Essay:
In terms of substance and argument your essay could be called a “problem-centered literature review”
As far as the argument is concerned, you don’t need to
– Come up with a completely original argument (“reinvent the wheel”)
– Contribute a completely original finding
– Necessarily collect your own data, unless they are needed to complement your argument
– Guess on the future or provide policy recommendations (“what will the EU look like? What should the EU do?”)
In the essay, you have to:
– Introduce your research question
– Discuss (compare, analyze, integrate) at least 8 pieces of literature in a way that informs your question. 3 pieces MUST BE DRAWN from the reading list of the course, 5 others should be found through your own research.
– Conclude the essay by summarizing how the literature (and eventually your additional empiric) answer (or at least inform) your question