Two of the Learning Goals for this Course are:

1. Articulate the relevance of Earth Science to individuals and to society.

2. Evaluate Earth Science related topics presented in the media, on the basis of the evidence presented and your knowledge of physical processes.

You will further examine the theme of these Learning Goals here in ’Assignment 2′. 

Specifically, this REQUIRED activity has 2 parts. It is worth a total of 9% of your Course Grade (6% for Part 1, 3% for Part 2). For FULL MARKS, make posts that are thoughtful and which contribute to your own and your colleagues learning in this course. Details about grading are in the rubric below.

During this exercise you will (1) analyze a media article that is relevant to the course and articulate your findings in a short, well written essay post which finishes by asking 2 well-founded questions, (2) reply to one of the questions posed by your colleagues about their initial post PLUS post a minimum of TWO discussion contributions about your own OR a colleague’s topic.

PART 1. The first part of this assignment is due no later than March 14 (11pm).

To do:

• Upload your Media Article. See instructions below.
• Write your Post 1.
• Upload your Post 1 as well as your original Media Article into your Small Group Discussion Board. See instructions below.

Post 1 Specific Instructions

Post 1 – Essay Content

Your essay should include two main components. 

Firstly you should use what you know about physical processes (from the course) to analyze the scientific evidence given in the article. 

Secondly you can do one of two things:

1. Explain how the article’s findings impact either individuals or society as a whole. In other words, add new insights into how the science in the article might change the way either individuals, or society in general, operates. 

or

2. Assess the validity of the assertions and conclusions given in the article. In other words analyze the accuracies or inaccuracies in the discussion or conclusions presented. 

In addition to the two main components outlined above, your essay should have a short introductory sentence or two and finish with a concluding sentence or two.

Make sure that your essay does not just summarize the original article. Also, we are NOT looking for a personal opinion piece but rather a fact driven analysis of your media piece. Take some time to work on your submission so that it flows logically from one idea to another. 

Essay Specifics

Your essay should not be less than 400 words and should not exceed 500 words. The news article that is the subject of our post must be cited. [Also, please attach a copy of your research article to your essay post or include a direct link or address to your article so that other students (and the instructor and TA) can refer to it if they would like to.] Beyond that, it is not necessary to go outside the course readings and materials to complete your essay. If you do decide to research further work beyond the course, you should include citations in your essay text where required. Include the specifics of the original article and any relevant references at the bottom of your essay. (See the FAQs for more specifics on eligible references.)

Post 1 – Required Questions to Follow Essay

At the end of your essay you should post two substantive scientific questions that were raised in your mind from the article you chose. Each question and justification should be roughly 100 words (this is in addition to the 400 – 500 words for your essay itself).

• Include some explanation or justification for why you are asking this question. Do not simply pose the question and leave it at that. You must explain to your colleague what it is about your piece AND your own knowledge that caused you to wonder about the issue you identify as a question.
• Here are some examples of the way a question might arise in your mind:
• 1. The original article said xyz but I heard/read that abc (with a reference).  I wonder if…, or it doesn’t make sense to me that …”, or similar …
  2. “What the original article said about xyz seems unexpected because … xyz (use logic, &/or a reference). I wonder where / how / why … .” etc.
  3. “The original article is interesting … and isn’t it also true that … (with a reference) …?” etc.
• Again, see the rubric below for details.

Topic Selection

The topic developed in the article you choose for your essay can be a minor part of the course, as long as it is contained somewhere within the course readings or videos. As such, you do not require pre-approval for your topic of choice. Just pick a media article relevant to the course and proceed with your research.

Once your post is complete, you should post it to your Small Group by clicking the link below in this folder. This will take you to your assigned Small Group. Load your Post 1 by starting a new thread on the Discussion Board of your Small Group. Assign your thread a suitable title that references the article you used as the subject of your Post 1. You can upload it anytime during the time interval that the assignment is open (from March 7, noon until March 14, 11 PM). Please note, LATE ESSAYS WILL NOT BE MARKED. ***Don’t forget to attach a copy of the original article that you reviewed to your Post 1 as a PDF file. Alternatively you can create a direct link to your original media article title and make that live by writing out the articles title and then clicking the paperclip symbol in the offered options menu. Paste in the required link to the article and click ‘open in new window’).

I will be analyzing the following article: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/earthquake-possible-along-new-fault-zone-near-victoria-say-scientists-1.3481547