Executive Summary-
The purpose of the summary is to consolidate all of the major features of the case in one place. You should provide a general overview of the riot you are going to discuss. It is a comprehensive statement that provides a description, which contains brief highlights from the sections that will follow it.
Introduction/History-
The introduction should serve multiple purposes. For one, you should introduce your framework and approach to the research you are going to present in the case. Think of it as setting “the stage,” Consider developing a good “hook” (a way to grab the reader’s attention) and put it here. Give a description of some of the major issues, perspectives, and controversies that you will later discuss. Explain how your riot is situated within the scholarly literature. Remember, you are not telling a story that has only one or two sides; your objective is not to convince me that one particular way of understanding the case is the “right” way. Rather, you should aim to describe how the story will unfold with some degree of complexity; how researchers don’t always agree; how public perceptions differ from what the research documents. Likewise, you should offer some insight into history here; talk about how the riot is situated relative to others that occurred; how it might be unique or part of a pattern with other riots that predate it.
Literature Review-
This is where you review the scholarly literature that addresses your riot. Focus on their policy recommendations, because that’s how researchers solve problems. They are not writing essays to expound on their feelings. Their work is generally (though not always) used to inform social policy. You should plan on using at least four scholarly references in this section (you can add additional sources from journalism, but they must be quality journalistic sources; note that journalists don’t typically discuss policy; they are often motivated to provoke public feelings about a given topic).
Study-
This is where you expound on all the details of your case. Tell a story about what happened. Examine the role played by institutions. How are the events structured by particular political economic social currents? Look at the police role, the role of the general public, and any particular social groups who took part in the riot.
Analysis-
The analysis is your opportunity to comment on what you found when you learned about the riot. This is the part where you exercise critical thinking skills – do not showcase your personal beliefs and feelings about the riot – aim for objective scientific analysis….distant analysis. This is not a section to where you get on a moral high horse. Your goal is not to “win” a debate/score debate points. You are trying to look at all the different sides of a complex set of circumstances that led up to a riot occurring. Remember, it is never a simple case of individuals being mad or wanting new pair of running shoes. Finally, you should make some effort to analyzed the role played by social policies – did they work, not work, or were they nonexistent? Did politicians and public officials not heed the advice of experts and implement policies that could have prevented the riot from occurring?
Conclusion/Recommendations-
Discuss what policies should be put into place to prevent a riot like this one from happening again. Discuss who needs to work together, what needs to change. Again, point to the work of experts here; don’t just roll with your own personal opinions. You can also use this discussion to discuss what you learned
Use the exact sections listed in this document: Executive Summary, Intro/History, Literature Review, Analysis, Conclusion/Recommendations, References.
