John Maingi
Short Writing Assignment for Students
2005 Workshop on Improving Student Writing
Center for Writing Excellence
Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching
INTRODUCTION FOR FACULTY TO THIS SHORT WRITING ASSIGNMENT
GEO 271 Humans and Natural Resources
This course meets the Miami Plan for Liberal Education goals and also the following course goals:
- Investigate key issues related to sustainable management and use of natural resources.
- Develop an understanding of human-environment relationships emphasizing on humans as agents of environmental change.
- Exercise skills of reading, synthesizing information, research writing and critical thinking.
This assignment is aimed at increasing the number of students actively engaged in critical thinking by extending and deepening the classroom discussions through writing. This goal is accomplished by conducting classroom debates on controversial propositions related to human use of natural resources. In the current assignment, I have chosen two pairs of controversial topics for debate on a related topic-Oil. The exercise calls upon the students to gather evidence and prepare arguments in favor of their positions in the form of a writing assignment, and eventually particpate in a classroom debate on the issues.
FOSSIL FUELS: OIL
Learning Objectives:
- This assignment will help you recognize that the decision-making process in natural resource management is complex and requires careful consideration of multiple strategies supported by the best evidence available.
- Provide you with an opportunity to solve problems in groups.
Process: You will be assigned randomly into four groups. Each group member will:
- Gather evidence in support of one of the four statements outlined below and write a one-page document articulating your arguments.
- Draw upon assigned readings, newspapers, and magazines to prepare your arguments.
- During the next class, I will give you an opportunity to meet with your group for about 15 minutes in order to compile and prepare group arguments for oral presentation in support of their assigned statement.
- During the discussion, did you discover any gaps in your knowledge? Use a pencil to include arguments you missed into your one-page argument and turn it in at the end of the class.
The four groups will be debating on 1-2 and 3-4 during the next class.
Statement Pairs to be debated
- Opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil drilling is good for the economy and will help reduce US dependency on foreign oil.
- The Alaska National Wildlife Refuse (ANWR) is a pristine and delicate ecosystem that should remain a wilderness.
- Increasing gasoline taxes is the best strategy to reduces gasoline consumption in the US.
- Raising the corporate average fuel economy (CAF´E) on vehicles in the US is the more responsible and effective way to reduce gasoline consumption.
Reflection
At the end of the debate, you will have 10-15 minutes to write a 1-page reflection on the debates. Now that both sides of each argument have been presented, what arguments did you find most persuading and why?
Grading
Grading of the 1-page argument and reflection will be based on three checks (check plus, check, and check minus) and determined based on the quality of arguments and supporting evidence you provided in support of your group's argument. The reflection will also be graded in a similar manner based on how clearly you present your summary statement following the debate.