[SOLVED] BNS498 M8A1: Capstone Paper

The Capstone Paper builds upon what you’ve done in previous modules.  In previous module assignments, you built a number of resources and portions of the project so that, as you complete this assignment, you are not writing a ten page paper from scratch in one week, but building on your previous work with added insights, analysis and an overall synthesis of ideas, themes and theories into a cohesive whole. The Capstone Paper will pull together all the previous module topics which focused on the learning outcomes for this course.

The module learning outcomes addressed in this activity are:

• Create a 10 page paper (minus cover page, abstract, and references) examining and analyzing a current issue within the context of the National Security profession (CO#1, CO#2, CO#3, CO#4 and CO#5)

Create an outline to organize your work and structure the paper so the paragraphs work together to build a cohesive argument and support your conclusions. The Excelsior Online Writing Lab (Links to an external site.) is an excellent resource to assist you in this process.

In your final paper, be sure to address these elements of the research paper:

• Your thesis statement, or resolved research question, that clearly identifies your main points, claims, or areas of inquiry – what did you find?
• What your thesis has added to the body of knowledge in National Security studies. What new research would be useful given your findings, what have you discovered that assists the national security community?
• Your initial assumptions, claims and possible counterpoints. Was anything surprising in your research and what did you get wrong and have to revise along the way?
• Relatedly and briefly, review your research plan. Where did you intend to find current sources of information on your topic and how did you use them?  How difficult was it to obtain original, factual information on your topic that allowed you to address your thesis, research question etc?  What does this tell you about this area of inquiry and its relevance to the national security community?

Suggested Format and Organization:

Abstract (1 page, approximately 150-250 words)

Provide an abstract of your research project, summarizing your key, driving questions and themes and most relevant findings

Introduction and Literature Review (2-3 pages, approximately 750 words)

Make clear your final thesis statement and/or research question (cleared and revised based on instructor input throughout the course).  Clearly identify your main points, claims, and/or areas of inquiry, as well as your research results and main findings.  Provide a review of the most relevant literature you found and analyzed while researching your topic.  You may use portions of your “Annotated Bibliography” assignment to synthesize this information about your research plan.

Main Body of Research Paper (5-6 pages, approximately 1,500 words)

Analysis and Findings:  present your research and demonstrate your results and findings, through critical evaluation, discussion etc. of evidence and argument relevant to your claims or specific research questions.  Be sure to also address any counterpoints, arguments and/or analyses regarding the results of your study.  This is the main portion of your research paper and at its end you will address what you have identified and want to present to the national security academic community on your chosen topic.

Relevance to National Security community (1-2 pages, approximately 500 words)

Briefly review what your thesis has added to the body of knowledge in National Security studies.  What have you discovered that assists the national security community?  What future research would be useful given your findings?

Conclusion (1 page, approximately 250 words)

Tie it all together; summarize your research process and most important findings, and how your work could be useful to the national security community and in your professional development.

Formatting

Use APA Formatting Guidelines (follow these for font, indents, margins, bibliographic references and, most importantly, the citations within the body of your paper!).  Your research paper will be approximately 10 pages in length minus cover page and references (i.e., at least 2,500 words of 12-point font text).

For assistance with your writing projects, visit Excelsior College Library. It is important to cite your sources properly when you are writing a research paper (Links to an external site.), and using someone else’s ideas. By citing sources, you will avoid plagiarism  (Links to an external site.)and give credit to the originator of an idea. The resources cover documenting sources in-text and in a list of references.

Your Capstone Paper is due at the end of Module 8.

Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.

Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.”  Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.”  Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”

Turnitin

This course has Turnitin fully integrated into the course dropbox. This means that you should only submit your assignments to the dropbox below. Please do not submit your assignment directly to Turnitin.com.  

Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin® automatically.  You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar to other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers.  Use your Originality Report as a learning tool to identify areas of your assignment that you may not have cited appropriately.  You may resubmit your assignment through this dropbox as many times as you need to check to see if you have made improvements, until the due date of the assignment. However, once you have made your first submission, you will need to wait 24 hours after each subsequent submission to receive a new Originality Report.  Plan accordingly as you draft your assignment.  Once the due date has passed, your assignment submission will be considered final.

Evaluation

This assignment will be graded using the BNS498 M8A1 Final Paper Rubric located on the Course Rubrics page within the Start Here section of the course.  Please review the rubric prior to beginning your work so that you ensure your submission meets the criteria in place for this assignment.  This assignment is worth 30% of your final course grade.

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