Assignemnt: People, Places, and Environment paper
In the final part of the course the entire class will become a "Collaborative Think Tank." What this means is that everyone will select a topic from the following list and prepare a brief (3 to 5 pages) essay.
• Energy: Seeking alternatives for the present and future.
• Water: Exploring dimensions of an indispensable resource.
• Land and Food: The essentials to live an optimal human life.
• Recycling: From local to global.
• Transportation: Moving people and goods from place to place.
• Community Environmental Issues: Development and redevelopment challenges.
We will have discussions on each of the topics (issues) and the structure will be to facilitate student inquiry into the specific topic of your choice. Your participation will rely on accumulated information and knowledge acquired from the preceding four parts of the course. You should start by reviewing previous readings and lectures that are relevant to your topic. Next, read the essay in Part 5 of theReader (beginning on page 169) that is relevant to your chosen Think Tank topic. This will give you a perspective on the issue. A modest amount of additional research will follow.
In the end the Collaborative Think Tank will offer to each student a cumulative learning experience to bring together a full comprehension of people, places, and environment.
Outline for the Think Tank Essay
The essay must be between 3 and 5 pages of text and double-spaced. Use the following outline as a guide as you structure your essay.
• Title Page - consists of the title, your name, the course name, and the date of submission.
• Focus of Essay - A brief statement that summarizes the subject of the essay and why it has been chosen.
• Research and Analysis - The main discussion that incorporates materials used, interviews conducted, and your perspective on the topic.
• Conclusion - A brief statement to answer the question, "what have I learned about my topic that relates to people, places, and environment?"
• References -All references consulted should be appropriately cited and listed. Shorten your citations for electronic sources (i.e., Web sites or other information retrieved from the Internet) and give the date you accessed the information.
Make sure you have a subject or title rather than just a Web address.
Evaluating the Think Tank Essay
The essay will be evaluated using the following criteria:
• Clarity of the focus of the essay.
• Depth of research including the sources consulted and inclusion of any interviews undertaken.
• Writing style that is easy to read and convincing to the reader.
• References clearly cited.