Course-Based Research Assignment: Decoding Political Claims About the Environment (EVRN/GEOG 371)

This assignment was the product of a Research-Intensive Course Grant through KU’s Center for Undergraduate Research. These grants provide financial support and advising for instructors who want to incorporate larger research and creative projects into their classes. ; These final project instructions describe the sequential steps that the class followed and identify the objective of each step and what, exactly, is due to complete each step. Providing the full set of instructions for the final project on the first day of class gives students visibility on the kind of work they will be doing and the kinds of questions they will be working with for the class. Separately, we also toured the Writing Center's website to learn about source material and other aspects of written work. Other, weekly writing assignments provided opportunities to see examples of this kind of analysis, to demonstrate an understanding of course material, and to practice writing with a critical approach. These final project instructions describe the sequential steps that the class followed and identify the objective of each step and what, exactly, is due to complete each step. Providing the full set of instructions for the final project on the first day of class gives students visibility on the kind of work they will be doing and the kinds of questions they will be working with for the class. Separately, we also toured the Writing Center's website to learn about source material and other aspects of written work. Other, weekly writing assignments provided opportunities to see examples of this kind of analysis, to demonstrate an understanding of course material, and to practice writing with a critical approach.