BIOL 2306 - Pepin, Amanda: Environmental Issues: Assignment

Group Report on a Local Environmental Issue

Purpose: To inform your fellow citizens of San Antonio about a local environmental issue that you feel is important, and encourage them to take action on it. “Think globally, act locally.”

Paper: In groups of 2-3 student each, you will select a topic from a given list, and write a research paper about the topic. The paper should include the following:

• An introductory paragraph summarizing what you’re going to talk about in the paper.
• Background on the issue from both a scientific and historical perspective, to show how we got to this point.
• If the issue is controversial, explain each perspective. If there are alternate solutions to the problem, explain the pros and cons of each.
• Explain why this issue is important to us and what kinds of things can we do to improve it.

The paper should be at least 5 pages in length, typed, and double-spaced.

Be sure to edit for spelling and grammar and cite all your sources correctly using APA documentation style.

You should use at least 5 sources, and the sources should be reputable and reliable (newspapers, magazines, scientific journals, government publications, etc.). Refer to the Library Guide for this assignment on how to find sources.

Oral Presentation: At the end of the semester, each group will give an oral presentation to teach your classmates about your topic. The oral presentation should be about 15 minutes long and summarize your paper. Each group member should take a turn presenting. The presentation should contain plenty of relevant pictures, charts, graphs, etc. Sources should also be cited in the presentation. At the end of the presentation, you should ask the audience if they have any questions and answer their questions to the best of your ability.

Timeline:

• Week 1: Project Groups Put Together
• Week 2: Topics Chosen
• Week 3: Library Workshop
• Week 4: Outlines Due – must be stamped by Writing Center
• Week 8: Rough Drafts Due – must be stamped by Writing Center
• Week 15: Final Papers Due and Oral Presentations Given