Important dates

Exams: mid-term, 'test re-test', final

There will be two exams, one scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, November 3 - 4, the other for finals week. On the mid-term exam, you will take the test on Monday as you normally would. On Tuesday, you have the option of re-taking the test in a small group, where group members can discuss your answers before turning in one exam for the group (still closed book, though).
The individual portion of the exam (Monday's test) will be worth 75% of your total grade for the test, and the group portion 25%. If you prefer, you can take the test again on Tuesday by yourself, or choose not take it again and settle for whatever grade you end up with from Monday's test (sorry, I won't have them graded …). If your group on the second day scores lower than you as an individual did the previous day, I will not lower your grade (i.e., I'll give you 100% of the points based on your Monday, individual score). The point of this exercise is to, hopefully, turn the test into a learning exercise as well as an evaluation tool.
The final will not be comprehensive, and will cover only material after the first exam.

Each exam is worth 100 points.

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Web site analysis

On the course web page is a list of web sites related to the environment in some way. Your job is to evaluate these web sites. This will require some detective work on your part-I want to know what the sites are all about, what individuals or groups or corporations are behind them, what others may think or be writing about them, what kinds of activities do they engage in (e.g., do they specialize in natural resources, energy, environmental litigation, property rights, etc.), what is their philosophy, how do they engage in politics and where do they fall on the political spectrum (e.g., liberal, conservative, partisan, libertarian).

I also want to know how effective the web site is-what kinds of content are posted, how current is the material, how often is it updated, how is it organized and how well, what is the quality of the content (i.e., is it written by the webmaster, by well-known scientists [and how would you find this out?], politicians, etc.? In addition, I want to know how the web site functions-is it easy to navigate, intuitive, do you get lost, is there content that is unavailable because of poor design, is it full of commercial ads and banners, pop-ups, etc., 15 different font styles . . . does it look homemade, or is it the product of slick production and web authoring?

I expect a paper of 4-5 pages, and a good deal of analysis-not description of content on specific pages. I want to know what the organization or website is all about, their audience, their strategy/techniques for communicating to their audience, etc. Are they who they appear to be, or are they hiding behind a phony-sounding name? On the list of websites are other web-based resources that will help you do some of this work, but I'd also recommend spending some time searching Google.

100 points possible

This will be due before the Thanksgiving break (Monday, November 24)

Link to signup sheet

Discussion / participation

We will have 5 discussion groups throughout the term. They will be topic-driven, and you'll be asked to prepare for them by doing a few online readings (news articles, mostly), come to class with an abstract summarizing the articles and your thoughts on them, and in small groups respond to a couple of questions I give you at the beginning of class. Should you miss the discussion day, you can make it up. If you notify me in advance, You can write a two-page paper, one page with the abstract summarizing articles, the second responding to questions I give you. You can also make it up after, but it will cost you a letter grade for every day you fail to turn it in. One-fifth of your grade will be based on your participation in classroom discussion (15 pts for each session, and the discussion session makes up 75% of your participation score. The other 25% is based on your participation in regular class discussion. One way you participate is by attending class (I'm not taking role, but there's a pretty good correlation between class attendance and performance). Another is by coming prepared, having done the readings, and participating in discussion. 'Participation' could mean facilitating or getting others to contribute, offering original ideas, displaying your knowledge and preparation, showing that you can think critically about course materials, etc. The discussion topics tenatively scheduled include:

Week 2: Science and politics

Week 4: National Parks, public lands

Week 5: GMOs (no, not a new SUV manufacturer) and trade

Week 7: Electricity, salmon

The Kyoto protocols (no, this isn't the name of a rock band)

Small group discussion will begin week 2.

Your discussion grade will be 75% for these discussion groups and 25% for regular in-class participation. 100 pts total.

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Writing assignments--some guidance

Format

I'd like you to stick with double-spaced, or 1 1/2 spacing, with margins that give enough room for comments. You don't need a cover page, but your name and the class will be a big help in identifying you. As always, do your own work. Cite sources whose ideas you've used (ON TOP of doing your own work ... ). They should be cited where they're used in the text (for example, Smith 1979), and they should be cited at the end of the assignment in the references section. The standard I'm interested in is this: you need to provide enough information so that I could go find the article in the library or on the Web. As for using stuff on the Web, you may want to be a little more cautious (the Web Resources page has some links to sites that have good advice on evaluating content on the Web). Penn State University has a good web page for citing sources--take the time to go through some of it and you won't be sorry.

Content

Unless specified otherwise, the focus should be on analysis as opposed to summary or description. I'm not looking for book reports--I want to be able to see you thinking on paper. Headings, or at the least paragraphs, are a big help for the reader as well as the author (they should help you figure out what your main points are, and whether or how they're tied together). As far as the length of the assignment, the short 'periodic' assignments are sometimes the trickiest. You need to be pretty efficient in your use of words--2-3 pages doesn't mean easy, it means make your points quickly, make sure the reader knows what they are, support them with evidence, eliminate unnecessary verbiage, and get out.

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Grammar/spelling

By mid-term, I'll start deducting credit on writing assignments if they get in the way of me understanding the points you're trying to make. If you're having trouble, see me or go to the University's Writing Lab. They are not an editing service, but the tutors there can help you think through the writing process, which often solves minor editing problems. And please try to have your work proofread--spell checkers will be tray yew given heiffer chants.

Turning in assignments electronically

You may turn the assignment in electronically, as an attachment sent to me. However, sometimes attachments won't open at the other end, because they're in the wrong format, sent from a Mac to a PC, etc. I'd suggest sending electronic files either in MS Word, Word Perfect, or rtf format. I use a PC. I will confirm that I received your assignment--so don't send it and leave town, or you might regret it, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life . . .
Strike that. Anyway, wait for confirmation.

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The 'P' word: Cite your sources!

Just a reminder about plagiarism. It's using someone else's work or ideas and claiming them as your own. It violates the spirit of the learning process, and anyone caught plagiarizing will receive an 'F' for the assignment, and possibly for the course. Much better to cite others' works properly. Who knows--one day you may be the ones whose brilliant ideas are being stolen. Again, you might want to check out a tutorial on citing others' works.

The big picture

Keep in mind the intent of the assignment--not to turn in something for a grade, but to show what you've learned, and how it can be applied. Use common sense, think about how important the subject matter of this course is to real-life human beings, and show some perspective.

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