Format – This assignment should follow the format of an essay. This means that you should come
up with a coherent set of ideas and present them in unified and logical arguments that seek to
answer the question of how in theory or practice Western ideas of human rights guard and/or
fail to shield against different forms, modalities and relations of power. Your ideas should
develop systematically, one at a time, in the right logical flow and sequence. A good essay is one
in which you develop your ideas systematically in themes that connect logically into passages or
paragraphs, to communicate persuasively a line of reasoning that addresses your central thesis
or argument.
Content, organization, and structure – The essay must start with an introduction that clearly
outlines the main purpose of the paper, provides a glimpse of the central focus of the essay, and
sets the tone for what is to come later in your main body where you discuss the rest of the
details of your essay. The introduction should have a clear and strong thesis statement, stating
how the rest of the paper will start, proceed and evolve, including how it is structured and
organized. One way to approach this question could be to confront the question of human rights
and power head on, covering its entire width and breadth as you envisage it. Another way could
be to select an appropriate example, case study, or mode of power and use that as the lens
through which to demonstrate the hypothesized linkage(s) between human rights and power.
Please note, however, that there is no one correct way of approaching the question and I would
like to encourage you to be creative and to allow yourself space for your own ideas as long as
they are well informed and supported.
The second part of your essay (after the introduction) is the main body, where you take time to
carefully and deliberately set, outline, develop, explain, and elaborate your key arguments in
support of the central thesis statement you earlier indicated in the introduction section. I highly
recommend that you divide this part of your essay into relevant sub-headings or sections, but
again you should organize these sections in logical sequence, with each section or point building
off the previous one. Your essay should demonstrate critical thought and show evidence of
strong analysis (including integrating ideas from seemingly unrelated topics), organization, and
show superior and nuanced grasp of this relationship. This part of the essay must also establish
subtle and versatile interpretation of key ideas and rigorous evaluation of relevant
interconnections between human rights and power relations. You should use appropriate
sources and properly cite evidence to support your key arguments and claims. Please use precise
and unambiguous words, and endeavor to make clear connections between sentences and
paragraphs, smooth transition statements between sentences, and fluent sentences. Take time
to properly introduce your arguments, including defining important concepts and providing
relevant context(s) to key issues. Where appropriate, use concrete examples to demonstrate
your arguments, but avoid merely regurgitating the kinds of examples we have already used in
the lecture slides/audio. Well-chosen, original examples can help illustrate your argument. By
supporting abstract ideas with concrete real-life situations, you can help clarify generalizations,
make your arguments more specific, and add depth to your essay.
You should wrap up your essay with a set of concluding statements that bring closure to the
discussion. In general, your conclusion should summarise the main argument/s you have laid out
in the essay. It may also highlight what your essay has been able to achieve/not achieve or
suggest new questions relevant to the subject matter under discussion.
Sources – Although this is not a research paper, you must cite at least five additional peer-
reviewed journal papers and/or book chapters. These five sources should be new readings not
already read or covered in this course. In your essay you should demonstrate that you used
these sources substantively and creatively to strengthen your arguments. Do not cite the
readings arbitrarily or merely reference articles and book chapters to meet the required
minimum reference count. You should demonstrate that the evidence gleaned from these
additional sources support your arguments in a relevant way. You should take time to conduct
thorough search to identify sources that are relevant to your work and of good quality. Do not
use direct quotations from any of your readings and sources. Interpret and paraphrase
quotations using your own words and cite them accordingly. Only book chapters and journal
articles will count as legitimate sources.