This paper will allow students the opportunity to conduct their own in-depth analysis of a particular aspect of interest in the context of international finance, while applying the concepts, methods, and theoretical frameworks discussed in class. Some potential topics could include an in-depth study of one or two currencies, countries, MNEs, global financial institutions, or debates in the context of international finance. Instructions 1. Working with a class partner, or individually, and drawing on the material covered in class; select a question or topic that is of interest to your group. While the assignment is open-ended to allow you to explore your particular interest in topics related to international finance, you should have a well delineated question that is both relevant to the topics covered in the course and attainable before December 13, 2021. Keep it simple! Try to keep your topic as specific as possible. This will make it easier on you. Your final research question must remain (mostly) consistent throughout the project. 1. Submit an abstract of your paper. IMPORTANT: See due date below. An abstract/proposal is a short statement about your paper designed to give the reader a complete, yet concise, understanding of your paper's research and findings. It is a mini-version of your paper. A well-prepared abstract allows a reader to quickly and accurately identify the basic content of your paper. Readers should be able to read your abstract to see if the related research is of interest to them. The first two lines of your abstract should clearly delineate your research question and your hypothesis. Your hypothesis is what you are proving or disproving in this paper (e.g. what do you expect the answer to your question to be?). The remainder of the abstract should very briefly give a background as to why the question is important, and it should state how you plan to answer your research question (i.e. quantitative data, case studies, etc.) 2. Start by conducting a literature review of articles & books available on this subject. This will give you ideas for your own hypothesis and analysis. Stay organized you will be summing this information up in the literature review section of your paper. Finding appropriate sources is perhaps the most time-consuming part of a research project, so start early. If you need assistance (or suggestions) accessing academic articles, let me know as soon as possible. Make good use of the resources available through our library. You will be expected to submit an annotated bibliography prior to the final submission of your paper (see dates below). NOTE: an annotated bibliography includes not only the complete citation for the source, but also a 100-200 word summary of each piece. This summary should provide some indication of what the article is about and how it relates to your analysis. 3. Method of analysis: Plan out how you will approach your research question in advance. Your final paper must include data, however you are free to utilize qualitative (e.g. cases studies) or quantitative techniques (e.g. graphs, tables, and/or simple regressions) in addressing your research question. While your opinions are important and should be a key part of your hypothesis, simply giving your opinion without quantitative or qualitative backing is not enough. 4. Finally, write up your results See additional handout for specific instructions (Research Paper Format). The paper should be around 8-10 pages (1 inch margins, double-spaced, 12-font). Be concise! All graphs, tables, figures should be placed in the appendix of the paper, and should not be counted towards a significant portion of the page requirement.

IMPORTANT DATES: The following are some important milestone dates for your project. Submission in class of required materials is mandatory, and will be part of your final grade. The better submissions you provide along the way, the easier it will be to complete the paper in the next several weeks, and the better grade you will get. November 1: Submit your preliminary abstract (see above for more details) and annotated bibliography. o The annotated bibliography should include at least four (4) of the academic sources you will be using for your paper (remember that only academic sources are permitted). See Instructions above on what is expected of an annotated bibliography. November 2-5: Individual conferences with me to discuss abstract and annotated bibliography. o At the conferences, we will be discussing the overall progress of your paper, as well as possible data sources for you to use. I will be able to provide you information on the International Financial Statistics (IFS) database, as well as other possibilities. However, try to do some preliminary research on potential data sources in advance. Monday, December 13 Submit recorded presentations. o Students will be expected to present their findings with a brief (10 minute) PowerPoint presentation. If a group presentation, both group members should present. o Because this is an asynchronous class, students will be asked to record and submit their presentations. I recommend doing this through Zoom and sharing the recording through the cloud (additional instructions on this will be posted on Canvas later in the semester). Alternatively, students are welcome to use other recording methods that work for them, as long as a link to the full presentation can be shared. Monday, December 20 by Noon Final paper due. Be sure you have included all required sections. Grading You will be graded on the following: Understanding and presentation of topic. Ability to relate and apply your question and research to the framework developed in the course. Clear and thorough review of relevant literature Clarity, accuracy and strength of your analysis Use and proper citation of sources NOTE: Late submissions will not be accepted. Final grades will be due to the university right after the paper due date.

ECON 414 International Finance Research Paper Format The paper should be around 8-10 pages (1 inch margins, double-spaced, 12 font size), excluding the work cited section and graphs and tables. Be concise! It should include the following sections: I. Abstract II. Introduction This section should include an introduction of the subject matter and your research question, as well as why it is important or relevant. Be sure to include your hypothesis or thesis statement. What do you think explains the phenomenon being studied? Note: The introduction should be brief about 1-2 paragraphs. III. Literature Review This section should discuss the kind of research which has already been done on this subject. What is missing, outdated or incorrect about it? Do not simply summarize and list what others have done be critical and organize your thoughts. You may want to group the discussion in terms of authors opposing viewpoints or conclusion or in terms of their different methodologies. Note: Your review of the literature should include at least four articles or books which have considered the same or similar topic. Also, limit this part of the paper to about 3 pages. IV. Analysis This section should discuss the things you looked at to test your hypothesis. What did you look at? What were your findings - the patterns or characteristics you observed? How did you apply the theoretical framework that you selected? Analysis might include looking at government, international organization or NGO documents such as progress reports or development plans, laws or treaties. You might want to compare survey or economic data, etc. Please see me if you have questions or need assistance locating data sources. If you used data in your analysis, incorporate your tables or graphs here. Be sure to format properly and discuss how the information presented relates. V. Conclusions Conclude your paper with a discussion wrapping up your findings Did the analysis support your hypothesis? Can your conclusions be generalized or are they specific to this particular case? What might be some areas for future research? VI. Works Cited In addition to the literature review requirement, please note that you will likely need to refer to outside resources for background information and your analysis. You MUST cite any and all sources used, using both in-line (Author, Date) format citations, as well as a works cited list at the end of the paper. (This includes the textbooks if you opt to utilize them as sources). Refer to Paper Guidelines handout for details. o Citations should follow the following format: Last Name, First Name. Year, Title of Article. Title of Journal, Volume (number): page numbers. Sources should be academic in nature. That is, they should be peer-reviewed journal articles, books, or official documents. Government and international organization websites, as well as online newspapers may be helpful for your analysis, but be cautious of online sources that are not from a reputable institution. Also, be sure to make use of the librarys extensive journal databases. A simple search in one of these should yield a number of articles on your subject. Do Not use Wikipedia. It is based on open-source software, meaning anyone can edit or add to the entries. Thus there is a chance that they are not entirely accurate. While it may be a handy reference, it is not an appropriate reference for academic papers.