journal article analysis

Writing II: Environmental Social Science Article Analysis

In-class Outline exercise Thursday, Oct. 26 (must have read and taken notes on paper before that point)

Final paper due in D2L assignment folder before class Thursday, Nov. 2

The purpose of this writing assignment is for students to learn to read, summarize, and, most importantly, analyze a peer-reviewed environmental sociology article from a peer-reviewed academic journal. Students will develop critical reading and writing skills, and link a research article to topics discussed in Soc 200.

An excellent paper will be organized around a strong, focused thesis. It will have a very clear, logical, hierarchical organization and utilize subject headings. In addition to the specific journal article chosen by the student (from those made available on D2L), the essay should draw some ideas from your textbook, specifically Chapters 7 and 8 focused on environmental values. Both of those sources will be correctly and consistently cited both in-text and in a standard works cited list. An excellent essay will NOT rely on Wikipedia or similarly informal or unreliable sources of information. An excellent essay will present a short but accurate summary of the article, and then describe two or three ways that the authors of the article contribute or challenge our understanding of environmental sociology. Finally, an excellent essay will be engaging to read, well-written, and be free of grammatical or spelling errors.

It perhaps goes without saying, but I’m going to anyway, that an excellent paper will not be copied from, nor heavily influenced by, another students’ paper and will be written entirely by the student author.

Paper requirements:

· 900 – 1050 words (about 4 pages)

· Include word count in parentheses underneath your name

· Word count does not include your works cited list

· Standard formatting – 1” margins, double or 1.5 spacing, 11 pr 12 point standard font

· No title page, please.

· Must be based on an article from the scholarly journal Global Environmental Politics, published between 2006 and 2015.

· Must incorporate textbook chapters 7 and 8, with your thesis and analysis clearly connecting the journal article and the textbook. (Additional sections of text may be used as well, but paper analysis should mostly rely on Ch. 7 and 8.)

· Must use APA citation style, both in-text citations and in your works cited list. Failing to appropriately cite the information you use in your paper is plagiarism. Using non-APA style citations will result in a grade reduction. **Please refer to the Purdue Online Writing Lab website for discussion of how to appropriately cite your research and format the works cited list: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/583/1/

· Electronic copy should be turned in before class on the due date on the D2L Assignments.

Students are encouraged to make use of the writing tutors at one of the two Write Place locations, the main office in Building 51B, Rm. 117 and another office in the Miller Center, Rm. 135E. Bring a copy of this assignment description with you to the Write Place.