Directions for completing policy opinion response assignments

September 12, 2002

Choose three opinions among the set that you read that you think are especially well thought out and well written.

· Please be careful not to simply choose those you agree the most with, but those who succinctly and effectively present their viewpoint.

· Also, please be careful not to just choose those at the top of the list, since they are most convenient.

· Please do not choose your own, if it happens to be in the set you read.

Choose one to three that do the best job at presenting a point of view that was new and credible; you may not necessarily agree with it.

· The choices for "best" and "new" could overlap.

There is no right or wrong per se – you will receive a standard amount of credit for doing the exercise. ,

Please be conscientious. It will probably become apparent if the choices are seemingly randomly chosen.

The most important reason for this exercise is to become aware of the range of perspectives of your peers, and broaden your own point of view.

Those whose opinions are most often cited will receive extra credit for their efforts. I want those who take the time to do a good job to have some recognition for their work, though this will probably play only a subtle role in the final grade computation. (I haven’t decided how to statistically translate citations into extra credit points.)

Those that are most frequently cited may also be highlighted in some way in the list of class opinions. Over the course of the semester this will help us all to learn how to craft effective succinct opinions. Please do not be discouraged if you entries are not so recognized.

This is an experiment, so please be patient while I iron out the kinks. It is possible that I will find a simpler manner to undertake this exercise using a different kind of software, but that is under exploration.

Please be sure to drop me a line if you have comments or questions. Thank you.

Send your choices in an email to rmr16@cornell.edu like the following.

Please submit your opinions using exactly the following formatting. It may seem oddly formal, but it helps enormously to be able to keep track of so many emails every week.

a. In the subject line write:

THOL02 <question key word(s)> response <your last name,> <your first name>

· the stuff in the brackets is what you fill in

· do not type the brackets

· use one space between each word

Notice that the only difference between this subject line and the one you used for your 100-word opinion is the word “response”

For example,

Subject: THOL02 hominid remains response Ross, Robert

The key words are at the bottom of this page, and are also listed on the syllabus.

(Why make it so difficult to follow? My email program will sort “THOL02 question key word” into an appropriate mailbox; the emails in the mailbox will be easy to sort according to your last name. What will happen if you make a typo or do it wrong? – nothing at all, but I’ll need to manually put the email into the right place.)

b. In the “body,” type:

Best,<#>,<#>,<#>

New idea,<#>,<#>,<#>

(The reason for making this part so rigidly formatted is that it will be much easier to collect your responses using a spread like Microsoft Excel if everyone submits their answer in the same way.)

The following are not serious mistakes, but please note:

Please do not use formatting – use just plain text.

Please don’t use number symbol, for example, #34

Please don’t use hyphens instead of commas: best-17,30,54

Please don’t use line breaks:

best

34,44,45

It is not necessary (though it doesn’t matter) to skip lines between best and new:

best,34, 45, 56

[unnecessary line space here]

new,35,50

Please don’t combine assignments – make each a separate email. I can keep track of them better that way.

c. That’s all. You needn’t write anything else in the body. Again, please notice that commas go between every item, including after the words “best” and “new idea.”

1 Th Aug 29	1. Introduction: Hyde Park mastodon		keyword(s)
2 Tu Sep 3	2. Hyde Park mastodon
3 Th Sep 5	question: should fossil animals be cloned?		cloning
4 Tu Sep 10	3. Jarkov mammoth
5 Th Sep 12		question: what should be policy about global warming?	global warming
6 Tu Sep 17		4. fossil hominids: late Pleistocene
7 Th Sep 19		question: should all hominid remains be returned to native peoples?	hominid remains
8 Tu Sep 24		5. megavertebrates and human overkill
9 Th Sep 26		question: how far should we go to protect animals from extinction?	extinction
10 Tu Oct 1		6. evolution of whales
11 Th Oct 3		question: who should have the right to control or allow whale hunting?	whale hunting
12 Tu Oct 8		7. arms race in the sea: predator and prey in the sea
13 Th Oct 10		question: should there be larger controls on petroleum and coal use?	fossil fuels
14 Tu Oct 15		Mid-term
xx Th Oct 17		Fall Break
15 Tu Oct 22		8. dinosaur size; midterm review
16 Th Oct 24		question: is geological age a”fact?”	geological age
17 Tu Oct 29		9. dinosaur predation; extinction
18 Th Oct 31		question: who owns what’s in the Earth?	specimen ownership
19 Tu Nov 5		10. birds are dinosaurs
20 Th Nov 7		question: should evolution be taught in science classes in all public schools?	teaching evolution
21 Tu Nov 12		11. pterosaurs are not birds, marine reptiles are not dinosaurs
22 Th Nov 14		question: is history a science?	history
xx Tu Nov 19		12. synapsids are not mammals or even reptiles
xx Th Nov 21		question: should habitats be preserved?	habitat preservation
23 Tu Nov 26		Thanksgiving week
24 Th Nov 28		Thanksgiving week
25 Tu Dec 3		13. Devonian seas over New York, origin of land life
26 Th Dec 5		question: should the public be involved in making science policies?	public decisions
27 Tu Dec 10		14. the first records of animal life: the Burgess Shale
28 Th Dec 12		question: should public money be devoted to search for evidence of extraterrestial life?	extraterrestrial life
TBA		Exam review
TBA		Final exam