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STEP 1:
THINK about science
and how it operates by reviewing QUOTES about
Science:
- The quotes on pp 10-11 of Class Notes
- The quotes that are found throughout
Class Notes on the top of the page that
begins each topic we will be covering this
semester
- The quotes by the scientists in the
"Poetry of Reality" video posted on the
Class Follow Up page for Aug 22
- The quotes by the
scientists in the "We are All Connected"
video posted on the
Class Follow Up page for Aug 29
- (NOTE: this
handout contains the quotes in both
videos so you don't have to watch
them again !!)
STEP
2: BROWSE
the Dire Predictions
text to get project ideas and select one for
your PROJECT TOPIC (STEP 2):
- As you browse, identify topics that
interest you and that you would like to
explore in more detail.
- The sections in the
Dire Predictions
text that focus the most directly on
"Linking-To-Life" issues are:
Part 3 on Impacts,
Part 4 on Vulnerability & Adaptation,
and Part 5 on Solutions (However,
you are not limited to these sections.)
- Also review the Project Categories,
suggested Questions, and Resources linked
under STEP 3 to get ideas
for you topic.
You may propose a new Project Category in
addition to those suggested if your topic of
interest doesn't fit under any of the
categories. If you wish to do
this, email Dr H to get her OK.
- Based on your browsing, select a
topic that you want to research
further in your term project.
Then, combine STEPS
1 and 2 by doing the following:
Revisit the QUOTES you
liked and select an
ideal quote to introduce your PROJECT
TOPIC in your mini-proposal write up.
- The selected quote
should "inspire" or "frame" your project.
For example, it could introduce
your topic in a unique way, illustrate the
scientific and/or
global change relevance of your
topic, or explain your motivation
for choosing the topic
(e.g., I have used a quote
in a box at the top of this webpage to
introduce the motivation for this "Thinking
More Deeply" assignment; I also use a quote
at the start of each new class topic to
highlight the topic in an interesting or
unique way.)
- The quote does not
have to be explicitly linked to you
topic. The quote's main purpose is to
introduce your project. It could be a
quote that demonstrates an aspect of
science that you value, or is relevant
to how you plan to explore your topic.
The quote could even be one you don't
agree with, but that motivates you to
think more deeply and critically
evaluate it in the context of your
chosen topic
-
You are NOT
limited to one of the quote sources
listed under STEP 1. Feel
free to dig deeper and come up with your
own "perfect" quote for your project.
Ideally it will be by a scientist,
science-related, or illustrating an
attribute of how science operates, but
you might find a great quote from an
unlikely source (See who Dr H has
quoted for Topic #8 on the top of p 43
in Class Notes!)
STEP 3: PONDER
your topic and your quote and construct a
RESEARCH QUESTION
that you will explore and answer during the
semester.
- To "jumpstart" your pondering, scroll
down to see the Project Categories
and suggested Questions
in the chart below for examples of questions
in each project category that you could
explore.
- Then construct a QUESTION
about your
chosen TOPIC -- Your question is what you
will investigate for your term project.
- At this point in time, your question
might be a bit general (like a few of
those in the chart below) but try
to state it as clearly and specifically
as possible. In Part C of the
Linking-to-Life assignment you will be
able to refine your question if needed.
- When you think you have a good question,
PONDER again on how you
will go about researching and
answering your question. Then
devise an initial plan
for doing this.
HINTS:
- Is your question stated in a way
that can actually be answered? If
not, re-think it or rewrite it.
- Will you be able to obtain data or
information that will allow you to
address the question? If
not, re-think it or rewrite it
- Note that you will be able to refine your
research plan in Part C of the
assignment if needed.
Updated!
STEP 4:
WRITE & SUBMIT --
WRITE a MINI-PROPOSAL (500 - 700 words)
that summarizes Steps 1 through 3.
What do I submit
to the dropbox by Friday Sep 21st?
Submit is the
mini-proposal you write for Step 4 in the
following FORMAT
(the other steps are there to
help you prepare a good mini-proposal
What's the FORMAT
I should use? Your
mini-proposal must be submitted as an
MS WORD document
(.doc or .docx)
or a PDF
(No other formats will be accepted!
IMPORTANT:
Be
SURE
your submission is successful and readable, by
going back to the dropbox to see if it is in
there
and
you can open it an read it yourself.
Your PART B mini-proposal
should contain these parts:
- TITLE of your project +
your NAME (a good
title will succinctly indicate what
the project is about)
- QUOTE & INTRODUCTION:
Insert your quote followed by an
introductory paragraph that sets the
stage for your proposal topic and
question. (List the QUOTE first,
then start your introductory
paragraph. Be sure to indicate who
said the quote.)
- TOPIC: A
section stating the TOPIC you are
exploring and why it intrigues you (In
this section you will explain your
TOPIC, how it relates to our GC 170A
course, and what your motivation is
for investigating it. You should
also link the topic or your plan
to address it with the quote you
have chosen.)
