficultatfirst.ThisiswherethisGuidecanhelp.You
shouldnotonlyreadthroughitthoroughly,especiallyifthisisyourfirst
module in Political Science, but also keep it beside you and refer to it
throughout the semester as you write essays, prepare tutorial
presentations,andgetreadytositfinalexams.
CLASSESINPOLITICALSCIENCE
Lectures
Lectureattendanceatuniversity is notstrictlycompulsory,butitisvery
unwise to miss a lot of lectures in a semester. This is not only because
you will miss out on ideas and insights that you need to complete
assignments and prepare for exams, but also because you might miss
noticesgivenbythelectureronwhattheyexpectintermsofdeadlines,
extrareading,andotherimportantpiecesofinformation.Inotherwords,
youwilllosecontactwithwhatisgoingoninclass,andmissoutonadvice
thatyoucantsimplycatchuponbyborrowingfriendsnotes.Lecturers
cantellveryeasilywhenastudentisoutoftouchwithwhathasbeen
discussedinclass.
Mostlecturerswillprescribeareadinglistthataccompaniesthecourse.
Reading is likely the single most important activity an undergraduate
student in Political Science engages in, and you should spend most of
yourstudytimereadingandtakingnotes.Itisalsoveryimportantthat
youdontleavereadinguntilthelastminute.Studentssometimesleave
mostoftheirreadinguntiltheseductivelynamedreadingweekbefore
finalexams.Thisisnotthebestapproach.Ifyouwanttoreceivebetter
thanaveragegradesandretainacompetitiveedge,youneedtokeepup
with the reading throughout the semester. Prescribed and suggested
authorswillcomplementratherthanrepeatwhatyourlecturerissaying
inclass.
PoliticalSciencelecturersareincreasinglyusingPowerPointpresentations
during their classes. PowerPoint can be a wonderful tool for both
teachersandstudents,butithasaseriousdownside.Theproblemisthat
somestudentshavegivenuptakingtheirownnotesinlectures,instead
relying solely on printouts of PowerPoint slides as study tools. This is a
terrible idea, because it means that you are not making an attempt to
rephrasethingsinyourownwords.Studentswhogethighgradesoften
find that the process of taking their own notes helps them understand
and remember class content better. Thats why some lecturers will
choosenottoputupPowerPointslidesonIVLEuntilafterthelecturefor
theweek.Thisistheirrightandshouldnotasourceofcomplaintonthe
3
Thereareafewsimplepointsofcourtesythatyoushouldfollowduring
lectures in order to make the experience more enjoyable and useful for
everyone:
Handphonesshouldbeturnedoffatalltimes,andthisreallydoes
mean completely switched off. Do not have the phone on but
turnedontodiscreet,anddonothaveitsetsothatitcanreceive
SMS messages. You should also never take photos or video clips
during classunless of course the lecturer has permitted it for
somereason.
Classroomscansometimesbeveryfullofstudentsandnothavethe
best acoustics, so some students might find it hard to hear the
lecture. For reason, and because it is distracting for the lecturer,
youshouldrefrainfromtalkingtoneighboursduringthelecture.
Tutorials
Tutorials are very different from lectures. The classes are smaller and
maybetaughteitherbyyourlectureror,morelikelyinthefirstyearor
so,atutor.TutorialsinPoliticalSciencegenerallystartinthethirdweek
of term,and you will have a tutorial every second week. The emphasis
here is ondiscussionand thusstudentparticipation.Differentlecturers
mayusethetutorialsforslightlydifferentpurposes,soyoushouldlisten
carefullyatthebeginningofthesemestersothatyouknowhowbestto
prepareforthem.Amongactivitiesundertakenintutorialsinclude:
Clearinguporgoingoveranyconfusingconceptsfromthelectures.
This canonlyhappenifthetutorknows what is causingconfusion
orattheveryleastsubjectsthatthestudentswanttoknowmore
about, so come armed with questions! Tutors really appreciate it
when you do have substantive questions about class content.
Having questions is not a sign that you are a weak student, but
rather the reverse. Asking good questions could even help bump
upclassparticipationgrades.
Discussingprescribedreadingsforthemoduleandhowthesefitin
withlecturecontent.
Howeveryourteachersdecidetousetutorialtime,itisalwaysimportant
to attend tutorials, not only because attendance usually contributes
toward your final grade, but because it will help you prepare for
assignmentsandexams.
ASSESSMENT
ContinuousAssessment
Sadly, many NUS students take a long time to understand how much
continuous assessment can contribute to getting a good grade in a
Political Science module. Continuous assessment can make up at least
half of lowerlevel modules in this discipline, and refers to work done
throughoutthesemesterbeforethefinalexamination.CA,asyoumight
see it referred to, could be made up of a number of different
components, such as class attendance and participation; midterm in
class tests; or essays, policy document discussions, book reviews and
otherformsofwrittenassignment.Muchoftherestofthisguidegives
you advice and assistance for preparing and submitting written
assignments, but it should be first noted that CA exercises are just as
important as final exams. The best students work hard throughout the
semester,andthisisgenerallyreflectedinCAaswellasfinalgrades.
Exams
Examsmakeupasignificantpartofyourfinalgrade,ifnotmostofit,and
understandably cause anxiety amongst students. We have some advice
on preparing for exams later in this guide that should help ease that
anxiety.
WRITTENASSIGNMENTS
You will most likely be set at least one written assignment for each
modulethatyoutakeinPoliticalScience.Moreoftenthannot,thiswill
take the form of an essay in which you have to weigh evidence or
alternativepointsofviewonatopicinordertocomeupwithyourown
argument. However,lecturersmayalsorequireanother kindofwritten
assignment,such asabookreview,literaturereview,countryprofile,or
policy analysis. Make sure that you understand exactly what kind of
assignmentisexpectedofyoubeforeyoubeginworkonit.
If the written assignment takes the form of an essay, you will either be
givenasetquestionorseveralquestionstochoosefrom,oryoumightbe
askedtocomeupwithyourowntopic.
