Research Project
This semester, you will be able to choose from three Research Projects. Two are group projects and one is an individual project. Based on the project you choose, you will create a Fact Sheet which reflects upon your experiences and analyzes them against the major course concepts. The purpose of this project is to assess your level of mastery of the course concepts. The Research Project is worth 150 points: 30 points for your paper proposal, 100 points for your Fact Sheet, and 20 points for your group participation. Each person in the group will receive the same grade for the paper, but group participation points will be assigned by peer evaluation. If you choose to do an individual project, your Fact Sheet will be out of 120 points instead of 100 points.
Option 1: Service Learning Group Project
Description – Do you like the outdoors? Are you a hands-on learner? For this paper option, you will first complete a service learning project through the Center for Earth and Environmental Science. Click here to see a listing of the projects and for information on how to register. These projects are designed to give you first-hand experience in working on a local environmental issue. The projects you get to choose from are long-term restoration projects that benefit both our local, regional, and national environment. You will be asked to reflect on your experience and to define, for yourself, what environmentalism is. In this day and age of “Go Green,” what does going Green really entail and what is its purpose? How does this purpose relate to the concepts we’re learning in our class? To Sustainability? Earth as a System? To Population Grown? If you’ve ever wondered how planting a tree or preventing pollution affects our environment (and, eventually, our own health), this is the paper option for you!
How it works – You will sign up for a Service Learning Project and submit a Paper Proposal. Based on your paper proposal, you will be assigned to a group with two other students. In your proposal, you will have the opportunity to list possible collaborators, but they must participate in the same project as you do. Each group will have three students. During the service learning project, you will work together, taking pictures and discussing the paper guidelines. You will be required to meet at least one more time to discuss and work on organizing your paper. As this is an online course, I will also expect that you will communicate electronically through Oncourse Messages or the Forum tool that will be set up for your group. The full paper guidelines will be found under Forums > Research Project > Service Learning Group Option. These will be available in Week #2 of the semester.
Option 2: Food Consumption Group Project
Description – Don’t have time to spend half a day at a service project? Are you a foodie? Or have you ever wondered where you food comes from and how it got to your mouth? For this research project, you will prepare a meal with your group or eat at a restaurant with your group. This project is designed to help you to analyze your food consumption choices in the context of Sustainability: what resources are used to create the food you eat? You will be asked to reflect on your experience of shopping for, preparing, and eating food. Alternatively, if your group chooses to eat at a restaurant, you will reflect on the experience of the restaurant business, how your food was prepared, and eating the food. In either case, you will be asked to think about the resources that were used to create the meal and if that usage was necessary or wasteful. You will ultimately answer the question: Are my food choices sustainable?
How it works – You will submit a paper proposal. Based on your proposal, you will be assigned to a group with two other students. In your proposal, you will have the opportunity to list possible collaborators, but they must participate in the same project as you do. Each group will have three students. You will be required to meet at least two times during the semester to discuss and work on organizing your paper. As this is an online course, I will also expect that you will communicate electronically through Oncourse Messages or the Forum tool that will be set up for your group. The full paper guidelines will be found under Forums > Research Project > Food Consumption Group Option. These will be available in Week #2 of the semester.
Option 3: Clothing Consumption Individual Project
Description – If you’re not able to meet in person because you are a distance learner who does not come to campus or you have other constraints that prevent you from participating in a group project, you will want to choose this project. Have you ever looked at the tags on your clothes? What fabrics are they made of? What resources were used to create those fabrics? Where were they manufactured? How far did it have to travel to get to your closet? Do you think that the choices you make are sustainable? For this "My Consumption" fact sheet, you will look at what resources are used to clothe you every day. You will be asked to define, for yourself, what sustainability is and explain what the analysis of your clothing choices tells you about your own sustainability. If you’ve ever wondered about fashion and how sustainable it is to buy new clothes every season, then this is the project option for you!
How it works – You will submit a proposal to let me know that you have chosen an individual project. You will then work individually on this project and submit an individual paper which analyzes your clothing choices against resource use and the concept of sustainability. The full paper guidelines will be found under Forums > Research Project > Clothing Consumption Individual Project. These will be available in Week #2 of the semester