- QUESTION: The QUESTION about
your topic that you plan to
investigate (State the specific
question related to your topic in
"question" form and BOLD it so it
stands out as a prominant part of
your mini-proposal. You may follow
up with a sentence or two of
clarification if that will make the
question more clear.)
- RESEARCH PLAN:
An initial RESEARCH PLAN for how you
will go about investigating your
question. (State initial ideas
about where or how you will collect
your data or information to
investigate your question and what
you will need to know to be able to
answer it.)
- CLOSING PARAGRAPH:
(conclude with a
statement that summarizes what you
are doing, why you are doing it and
what you hope or expect to discover
by doing it)
- REFERENCES: (include
the references for any sources you
have consulted to develop your
mini-proposal, including where you
got your quote.
Cite sources for your information
(e.g., include articles, and webpage
URL's from which, you obtained
information). Your citations
should by inserted in the text to
connect the statement with the
source of the information for the
statement -- the way to do this as
"In-Text" citations for a scientific
paper can be found
HERE. For a good handbook
on documentation of the sources of
your research CLICK
HERE and refer to
"Documenting Sources" to see
examples of how to reference
different types of sources,
including websites.
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PROJECT CATEGORIES
See category choices below or devise your own.
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Grading Rubric for
Linking-to-Life
PART B
- Thinking More Deeply
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Excellent
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Satisfactory
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Needs Improvement
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Unacceptable
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Content &
Development
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·
Mini-proposal shows evidence of
“thinking more deeply” through
your choice of topic, your
reasons for selecting it, and
the question you plan to
investigate.
·
Your ideas about your project
are well articulated,
insightful, and thoughtfully
developed
·
Your research plan seems viable
and shows evidence of initial
exploration into what kind of
information or data will be
obtained to answer your
questions.
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·
Mini-proposal shows evidence of
“thinking more deeply” through
your choice of topic and your
reasons for selecting it, and
the question you plan to
investigate
·
Your ideas about your project
are presented but could be more
convincingly developed
·
Your research plan seems viable,
but needs to be developed more
with respect to how you are
going to answer your question
and what information or data you
will obtain to do this
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·
Mini-proposal follows the basic
directions but your choice of
topic, your reasons for
selecting it, and your question
are not adequately stated
·
Your ideas about your project
and what you are going to do are
difficult to sort out
·
Your research plan needs work
and must be developed with a
clear idea of how you will
answer your question and what
information or data you will
obtain to do this.
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·
Mini-proposal shows little
coherence and/or does not
address the intent of the
assignment
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Organization, Structure, Style & Clarity
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·
Mini-proposal is organized in a
way that makes sense and clearly
and effectively combines all
required parts into a cohesive
whole
·
Writing has effective sentence
and paragraph structure
·
Writing is concise and to the
point
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·
Mini-proposal is mostly
organized in a way that makes
sense and clearly and
effectively combines all
required parts
·
Most sentences and paragraphs
are structured effectively
·
Writing is fairly concise and
addresses the point adequately
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·
Mini-proposal needs better
organization. It's not clear
how the parts fit together
and/or some needed element is
missing or unclear.
·
Some sentences and paragraphs
poorly structured
·
Writing is wordy, unclear,
and/or somewhat unfocused
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·
Mini-proposal is very confusing
and/or unclear about what you
intend to do.
·
Sentences and paragraphs are
poorly structured
·
Writing is excessively wordy,
unclear and unfocused
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Originality (based on TurnItIn)
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·
Content is original with minimal
detection of problems
in
TurnItin
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Some problems with originality
detected
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Unacceptably high % of
unoriginal content
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Unacceptably high % of
unoriginal content
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Mechanics: Punctuation, Spelling & Grammar
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No errors in punctuation,
spelling, or grammar
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·
A few punctuation, spelling
and/or grammar errors, but
none that detract from the
meaning
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·
A few errors in punctuation,
grammar and spelling that
distract, but the meaning and
intent of the essay can still be
discerned.
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·
Major distracting errors in
grammar, punctuation, and
spelling that muddle the meaning
of the essay
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Adherence to Submission Directions
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All directions
are followed:
·
Mini-proposal is in specified
format
·
Length is acceptable
·
File is readable in MS Word or
PDF format
·
Submission is on time
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Problems with
one of the following:
·
Mini-proposal not in specified
format
·
Length is not acceptable
·
MS Word or PDF is unreadable;
needs re-submission
·
Submission is late
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Problems with several of the
following:
·
Mini-proposal not in specified
format
·
Length is not acceptable
·
MS Word or PDF is unreadable;
needs re-submission
·
Submission is late
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Problems with most or all of the
following:
·
Mini-proposal not in specified
format
·
Length is not acceptable
·
MS Word or PDF is unreadable;
needs re-submission
·
Submission is late
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...
about science in general -- since you are about
to embark on your global change science term
project, and