Ifyouaregivenanumberofessaysquestionstochoosefrom,selectthe
topicthatinterestsyoumost.Makesurethatyouunderstandwhatthe
essayquestionisaskingyoutodo.Wordssuchascompare,contrast,
evaluate, analyze, discuss, or critically evaluate often appear in
essay questions, and you should consult with your tutor if you do not
understand precisely what they mean. It is very important that you
answer the question when it comes to essay writing. Below average
essays are often offtopic. For instance, a question in a political theory
class might ask you to examine the importance of the noble lie in
Platos political thought. An off topic answer might give an extensive
background on the life of Plato and a overview of his Republic, rather
thanfocusingonthespecificconceptthequestionasksyoutofocuson.
Similarly, offtopic essays in comparative politics or international
relationsmodulesgivetoomuchirrelevanthistoryordescriptivedetail.
Makesurethatyoualsoanswereachpartofthequestionandgiveeach
part appropriate weight. Consider this question: Which Central and
EasternEuropeantransitions fromcommunistruleafter1989weretop
down,andwhichoneswerebottomup?Whatimplicationsdiddifferent
transitionpathshavefordemocraticconsolidation?Youwouldneedto
doseveralthingsinordertoanswerthisquestionwell.First,youwould
needtounderstandandoutlinethedistinctionthattheliteraturemakes
between topdown and bottomup transitions from authoritarian
7
If you are asked to design your own essay question, the main danger is
trying to cover too much. You should define your research topic as
narrowlyaspossiblesothatyoucananswerthequestionindepth.You
should also frameyour topic as a question that you then try toanswer.
Your answer to this question becomes the argument of your essay.
Havingagoodargumentgivesyouachancetodiscussthemostrelevant
aspects of the topic and will help make your essay more argumentative
andthusinterestingforthereader.
ResearchingYourAssignment
Yourlecturermaygiveyouareadinglisttoaccompanyyouressaytopic,
but you will often be required to go beyond that list to find your own
resources. The library is the best place to start, and we are now very
lucky in that there are so many academic journals available online
throughthelibrarydatabases.
Ideally, you should start researching your topic at least three to four
weeks before the assignment is due. This will give you enough time to
placeholdsonbooksorlocateotherhardtofindmaterial.Inaddition,it
will allow you to start thinking about how you are going to answer the
questionbeforetimerunsoutandyouhavetositdownandwrite.
8
AppropriateandInappropriateResources
Works that have not been peerreviewed include just about everything
else, including working papers (which usually represent the early
thoughts of academics working on an article or book); newspaper and
magazine articles; television programs; and websites. There are many
instancesinwhichhighqualitynewspapersandperiodicalsareusefuland
appropriateresources.AgoodexamplehereistheUKbasedEconomist,
whichhasparticularlygoodcoverageofcurrentinternationalevents.In
termsoftheoveruseofinappropriatesources,theinternetisthebiggest
culprit. In particular, Wikipedia and similar websites should never be
usedasasourcebyundergraduatestudents.Therearetworeasonsfor
this:
(1) Wikipedia and similar sites are opensource, meaning that anybody
canaddinformationtoanentry.Sometimestheinformationisjustplain
wrong,andinothercasesitispresentedinabiasedfashionthatstudents
arenotyetabletoreadilyidentity.
(2) Furthermore, Wikipedia and similar sites are nothing more than
onlineencyclopedias.Anencyclopediamightbeanappropriatesourceto
use at junior college, but not at university level. The writing you do at
NUS should be based primarily on peerreviewed published research,
supplementedbyhighqualitynewspapersandmagazinematerial.
However,thereareinstancesinwhichitisappropriatetouseinformation
fromtheinternet.Agoodexamplewouldbeifyouarewritinganessay
on Malaysian political parties. You could go to the websites of specific
Malaysian political parties in order to contrast their different policy
platforms. However, you should always be cautious about such sources,
andmostimportantly,usethemasasupplementratherthanthebasisof
yourwriting.Agoodrulethatyoucouldsetyourselfwouldbetoconsult
atleastfiveorsixacademicpublicationsbeforeyoustartconsultingthe
internet. Above all, whether or not you use an internet source should
dependonthequalityofthematerialthatyouhaveaccessed.
Alistofwebsitesisincludedintheappendixofthishandbookandisalso
available online at http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/pol/research4_1.htm
underthetitleLinkstoPoliticalScienceontheWeb.Youmayfindthe
websitesusefulduringthecourseofyourresearchandwritinginPolitical
Sciencemodules.However,besuretokeeptheabovepiecesofadvicein
mindatalltimes.
Notetaking
Onceyouhavegatheredyourresearchmaterialsandbegunreading,you
should take notes on each book or article that you read. You should
recorddownthecompletebibliographicinformationaswellasthepage
numbers from which you are taking specific bits of information,
arguments,orideas.
Many students these days write their essays straight onto a computer
screenwithapileofbooksandarticlesstackedbesidethem,ratherthan
working from notes. This is generally not the best way to write essays
and other written assignments. There are two reasons why this is the
case:
(2) Essays written in this manner tend to come out as bits of other
peoples work pieced together rather than an attempt to develop your
ownthoughtsandpresentacoherentviewonthetopic.Essayslikethis
do not have a clear line of argument, and tend to jump between ideas
andfactswithnoapparentreason.Yourtutor,inthiscircumstance,will
oftendescribetheessayaslackingclearorganization.
11
WritingYourAssignment
Onceyouhavetakennotesfromyoursources,youshouldwriteanessay
plan.Eachmajorthoughtorstepinyourargumentshouldbeorganized
into a paragraph. Students are increasingly using lots of small sections
andsubsectionswhentheywrite,butthisisoftenunnecessary.Essays
orotherassignmentoflessthan1,500wordsprobablydontneedtohave
separate sections and subheadings; just organize your paragraphs and
your overall essay structure well. Some further advice on paragraph
writingfollowsbelow.
Ideally, you should start writing your assignment one to two weeks
beforeitisdue,reviseitoneormoretimes,andleaveseveraldaysatthe
end to carefully edit your work. Most students would receive much
bettergradesfortheirassignmentsiftheywouldsimplyleavemoretime
for editing at the end. Could your thoughts be organized better to
present a stronger argument? Are your sentences overly complicated?
Aretheresimplegrammaticalmistakesthatcouldbefixed?Thefollowing
section will give you some further ideas about what to keep in mind as
youwrite,revise,andedityourwrittenassignment.
AcademicWriting
Learningtowriteclearlyandpreciselyisoneofthemostimportantskills
you will develop as an undergraduate, and the ability to write clearly,
using correctandformallanguage whereappropriate,isalsoaskillthat
will be transferable to the workplace. Many students, however, find
writingquitedifficultatfirst.
