FINAL PAPER (300 Points)
The goal of the final research paper is to conduct an in-depth examination of a case study in a manner that directly and explicitly relates to the primary themes analyzed in this course in regard to rural communities and/or food and agricultural systems. This will involve carefully building on the work of the course (readings, class discussions, ‘current event reports’, other case studies, videos, etc.). The paper is analytical in nature, and integrates theory, methods, and empirical evidence.
This paper should include the following sections:
1)- Topic to be investigated. In doing so: (100 Points)
State clearly your objective(s) in conducting this research.
State your central research question(s).
Identify your unit(s) of analysis (e.g., communities, groups, countries, etc.).
Review the debates in the literature concerning the problem.
Justify why this problem is sociologically important.
2)-Findings: (100 Points)
Analyze the complexity of rural communities and/or agri-food systems in regard to your problem/topic and respond your research question/s. You should include analysis of primary data (e.g., documents, products from news or the media, websites, proceedings of policy making and/or implementation, etc.) or secondary data (e.g., survey results, census, etc.) sources wherever appropriate.
3)- Possible strategies that could be developed by the state, the private sector and/or the civil society (NGOs, consumers, etc.) to solve or alleviate the problem/s (while making social change and contributing to sustainable rural communities or agri-food systems):
(75 Points)
Review the evidence to date concerning key solution strategies, and select (or propose) the strategy that seems optimal. You should include strategies and/or ideas from the readings and class.
Identify the role of the market, the state, and the civil society under the implementation of your solutions.
Evaluate the applicability and critical aspects of your solutions.
4)- Conclusions: discuss the implications of your findings. In addition, you may want to highlight findings that you did not expect and their implications for your future involvement/work on this area. (25 Points)
