Parts 1 and 2 of this assignment ask you to select your countries to compare and decide on the political institution(s) you will analyze, with a focus on democracy.
That means you need to find background information on 2 countries of your choice. Background information is the foundational information you must know to create a research question or topic. Background information gives you an overview of basic ideas or concepts related to your topic. It also introduces you to the academic language that experts may use to describe your topic.
The resources below can all be used for background information. Remember to:
- Start with keywords like political system, governance, leadership, etc.
- Use AND to connect ideas and concepts
- Browse tools in the database to learn more
- CountryWatch
Profiles of countries worldwide with an emphasis on demographic, political, economic, business, cultural and environmental conditions.
- Freedom HouseFreedom House is a nonprofit organization best known for political advocacy surrounding issues of democracy, political freedom, and human rights.
TIP: Search the map by country and See Election Watch in the country report. - BBC Country ProfilesBBC is a news organization. These profiles focus on basic media, leadership and timeline information for each country.
- Credo Reference
Reference books including dictionaries, encyclopedias, quotations, and atlases, plus a wide range of subject-specific reference titles.
- CIA World Book Facts - CountriesPublished annually since 1981, "The World Factbook provides information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities" -- From website description.