GeneralPointsofAdvice
basiccontoursofyourargument.Keepingthisinmindwillhelpyou
understand that you need to bring your reader up to speed with
basicideasaboutyourtopic,beforeyoulaunchintoyourowntake
onthoseideas.
Muchstudentwritingsuffersbecauseittriestobetoocomplicated.
Dontusewordsorphrasesifyoudonttrulyknowwhattheymean.
Keep your sentences short. One way to avoid convoluted,
awkward,andunclearsentencesistoreadthemaloudtoyourself
as you write them. If you run out of breath or lose the thread of
whatyouaretryingtosay,youneedtostartbreakingupthoselong
sentencesintoshorterones!
The more you read, the more you will grow to understand what
academicwritingshouldlooklike.Becriticalofwhatyouread,and
think about the following questions. Are there particular authors
whosewritingyoureallylikeorfindeasiertounderstand?Howcan
youmakeyourownwritingasclearastheirs?
13
CommonErrorsandThingstoAvoid
Unnecessaryorincorrectprepositions.Commonexamplesinclude
thefollowing,withtheunnecessarywordstruckout:
NancyBermeoemphasizesonthefactthat
- AlexisdeTocquevillearguesonthatcivilsociety
Try not to use etc, i.e. and e.g. These abbreviations are
generallyasignoflazinessinsentenceconstruction.Trynottouse
etc., i.e. and e.g., but substitute their English equivalents:
thus and so on/forth instead of etc.; that is, for i.e.; and for
exampleinsteadofe.g.
Trytoavoidqualifiersorsuchasquite,somewhatoralittle.
These qualifiers come across as wishywashy and uncertain. The
hallmarkofgoodwritingisclarityandbeingunequivocal.
14
Whenyouarewritingnumbers,aconventionistousewordsupto
the number twenty: one, two, fifteen and so on. When the
numbersstartgettingbigger,youcanswitchto21,145,36,000etc.
Spellcheckingprogramshavereducedthefrequencyofmisspelled
words, but you should still edit your work for spelling errors since
the computer cant tell whether you meant to say two, to or
too,forexample.Youshouldalsoworkonspellingifyouhavea
problem with some particular words, since your lecturer or tutor
couldmarkyoudownintestsandexamswhenyoudonothavethe
luxury of a spellchecker. Some commonly misspelled words
include:
separation,notseperation
comparative,notcomparitive
argument,notarguement
bureaucracy
- Whenyouhavetwoverycloselyrelatedideasthatyouwant
to link together. Note however, and very importantly, that
15
Whentouseacapitalletterforawordinthemiddleofasentence
can often cause confusion. Remember that in English, the only
wordsthatshouldbecapitalized(apartfromthewordIandthose
atthebeginningofsentences)arepropernouns.Propernounsare
specific people or names of very specific things. Words like
government, party executive, bureaucracy, and prime
minister" generally do not need capitalization, unless you are
referringtoaspecificcaseofthegeneralthing.Thus,GeorgeW.
Bushs Cabinet, the Singaporean Parliament, and the
ConservativePartyareallcorrect.
You should use acronyms only if you will refer to the same
organization or name repeatedly throughout the essay. For
example, if your essay mentions ASEAN several times in a single
essay,youshouldwriteoutAssociationofSoutheastAsianNations
(ASEAN)thefirsttimethatyoumentionit,thenrefersubsequently
toASEAN.
16
WritinginParagraphs
You not only need to structure your essays well, but you should make
sure that you are writing in complete and coherent paragraphs.
Paragraphconstructionandorganizationiscausinganincreasingproblem
forstudents,andformany,learningtowritegoodparagraphstakesalot
of hard work. Yet it is a skill that is worth working hard on because it
improves the flow of your analysis and is thus likely to attract higher
grades.
Badparagraphsareofteneithertooshortortoolong.Newspapersand
online resources often start a new paragraph every sentence or two.
However,academicwritingrequiresmorecompleteparagraphs;theyare
often six to eight sentences in length. On the other hand, if your
paragraphsrunovermorethanapage,theyareprobablytoolongandtry
toincludetoomanyideas.
Indentorplaceaspacebetweenparagraphs,butdonotdoboth.Avoid
the use of bullet pointed lists, as you can usually incorporate the same
points into a complete paragraph and your essay will read better as a
result.(Note:donotusethisGuideasanexample.Itextensivelyuses
bulletpointsbecauseitisadifferenttypeofdocumentfromanacademic
essay.)
17
SexistLanguage
Onceuponatime,formalEnglishusedmalepronounswhenreferringto
people in general. Examples of such language include he, his, and
him. Today writers generally avoid such usage, unless a really good
case has been presented for talking exclusively about men. Ways of
avoidingavoidsexistlanguageincludeusingheorshe,orusingtheyif
the sentence can be made into a plural form. Remember always,
however,thatcorrect sentenceconstruction should alwaysbefollowed.
Itisrelativelyeasytoachievebothgoals.
Takethissentenceforexample:
ItisthePresidentsresponsibilitytoappointhisowncabinet.
Betteralternativesinclude:
ItisthePresidentsresponsibilitytoappointhisorherowncabinet.
OR
Presidentshavetheresponsibilityofappointingtheirowncabinet.
18
ReferencingandCitations
WhentoCite
Whenyouwriteessays,bookreviews,policyanalyses,oranyotherform
ofwrittenassignment,youwillandinfactarerequiredtodrawonother
peoples work. This is so that you can acknowledge other peoples
theoretical contributions to the field, as well as use their research to
reportfacts.
1. Whenyouaredirectlyquotingfromanauthorswork.
2. Whenyouuseanauthorsdataorstatistics.
3. Whenyoudonotdirectlyquotefromanauthorswork,butyoudraw
on his or her ideas or arguments, whether you mention his or her
nameornot.
Itmaysurpriseyoutolearnthatthisthirdinstanceisgenerallythemost
commonreasonforaddingacitation.Itisalsotheonemostoverlooked
byundergraduates.Itisveryimportantthatyouacknowledgearguments
thatyouhaveborrowed,evenifyouarenotquotingdirectly.Ifyoudo
not, you might be accused of plagiarism (see the section on plagiarism
below).
19
Following are real examples of each of the three cases in which you
shouldalwaysacknowledgeyoursourcesandaddacitationtoyourwork.
a.
