Group Project

You will be part of a research group assigned a problem to research. Each member of the group will be responsible for researching a specific aspect of the problem, writing a 6-8 page paper on their research, and teaching a 15-20 minute session to the class. The group as a whole will also be responsible for analyzing public policy on the group's assigned problem, and writing a group analysis that includes specific recommendations for future public policy. You will be given some class time to work on your problem, but you should also plan on working as a group outside of class time. The final products of this assignment include:

• Papers from each member of the group.
• Presentations from each member of the group on their individual topic.
• An analysis of public policy with sections authored by each member of the group and a conclusion written by all members
• A self- and group assessment from each member of the group that evaluates each member's contribution to the group.

Individual Papers:

Everyone will write their own paper and do their own presentation. Along the way, you will turn in four separate products, each described in detail below:

• An outline and bibliography
• A pretty complete first draft
• A final draft
• An informational handout to accompany your presentation

Your paper should address the specific tasks for your topic (see below).

Group Paper:

Each group will turn in a joint paper, about 4-6 pages long. This paper will consist of:

• Separate sections written by each member of the group addressing the specific tasks for your topic.
• A jointly written analysis and conclusion. Your group may use whatever method you please to produce this paper, but everyone must contribute. Some possibilities:
  • Group writing at one computer
  • Group arrives at the analysis through discussion, then parcels out the writing: outline, first draft, first revision, second revision
  • Group divides the analysis into tasks, then one or more group member assembles the pieces and another revises it.
• An assessment from each group member of each person's contribution. You will receive a form for this purpose.

Group Problems:

Natural Disasters (Group A & B):

Disasters: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Hurricanes, Floods

Individual papers should address:

• Describe the existing technology for predicting and controlling damage from the disaster.
• Describe the existing social programs to control injury and damage from the disaster.
• Be sure to address any controversy surrounding either of these issues
• Avoid using any of the case studies below as your examples.

Case Studies: Loma Prieta Earthquake, Hurricane Andrew, Indonesian Tsunami, 1993 Mississippi Floods

Individual papers should address:

• Give a summary of what happened in the disaster
• Describe how existing technology for predicting and controlling damage from this kind of disaster performed.in this disaster
• Describe how existing social policies for controlling injury and damage from this kind of disaster performed.in this disaster
• Be sure to address any consequences for technology or social policy that occurred as a result of this disaster.

Group Papers for Natural Disasters should address:

• Individual contributions: Existing disaster relief programs for each of your two disasters (earthquakes and tsunamis; or floods and hurricanes). Be sure to include government relief, insurance programs, and any other relevant programs (such as non-governmental organizations where appropriate).
• Group analysis:
  • Areas of commonality between the two types of disaster in disaster relief.
  • Consequences of these relief programs (economic, social, political, behavioral)
  • Recommendations for changes to disaster relief programs.

Climate Change (Groups C & D)

Individual papers should address:

• How does climate change impact your specific issue?
• What are potential impacts of the change (economic. political, social)?

Group papers should address:

• Individual contributions: What social policies are already in place to deal with your specific issue?
• Group analysis:
  • What are the potential consequences of these existing social policies?
  • Make a recommendation for change in policies.

California Water Supply (Group E)

Individual papers should address:

• Describe the sources of water for your specific region.
• Describe the regional outlook for future water supply

Group paper should address:

• Individual contributions: Summarize any conflicts that have arisen over water in each region.
• Group analysis:
  • How will climate change impact water supply over all of California, with examples from different regions?
  • Make recommendations for future water policy in California

Energy (Groups F&G)

Individual papers should address:

• How widely used is this form of energy? What is it typically used for (e.g., electrical generation, transportation, industry, etc.)
• What are the costs of your specific energy source (economic, health, environmental, geopolitical)?
• Are there any challenges specific to that kind of energy source?

Group paper should address:

• Individual contributions: Summarize existing U.S. policies concerning your energy source (e.g., subsides, tax breaks, regulation).
• Group Analysis:
  • What are the consequences of those policies?
  • Recommend changes in American energy policy.

Part I: Outline and Bibliography: Results of Your Search for Resources. Due 9/30

By Sept. 25 you should have the bulk of your research completed for your paper and presentation. You must find three kinds of resources:

1. Popular accounts of the issue. These will include newspapers, magazines, and Web sites. You MUST use at least one database that covers these types of media, such as the Sacramento Bee or San Francisco Chronicle article databases, or a general database like ArticleFirst.
2. Scholarly research. These are articles in academic journals, or in scholarly books. You can find these by searching Georef or any of the other databases at the Geology and Earth Sciences page of the Library Database site.
3. Government documents. You can find these by searching the USGS Publications Warehouse (on the Library's Database site), or by searching the Web at a government agency. Agencies that might apply to your topic are the California Geological Survey, California Dept. of Water Resources, California Dept. of Fish and Game, California Division of Dam Safety, California Coastal Commission, U.S. Dept. of Energy, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. EPA. California agencies are listed at http://www.ca.gov/About/Government/agencyindex.html; U.S. agencies are listed at http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/Federal/All_Agencies/index.shtml

You MUST use the Library databases to research your paper. A paper researched entirely on Google will receive an F.

