Commodity Project Proposal
Commodity Project Proposal
Word length should be 750 words.
The commodity project will build on concepts and themes introduced in class and will help you to engage with a real world scenario related to the broader theories explored in this course. You will choose a single commodity, which you will then analyze in relation to globalization and development issues and theories presented throughout the term.
- Chose a commodity
Your choices are (but are not limited to):
Coffee, Tea, Loaf of bread, Rice, Soy beans (you may choose tofu, whole soybeans for human consumption (edamame,) or for animal feed), Europium (rare earth metal), Timber (choose specific type), Chocolate, Natural gas, Avocados, Beef, Bottled water (commodified water), Coconut water
- Do some research on the commodity, using resources like newspapers and academic articles, and keep in mind the following questions (at least five resources should be included):
- What is the issue/s with your commodity?
- What are the main points of the articles?
- What is the main issue or problem(s) being addressed?
- What different “sides” of the issues are presented?
- What is the conclusion reached by the author?
- The significance of your research: why you choose this commodity
How is it related to globalization and development?
How is it related to everyday life?
- Select a concept
Choose any one concept from the term. You are to choose the concept that you believe most relates to your commodity or that you feel is most interesting. There is no ‘correct’ choice. Many of the course concepts will apply to your commodity. Your objective is to select one and explain how/why it lends understanding to your commodity. This will require you to go beyond the source provided.
Proposal template
First paragraph:
introduce the commodity of your choice and the current issues related to it. Based on the background, develop your research question.
Second paragraph:
introduce the concept you chose and explain how it could be applied to your commodity
Third paragraph:
the significance of your commodity project, why does it matter?
Fourth paragraph:
your work plan for the following weeks on the commodity project (i.e. articles you plan to read, data you plan to gather, or map you plan to produce to visualize the commodity chain) or your final paper outline
Websites on how to write research proposals and research questions:
