This semester you will be working on a comparative study of an international or a transnational crime with a focus on two of our model nations (England, France, Germany, China, Japan, Saudi Arabia). The purpose of this assignment is to understand the scope of the crime problem and its significance, identify the similarities and differences between the two countries in their reactions to that crime and its consequences, and provide implications for improving policy and practice.

The assignment will be delivered in three steps. The first and second steps are meant to help you make a tentative plan for your research project. You will develop your plan based on the following instructions and revise it based on the feedback that you receive from your instructor throughout the semester.The third step will be a full paper which will include the first two sections with all revisions and feedback applied.

Each student will need to write on a different topic. Any changes to the topic will need to be presented to the instructor.

Instructions:

Step 1 (Topic Selection, Introduction, and Methods): The first step is choosing your topic and the countries that you want to focus on. To do so, please answer the following questions:

• Problem Statement
  • What is the focus of your research project?
  • Is it an international or a transnational crime? Please explain why.
• Significance
  • Define the crime you are focusing on, use official sources and cite them (books, articles, websites, governmental reports, etc.)
• Why is it a major problem? Briefly describe the consequences of the crime.
• Find statistics and cite them to support your argument about the significance of the topic.
• Model Countries
• Which countries do you want to focus on? Why?
• How is the crime defined by the two model nations that you are studying? Use proper citations.
• Project Objectives and Methods
  • What are the purposes of your research? In other words, what questions do you want to have answered in your study?
  • What are the methods that will be used in your study? Please be specific. (Examples are review of scholarly sources such as books and peer-reviewed articles, review of international organizations reports, review of governmental reports)