Paper Topic #1
Due in Class #5
Write a three page opinion-editorial that argues: (1) We are overestimating environmental threats or (2) We are underestimating environmental threats. Your goal is to establish a general frame of reference for how the public and policy makers should think about environmental policy in this decade.
Your essay should be structured in terms of (1) A basic thesis or argument, (2) propositions and evidence, and (3) implications for policy.
I suggest you look at the opinion editorial page of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and LA Times. GREENWIRE also provides link to environmental opinion-editorials.
Class #6 (Due in Class #8) Re-Write of the opinion-editorial.
Paper Topic #2
Due in Class #13
You've studied four cornerstone environmental laws of the 1970s: the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and CERLCA (Superfund). These are considered to be archetypical forms of "command and control" regulation. Write a 2400 word* [2200-2500 words] essay that examines two (2) of the strengths and two (2) of the weaknesses of this general approach to environmental policy.
Use the specifics of these laws to illustrate your arguments. If you can find multiple illustrations across the several laws, then your argument will have more credibility.
A strong essay might use a basic 1-3 structure: each paragraph should focus on one core idea that is stated in the first sentence. The remainder of the paragraph would be composed of three supporting/elaborative statements to flesh out the argument.
Note: *This is equivalent to our 8-page requirement. It assumes 12 point font and 1.5 line spacing, about 300 words per page. However, some students' creative use of large fonts and wide margins have compelled us to respecify the paper length in terms of number of words.
Paper Topic #3
You work as a policy analyst for the Green Party of the United States. The Green Party plans to run a candidate in the next presidential election and wants you to help prepare the Party's environmental platform agenda. Your task is to write a 2400 word [2200-2500 words] essay that addresses the following questions:
Your essay should draw heavily on the readings, lectures, and news items used for class. You should use concrete examples to bolster your points - either as illustrations or analogies. Document your key points.
Many different citation styles exist. One of the easiest and simplest is the "science journal" style, which is what I want you to use in your papers. There are a number of permutations depending on the reference type.
Rule 1: Embed the reference with the form (author last name, year) in the your text.
President Bush recently stated "...Saddam, you varmint, you 48 hours to get out of town...." (Gertz, 2001).
Rule 2: If the same author has more than one reference in a given year (as many journalists do) append a letter--a, b, c, etc.--to the year. (Gertz, 1999a; Gertz, 1992b).
Rule 3: You need a bibliography at the end of the paper that gives the full citation to each reference. The bibliography should be alphabetical by author last name. It takes the form:
For a journal article:
Author last name, first name (year) "Article Title," Journal Name, Vol #, No. #, pages
[Note: newspapers do not require Vol. or No.]
For a book:
Author last name, first name (year) Book Title (Publishing City: Publisher)
For material in an edited book:
Author last name, first name (year of edited book publication) "Chapter Title," in Author(s) of edited volume, ed. Title of Book (Publishing City: Publisher)
Examples:
Clinton, William (1997) "Advancing our Interests through Engagement and Enlargement," in Peter Hays, Brenda Vallance, and Alan Van Tassel American Defense Policy (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press), 284-297.
Gertz, William (2001) "Bush Goes to War," Washington Times (September 12), 1.
Kuconis, John (2002) Flying is Way Cool (Colorado Springs: US Air Force Academy), 200-203.