Seminar Paper Policy
Throughout the quarter you will be required to write 4 seminar papers in response to the seminar readings. You can decide which weeks to turn them in as long as you have completed at least two papers by week 5. Here are some guidelines:
· Papers should be accompanied by a signed draft reviewed either by a writing tutor or an IES colleague. Make appointments with the writing center to fit your schedule.
· Papers should be approximately two pages long.
· Papers should be thesis driven with the thesis supported with evidence from the reading.
· Do not procrastinate too much. We will only accept one seminar paper per week.
· You should have written at least two seminar papers by week 5.
· We will not accept seminar papers after week 9.
· For your sanity and ours, do not write a paper on a book that has been discussed more than one week previously. In other words, you can write a paper on the book that was discussed the previous week or on the book you are reading for the current week’s seminar.
Assignments: Option in Environmental Policy/Social Science/Ecology
In addition to writing the 4 seminar papers, your work will include the following:
You’ll be reading some additional selections from Taking Sides; they’ll be identified as we go along through the quarter.
Your main piece of work will be an individual analytic project paper. Here’s how the work will evolve:
In addition, you will also be keeping a portfolio of your various notes, resources, queries, plans, etc. Central to this will be an end-of-week short writing (1-2 pages, typed) that you’ll keep in your portfolio. These are weekly writings from week1-9. This reflective/analytic/observational writing will be your time/space for documenting and digging deeper into the various ideas, issues and resources we explore. You will definitely want to prepare a short writing if you “go out into the field” such as a visit to the WA Legislature or other significant sites. And/or the writing could address and explore a theme that has come up, one that is particularly challenging or troubling to you. Or the writing could be a commentary on a reading, class discussion or presentation. It might be that you will want to profile a particular policy pertinent to your project. These weekly writings should be kept in your portfolio that you’ll turn in Week 5 and then again at the quarter’s end. Equally important, you need to bring this collection with you to class, as you’ll be sharing these writings with others to get feedback on your writing and your ideas and to stimulate our collective work.
Please be attentive to – and generous with – resources that you’re finding. Tell the rest of us about websites, organizations, critical readings, contacts. We’ll all benefit.
The chemistry project will take some time outside of class, particularly in weeks 3-4 and 5-7. You’ll need this time to use the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AA) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectroscopy (ICP) instruments to test for lead, arsenic and other heavy metals in your soil and water samples.
You will do several labs this quarter in preparation for an experiment you design. You will present your results to the rest of the class in the form of a poster. Here’s how the project will evolve:
· Week 1: January 7th--Session on Molarity after the field trip Tuesday.
· Week 2: You’ll do a potassium permanganate lab. This lab will help you learn how to dilute solutions, work with calibration curves, and spectrophotometry.
· Week 3: You’ll test for lead in soil and water samples. Also, you’ll study some statistics that will be helpful to you when you design your experiment.
· Week 4: You’ll turn in a proposal for your experiment. This will include a detailed description of sampling design. Also, you’ll attend a science writing workshop in preparation for your lab report that is due week 5.
· Week 5: Lab report on your lead lab due. You’ll begin your lab project in the lab.
· Weeks 6: You’ll work in the lab on your project.
· Week 7: You’ll work in the lab on your project. A re-write of your lab paper is due.
· Week 8: You’ll bring graphs and tables of data to a data analysis session. Also, your poster due for review. This should be polished and professional—for most useful feedback, do not think of it as a draft.
· Week 9: You’ll meet with Sharon and your peers about your poster.
· Week 10: Poster presentations to the class.
You will need to record your laboratory procedures carefully in a lab notebook. You will turn this lab notebook in with your portfolio.