Chemistry in the Real World: Current Topics
Assessment
Chemistry
is a part of our everyday lives, even though we do not often take the time to
think about how it applies to our world outside of a classroom. The goal of these assessments is to encourage
you to explore the ways that chemistry is behind many of the important topics
you see in the news. Learning Objectives: ·
To recognize how chemistry is a part of your life ·
To foster the skills to scientifically analyze a
news article ·
Make explicit connections between the story
reported and the chemical principles learned in class ·
To develop the scientific writing skills
necessary to accurately explain the chemistry occurring Assignment Details: There will be one current topic
assessment due for each chemistry module we cover this semester (Basics,
Environmental, Health, The Dark Side, and Energy). Your assessments will be uploaded as a word
document to Canvas. Canvas is linked to
the plagiarism detection software Turnitin.com and your assignment will be
analyzed using this software program. Current topic assessments may be
turned in at any point during the appropriate module, however the actual
assignment deadline will always be the last day listed on the syllabus
for that module. There will be a 10 %
penalty for each day an assignment is turned in late. After 10 days there will be no credit given
regardless of whether the assignment is completed. Where to Start?Find a news article that interests you. If you aren’t interested in the news article
you choose, this assignment will be much more difficult to complete. Scan news websites, read magazines, and pay
attention to current events to find something that catches your interest. If you are truly stuck on where to look or
how to begin, please ask myself or the AI and we will be happy to help. Be
sure that your selection comes from a valid news source. For example, publications (print or online)
such as The New York Times, Associated Press, Fox News, etc…are all
acceptable. News websites (both local
and national) are also appropriate. Sources
such as Wikipedia, US Magazine, or TMZ are not.
If you have a question of source validity please ask. You
must be able to either provide a link to you selection or turn in a copy of
your chosen story so that your AI and myself can look at your story if needed. For this reason, assessments of tv broadcasts
or radio shows will not be acceptable. Assignment Specifics:The
following must be submitted as your assessment.1.
A link to or
printed coy of your news story.
Your article must be from Jan.
2014 – present.2.
A paragraph (approximately ½ to ¾ page) summarizing
the main points of your selection. This
paragraph should summarize your news selection; it should not contain
every individual detail included in the story.a.
Keep in mind whether the article you are
discussing only presents one side of an argument (i.e. vaccines are bad) versus
an article that presents multiple viewpoints.b.
Also, you want to be sure that any claims and
information in your story are truly based on science (refer to class
lecture on 8-26-15). Many articles may
use phrases that sound scientific in nature, but are really claims not based on
scientific facts. We will gladly
help you if needed with this point.
i.
Your article may not contain the relevant
chemistry in the article itself.
However, the topic of the article may be related to the chemistry topics
we have discussed in class (see the assessment example provided below). The article itself is discussing the elite
runners who won the Boston Marathon this past year, while it does not directly
address the chemistry related to marathon running, the second part of the
assessment, the chemistry related to marathon running is addressed.3.
A paragraph (approximately ½ to ¾ page)
explaining how the claims and/or information in your article relate back to the
concepts and chemistry we are learning in class. You do
not need to include this in the Chemistry Basics assessment, just parts 1
and 2 are sufficient for the first module. Overall, your assessment
should not be shorter than 1 page, but should not exceed 2 pages in length
(double-spaced with 1” margins). See
example below for formatting.
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