You will turn in an outline of your paper, and a list of references. You MUST have a minimum of 10 usable resources.

The outline MUST be structured like this:

• Main point #1
  • Argument #1
    • Citation - (Author, Year)
  • Argument #2
    • Citation (Author, Year)
• Main Point #2
  • Argument #1
    • Citation - (Author, Year)
  • Argument #2
    • Citation (Author, Year)

  Write your outline in complete sentences. It should essentially be your paper, just organized as an outline. The more detailed you make the outline, the simpler it will be to convert it to a final draft.

Part II: Position Paper First Draft Due 11/4 (grading rubric here - Word download)

The final product is to be a 6-8 page paper. The paper should summarize the issue, and where appropriate, analyze any controversy.

Peer Editing: You will bring three copies of your typed first draft to class to share with your discussion group. Your colleagues will help you edit your paper to produce a final draft. You will leave one copy for me, and I will return it to you with comments.

Your first draft should follow this structure:

I. Intro

• Thesis
• Summary of main arguments
• Transition

II. Big Idea #1

• Assertion
• Evidence with citation (Author, year)
• Evidence with citation
• Evidence with citation
• Summary and transition

III Big Idea #2

Etc. until you get all your Big Ideas out

IV Conclusion/Recommendation

Here are some things to pay attention to:

1. Introduction: Do not ease into the introduction, or try to "catch the reader's interest". You want the reader to think it is worth their time to read the paper, so you need to immediately tell your reader what the paper is about. Put your thesis statement in the first couple sentences. The rest of the introduction should be a preview of the whole paper, including the conclusions. The last sentence is a transition to the next section.

2. Sections: Divide the paper into sections. Give each section a heading (e.g., Introduction, History, Current Problems, Recommendations, or whatever is appropriate to your paper). Every paper needs these sections plus whatever other sections are appropriate for your topic: Introduction, Conclusion (but you can name it something else if you want).

3. Paragraphs: Each paragraph contains one main idea. If you've got more ideas, they get their own paragraphs. That main idea goes in the first sentence - the topic sentence. The last sentence is the transition to the next paragraph. The last paragraph of a section is the transition to the next section.

4. Voice and Tone

The tone should be somewhat formal and definitely authoritative.

• No slang, no "I".
• Avoid a conversational tone.
• Mix up complex and simple sentences.
• Use active voice wherever possible.

5. Sentence structure and mechanics

• Read your paper out loud to find the problems in sentence construction.
• Watch out for sentence fragments and run-on sentences.
• Use your grammar checker (the mysterious green underlining you turn on the Preferences menu of Word).
• Have someone else read the paper, preferably out loud while you listen.

6. Citations and Reference list

You must use adequate citations. For every piece of information you use you must cite the source, and the source must be in your reference list in alphabetical order. You can use APA style, or you can copy the style of any scholarly journal you use (except Nature or Science - do not use numbered footnotes or endnotes)

The Citation handout will help you with format.

The OWL at Purdue has a great resource for avoiding plagiarism.

7. Tightening things up

• Start by writing everything. Overshoot your page limit. Write more than you need so you can edit down to what deserves to stay.
• Then start paring down. Aim to cut a few words out of every sentence, a sentence out of every paragraph, a paragraph out of each section.

III. Presentation (grading rubric here):

You will give a 15-20 minute presentation on your topic on the day already scheduled. You will actually be teaching the class this topic, and they will be responsible for this material on the exam. Please note that your presentation may occur well before the due dates for the paper itself, so you should be preparing your material very early on.

The presentation may be Power Point, on the overhead projector, or on the blackboard. In all cases, you must prepare a handout for the students that summarizes the most important points in outline or bullet list form. You must provide the handout to me at the previous class meeting for me to reproduce, or you must bring sufficient handouts for everyone in the class at your own expense.

Grading:

If any part of the paper is turned in late (including the first draft), the grade on the paper will drop by a whole grade (from A to B). The bibliography and first draft will not be graded at the time they are turned in. They will, however, receive comments. You should note these comments and make any recommended changes before submitting your final draft. The presentation session is required, and will be graded on a separate rubric.

Grading Standard: the specific rubric used in grading is available here (Word document) .

The A paper will be well-organized and free of errors of grammar, spelling and sentence structure. The paper will analyze issues and offer evidence in support of its arguments. It will be a pleasure to read.

The B paper will be well-organized and will communicate well. The analysis may be flawed or be insufficiently supported by evidence. There may be minor errors of structure or language.

The C paper will lack analysis. The paper will summarize rather than analyze, and will be poorly organized. While the paper will still communicate its message, there will be many errors in sentence structure, grammar and spelling.

The D paper will be poorly organized with no analysis and poorly executed summary. The paper may simply be a collection of unsupported opinions or descriptions. It will barely communicate due to writing errors.

The F paper will fail to meet the assignment requirements. The paper may fail to communicate, or it may be off-topic. A plagiarized or purchased paper will earn an F. A paper researched entirely on Google will receive an F.