ESSAY
WORD LIMIT & FORMAT
Word limit: 225-325
words. Points will be DEDUCTED if you go significantly over the word limit
(>375).
Document format:
Double-spaced; 12 point Times New Roman font; one-inch margins on all sides.
Save as an MS Word document.
Citation style: APA
citation style (American Psychological Association) widely used in the sciences
and social sciences. In APA style, You need to give (1) in-text citations, for example (Earle, 2015), (Lutgens &
Tarbuck, 2014) or (Baltimore Sun, 2018), in addition to (2) a reference list (list of sources used). No
footnotes.
ESSAY
INSTRUCTIONS
General approach: Write a
short essay that relates the earth science course material to something you
have read, heard or seen in the news. Apart from giving a brief description of
the news event/story, I am giving you free reign in your approach. You could
for example examine or comment on the scientific integrity of the news
article; discuss the hazards that the flood, landslide etc poses to society; discuss or examine
the politics (or economics) involved in any post-event (e.g. flood or
groundwater pollution incident) environmental remediation efforts;
examine any legal negligence shown by a specific industry in regard to a
major accident or pollution incident.
Topics that you may address: Your
essay must relate ONLY to topics associated
with the following FIVE lectures: (1) Mass
wasting, (2) Surface water, (3) Groundwater, (4) Arid landscapes, and (5) Glacial
landscapes. Examples of possible news stories include those dealing with
river floods (in the US or abroad); debris flows/landslides; groundwater
pollution; issues relating to global warming and the melting of valley glaciers
or ice sheets; or desertification in Africa (many of the worlds deserts are
getting larger).
Recommended essay structure: A three
paragraph approach is recommended. Para
1: introduce the news story and topic, and try to include some
additional background facts learned in class. Para 2: Describe and
discuss the news event/story, and the earth science issues that surround it.
Prove your knowledge of the subject (e.g. mass wasting event) by including a couple
of points learned in class, or in wider reading. You can use one or more sources for your
essay. If you use multiple sources, try to find ones that either provide the
reader with a broader picture of the news topic, or offer differing opinions or
perspectives. For example, there are widely differing views on the ultimate cause
of global warming (which is causing glacier retreat, sea-level rise, increased hurricane
intensity etc); or on the
environmental impact of hydraulic fracturing in shale-gas extraction. Para
3: Include a couple of concluding sentences. What are the main
conclusions to be derived from the news story? What is your personal opinion on
the subject? Because of the word limit, you will need to be succinct. You will
need to provide citation(s) for the source(s) of the news.
Time brackets for news story: Any news
story/event from 2018, 2019, 2020 or
2021.
Example news sources: Newspaper
article (print or online), e.g. New York
Times, Huffington Post; TV News
shows or associated websites, e.g. CNN.com,
ABCNews.com; Radio news broadcast,
e.g. CBS Radio, Sky News Radio; TV news magazine shows, e.g. 60 Minutes, Bill Moyers
Journal, CBS News Sunday Morning;
Science magazine article (these are aimed at a non-expert audience),
e.g. Scientific American, Science News, Discover, Popular Science.
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