In our post-modern age, when people often confuse science with technology, we often forget that at its ancient origins, science was closely allied with philosophy–was even called “natural philosophy.” It is important to remember these origins to understand that science is the search for truth–not the quest for a better mousetrap (or mousepad). As scientific endeavors become more arcane and their results more obscure, it remains important for the non-specialist to keep abreast of developments in those complex fields. Remember that scientists get much of their finding from the government, and we should know what we are paying for. Moreover, scientific research often impinges on questions of ethics and even morality, and we must be educated enough to make informed decisions about these projects.
As scientific fields become more specialized, the popular-science interface becomes even more important. Not even those with doctorates in physics can be experts in astrophysics, biological physics, low-energy atomic-collision physics, relativistic heavy ion physics, particle physics, laser physics, and condensed matter physics. How could it then be possible for a biologist or a literature major–or a plumber–to understand the intricacies of those fields? Clearly, we need popular science writers–those who understand the complexities of scientific disciplines and can simplify them for the general reader while still conveying the important content.
The theme of study in this course—coupled with the fact that we live in a world in which terrorists and enemy governments have easy access to chemical and biological weapons—makes it even more apparent that we as informed citizens need access to scientific information we can understand and evaluate.
Producing popular science requires an understanding of the scientific field and the ability to write clear, readable prose that is accessible to the members of the educated general public. This assignment is designed to provide an introduction to popular science writing. The guidelines for the assignment are listed below:
Research question
As you learned in English 111—and as we reviewed in our first assignment of the semester–every research project begins with a research question and a tentative thesis. For this assignment, your question will, of course, be about chemical weapons, and it must be in the natural sciences (that is, you are not asking about the history of chemical warfare, the cultural or psychological effects of these weapons, nor political questions about their use). Here are a few to get you started:
How did the chemical weapons used during World War I (chlorine gas, phosgene gas, mustard gas) act on their victims?
How do modern chemical weapons (sarin, ricin) act on their victims?
What medical treatments have been used against chemical agents, and how effective are they?
How did cancer chemotherapy evolve from chemical weapons?
How did Agent Orange affect the American veterans of the Vietnam War?
What are the environmental effects of chemical weap[ons disposal?
NOTE: Every one of these questions has a serious flaw: It is too broad! You must narrow the question so it can be answered thoroughly in a three-page paper. Here are a couple of examples:
Too broad: How did the chemical weapons used during World War I (chlorine gas, phosgene gas, mustard gas) act on their victims?
Better, narrower version: What are the effects of mustard gas on the respiratpory system?
Too broad: What medical treatments have been used against chemical agents, and mhow effective are they?
Better, narrower version: What treatments are available for exposure to mustard gas, and how efffective are they?
Preliminary research
Locate scholarly articles that help you narrow and answer your research question. I have listed below a few articles you might wish to consider as you begin your research. You will also need to locate some of your own. Make sure you use the FTCC library and/or Google Scholar to find full-text peer-reviewed articles in the natural sciences. Read the abstracts and/or skim through several articles to select at least three articles that you will use in your paper.
Note: These articles are very specific to specific questions. Do not attempt to use them for unrelated topics!
Fitzgerald. Chemical warfare and medical response during World War I (2008)
Greenberg et al. Sea-dumped chemical weapons: environmental risk, occupational hazard (2016)
Smith. War! What is it good for? Mustard gas medicine (2017)
Tang and Loke. Sulfur mustard and respiratory diseases (2012)
References
Prepare a references page that includes the articles you have selected using CSE citation-sequence style.
112CitationTutorials2021.docx
112CitationTutorials2021.docx – Alternative Formats
Tentative thesis
Write a tentative thesis—a strong, clear, specific focused answer to your research question. It is always important to begin with a tentative thesis so to guide your research, note-taking, and synthesizing of the material.
Research and note-taking
Take careful notes on your three sources, making sure the information you are collecting helps you answer the question you have asked. Although most notes should be taken in your own words, remember to use quotation marks when you copy material directly from a source. Note: CSE style discourages the use of direct quotes. Likewise, since the aim of popular science writing is general accessibility, direct quotes are also discouraged from that vantage point. Always note the page number where you found your information whether you have noted it in your own words
Some important pointers regarding access to your sources
Last Completed Projects
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