Written Individual
Assignment – Latin America-China Relations book report
Assignment: You are to prepare a report on a Latin American
country and its engagement with China discussed in Wise’s book. As China has
emerged as a world power, it is extending its influence in all corners of the
world including Latin America. The visible signs of this influence are China’s
level of trade and investment in the region as well as its most recent project
called the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and even more recently the so-called
Digital Silk Road and the Health Silk Road. Using the framework used by Carol
Wise in Chapter 1 and in other chapters of “Dragonomics”, prepare a report on
one of these countries (Wise discussed 6 countries) to inform the reader about
its current economic relationship with China and the implications for the
United States. You can also make a recommendation as to what the United States,
which has been the predominant influence for the past 100 years, should do
about this new presence in Latin America.
Deadline: Due May 7th. If you would like some feedback
prior to your final submission, you can send me a draft by April 23rd
at the latest.
Length: About 10-12 pages maximum should be sufficient to complete your report. If you feel you need more space or are having
difficulty finding enough information, get in touch with me. The format should
be Times New Roman or Arial font, 12-font size, doubled spaced with 1-inch
margins. The main source should be “Dragonomics” by Carol Wise but you are free
to add another main source.
Structure of the Latin
America-China Economic Relations Report:
I.
Background Information: (1-2
pg.) Your
country report should include a brief and basic background information of its
economic relationship with China so far. You should try to obtain current data in
particular from the last 5 years whenever possible. If you are using some
indicators of development such as economic growth, trade and investment, pick
and choose what indicators best describe the relationship. Tables and figures
must have a purpose in your narrative; otherwise, they should not be
there.
II.
The economic engagement of
your country with China (9-10 pg.) Describe your country’s trade, investment,
loans, BRI participation, Digital Silk Road participation, or any other type of
significant economic and political engagement.
What is (are) the major form(s) the economic relationship takes? What
are the benefits for both parties? Any pitfalls/challenges? Why did they engage
in this relationship? How is it working for the receiving country? You can take
a micro approach and select an important industry or service sector (coffee,
oil, banking, etc.) mostly impacted to show how a relation with China is
affecting this country. Is it increasing the country’s exports? Is it improving
its infrastructure to increase commerce and competitiveness? In general, who
will benefit and who will lose by this type of economic engagement?
In
general, I will look for the following:
The
first paragraph should include a summary of what the paper is going to be
about. Use subheadings throughout the paper to guide the reader about the basic
structure of your paper.
Support
or provide documentation for your claims. Provide the sources of figures/tables/facts
and support your assertions. If someone else said it originally, then credit
that individual. Failure to credit others for their ideas, information, or data
constitutes plagiarism and is subject to disciplinary action. If you are making your own personal claims,
use data or other references to support your claims.
A
conclusion or summary. Don’t simply stop writing after you have reached your x page
goal. A research paper should not have a
cliffhanger ending. Give your reader a sense of closure and conclude your
thoughts/ideas. Put your argument in perspective by giving some sort of summary
which recaps the major issues and key points that led to you to come to your conclusion.
Final
Paper: Your final paper should include: one, a
cover page with a title, the author of the report; two, the main text,
and three a page at the end with the Reference List (minimum of 10
sources besides Wise’s book). Only the main text count for the page count.
