IDSA01 H3 Y – Summer 2025
Introduction to International Development Studies
Guidelines for Major Written Assignment
Research Proposal
Important Note: you will not produce the final research project for the course, just the proposal according
to the following guidelines.
Due Date: Friday, July 11th
A Special Entry will be available on Quercus, and you must adhere to the due date and time in Toronto.
General Purpose of this Assignment
You must select one of the 17 goals from the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
and focus on a specific community and/or historically marginalized population to analyze and discuss
their ongoing challenges. Your analysis must be framed within a Critical Theory perspective applied to
International/Transnational/Global Development (Development for short). As you know, even though it
was not mandatory, we advised everyone to guide your reflections for the Short-Reflection Essay by
considering or having in mind a specific country and/or region, so that it could help you in working on the
Major Written Assignment (i.e., this Research Proposal). In selecting the issue and community that
interests you, you must identify a real-life situation in today’s world, whereby you involve yourselves in
the analysis of a set of circumstances that forces you and/or others to consider some public policy
decisions as they relate to the notion and practice of Development.
You are expected to draw from the course sources (i.e., readings and authors included in the
syllabus and mentioned in class) as well as to engage in additional research on other sources relevant to
your topic selection. This assignment is designed to help you make sense of the course’s readings and
class discussions, by taking a deeper look at one specific case and complementing them with supporting
analyses you have identified so far (e.g., academic books/chapters and/or journal articles, including
but not restricted to the course’s reading list), as well as documented evidence and primary sources
(governmental documents, intergovernmental reports, Civil Society Organizations’ work, different media,
etc.).
It is also important to emphasize that in ALL cases you MUST get the approval or green light, by
the Teaching Assistant, about the topic/case selection before submitting your Research Proposal. In other
words, you must consult during office hours or by email beforehand.
In formulating your own research question, we want you to critically consider the following ones:
1) To what extent have we failed or succeeded, as a society (nationally) and/or as a
species (globally), in promoting the developmental goal you have selected in the
specific case you are focusing on?
2) Have any of the past developmental projects or programs applied to your selected
case succeeded at all? And if so, how and to what extent?
3) What are the main unaddressed or remaining challenges?
Remember that this is a Research Proposal, which means that you will not be expected to provide
an answer to your research question at this stage. The goal is to demonstrate that you have reflected on
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the issue at hand and identified potential sources, which will allow you to provide a sound analysis and
some evidence-based conclusions in the future.
As you formulate your own research question/s and the Research Proposal, we want you to use
it/them to prompt three of the freely available Digitalized Data Processors (DDPs or “Digital Language
Processors”) or Digitalized Information Processors (more generally and misleadingly known as “Artificial
Intelligence” Tools, or Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT or DeepSeek), and share their outputs
with us. You must submit the three written outputs from the selected DDPs as appendices to the
assignment (obviously, these DDP-generated responses will not be graded but they will serve as points of
reference for you and your TA).
Notes on DDPs and some facts one must keep in mind:
1. All DDPs tend to draw from a large set of content materials to answer questions and
prompts without the proper credit (i.e., not all sources are properly cited).
2. Sometimes the content or information given by DDPs is either incorrect or biased.
3. DDPs have their limitations and can only be specific to a certain extent or relevant to
a given context.
4. Keep in mind that our lived experiences and views cannot be mimicked by any DDP
and that they are irreplaceable when it comes to this course and the work we are
expecting you to produce.
If you decide to draw any information at all from a DDP, remember to cite the content you use and treat
it as produced by a third party, e.g.:
1. Reference list: OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT (March 14 version) [Large language
model] https://chat.openai.com/chat
2. In text citation: (OpenAI, 2023).
Description of a Research Proposal:
An academic research proposal in any social studies discipline is the first step in the process of producing
a research paper, a major investigation project, or a dissertation/thesis. Its central objective is twofold:
1) it helps the researcher in clarifying the following; personal and intellectual motivations for doing it,
the overall rationale for the investigation, the social relevance of the specific issue, the approach, the
methodology, and its scope, before embarking in such a complex process; and 2) in more practical terms,
it serves to convince the instructor, the supervisor, or the thesis or ethics committee - whatever the case
might be - about its soundness and in getting their approval to proceed. In other words, and for purposes
of this course’s major assignment, a proposal represents an opportunity to:
a) Stating the reasons (personal and academic) for picking both the selected
issue/topic/SDG and the community or population you will be focusing on.
b) Articulating a preliminary research question, argument, or hypothesis.
c) Setting the conceptual framework (building on the Short-Reflection Essay).
d) Determining the methodology and scope of the project, including the need for
interviews or fieldwork (if relevant).
e) Coming up with a precursory list of academic and primary sources from which one will
be drawing.
The questions one must have in mind when working on a proposal are the following: What are
the concepts/ideas one will be drawing from? What is the type of information one will require? Who are
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the actors/stakeholders one must consider, consult, and work with? What are the implications and
potential contributions of one’s research and its outcomes? What are other cases or examples from which
one could draw? This exercise will allow you to imagine a future scenario in which you could engage in
the type of real-life processes people in the field of Development find themselves in all the time.
As was the case with the Short-Reflection Essay, your proposal must emphasize critical thinking,
demonstrating your ability to question assumptions and engage with the complexities of Development,
both as an academic and research field and a set of real-world practices. Similarly, you must demonstrate
engagement with the content of the course discussions during class and tutorials, as well as with the
assigned readings, ensuring your arguments are cohesive and well-supported. Be sure to explore not only
the strengths of the perspectives presented but also their limitations and the broader implications for
Development practices.
Expectations and Evaluation Criteria
On Content:
I. - Reasons or rationale for picking the selected issue/topic/SDG and the case:
Briefly explain why the issue/topic/SDG and case are important and provide your own personal
and academic reasons for choosing them (i.e., positionality and critical reflection).
