PAPER TOPIC (choose one)

1. Population Growth Population growth, worldwide, is increasing at an alarming rate, at least according to some of the experts in the field. Ultimately, they believe, this will result in depletion of freshwater and forests leading to famine, increased poverty, and so on. What is your view on this issue? Should countries, other than China, enforce population control policies?

2. Wilderness Areas There is an area of land in northeastern Alaska (19.6 million acres) known as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or ANWR. ANWR was created to preserve wildlife and wilderness, but oil has been recovered here since the 1970s. (The area appears to be a repository for a significant amount of crude oil.) What is your opinion about drilling and transporting the oil from this area to the lower states? Is this necessary? What are the effects on the wildlife and the wilderness? What should be done?

For the one you have chosen, do the following:

• In a page or two, provide a technical summary of the issue, including the science behind the issue. You may use your textbook as the initial source of information, but you must include at least 3 other scientific sources. The sources should be peer-reviewed, scientific journals, not merely sites on the Internet. There are many sources to choose from; for example, Scientific American, Nature, National Geographic, Science,etc. Document your sources correctly in APA style.

• In addition to your technical summary, prepare a paper of approximately 10 pages (approximately 2500 words). This paper should effectively provide an answer to the question you chose. Include in your paper a critique of the four sources of information you researched. Do you agree or disagree with their position(s) on the topic?