Research Project
Length: 5-6 pages (about 1,500 words)
Due dates: see syllabus
Discuss a technologically based disaster or problem, giving a history of the event or a discussion of its causes. Analyze its implications for life on the planet and possible steps for preventing its occurrence in the future.
By the due date listed on the syllabus, complete and hand in a copy of the worksheet below.
Use at least five sources from at least three of the categories of sources (internet, books, newspapers, journals, magazines, and other reference works). Choose sources carefully to reflect the best, most reliable, and most recent information on the topic.
Narrow your topic, especially when the listed topic is a general problem rather than a specific disaster.
Create an argumentative thesis. Include at least one paragraph of refutation. Use evidence from the sources to support your arguments. Don’t over quote. No more than 20% of your essay should be direct quotation. Remember that quotation and paraphrase should be acknowledged with parenthetical citations in the text. Include a “Works Cited” page that lists all the sources cited in the text of your essay.
The following are some suggestions, but you shouldn’t feel limited to them:
The Hindenburg disaster
Three-Mile Island
Chernobyl
Love Canal
The Challenger or Columbia accident
The Exxon oil spill
The New York garbage barge
The Ferald nuclear power plant
The year 2000 computer problem
The Nimitz Freeway disaster
The energy crisis
The Amazon rain forest
International terrorism via Internet
The ozone layer
Global warming
Acid rain
Toxic waste
Dioxin
Land fills
Genetic engineering
Electronic money laundering
Recombinant DNA technology
Biological/chemical weapons
Internet identity theft
Infrastructure failure (some aspect of it)
Nuclear power along the earthquake belt or some other specific problem with nuclear power)
Computer viruses/ spyware/ Trojan horses
Thalidomide babies
The spread of thermonuclear weapons among smaller nations
Cyber bullying
Music piracy (or some other form of piracy)
Criminality on the internet (narrow the focus to, for example, trafficking in slavery, identity theft, prostitution, child pornography, etc.)
Research Project Worksheet
Name:
Topic of your research paper:
Research questions:
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Temporary thesis:
Key words:
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Scratch outline:
Sources:
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Piracy and it’s effect on the economy
ReplyDeleteResearch Questions:
Why is piracy an attractive option for people?
What qualifies as piracy?
What systems are in place to help/hurt piracy?
What is the effect of piracy on the economy?
How is piracy being combated?
What is the brief history of piracy/counterfeit goods?
What are the ethics of pirating software?
What is the effect on piracy of online storage giant megaupload’s closing?
Temporary Thesis: Computer piracy is great for the consumer, horrible for the industry, and has a grey legality. Why is it that piracy has been able to thrive? And how can piracy be reduced worldwide?
Keywords:
piracy
software
p2p
internet
music piracy
video piracy
RIAA
MPAA
Mega-Upload
bit-torrent
gnutella p2p
kazaa
napster
file-sharing
Scratch Outline:
Introduction, Thesis
Brief History of Computer Piracy
Why Computer Users Pirate
What Counts As Piracy
How Users Pirate
Economic Effects of Piracy
Reducing Piracy Worldwide
Conclusion
Sources:
Bender, Mark T, and Yongsheng Wang. "The Impact of Digital Piracy on Music
Sales: A Cross-Country Analysis." International Social Science Review 84.3/
4 (2009): 157-170. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
Chaundry, Peggy, and Alan S. Zimmerman. The economics of counterfeit trade:
governments, consumers, pirates, and intellectual property rights. New
York: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg , 2009. Summon. Web. 28 Mar. 2012.
"History of the Internet Piracy Debate." Congressional Digest 90.9 (2011):
258-288. Academic Search Complete. Web. 3 Apr. 2012.
Research Project Worksheet
ReplyDeleteName: Samantha Weeks
Topic of your research paper: The effects of acid rain on the Chinese economy
Research questions:
1. What are the immediate effects on the Chinese government?
2. What are they doing to combat acid rain?
3. Have there been significant increases in acid rain activity in the country?
4. What are the long-term effects of acid rain on this economically advancing country?
5. Is the significant acid rain issue in China receiving enough attention to ultimately be combatted?
Temporary thesis: The effects of acid rain are continuously hindering the Chinese economy.
