Research

Final Research Project:


 * This project will be based on 4 grades: Evidence and Quality of Research; a written piece (2 pages) about the issue; a visual (poster, multimedia, etc), and a grade for your presentation and group discussion.** This will count as your final exam grade in this class. Everyone must do this regardless of your class average and you all must attend the final exam period on Thursday, May 26.


 * Getting started:** On your Global Issues wikispaces site, you need to create a new page called FINAL PROJECT. All evidence of your research and writing needs to be posted on there.


 * Research: 25%**
 * Choose your topic--something current and relevant to the world we live in today.
 * You need to post your research on your own wikispaces pageAND always keep track of your sources. If you use a print source, type up your notes on a Word doc and upload the doc to your Research section on your wikispaces page.
 * In your research, you need to show evidence of
 * identifying, defining, and explaining the problem/issue
 * several specific examples of the issue--search out statistics, quotations from experts, news reports
 * keep track of your sources (you WILL need to create a Works Cited page)
 * to be well informed, you also need to identify multiple perspective of the issue--who disagrees? why?

Once you have research your topic, you need to write a position paper in which you explain the issue and prove that it is relevant and important. You will use your research to help you write this, which means you MUST use quotations, evidence, statistics in your essay. You also need to address the critics and explain your position and if it has changed during the course of your research.
 * Written Piece:25%**

GLOBAL ISSUES RESEARCH PROJECT

> >
 * 1) Choose an event or an issue that interests you.
 * 2) What questions do you have about this? What don’t you know or understand about it that you want to know and understand? We will call these First Generation Questions.
 * 3) Research answers for the First Generation Questions. Keep track of your sources!
 * 1) As you find answers, your knowledge base will grow wider and while you learn more, you will also find more questions, which we will call these Second Generation Questions. These questions will be more specific than the First Generation.
 * 2) Now you are researching First and Second Generation Questions and your knowledge base will grow even more. The Third Generation Questions will take two forms--they may be even more specific as you are narrowing in more and more on specific aspects of your issue/event. Or they may be very broad as you step back and identify even larger issues.

Here's a simple example:

Issue: The crisis with the Kukushima-Daiichi nuclear reactors in Japan. First Generation Questions and answers:
 * what actually damaged the reactors? the tsunami? the earthquake? something else?
 * the water damage from the tsunami cut off power and shut down the cooling tanks
 * how does a nuclear reactor work?
 * Source: uranium rods are heated up in water, creating steam that drives, turbines, that makes electricity.
 * what happens with a nuclear/reactor meltdown?
 * the rods of uranium can't cool down and continue to heat up and heat up. No off switch.
 * what happens with radiation poisoning?
 * Source: Acute radiation poisoning symptoms start like flu symptoms (the more severe the exposure, the more immediate the onset of symptoms) but become more severe as it progresses leading to hair loss and blood in vomit, ultimately leading to death in severe cases.

Second Generation Questions:
 * How does nuclear fission work so that the rods can't cool down?
 * How do we know if radiation is present? Is it visible?
 * is nuclear power safe? are the risks/impacts of nuclear power greater than the risks/impact of carbon emitting power plants?
 * Is there waste with nuclear power? Where does it go?
 * How many countries use nuclear power? How many plants are in the US? What percentage of our electricity is derived from nuclear power? How do we know?