You will write a substantial research paper (10-15 pages as a rough target) that explores the politics of  Jewry on a particular theme or target. Some possibilities include:

• religious freedom and equality in the US - church-state separation, non-Establishment and the free exercise clause, state financial aid for religious schools and voucher programs, prayer in schools, Christmas trees and other public displays, employee religious practices in schools and the work place
• the political situation of Jews in Muslim societies, past and present
  
• Soviet Jewry movement in the US
• Jewish perspectives on various social & political issues
  
• the Court Jew in the Middle Ages
  
• US support for Israel - decisions, policies sought or opposed, organization and operation of the pro-Israel community, success/failure of such politics and activities, relations with evangelical Zionists
  
• black-Jewish relations - agreements and disagreements over civil rights, affirmative action, Israel, apartheid; confrontations and conflicts (community, occupational, political), anti-Semitism and racism
• Judaism & politics in ___________ (another country, region or area)
  
• civil liberties - American Nazis, hate groups and literature, Holocaust denial on campuses, ethnic profiling
• antisemitism - Jewish interpretation, policies and activities, individual attitudes
• Jewish political attitudes and behavior - voting patterns, attitudinal stabilitiy and change, specific candidates and campaigns
• Jews in public office - politicians, bureacrats, candidates; elections and campaign finance
• Jewish communal leadership - qualifications and selection, roles; how they represent Jewish interests, speaking for the community
• tensions within the community - religious, ethnic, and political differences among Jews and specific groups

These are suggestive topics and your task is to select one (or make up your own) and write a good paper about it. The core of a good paper is developing a central thesis or argument that is assessed by evidence. Papers are graded primarily on the basis of the clarity of the argument, amount and quality of the evidence provided, and the professionalism of the presentation.  You will lose points for failing to meet deadlines (see below) and for academic dishonesty in the form of plagiarism.

Before you underake the paper, let me suggest first that you review the sample papers that I've posted here.

If you're unsure about your writing, let me strongly encourage you to use Harvey's Nuts and Bolts site for general guidance. All sources must be properly documented by a list of references with in-text citations. Use only the author-date style which is concisely described with copious examples in the Chicago Manual of Style. In this style, you don't use footnotes for references. Rather the the articles are cited in the text itself in parentheses (Smith 2008, p. 35) and then listed in a list of references at the end of the paper. The style manual above will show you how to do this. Anything cited on the Web must present sufficient information so that I can look it up. This requires providing the author's name, (if known); the full title of the work, and the date of the document or last revision (if available). Next, list the protocol (e.g., "http") and the full URL, followed by the date of access. The URL is not required if you're citing an academic journal that is available in print even if you accessed it on the web. The web posting for journals is the exact replica of what appears in the hard copy so no URL is unnecessary. On the other hand, a newspaper or magazine that is reformatted for the web (as most are) should be cited with the URL when you found it.

One of the biggest problems I've encountered of late is what I call inadvertent plagiarism. The student uses a source in the paper, cites it properly, but does not paraphrase it. Rather, the student changes a word here or there but keeps the same sentence structure. That's plagiarism. So, even if you think you know what plagiarism is, read this short and valuable guide from Western Washington University and follow its advice about properly paraphrasing and correct attribution.

Here are the deadlines for the paper:

February 10h (Thursday) - You must select a topic, write a paragraph explaining it, and submit it to me for approval in hard copy only.  These will be returned as either approved or requiring revision. After topic approval, you may change topics only with a written request and a written authorization from me.

March 22nd (Tuesday) - Submit a hard copy list of ten sources. At least five of these must be academic works--articles in scholarly journals, academic books (not assigned as class reading), feature articles in serious magazines (New York Times Magazine, Harpers, New Yorker but not U.S. News, Time and others of that ilk.) Some of these sources, such as journal articles or longer pieces in magazines, may be available on the web but I am very skeptical of web pages and sites unless they have some formal or authoritative status. Don't forget to look at this guide to sources that I have posted here.

April 19th (Tuesday) - You must hand in a hard copy of the paper by 4:00 to the Political Science Department Office (234 Anderson Hall) and submit the paper by midnight to the Turnitin program licensed by UF. Although the principal purpose of this program is to insure the integrity of your papers, you can use it on your own to preview your paper and make sure it complies with the UF Student Honor Code.

In grading papers, I give principal weight to five factors:   

1. Clear statement of problem and thesis - In the first 2 pages, you need to provide a succinct statement of the phenomena you are studying and provide a crisp statement of your central thesis/argument. Unlike a mystery, I want to know the outcome before I read the paper. You should also have a pargraph that tells me how the paper is organized: "After reviewing the origin of this institution, I will then discuss its impact on contemporary Jewish politics in Latin America and how it has changed over the years. The paper then explores challenges to the institution from both internal and external forces. I conclude by discussing whether the institution is likely to continue affecting Jewish politics in Latin America."
   
2. Quality of evidence and argument - Have you persuaded me of your argument by the effective use of evidence and a strong, clear argument? If I'm not sure what you're arguing or why you've reached certain conclusions, the paper is less persuasive. And if you simply string together quotations from other authors, I can't distinguish what you're saying from them. Put the argument in your own words--quote sparingly and paraphrase often!
   
3. Quality of research - Your goal is to find the best sources available on your subject, such quality being a function of the competence of the authors, the nature of the publication outlet, your use of proper reference styles, and the appropriate use of quotation and paraphrase. Relying too heavily on one or two sources or principally upon unreliable sources counts against you.
4. Quality of writing - The best papers offer a clear authorial voice that speaks simply and clearly and is expressed in writing that follows accepted rules of grammar and spelling. Poor writing, excessive formality, bad proofreading, and the like inhibit effective communication. Papers should use page numbers.
   
5. Linkage to course themes - This is a biggie. If your paper reads like it was written by somebody who didn't take the class, then it misses the mark. You need to incorporate the theories, concepts, questions, and themes that are dealt with throughout the semester. Why is this subject important to the study of Judaism and Politics? How does it bear on some of what we've found already?
   
6. Meeting deadlines - This is a negative criterion. You have three deadlines for submitting a paper topic, submitting a preliminary list of references, and turning in the thesis by hand and electronically. Missing any one of those will cost you points.
   

I have a few miscellaneous rules that you should follow:

1. Wikipedia is not to be used as a source. There's no way of knowing whether the material is valuable or garbage so don't use it for anything other than links and bibliography.
   
2. Submit your papers with page numbers.
3. I have a deep loathing, perilously close to a pathological hatred, for the use of "impact" as a verb. The English language is replete with verbs that convey influence--affect, alter, change, influence, induce, shape, impinge--making "impact" as a verb both pretentious and unnecessary. Don't use it that way.
   
4. Staple your paper together and don't use any fancy covers. 
   

I encourage you to see me during office hours or other times to discuss your papers. I'm quite happy to suggest research resources and to review early drafts of papers.The earlier you get a draft to me, the sooner I can get comments and suggestions back to you.