II. - Clear preliminary research question: You must formulate a clear question of your
own that interests you. Keep in mind that this question will evolve as you go through the process
of research and reflection, but it will serve you as a compass or guiding light.
III. - Intended approach, methodology, and scope: Your proposal must aim at providing
a critical conceptual framework, within which you will be positioning your research question
and investigation. Thus, you must define what methodology you will be following accordingly,
describing the intended process for identifying, incorporating, and analyzing any relevant, sound,
and well-balanced evidence to produce any “new” knowledge or insights. You must also indicate
what the realistic scope of the proposed research might be.
IV. – Annotated bibliography: You will provide the annotated bibliographical references
for all the relevant sources you have identified so far. It must consist of reputable academic (at
least 10) and other types of sources (e.g., governmental, from Civil Society Organization [CSOs],
media, etc.). This is more than just a list of sources/resources that will be used for the research
project, since each entry requires an annotation that evaluates the significance of every source
and its relationship to the issue/topic of investigation. The annotations demonstrate that even
if the researcher has not fully read all sources, they are familiar enough with each of them and
have critically determined their relevance for the project at hand. Each annotation for this
assignment should not be longer than 100 words, and t h e y c a n b e subdivided and
grouped b y format (i.e., books, journals, newspapers, etc.), or according to topic. Avoid
providing vague explanations, plagiarizing descriptions or reviews, or including entries that are
off-topic or irrelevant.
Note on the academic sources (at least 10): We encourage you to include some of the relevant
required readings from Modules One and Two among the ten required academic sources.
For further guidelines on how to elaborate annotated bibliographies see the following:
https://www.library.mun.ca/researchtools/guides/citations/
https://guides.library.cornell.edu/annotatedbibliography
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Plagiarism, including over (and unacknowledged)-reliance on DDPs, is a serious academic
offence with a severe penalty that could jeopardize your student status at UofT. For further
clarification and information make sure you read the University of Toronto’s policy on
plagiarism at:
http://advice.writing.utoronto.ca/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize/
On Format:
Page Formatting and Length: The body of your research proposal should not be longer
than 1500 words (Font size 12; double-spaced), excluding annotated bibliographic references. As
for all academic assignments, you must include a Title Page, with all the basic information,
such as the project’s title, the course details, page numbers, TA’s and Student’s full name, and
date. YOU MUST include the word count at the end of the core text.
Referencing style. APA referencing style, both for in-text citations and for the annotated
bibliography; it is important to be consistent and provide complete information for all
references. Please consult an academic writing style guide in case you have any doubts regarding
how to properly cite and/or include a reference in your assignment.
Submission: The assignment must be submitted via Quercus, as a Word or PC
friendly File (No PDF or Mac-only files, please) on the due date. An entry will be created on the
course website for that purpose, and it will be announced. Please, be aware that we will be
using Turnitin for text/content similarity checks. If you object to its use, you must let us know
in advance and we will find an alternative mechanism for that same purpose.
The assignment will also be graded based on the following university's general criteria:
A grade in the 90-100 range is reserved for outstanding work that reflects careful reading of and
reflection on the assigned or selected content/readings as well as the course material. It is for
work that closely follows the specific guidelines, and that goes the extra mile in its analysis and
reflections. Any work within this grade range must be factually accurate, professionally written
(if that is the case) or produced, and must offer an original and persuasive research question.
A grade in the 76-89 range is for particularly good work that reflects a sound understanding of
the assigned readings and/or course material, and specific guidelines. It is factually accurate,
generally well-written (if that is the case and with only a modest number of grammatical errors)
or produced, and persuasively elaborated.
A grade in the 65-75 range is for good work that reflects competent, if superficial, reading of and
reflection on the assigned or selected readings/material and guidelines, and/or is readable
(understandable) or intelligible but lacks in clarity, or makes a weak case for the project.
A grade in the 56-64 range is for work that reflects a minimal effort put into the reading
of the assigned or selected materials, as well as poor following of the guidelines and a generally
poor writing/production of the assignment itself.
A grade of 55 or less is for work that fails completely to meet any of the above criteria or is
egregiously late.
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On Late Submissions and Appeals:
No Late Assignments will be accepted Without Proper Documentation. Late-penalty waivers
will be granted only if the student presents written documentation of legitimate circumstances
that prevented them from completing the assignment on time. Failure to provide any such
documentation or requesting approval for late submission will result in the student receiving a
zero for that assignment. If granted but without a waiver, late submissions will get a penalty of
1% per weekday lateness of the course’s final mark.
Legitimate circumstances include religious holidays, illness (verified by a note from
University Health Services), and serious family emergencies (all documented). Requests due to
work overload (either university related or extra-curricular) will not be accepted. Please be
advised that computer problems (such as crashes, viruses, corrupted disks, etc.), or location in
different time zones will NOT be accepted as grounds for extensions without penalty. Make
sure you back up your work in reliable media often and avoid leaving work to the last minute
to prevent problems. If you can foresee any problem with meeting the deadline and you have
documentation, please contact your TA and the Instructor as soon as possible. Do not wait until
the due date has passed.
Grading appeals: If you would like to have your assignment re-assessed or re-graded, you
must submit a written request (1-2 pages) within one week of receiving the graded
assignment back. You must clearly outline the reasons why you think the grade you received
was not a correct assessment of your work. In that request, you must indicate the grade (number
grade, not simply letter grade) you think your assignment deserves. There must be a significant
difference between the grade you received and the grade you argue your assignment deserves.
You should note that, due to the re-grade request, your assignment’s grade may remain the same,
go up, or go down, based on the re-assessment conducted by your TA.
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