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LINKING-TO-LIFE TERM PROJECT OVERVIEW
(worth a total of 100 pts)
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of your "personal project" is to
investigate and/or creatively explore a question of importance to
you that connects some
aspect of Global Change science from our course to YOUR everyday life (e.g., personal interests,
curiosity, academic major, present or future consumer choices,
future profession, social /environmental concerns, etc.)
To accomplish this goal you
will:
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- gain some background in the ways your everyday life
activities are linked to global change and the topics of our GC
170A course through energy and resource use
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select a project category that interests
you and learn more about the issues involved in that category by
viewing some videos and films and discussing aspects of them
-
pose a question or hypothesis that you will investigate for your project after thinking deeply about a few
possibilities
-
investigate your question by collecting data and relevant
information
-
analyze and present the information
visually
(tables, charts, images)
-
draw a conclusion
(about what you learned, discovered, decided )
-
prepare a report summarizing and illustrating
the above
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TWO IMPORTANT GUIDELINES TO HELP
YOU IN YOUR TERM PROJECT:
#1. The most
critical element of your Final Project Report (PART C) is how accurately and
effectively you link your project topic and question to our
GC 170A course material!
There are many questions you could pursue as you
explore your topic this semester, but do not get sidetracked on an issue that
doesn't link directly to one of our
class topics.
For example, if you are interested
in the FOOD topic, do not get diverted into exploring issues
of flood quality or nutrition, health issues, harmful ingredients,
toxics, etc. --While these issues are important, there are not
related directly to our course topics. Important food topics
that ARE related to our course might be the reasons why vegetarians
have a much lower carbon footprint than meat eaters, or the amount
of energy needed to transport the food products in our grocery
stores from their place of origin.
#2. To assist you in focusing on
topics related to the course that are also linked
to your life, we will start out with
PART A --
calculating your
ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT -- (a
simple and fun way to earn the first 10 points of the term project!
In fact, depending on what you end of doing for your project, you
may end up calculating your footprint several times during the
semester. The calculation for PART A will be a baseline with
which you can compare, especially if you repeat your footprint
calculation one
or more times in the future and explore how you can reduce the
impact of your footprint -- or humanity's footprint in general
--with some positive "handprint" activities.
You will use this FOOTPRINT CALCULATOR in PART A:
http://www.footprintnetwork.org/en/index.php/GFN/page/calculators/
When you complete PART A of the Term Project, your results will be displayed
on the screen in a box that looks like the image below. MAKE A
SCREEN SHOT of this image and be sure you
save it in a doc (indicating the date you
calculated your footprint). You will use this in class and
may need to refer back to later in the semester as your project
evolves.
OVERVIEW:
The Term Project involves the following parts:
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PART A: YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
-- To get you started on how things you do in your everyday life
link up to many of the issues we'll be covering in this class,
your first assignment you involve calculating your Ecological
Footprint.
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PART B: TOPIC SELECTION & FILM
REVIEWS
-- In this part of the project, you will "think a
little more deeply" about issues related to how science works and begin to explore an
idea for your term project topic focusing on one of the
suggested project categories below. (You may also propose
a category of your own if you don't see one that interests you
below.) The objective of this part of the project is to
begin formulating a question that you will investigate for your
project by learning more about aspects of your category of
interest as you view some films and videos (to be posted in
D2L).
The films
will give you background information (and probably raise some
issues) about consumerism, sustainability, and the environment.
Hopefully they will also spark some ideas on what you might want
to learn about or investigate for your personal project. (some
examples will be given to guide you).
You will also review and discuss
the films and videos you watch with your fellow classmates ( in
your group and by posting to the online Discussion Board.)
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PART C: FINAL REPORT
-- For this part of the project you will refine your
project and the question you are exploring . You will then collect the
data or information you need to answer your question, analyze and interpret it by
organizing your supporting information, and draw conclusions
based on the supporting information. You will then design ways
to present your findings visually and summarize your findings in
a your final project report. (some examples will be given to
guide you).
SUGGESTED PROJECT CATEGORIES
See category choices below or devise your
own.
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PROJECT CATEGORY |
Earth's
Global Environment
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Energy
Conservation
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Transportation
Options
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Water
Sustainability
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Food & the
Environment
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Artistic
Expression /
Advocacy
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GC-Savvy
Consumerism,
Sustainability & Business
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POSSIBLE QUESTIONS
You are encouraged to come up with your OWN
question to investigate!
But if you like, you may use one of these suggestions. |
How
do human's impact the environment in different parts of the
world?
Are there global examples of sustainable practices?
What is my response to the "Home" film: "Listen . .
.to this extraordinary story and decide what you want to do
with it." |
Where does my energy come from?
How can I lower my carbon footprint -- why should I?
Is solar energy viable for me?
Will energy policies work?
Does our local utility have a "green power"
program? |
Can I find a "dream car" that balances performance, fuel
economy, cost, and "crashworthiness"?
What's the most sustainable form of transportation for my
needs?
What's the most promising type of alternative fuel vehicle?
What are
+ and - of travel by plane vs., train, vs. auto?
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Where does
my water come from?
What are Tucson & Phoenix water managers doing to address sustainability?
How is climate change exacerbating the future of water in the
arid West -- and the world?
What's the connection between energy & water supplies?
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How does food production impact global change?
How far does my food travel to get to me?
Why does meat add so much CO2?
How are food production and deforestation linked?
Which Tucson supermarkets provide the most food choices? |
Can
science and art be linked?
How
can my art, writing, or poetry express my views on the environment?
What does the SGC textbook cover "say" to me about Global
Change?
Is there an advocacy group that resonates with me?
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How
can I make "global change savvy" consumer choices?
Can a business be run sustainably?
Can Energy Star labels help me find "green" electronics
and appliances?
How can I detect and avoid "greenwashing"? |
SUGGESTED FILMS & VIDEOS
highlighting =
full length movie
bold = key
short video
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HOME
Acid Test: Ocean Acidification
sea level rise:
Tuvalu: the Sinking Feeling
&
Tracking Greenland's Glaciers
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Kilowatt Ours:
a Plan to Re-energize
America
The Story of
Cap & Trade
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Who Killed
the Electric Car?
Understanding Car Crashes,
It's Basic Physics
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An American
Nile
&
Last Oasis
(Cadillac Desert
Episodes)
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FRESH - the Movie
The Story of Bottled Water
Cheeseburger
Footprint
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Photographic Artist
Chris Jordan
Earth: Art of a Changing World
Midway. Message from the Gyre |
The Story of Stuff
The Story of Electronics
The Interface Road
to Sustainability
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NOTE: OTHER CATEGORIES
OR ACTIVITIES ARE POSSIBLE!
Devise a category or activity of your own
along the lines of the examples posted above!
Then
email
Dr H to see if it will
be acceptable for this assignment.
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