The syllabus says, correctly, that there is an optional paper for this class, which counts a certain percentage of the grade. THIS IS NOT "EXTRA CREDIT;" if you do the paper, it counts. This means if you have an A average you do not want to turn in a B paper.
If you do this paper, it is due on the day announced in the syllabus in my mailbox in room 223 Sharp Lab. If you submit it electronically, which means you send it as the text of an e-mail message, you have a little more time; it is due at midnight on that day. PLEASE DO NOT SEND ME ATTACHMENTS - with my dinosaur of a computer, or when I work at home using a Mac, it is not always easy to open them. (Incidentally, when NASA was accepting both e-mail and paper versions of proposals to use telescopes in space, their paper deadline was earlier than the e-mail deadline, just as it is for this course. Now, they don't accept paper. I anticipate that other agencies and companies will function the same way; college is a good time to gain experience submitting things electronically.)
The length of the paper should be 2-3 pages double spaced, or an equivalent amount of text if you submit it electronically. If you or, better yet, your word processor, counts words, a good target would be 600 words.
CHOICE NUMBER 1: Choose a career - this question will make most sense to you if your choice is one that you might at least seriously consider. How does the human genome project influence that career? You might wish to look at some of the human genome websites in order to answer this question.
CHOICE NUMBER 2: At the dawn of the 21st century, most people believe that universities and the K-12 school system should help all students become competent in computing. Select both a grade level and a particular institution at that grade level (for example: higher education, and University of Delaware; K-4 education, and an elementary school which you are familiar with). What are the goals and objectives this institution has in making students familiar with computing? How successful has the institution been?
CHOICE NUMBER 3: What did you learn about the distinction between Western science and other types of science from the class and websites on Polynesian wayfinding? How could this section of the course be improved?
CHOICE NUMBER 4: Select a reasonably short item from the course reading list. This could be a chapter from a book, an article from the reader, an article from the reserve room, or a website. Imagine that someone has asked you to review this article for a website which describes possible curricular resources, and lists the grade level at which that resource can be used. Write a review.
CHOICE NUMBER 5. Make up your own topic and answer it. You will be graded on both parts -- on the intelligence of the topic, and on the depth of your answer.
There are no "correct" answers to the above questions. Your essay will be graded on the criteria which are used for every college essay -- and which are used for every business communication you write later on. Does your paper include a coherent argument, which is well backed up with specific examples chosen from the text?
Your paper will be graded by me. Guidelines to the grading are as follows:
A: A paper with good ideas, in which each major argument is well backed up by factual examples. The arguments should flow together and the paper should have a central focus. It should be well written.
B: A paper which is O.K. in one of the three major areas mentioned above (ideas, well backed up arguments, and writing style) and is good in the other two areas.
C: A paper which is O.K. in the three major areas above and not seriously deficient in any one of them.
D: A paper which is marginal.
WARNING: The work you do on either of these papers is expected to be YOUR OWN WORK. While you may talk to others in the class about this project you are expected to write it up on your own. If you would like to work with someone else on a project, this is OK but you must consult me in advance regarding (i) how this project will be bigger than a single-author project, (ii) how the two of you will divide up the work, and (iii) how you will make sure that both of you contribute to the paper.
Updated May 4, 2001 by Harry Shipman