Quotingdirectlyfromasource.
Source:CharlesTilly,Democracy(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,
2007),4041.
John Markoff, Waves of Democracy: Social Movements and Political Change. Thousand Oaks, CA:
Pine Forge, 1996, pp. 1-2.
20
Howcanweidentifysuchwavesconcretely?Whethertheyfollow
constitutional, substantive, procedural, or processoriented
definitionsofdemocracy,mostpeoplewhostudymultiplecasesof
democratizationanddedemocratizationsimplifytheirworkwitha
straightforward device. They identify a threshold, placing non
democracyononesideanddemocracyontheother,theyask,how,
under what conditions, and why regimes cross the threshold in
eitherdirection.Theyadoptaproceduralstandard.
b. Usingdataorstatisticsreportedbyanauthor.
European Commission, Statistical Annex to Draft joint inclusion report, Commission Staff Working
Paper, Com (2003) 773 final: 25.
3
21
c.
Usingorreferringtosomeoneelsesideasorarguments,whetheror
nottheauthorsnameisused.
Source:KunChinLin,"DisembeddingSocialistFirmsasaStatistProject:
Restructuring the Chinese Oil Industry 19972002," Enterprise &
Society:TheInternationalJournalofBusinessHistory7(2006):59
97.
Karl Polanyi, The Great Transformation (Boston, 1944), E. P. Thompson, Customs in Common (New
York, 1991), E. P. Thompson, The Making of the English Working Class (New York, 1964), James
Scott, Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (New Haven, Conn., 1985),
James Scott, The Moral Economy of the Peasant (New Haven, Conn., 1976).
5
These themes dovetailed with Ferdinand Tnniess and Max Webers anxieties about the vast
potential for social dislocation and disorientation from the shift from premarket modes of production,
exchange, and valuation to the market economy. See Andrew Janos, Politics and Paradigms:
Changing Theories of Change in Social Science (Stanford, Calif., 1986), 2225.
6
Polanyi, Great Transformation, Douglass C. North, Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic
Performance (Cambridge, U.K., 1990), Alexander Gershenkron, Economic Backwardness in Historical
Perspective (New York, 1962).
7
Weber stated that the development of the money economy, in so far as a pecuniary compensation
of the officials is concerned, is a presupposition of bureaucracy. Quoted in H. H. Gerth and C. W.
Mills, eds., From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology (Oxford, U.K., 1958), 204.
22
DoIHaveToCitePageNumbers?
One further source of confusion for students is when and when not to
citepagenumberswhenreferencingotherswork.Formostpurposesat
undergraduate level, you should cite specific page numbers where you
gotthespecificpiecesofinformationorargumentsfrom.Theexception
iswhenyouaresummarizingtheargumentofan entirebookorarticle,
ratherthansomethingthatappearsonaparticularpage.
Example1:PeterEvans,inhis1995book,EmbeddedAutonomy,argues
that successful postindustrial states combine embeddedness
withautonomy.Thissummarizestheargumentoftheentire
book,soitdoesnotneedapagecitation.Youshouldstillcite
thebook,however.
NotesonUsingQuotations
Occasionally,youwillneedtoquotedirectlyfromanauthorstext.Butit
is best to quote sparingly. An essay should not be a number of quotes
strungtogether,andyourmarkermighttakeextensiveuseofquotations
asasignoflazinessoryourinabilitytorephraseanideaorargumentyour
own words. In addition, extensive quotation disrupts the flow of your
own argument. Summarize an authors argument or ideas in your own
wordscitingwhereappropriateofcourse!
Ifyoudowishtouseaquotation,theconventionisthatyoukeepitinthe
bodyofyourparagraph,enclosedindoublequotationmarks,ifitisunder
three lines long. If it is more than three lines, place the quote in an
indented, separate, paragraph. You dont need quotation marks in this
case.
23
Ifyouwanttocutsomewordsoutofaquotation,usethreedots,andif
youneedtoaddawordtomakethequotemakesensebecauseyouhave
choppeditup,encloseyouradditioninsquarebrackets.Forexample:
WhatsoeverthereforeinconsequenttoatimeofWarre,where
every man is Enemy to every man; the same is consequent to
the time, wherein men live without other security, than what
theirownstrength,andtheirowninventionshallfurnishthem
withalthelifeofman[is],solitary,poore,nasty,brutish,and
short.
However,itsusuallybesttoavoidextensivelychoppingupquotations,as
this can distort the authors original meaning. You should also refrain
fromeditingspellingmistakes,modernizingthelanguage,orchangingthe
originalinotherways.
Bibliographies
RememberthatformostworkswritteninEnglish,thefamilynameofthe
author is listed last. Do not list authors by their personal, or in most
cases,firstnames.TheobviousexceptionhereissomeChineseauthors.
Youcanchecktoseehowtheseauthorsgenerallyhavetheirnamecited.
Sampleshortbibliography:
24
Evans,PeterB.,"TheStateasProblemandSolution:Predation,
Embedded Autonomy and Structural Change," in Stephan
HaggardandRobertR.Kaufman,eds.,ThePoliticsofEconomic
Adjustment(Princeton:PrincetonUniversityPress,1992).
25
HowtoUseCitations
Therearetwomainwaysofcitingthebooks,articles,andothersources
thatyouuse.Thesearethe(a)footnotingstyle,and(b)thebracketsin
textstyle.Thesocialsciencesandhumanitieshavetraditionallyusedthe
former,thephysicalsciencesthelatter.Manysocialsciencejournalsnow
usethebracketsintextstylehowever.Youmayuseeithermethod,but
youmustnotmixthetwostyles.Differentlecturersmayhavedifferent
preferences, just as different journals doif you learn both, you will be
able to adapt easily to whatever style is required. However, we have
noticedthatthemostmistakesaremadewiththebracketsintextstyle,
sobeverycarefulwiththisreferencingsysteminparticular.
TheFootnoteStyle
If you are using this method of referencing, drop a footnote where the
citationshouldgo.Thisisveryeasytodousingthe<Reference><Insert
footnote>functioninMicrosoftWord.Thefootnoteswillappearatthe
bottomofeachpage.Mostlecturerspreferthatyouusefootnotesrather
than endnotes (notes that appear at the end of the essay) so that they
can see your citations without having to turn repeatedly to the end of
youressay.
