Science in the Era of Covid 19

Assignment #1: Science in the Era of Covid 19

Due Monday by 11:55pm Points 15

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Available Jun 13 at 12am - Jun 22 at 11:59pm 10 days

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Thinking Critically about Science!

You have learned about the nature of the Scientific Method in Module 1 of our course;

particularly you should now understand that science is a process!

However, sometimes this aspect of science becomes very frustrating to many people, including

both scientists and non-scientists alike. Consider the current COVID-19 pandemic: scientists

are under an immense amount of pressure to find out as much as possible about this virus and

come up with ways to stave off the symptoms and ultimately deliver a vaccine as soon as

possible. People who are not scientists are consuming news from multiple sources that may

not be well-reported or may be entirely unreliable.

This week's assignment involves the nature of science, anecdotal versus scientific data, and

clearing up misconceptions. As discussed in the module, it is very important to be able to

understand what science is and what it is not. For discussion, you'll use this webpage that

addresses Misconceptions about Science.

(http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/misconceptions.php) A misconception is

an incorrect view based on faulty understanding. The website link lists several common

misconceptions and then provides corrections for each of them. An additional resource is A

Rough Guide to Spotting Bad Science (https://www.compoundchem.com/wp-

content/uploads/2014/04/A-Rough-Guide-to-Spotting-Bad-Science-20151.pdf) . This page details

the hallmarks of "bad science", or how people may promote ideas that have not been

appropriately studied through the scientific process.

Please answer the five questions below. You can either cut and paste your answers or you

may upload a file (please do not post links to Google Docs or use the Apple .pages format;

only use approved formats). Your answers (without the questions) should total at least 300

words.

Anth 1 Assignment #1 Grading Rubric

1. Sometimes people typically depend on anecdotal evidence instead of scientific evidence.

Can you think of an example? Use this as an opportunity to clearly demonstrate you know

what these terms mean; do not simply repeat examples from the course.

2. Do you think people are more likely to trust first-hand stories from individuals they know or

general scientific information? Briefly discuss.

3. What do you think are some of the reasons that many people are skeptical about a lot of

science today (e.g., vaccines, round earth, climate change, belief in conspiracy theories)?

If you happen to be a science skeptic, please do not use this space to promote your

ideas. I am looking for WHY people hold these views, not WHAT the views are.

4. Select one of the MISCONCEPTIONS about Science described on the website provided.

How does it contribute to people's mistrust of science (maybe yourself? someone you

know?). Alternatively, you may select one of the issues in bad science reporting or faulty

analyses from the Bad Science Guide to address this.

5. How could this problem be corrected? Do you think people who mistrust science are likely

to change their minds?

Total Points: 15.0

Criteria Ratings Pts

3.0 pts

3.0 pts

3.0 pts

3.0 pts

3.0 pts

Question

1 3.0 pts

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question fully and

appropriately.

2.0 pts

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question,

possibly too

brief or not

entirely clear.

1.0 pts

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Answer is incomplete or

not entirely appropriate.

Did you misunderstand

the question?

0.0 pts

No Marks

Does not

answer the

question.

Question

2 3.0 pts

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question fully and

appropriately.

2.0 pts

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question,

possibly too

brief or not

entirely clear.

1.0 pts

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Answer is incomplete or

not entirely appropriate.

Did you misunderstand

the question?

0.0 pts

No Marks

Does not

answer the

question.

Question

3 3.0 pts

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question fully and

appropriately.

2.0 pts

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question,

possibly too

brief or not

entirely clear.

1.0 pts

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Answer is incomplete or

not entirely appropriate.

Did you misunderstand

the question?

0.0 pts

No Marks

Does not

answer the

question.

Question

4 3.0 pts

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question fully and

appropriately.

2.0 pts

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question,

possibly too

brief or not

entirely clear.

1.0 pts

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Answer is incomplete or

not entirely appropriate.

Did you misunderstand

the question?

0.0 pts

No Marks

Does not

answer the

question.

Question

5 3.0 pts

Full Marks

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question fully and

appropriately.

2.0 pts

Partial Marks

Answers

question,

possibly too

brief or not

entirely clear.

1.0 pts

Low Marks

Answer is incomplete or

not entirely appropriate.

Did you misunderstand

the question?

0.0 pts

No Marks

Does not

answer the

question.