Spanish-Moroccan (1859-1860): Spain vs. MoroccoBasic Stylistic Requirements:
The finished paper must be no shorter than 10 pages and no longer than 12 pages
The paper length does not include a title page or references
The font must be 12-point Times New Roman
Make sure the text is double-spaced
The margins must be 1 on the top and bottom, 1 on the left and right
Make sure to use a recognizable citation style throughout the paper (MLA, APA, or
Chicago are the most common)
A reference/bibliography section is required at the end of the paper
Choosing a Topic:
Attached is a list of interstate conflicts, as assembled by Paul Hensel (a professor of Political
Science at the University of North Texas). Each student is asked to select their top five conflict
preferences (in the order of preference), and email that list to me before class on Thursday,
September 1. Since each student will be studying a different topic, I will do my best to assign
you your highest choice possible. Please note that many students may select the more popular
conflicts on the list. As a result, you may not necessarily receive your top choice. When listing
your top five choices, please write/type both the conflict number as well as the conflict name.
Paper Components:
There are four broad components you should cover in your finished paper.
Section 1: Introduction & History of the War (4-5 pages)
This section should begin with a short introduction to your topic. Next, provide an overview of
the specific events that lead up to the conflict. Try to focus your attention on the five years prior
to the conflict, but also dont neglect any relevant earlier events that may have also had an
influence on the war. In addition, this section should provide a brief summary of the major
battles and peace initiatives that occurred during the war.
Section 2: Outcome and Consequences (1-2 pages)
Following the events outlined in the first section, this section describes the outcome of the war.
Who were the winners and losers? What impact did this war have on the relations between the
two sides? Did the outcome of the war have any adverse effects on either side? What were the
consequences of the war (casualties, lost territory, leaders losing power, economic impacts, etc.)?
Section 3: Causes of the Conflict (4-5 pages)
Sections 1 and 2 provide a more historical overview of your conflict. Section 3 is where you
provide your interpretation of the conflict, particularly by integrating the theories youve learned
in class. In this section, you will investigate the causes of the war by explaining which level of
analysis you believe is most responsible for the outbreak of the conflict. Further, you must
integrate at least two theories weve covered in class in your discussion of the conflicts cause.
For example, did a multipolar power system have an impact? Were the two states/sides of the
conflict rivals? Was a rare resource at the heart of the conflict? Could the democratic peace
theory explain the conflict? How did alliances play a role? Please keep in mind that
explanations of war are often not mutually exclusive. In many cases, the causes of a war may
best be combined with one another. Throughout this section, ensure that you not only explain
your position, but also defend it as well using scholarly research (both from the course and from
peer-reviewed sources).
Section 4: Conclusion (1 page)
The fourth section brings your paper to a close and reiterates your findings. In addition, you
might also add whether additional conflicts between your warring parties have occurred since
your conflict of study ended.
Sources and Citations:
First and foremost, you must cite all of the sources you use in your paper. Failing to do so is
plagiarism. For the first two sections (which are more historically oriented), please cite no less
than four (4) academic sources. These sources may be articles from a peer-reviewed journal or
books from the librarys collection. Stay away from encyclopedias as well as Wikipedia.
For the second two sections, you must cite at least two (2) scholarly articles per theory. For
example, if you believe rivalry and the democratic peace had major influences on the cause of
your conflict, you must cite at least two scholarly articles on international rivalry and at least two
scholarly articles for the democratic peace. Make sure to not only cite these papers, but also
explain how they provide insight into your particular conflict.
In order to find scholarly articles, I suggest using the Web of Science database through the
library website (http://www.library.okstate.edu/database/index.cfm#W). The Web of Science is
similar to JSTOR, with the exception that it searches several archives at once. If you are having
trouble finding sources, or interpreting any of the academic articles for the second half of the
paper, please let me know as soon as possible