needed in 2 to 3 hours

These are weekly extra/alternative credit assignments open to everyone.

These assignments should take the form of a short essay with references.  See the Critical Writing Rubric (Course Resources Module, below) for more details.  They should be typed-up as a word document (.doc, .docx) and uploaded to Canvas by the posted due date.

PROMPTS/QUESTIONS FOR CRITICAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT 

1. Research a mine (active or abandoned) near where you live.  Find at least one article on the mine.

2. Summarize what is mined there, how much economic activity it supports, what environmental issues arise from the mine, and what if anything is being done about it (find a second article if the first one doesn't address this).

3. Do you think that the mine is 'worth it'? What do you think could be done better, if anything?

4.  Use the CRITICAL WRITING GUIDELINES AND RUBRIC (see below) to evaluate the authors and apply skepticism to their positions. 

 

GUIDLINES FOR CRITICAL WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

Critical Writing Guidelines and Rubric.pdf

Each critical writing assignment will consist of two parts, a response to the prompts or questions posed, including supporting citations from your own independent research, and a critical evaluation of the sources that you chose to use. SUMMARY OF GUIDELINES

Each submission should include: I. CRITICAL WRITING RESPONSE TO PROMPTS AND QUESTIONS (10 pts) Follow the instructions provided for the assignment. Be sure to put everything in your own words. Summarize the topic and the content of any sources you cite.

II. CRITICAL EVALUATION OF SOURCES (10 pts) Publisher/Organization/Author (2 pt) 1. Name/Title of organization/publisher 2. Type (government, educational, NGO, etc.) 3. Name of author 4. Authors qualifications, credentials 5. Is this source credible?

Purpose/Agenda/Bias (3 pts) 1. Does the source have an obvious purpose? 2. Does this lead to a biased view of the issue? 3. Does this bias affect the credibility of their position? 4. If you believe the source is unbiased, explain why

Skepticism (3 pts) 1. Are you skeptical about anything in this source?

Note that skepticism is not the same as doubt or cynicism; it is the application of your own judgement and knowledge to an argument and the pursuit of a more complete understanding. 2. Is any information confusing or misrepresented? 3. Is anything missing (information, an important viewpoint)? 4. Does the author provide sources? Are they credible (can you find the data, is it relevant)?

Citations (2 pts) 1. Author’s name, Title of article/video, Year published, URL