There are many variations on the footnote referencing style. For
example, you will notice when you are reading works produced by
differentpublishersthatsomeusep.orpp.todesignatepagenumbers,
whileothersdonot.However,themostimportantthinghereisthatyou
remain consistent in the style that you use. To be on the safe side, we
suggestthatyouadoptthestylesuggestedhereandsticktoitunlessyour
lecturer prefers something different. This style is adopted from the
ChicagoManualofStyleandisoftenreferredtoasChicagoA.Itisalso
thestyleadoptedbythejournal,WorldPolitics,ifyouwouldliketoseea
concreteexampleofitsuse.FurtherdetailsareprovidedintheChicago
ManualofStyle,availableathttp://www.chicagomanualofstyle.orgoras
The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th edition. Chicago: The University of
ChicagoPress,2003.
26
Followingaresomeexamplesofhowdifferenttypesofdocumentsshould
appearinyourfootnotes.
Singleauthoredbook:
Coauthoredbook:
Editedvolume:
Chapterinaneditedvolume:
ReubenWong,TheEuropeanisationofForeignPolicy,ineds.
ChristopherHillandMichaelSmith,InternationalRelationsand
theEuropeanUnion(Oxford:OxfordUniversity,2005),134153.
Articleinjournal:
27
Newspaperarticle:
Report:
Paperpresentedatconference:
Bookreview:
Thesisordissertation:
ErikMobrand,"InternalMigrationandStateRetreatinChinese
and South Korean Industrialization", (PhD dissertation,
PrincetonUniversity,2006).
28
Website:
FurtherNotesontheFootnotingStyle
In addition to the above, there are a few other points that you should
keepinmindwhenusingthefootnotingstyleinordertoreferenceyour
work. Some of this also applies to writing up bibliographies in general
andthereforetothebracketsintextstyleaswell.
Dont use pp for just one page. It is p.16 for something that
appearsonasinglepage,orpp.7073ifyouarecitinganargument
orideathatoccursoverseveralpages.
29
TerryNardin,Law,Morality,andtheRelationsofStates(Princeton:
PrincetonUniversityPress,1983),16.
Nardin,Law,Morality,andtheRelationsofStates(1983),5658.
Journalarticle,firstandsecondtimescitedinthesameessay:
30
BracketsintextStyle
Ifyouchoosetoadoptthisstyleofreferencing,thecitationsappearinthe
body of the essay in abbreviated form rather than in footnotes. A
completelistofreferencesisthenprovidedattheendoftheessay.
Further advice on the bracketsintext (sometimes referred to as the
Harvardsystem),canbefoundat:
http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/guides/Endnote/whatisharvard.htm
http://www.uwe.ac.uk/library/resources/general/info_study_skills/harva
rd2.htm
Thefollowingrulesshouldbeobservedwhenusingthisreferencingstyle:
If the reference has two authors, the citation should include both
theirnames:(BuchananandNicholls2003).
Iftheworkyouarecitinghasmorethantwoauthors,includeallthe
names the first time you cite the source, then subsequently
abbreviateforexamplefirsttimecited(King,KeohaneandVerba
1994),thereafter(Kingetal1994).
31
Ifyoumentiontheauthorsnameinthesentence,youdontneed
tomentionitagaininthereference:AtulKohlihasmorerecently
usedtheconceptofacohesivecapitaliststate(2004:2).
If you need to cite more than one work published by the same
author in the same year, you can differentiate between them by
using a, b, c etc, after the date of publication. You need to then
note this in your bibliography as well: (Wang 1998a: 65), (Wang
1998b:12)
If you want to cite more than one source as part of the same
reference, enclose all references in the same set of brackets in
alphabeticalorder:(Haque1981:12,Lee1983:34,Nardin2000)
Ifreferencingaworkbyanorganizationorgovernment,theauthor
is the organization or government and the above rules apply:
(GovernmentofSingapore1995:89),or(OECD2002:56).
Anexampleofthebracketsintextstyle:
Thesereferencesappearinthebibliographyas:
Iversen,Torben,PoliticalleadershipandrepresentationinWest
European democracies. A test of three models of voting,
AmericanJournalofPoliticalScience38(1994):4574.
Kirchheimer,Otto,ThetransformationoftheWesternEuropean
party systems, in eds. Joseph LaPalombara & Myron Weiner,
Political parties and political development (Princeton, NJ:
PrincetonUniversityPress,1966),177200.
33
PlagiarismandHowtoAvoidIt
WhatisPlagiarism?
HowtoAvoidPlagiarism
Taking notes as you gather data and ideas for your written assignments
insteadofhavingbooksandarticlesinfrontofyouasyouwritewillhelp
you avoid copying passages straight into your assignment. This will be
especially true if you make a good effort to rephrase ideas in your own
wordswhenyoutakenotes.Itisusuallyobvioustolecturersandtutors
whenastudentisusingsomeoneelseswordsinsteadoftheirown.
Anotherwaytoavoidplagiarismistomakesurethatyouputfootnotesor
bracketsintextreferencesasyouwrite,ratherthanleavingthistaskuntil
you have finished your draft. It is far too easy to forget to fill in
referencesorrememberwheretheyaresupposedtogoafteryourhave
finishedyourwriting.
34
HandinginYourWrittenAssignments
PresentationofAssignments
Thereareseveralthingsyoucandotomakeiteasierforyourlectureror
tutortoreadandgradeyourworkand,moreimportantly,provideuseful
commentsthatwillhelpyouimproveyourwritinginthefuture.
Remembertoprovidepagenumbersonyourassignment.
Pleaseoneandahalfordoublespaceyourwork.
Leaveoneinchmargins,whichsomelecturersandtutorswillwant
tohaveinordertowritecomments.
35
HandinginWrittenAssignments
LatePenaltyPolicyandExtensions
Therequestismadebeforetheessayisdue.Ifyouareathomesick
orcantmakeitintouniversityjustbeforetheessayisdue,callor
emailyourlecturertonotifythemoftheproblem.
36
FinalExams
Final exams really dont have to be as stressful as some students find
them,ifyouworkconsistentlythroughoutthesemesterinsteadofleaving
alotofworkuntiltheend.Youwillinevitablytrytopackalotofstudy
intothelastweekortwoofthesemester,but avoidallnightcramming
sessions. Get enough sleep and exercise, and take proper meals during
theexamperiod.
