Research Paper (In practice, this is the option that most people will take) Choose an issue that interests you, preferably one that you are relatively unfamiliar with.

OPTION 1: Research Paper (In practice, this is the option that most people will take)
Choose an issue that interests you, preferably one that you are relatively unfamiliar with. Our
media discussion, web discussion, and journal discussion at the start of each class is one way to help
you select a topic.
This paper goes into a topic in some depth. For example, you may want to study EPA’s
decision under the Trump administration to not ban the pesticide glyphosate, despite EPA science
staff having worked for many years to produce the necessary evidence and rulemaking for that.
You’d need to examine debates over safety and health effects. This would involve reading journal
articles, government documents, environmental groups’ publications, and corporate position papers.
You would analyze the variety of arguments about environmental and human health effects of
glyphosate. You would make sure to cover all categories of interested parties.
While some materials may come from the internet (e.g. government data, organizational
mission statements), the internet cannot be a major source of material. Books and journal articles
are central components of this type of paper.

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