Assignments

Short Paper:
The short paper should be an essay of no more than four pages, double-spaced. The essay is based on formulating a hypothesis and presenting evidence in defense of the hypothesis. An "A" paper will incorporate of outside material, eg. other information or comparison of other islands, books, or ethnographies. Short papers are DUE on the day they are assigned BY 5:00 PM VIA EMAIL. Late papers will have 20 points deducted from your score. They may be turned in early. See Sample outline for essay.

Island Paper:
After selecting the island or group of islands you wish to research, you will be assigned to a group based upon a particular feature--location, or ecological, cultural, or political area. You may work together to address issues and compare islands, but you must hand in separate papers with no portions copied from a single paper. Your group will present your islands together in front of the class at the end of the term. Papers must include a section on human carrying capacity and immigration figures (50 points). An A paper must be in web page form. If you need help creating a website for your paper, please make an appointment with someone in the computer labs or Dr. Stans. Please see grading rubric (Grammar, spelling, whole sentences, application, and creativity count). "A" papers will be posted on the Pacific Expeditions website and be eligible for nomination for Ampersand, the reviewed electronic journal of the College of Arts and Sciences. See outline for paper.

Compare to Florida and visit agency/site with similar issue: Students may select to research a particular issue of a group of islands and visit a local agency or site that deals with a similar local issue as individuals or as a group. Make an appointment, talk to people in charge. Find out how Florida is dealing with the problem, what risks are entailed, and what solutions are being taken or investigated. Sign up for a day to tell the class about your visit. Incorporate your knowledge into your paper. Cite interviews in your bibliography.

Debate:
The whole class will debate both sides of the issue. One side of the class will develop arguments for an issue and the other side will debate against the issue. After an appropriate interval, the whole class will switch sides and address the opposing side. Print out the debate to read and research ahead of time. Come prepared with outlines for both sides. Your grade will depend upon your participation in class, a written outline of both sides, and outside research (citations, quotes, and bibliography) about the issue. When using an outside source, you must cite the author and date.

Group Presentation (100 points):
Your group grade will depend upon your collective presentation of your island groups. You will be graded on your knowledge of the material, comparison of issues among islands researched, summary of the most important parts, interaction with class, provoking ethical questions, creativity, use of multimedia (most credit for creating webpages for material), relating island issues to the Florida, comparison of carrying capacity, professionalism, and the equal division of responsibility within the group.