PoliticalScienceexamsusuallyrequireyoutowriteessays.Keepinmind
that lecturers are looking for many of the same things that they are
lookingforinessayswrittenduringthesemester.Youneedtopresenta
clearargumentinawellorganizedessaythathasashortintroduction,a
conclusion, and a series of complete paragraphs. Spend a couple of
minutesbeforestartingeachanswertocomeupwithanessayplanand
thensticktoitasyouwriteoutyouranswer.
Yourmarkswillbegreatlyreducedifyourunoutoftimeintheexam.Itis
frustratingformarkerswhenthishappenstheycantgiveanymarksfor
ananswerthatsimplyisntthere!Thesecrethereistounderstandhow
muchtimeyouhaveforeachquestion,preferablybeforeyougointothe
exam,takeawatch,andkeeptothetimelimityouhaveworkedoutfor
eachquestion.
Somespecificstudypointersconsistofthefollowing:
Dont review everything you studied during the course of the semester.
Thisisespeciallythecaseifthelecturerhasgivenyouagoodideaofwhat
mightandmightnotbeintheexam.Youmaybeabletofocusonseveral
topicsofinteresttoyouthatyouareprettysurewillbeintheexam,while
not having to study the others so much in depth. Get advice from your
lectureronthis.
Dontstudytoonarrowly.Youshouldalwayskeepareservestudytopic
incaseyourfavouriteonefailstocomeup.
Afinalexamisnotsimplyaplacetoshowthatyoucanrotelearnfactsor
merely repeat arguments or theories learned in the module. Most
37
lecturerswilldesignatleastpartoftheexamsothatyoucandemonstrate
not so much your skills in rotelearning, but your originality, skills of
reflection,andcreativityinresponsetoquestions.Thismeansthatpartof
your study should involve thinking about the general themes of the
module and what some of the big things that youve thought about
duringthecoursemightbe.
38
FURTHERADVICE
GradesandWhatToDoAboutBadGrades
When you get your essay or other written assignment back from your
tutor or lecturer, you will receive some comments and a grade. The
gradescaleisasfollowsandnotethatmarkersdousethefullscale:
Possiblegradesthatyoumayreceive:
A+,A,A,B+,B,B,C+,C,D+,D,D,F
You should see your tutor or lecturer (starting with the person who
actuallymarkedyourassignment)ifyoureceiveaCorbelowandarenot
sure how to improve, or if your grade is seriously below your
expectations.RememberthatreceivingaB+orBisnotnecessarilyabad
gradeatall;noteveryonewillreceiveAs.
39
CounsellingCentre
AlumniHouse
20LowerKentRidgeRoad
Ph:(65)65162376
counselling@nus.edu.sg
Academic staff are usually very happy to help out students who are
struggling,buttheyarebesttrainedtohelpoutwiththeassignmentsand
other coursework requirements rather than anything else. If it is the
work itself that is the main problem, make an appointment to see your
tutororlecturerearlyoninthesemester,anddontleavethingsuntilthe
finalweekbeforetheexam!
40
PoliticalSciencePeersProgramme
ThePeersProgrammeisaresourceforstudentstoimprovetheirwritten
assignments.PeersareappointedbytheDepartmenttoofferassistance
withwritingtostudentsenrolledinPoliticalSciencemodules.Showinga
papertoafriendortalkingoverideaswithaclassmateisoftenhelpfulin
making our writing better. The Peers Programme operates in a similar
way,asourtrainedPeersfunctionassoundingboardsforyourideasand
as constructive critics of your writing. We provide oneonone
consultations with our Peers. These consultations supplement advice
studentscanreceivefrominstructors.
Conferencesarescheduledfor50minutes.Duringthistime,thetutorwill
readyourpaperorwhatyouhavewrittensofarofit.Youshouldbring
yourownconcernsandquestionstotheconference,sothatthesession
canbeasproductiveaspossible.
The Peers Programme aims to assist students with writing issues they
encounter.ThePeersProgrammeisnotseveralthings:
ThePeersProgrammeisnotaserviceonlyforweakerstudents.We
believethatanyonecanimprovehisorherwritingbytalkingabout
itwithsomeoneelse.Strongwriterscangainfromourservices.
41
Writingconferencesarenotforpurposesofediting.Ourgoalisnot
tocheckgrammarandspellinginstudentessays.Instead,weshare
our thoughts on bigger issues, such as how well your paper
expressesyourideas.
42
APPENDIX
The following websites maybe of possible interest to students and others
engaged in political science research. The sites (except the one for NUS
Library) are neither associated with nor endorsed by the Department of
Political Science at NUS.
Archives,Bibliometrics,andLibraries
http://libguides.nus.edu.sg/polsci
NUSlibrary
http://www.harzing.com/pop.htm#windows
One of several bibliometric sites; others include ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and many
others(searchGoogleon"bibliometric"...)
http://copac.ac.uk/
SearchengineforUKacademiclibraries
http://thomas.loc.gov/
USALibraryofCongresswebsite.IncludesinformationonUSlegislation.
http://www.nlc.gov.cn/
NationalLibraryofChina(includesEnglishversion)
http://www.ncl.edu.tw/
NationalCentralLibraryinTaiwan(includesEnglishversion)
http://www.hoover.org/libraryandarchives
Hoover Institution's library and archives. Digitised documents on Republicanera China,
MartialLawTaiwan,andColdWarmaterialamongstmuchelse.
http://www.bl.uk
TheBritishLibrarycatalogueonline.
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Britishnationalarchives.
http://www.nhb.gov.sg/nas/
Singaporesnationalarchives.
