JOUR 4872/ENVS 4800

INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR

FINAL PROJECTS

In place of a final exam, you will research and write a term paper analyzing human impacts on a large-scale environmental system, such as the climate.

With my approval, you may instead substitute a different kind of project: a 1,500-word, multi-source news-feature in journalistic style on a scientific or environmental topic of your choosing.

In either case, you will first write a proposal. Instructions for the proposal will be handed out separately.

DEADLINES:

• WEEK 6, FEB. 19 & 21: Be prepared to make a brief presentation in class on your project idea.

• WEEK 7, FEB. 28: Proposals for final projects due in class.

• WEEK 13, APRIL 9: First draft of STORY (not term paper) due as an email attachment; by 9 a.m.

• WEEKS 15 & 16: Students present final projects in class

• WEEK 16, May 2: Term papers due in class.

• NOTE: The deadline for the final draft of stories will be announced in class.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE TERM PAPER:

In this paper, you will examine various facets of human domination of a large-scale environmental system. Examples include the climate system, the hydrologic system, the nitrogen cycle, and the biodiversity of life. Pick one of these, or find another kind of impact.

Your term paper should consist of the following:

An in-depth description of the issue:

• The scientific basis, including a summary of relevant scientific findings. So, for example, if you were to decide to write about biodiversity loss due to human activities, you would conduct research of the primary and secondary literature to document the degree to which human activities are causing the extinction of species, how this occurs, and how scientists have come to these conclusions.
• The political, economic and/or social aspects. In the case of biodiversity loss, you could discuss efforts to preserve biodiversity, such as the Endangered Species Act here in the United States, and the economic and political fallout those efforts have had.

The history of the issue:

• The historical roots, such as when and how scientists first became aware of it, and how understanding of the issue has evolved to the present level of understanding.

The current status of the issue:

• To what degree have scientists reached a consensus on this issue, and the prospects for the future? How has that consensus — or lack of it — manifested itself? For example, the scientific consensus on climate change has manifested itself through the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change. So in this case, you would discuss the IPCC process and summarize its overall finding. Also, have policy makers reached any compromise on how to deal with the issue? Or is there gridlock, with little or no action being taken? What is the basis of this gridlock?

Your paper should be about 3,000 words long, minus your references. Depending on the font you use, that amounts to about 15 pages. (This is a rough estimate. Check your actual word count.)

Information in your term paper must be properly cited and referenced in author-date format.

DETAILED DIRECTIONS FOR SUBMITTING THE PAPER WILL BE DISCUSSED IN CLASS.

DIRECTIONS FOR THE NEWS-FEATURE:

For the journalism students in the class, and others who are grasping the elements of journalistic reporting and writing, this alternative is worth considering. But again, you need to speak with me about it first.

Like the paper, the story should be 3,000 words long. And your reporting and writing must consist of the following:

Scientific/Technical Content:

· Since this is, in part, a science writing class, one goal is for you to gain experience writing about such issues for general readers. With this in mind, your story should have a significant technical component. So if you are writing about a newsworthy environmental issue, your story must include a section on the scientific underpinnings of the issue. Similarly, if you are writing about technology (such as renewable energy), the piece should contain a section explaining how the technology works.

On-Scene Reporting/In-Person Interviews

· I’d like you to have the best possible reporting experience. So you must do a story that will enable you to do on-scene reporting and interview expert sources in person. That’s not to say that all of your interviews have to be in person. But some of them must be.

Multi-Source Story

· In reporting your story, you should interview a minimum of three sources. This is very important, since a story of this size and depth should have multiple perspectives. The story should include information and quotations from these sources.

Quotations

· Make sure that you use quotations to humanize your story, not to present basic information. The old journalistic expression is “quote feelings, not facts.” Also, quotations generally should be short and snappy. They should not run on at great length. (Don’t let your sources write the piece. You are the writer, so most of the piece should be in your own words.)

Background Research

· Before you begin your interviewing, you should do background reporting, very similar to the primary and secondary research you would do for a traditional term paper. This background research will help you prepare questions for your sources, and also provide useful information for the story itself.

Among the kinds of background information sources you should consider are these:

· Primary literature: scientific studies and reports.

· Online information sources. One place to start is a database of online environmental information sources that I co-produced: http://www.pagetwister.com/cej/cejsearchform.cfm (For additional help, see me.)

· Secondary literature, such as newspaper and magazine articles. (If you don’t know how to use the online databases that offer access to full-text of articles, transcripts and other news sources, seek out a librarian.)

DETAILED DIRECTIONS FOR SUBMITTING YOUR STORY WILL BE DISCUSSED IN CLASS.