Key words:
1. Acid rain
2. Chinese economy
3. Weather and the effects on humans
4. Neutralization
5. Hydrogen-ion concentration
6. Environmental indicators
7. Water chemistry
8. Water pollution
9. Impact analysis
10. Environmental degradation and protection
Scratch outline:
Introduction and Thesis
History of Acid Rain in China (review which areas it affects)
Immediate impacts on economy
Who it affects and where
Long-term effects on economy
What is being done
What needs to be done to fully combat acid rain and how the economy will be restored
Conclusion
Sources:
Zhang, Xiuying, Hong Jiang, Jiaxin Jin, Xiaohua Xu, and Qingxin Zhang. "Analysis of Acid Rain Patterns in Northeastern China Using a Decision Tree Method." Atmospheric Environment (2011). Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
Han, Guilin, Qixin Wu, and Yang Tang. "Acid Rain and Alkalization in Southwestern China: Chemical and Strontium Isotope Evidence in Rainwater from Guiyang." Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry 68.2 (2011): 139-55. Academic Search Complete. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
Tang, Jie, Xu XiaoBin, Jin BA, and ShuFeng Wang. "Trends of the Precipitation Acidity over China during 1992-2006." Chinese Science Bulletin 55.17 (2010): 1800-807. Chinese Science Bulletin. Web. 10 Apr. 2012.
Wang, Hua, and Guilin Han. "Chemical Composition of Rainwater and Anthropogenic Influences in Chengdu, Southwest China." Microsoft Academic Search. Feb. 2011. Web. 10 Apr. 2012. .
Research Project Worksheet
ReplyDeleteName: Kevin Herman
Topic of your research paper: Terrorism via the Internet
Research questions:
1. How do terrorists use the internet?
2. What are examples of acts of terrorism via the internet?
3. What has the government done to regulate the internet in the past?
4. What can the government do to improve regulation?
5. What are flaws with the attempted passing’s of SOPA and PIPA?
Temporary thesis: The government needs to upgrade its regulation and surveillance of the internet due to the abundance of terrorism via the internet.
Key words:
1. Terrorism
2. Internet
3. Computer
4. Military
5. Virus
6. Regulation
7. SOPA
8. PIPA
9. Iran
10. Iraq
Scratch outline:
-Introduction with thesis
-Background on terrorism over the internet
-Why terrorism via the internet is a significant problem
-What the govt is currently doing in response to the problem
-Why and how they need to upgrade surveillance/regulation
-Conclusion
Sources:
1. Weimann, G. (2005). How Modern Terrorism Uses the Internet. The Journal of International Security Affairs, Issue 8. Retrieved from http://www.securityaffairs.org/issues/2005/08/weimann.php
2. Kaplan, E. (2009, January 8). Terrorists and the Internet. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from http://www.cfr.org/terrorism-and-technology/terrorists-internet/p10005
3. Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Intelligence. (2010) Internet terror recruitment and tradecraft : how can we address an evolving tool while protecting free speech? : hearing before the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment of the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, May 26, 2010. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office
4. Ogun, N. (2012). Terrorist Use of Internet: Possible Suggestions to Prevent the Usage for Terrorist Purposes. Journal of Applied Security Research, Vol. 7 Issue 2, p203-217. doi: 10.1080/19361610.2012.656252
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ReplyDeleteTopic of Research Paper
ReplyDeleteThe energy crisis.
Research Questions.
What is wrong with oil?
What alternatives exist for energy?
How long can oil last?
What are the costs of alternative energy and oil?
Thesis: The world is dependent on a very unsustainable natural resource and to progress as a global community we must wean ourselves off of oil.
For a hook I will provide some jarring facts about oil consumption in the world and its effects on the environment. I will talk about how this is unsustainable and that we must find alternative sources of energy in later paragraphs.
Key Terms
Oil
Environment
Unsustainability
Alternative energy
Middle east
OPEC
Carbon emissions
Sources
The Middle East, Oil and the Great Powers
Energy, Economic Growth, and the Environment
Environmental Politics and the Coal Coalition
Energy Crises in Perspective