AsianStudies
http://www.asiafoundation.org/
43
AsiaFoundation.InformationonAsia.
http://asiasociety.org/
AsiaSociety.InformationonAsia.
http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/
UCLAAsiaInstitute.
http://www.froginawell.net/
DiscussionsonEastAsianHistory
http://www.drnh.gov.tw/
Taiwan's Academia Historica. Contains digitised government documents from the ROC
governmentfromitsMainlanddaysthroughthe1980s.
http://archive.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/ttscgi/v2/ttsweb?@0:0:1:mctauac@@0.507166436938
DigitalarchivaldocumentsheldattheInstituteofModernHistory,AcademiaSinica.
http://www.mofa.gov.tw/webapp/mp?mp=1
Taiwan Foreign Ministry. Includes statements on policy towards various countries,
organisations,andissues.(Englishversion)
http://www.mac.gov.tw/welcome03/welcome03.htm
Taiwan'sMainlandAffairsCouncil.HasinformationoncrossStraitpolicy.(SitehadEnglish
version)
http://www.ait.org.tw/
AmericanInstituteonTaiwan.InformationonUSpolicytowardTaiwan
http://www.siiaonline.org/
WebsiteoftheSingaporeInstituteofInternationalAffairs,goodforupdatesanddigestson
ASEANandEastAsianaffairs
http://asiasociety.org/
TheleadingUSorganizationthatpromotesunderstandingamongthepeople,leaders,and
institutionsoftheUnitedStatesandAsiahasawebsitewithmanyusefulmaps,documents,
articlesandspeeches
http://theonlinecitizen.com/
A critical, independent online newspaper focusing on Singapore news and political/social
issues
ChineseStudies
http://www.dartmouth.edu/%7Eqing/portal.shtml
44
OneminentChineseduringtheQingperiod.
http://www.chinavitae.com/
ShortbiographiesoneminentpeopleinChinatoday.
http://archive.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/ttscgi/v2/ttsweb?@0:0:1:mctmeta@@0.456698472611606
1
Similartotheabove,butholdingsfocusontheCabinetduringtheRepublicanperiod.
http://isites.harvard.edu:80/icb/icb.do?keyword=k16229&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup61621
Chinabiographicaldatabaseproject
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~chgis/
ChinahistoricalGISdata
http://www.simian.org/jdsjk/index.asp
FulltextversionsoftheChineseclassics(registrationrequired)
http://www.simian.org/classic/index.asp
A database of fulltext versions of modern Chinese thought, philosophy, literature, diaries
(registrationrequired)
http://www.cicir.ac.cn/tbshome/default.asp
China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. Information on Chinese
perspectives about major international issues. Historically has close relationship with
Chinesesecurityestablishment.
http://www.cas.fudan.edu.cn/index.en.php
CentreforAmericanStudies,FudanUniversity.UsefulperspectivesonUSChinarelations.
http://www.ciis.org.cn/
China Institute of International Studies. Chinese perspectives on international affairs.
HistoricallyhascloserelationshipwithChineseforeignpolicyestablishment.
http://www.cpifa.org/
ChinesePeople'sInstituteofForeignAffairs.Chineseperspectivesoninternationalaffairs.
HistoricallyhascloserelationshipwithChineseforeignpolicyestablishment.
http://www.siis.org.cn/
ShanghaiInstitutesforInternationalStudies.AnotherChineseperspectiveoninternational
affairs.
http://www.worldchina.org/
WorldandChinaInstitute.InformationonChinesereformpolicies.
http://www.ccps.gov.cn/
The Chinese Communist Party's Central Party School. Official Chinese perspectives on
variousinternationalanddomesticissues.
45
http://bic.cass.cn
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Lots of information on history, society, government,
andeconomicsinChina.
http://www.fmprc.gov.cn/chn/gxh/tyb/
PRC Foreign Ministry. Includes statements on policy towards various countries,
organisations,andissues.(Englishversion)
http://www.gov.cn/
PRC government portal. Includes major policy statements, white papers etc. (English
version)
http://ucsdmodernchinesehistory.org/
UCSDModernChineseHistoryResearchSite
http://peacehall.com/forum/lishi/1154.shtml
ChinesesiteontheSinoJapaneseWar19371945.Includeshistoricalphotos.InChinese.
http://www.princeton.edu/~classbib/
Classical historiography for Chinese history. Lots of useful historical and geographic
informationonChina.PuttogetherbyProf.BenjaminElmanfromPrincetoninconjunction
withProf.ChuPingYifromtheNationalTaiwanUniversityandothers.
HumanRights
http://www.du.edu/korbel/hrhw/
HumanRightsandHumanWelfare:tracksnewacademicpublicationsonhumanrightsand
internationalethicsgenerally.
InternationalRelationsandOrganisations
http://www.cceia.org/index.html
TheCarnegieCouncilforEthicsandInternationalAffairsagoodsourceofarticles,podcasts,
linksetc.oninternationalethicsandinternationalaffairsgenerally.
http://www.isanet.org/links/
InternationalStudiesAssociation:linkstoelectronicresourcesininternationalstudies.
http://www.cnas.org/
CenterforaNewAmericanCentury.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
http://www.acus.org/
TheAtlanticCouncil.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
46
http://www.stimson.org/home.cfm
TheStimsonCenter.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
http://www.cfr.org/
CouncilonForeignRelations.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
http://www.ccfr.org/
ChicagoCouncilonGlobalAffairs.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
www.csis.org
Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC. Information on various
majorforeignaffairsissues.
http://www.brookings.edu/
BrookingsInstitution.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
http://carnegieendowment.org/
CarnegieEndowment for InternationalPeace.Information onvarious majorforeignaffairs
issues.
www.wilsoncenter.org
Woordrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Information on various major foreign
affairsissues.
http://www.heritage.org/
TheHeritageFoundation.Informationonvariousmajorforeignaffairsissues.
http://www.aei.org
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. Information on various major
foreign
affairs
issues.
http://www.iie.com/
This website by the Peterson Institute for International Economics contains many
provocativeanalysisofinternationalpoliticaleconomictrendsintheworld
http://www.oecd.org/home/0,2987,en_2649_201185_1_1_1_1_1,00.html
Theorganizationforeconomiccooperateanddevelopment.
http://www.undp.org/
ThedevelopmentprogrammerunbytheUnitedNations.
Law
http://www.asil.org/erghome.cfm
AmericanSocietyofInternationallaw,withadditionallinkstointernationallawresources.
47
http://www.juragentium.unifi.it/en/about/index.htm
Anotherinternationallawandinternationallegaltheorysite.
http://www.ndi.org
NationalDemocraticInstitute.InternationaloutreacharmoftheUSDemocraticParty.
http://www.iri.org
InternationalRepublicanInstituteInternationaloutreacharmoftheUSRepublicanParty.
http://www.ecfr.eu/
The European Council on Foreign Relations produces provocative insights on Europe's
relationswiththeworld
http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/
Arepositoryofarticles,opedsandviewsoninternationalaffairs,centredonthethemeof
globalizationcompiledbytheYaleCenterfortheStudyofGlobalization,
Maps
http://www.worldmapper.org/
Worldmapsbasedaroundeconomic,demographic,andsocialdata.
http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/20centry.htm
Historicalatlasofthetwentiethcentury.
http://bigthink.com/blogs/strangemaps
A blog devoted to weird maps from around the world, many with political relevance
(formerlyathttp://strangemaps.wordpress.com/,wherealotofthecontentstillseemsto
behosted).
http://homepages.stmartin.edu/Fac_Staff/rlangill/HIS%20217/HIS%20217%20Maps.htm
HistoricalatlasesofChinaandJapan.
http://unimaps.com/
Moremaps,includinghistoricalones.
http://www.zum.de/whkmla/histatlas/haindex.html
Historicalatlases.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~chgis/
Dataonpopulationanddemographics,organisedspatially.
NGOs,Charities,andThinkTanks
http://www.amnesty.org/
48
AmnestyInternational
http://en.rsf.org/
ReporterswithoutBorders
http://www.greenpeace.org/
Greenpeace
www.ned.org
NationalEndowmentforDemocracy.
http://www.hrw.org/
HumanRightsWatch.
http://www.brookings.edu/
Thinktankinsightsfromthemostinfluentialthinktankinthebusiness
http://ww.ifrc.org
Theredcrosshaspublicationsonnontraditionalsecurityissueslikehealth,disasterrelief,
andinternallydisplacedpersons.
Official
http://www.state.gov/
USStateDepartment.HasgoodinformationongeneralUSpoliciesandpositions.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/
WhiteHousesite.Canfindpresidentialstatementsonvariousissues.
http://www.wto.org/
WorldTradeOrganisation.Includesinformationonpolicies.
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
InternationalMonetaryFund.Includesinformationonpolicies.
http://www.worldbank.org/
TheWorldBank.Includesinformationonpolicies.
http://www.un.org/
TheUnitedNations.
http://ec.europa.eu/index_en.htm
EuropeanCommission
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/default_en.htm
EuropeanParliament.
49
http://www.asean.org/
ASEAN
http://www.aseanregionalforum.org
ASEANRegionalForum
http://www.apec.org/
APEC
OnlineLearning
http://academicearth.org/subjects/politicalscience
Freevideocoursesfromleadinguniversitiesinartsandsciencesubjects,includingpolitical
science.
http://www.ted.com
Tedtalks is an ideas forum that features short lectures by leading experts on all sorts of
weirdandwonderfulsubjects.
http://www.hnet.org/
HumanitiesandSocialScienceinformationanddiscussions
PoliticalTheoryandPhilosophy
http://www.iep.utm.edu/
Onlinerefereedencyclopediaofphilosophy
http://plato.stanford.edu/contents.html
Anotherrefereedencyclopediaofphilosophy.
http://www.guoxue.cn/index.php
Site with information on Chinese philosophy. Like Stanford's encyclopedia of philosophy,
exceptonChinesephilosophyandnotrefereed.SiteisinChinese.
http://www.econlib.org/index.html
Fullysearchablecollectionoffreelydownloadableclassictextsfromthehistoryofpolitical
philosophyandpoliticaleconomy.
http://www.marxists.org/
Collection of material relating to history and theory of Marxism, including some primary
texts.
50
Warfare,Security,andDefense
http://www.gwu.edu/~memory/index.html
SiteonmemoryandreconciliationintheAsiaPacifichostedbyGeorgeWashingtonUniv.
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~asiactr/sinojapanese/index.htm
JointStudyoftheSinoJapaneseWar
http://www.defense.gov/
USDept.ofDefense.InformationongeneralUSsecuritypolicy
http://www.pacom.mil/
USPacificCommand.InformationongeneralUSsecuritypoliciestowardtheAsiaPacific.
http://www.fas.org/
Federation of American Scientists. Information on nuclear weapons, nuclear policy, and
conventionalweapons.
http://www.sipri.org/
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Information on conflicts around the
world.
http://www.iiss.org/
InternationalInstituteforStrategicStudies.Securityandforeignaffairsinformation.
http://www.correlatesofwar.org/
CorrelatesofWarwebsite
http://www.prio.no/
PRIOwebsite.Informationonconflictsaroundtheworld.
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
USNationalSecurityArchivehostedbyGeorgeWashingtonUniversity
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=topics.home&topic_id=1409
ColdWarInternationalHistoryprojecthousedattheWoodrowWilsonInternationalCentre
forScholars.IncludesColdWarhistoricaldocuments.
http://ww.crisisgroup.org
The international crisis group has country reports too for those interested in internal
instability/security
Statistics
http://www.gapminder.org
51
Global statistics in visual and manipulable form, covering income, health, and much else
besides.AlsohasafreedownloadableofflineapplicationforyourPC.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworldfactbook
OfficialCIAdataoncountriesaroundtheworld.
http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=1
FreedomHouseproducesstatisticsonthestateofdemocracyaroundtheworld.
http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/
ICPSRwebsite.Lotsofsocialsciencerelateddatasets(subscriptionrequired?)
http://electoralcalculus.co.uk/homepage.html
AttemptstopredicttheoutcomeofthenextBritishGeneralElection.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/hub/index.html
GovernmentportalforBritishnationalstatistics.
http://www.ilo.org/global/What_we_do/Statistics/langen/index.htm
StatisticsprovidedbytheInternationalLaborOrganisation.
VisualResources
http://www.cartoons.ac.uk/
Databaseofcartoonsfromthe1700stothepresent,maintainedbytheUniversityofKent.
http://www.britishpathe.com/
Archivalnewsreelfootagefromaroundtheworldcoveringtheyears18761976.
http://www.indiana.edu/~league/photos.htm
PhotosontheLeagueofNations
http://ww2db.com/index.php
WorldWarIIphotos,organisedbyvarioustheatresandcampaigns.
http://www.iisg.nl/landsberger/index.html
Chinesepropagandapostersafter1949
http://sendables.jibjab.com/originals
Spoofsonpolitics(especiallyUSpolitics)inmusicalcartoonform.
52
DepartmentofPoliticalScience
FacultyofArtsandSocialSciences
NationalUniversityofSingapore
AS1,#0410,11ArtsLink
Singapore117570
Tel:(65)65163985
Fax:(65)67796815
Email:polbox2@nus.edu.sg
Website:http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/pol/
53