Marine Policy Project Overview 2014 15
Marine Policy Project: Overview
Blue Ice Antarctica (from B. Longworth (WHOI) with permission)
This research project will be completed in four (4) parts throughout the term and will require students to identify, research, and build an argument (pro or con) regarding a specific issue related to the oceans. At the end of the term each student will have produced at least three (3) concisely written “letters of appeal,” that may be sent to three different local, regional, national, international political organizations, corporations, or research institutions. See Calendar for due dates.
This project is worth 20% of the Final Grade Part 1: Identify the Issue:
I will start out by saying that this is the most important part of any research project. If you take the time now to consider your issue carefully, determine that it is not too narrow or too broad, and find 4-5 good primary scientific references, you will have a much easier time writing your research paper in Part 2, and writing your letters of appeal in Part 4. Conversely, if you decide to pick the first topic that pops into your mind, you may be ‘sweating it” during the writing phase.
The only restriction on the choice of an issue is that it must be related to the ocean. Read chapters 14 and 15 in the text book and look online for ideas. Other places to search are the NOAA Ocean Explorer website; the NASA Oceanography webpage; the USGS Pacific Coast and Marine Science Center; and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Some ideas include:
Mining Ocean Resources (choose a specific resource or geographic region): oil, manganese, diamonds, or deep ocean mining, in a specific geographic location.
Tidal and Wave Energy (choose a specific method and/or geographic region)
International Fishing Practices and Legislation: Overfishing, illegal fishing, methods, or fishing regulations, it would be best to focus on a single species and/or geographic region.
The Human Impact on Coastal Zone; choose a specific coastal zone
Blue Ice Antarctica (from B. Longworth (WHOI) with permission)
This research project will be completed in four (4) parts throughout the term and will require students to identify, research, and build an argument (pro or con) regarding a specific issue related to the oceans. At the end of the term each student will have produced at least three (3) concisely written “letters of appeal,” that may be sent to three different local, regional, national, international political organizations, corporations, or research institutions. See Calendar for due dates.
This project is worth 20% of the Final Grade Part 1: Identify the Issue:
I will start out by saying that this is the most important part of any research project. If you take the time now to consider your issue carefully, determine that it is not too narrow or too broad, and find 4-5 good primary scientific references, you will have a much easier time writing your research paper in Part 2, and writing your letters of appeal in Part 4. Conversely, if you decide to pick the first topic that pops into your mind, you may be ‘sweating it” during the writing phase.
The only restriction on the choice of an issue is that it must be related to the ocean. Read chapters 14 and 15 in the text book and look online for ideas. Other places to search are the NOAA Ocean Explorer website; the NASA Oceanography webpage; the USGS Pacific Coast and Marine Science Center; and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Some ideas include:
Mining Ocean Resources (choose a specific resource or geographic region): oil, manganese, diamonds, or deep ocean mining, in a specific geographic location.
Tidal and Wave Energy (choose a specific method and/or geographic region)
International Fishing Practices and Legislation: Overfishing, illegal fishing, methods, or fishing regulations, it would be best to focus on a single species and/or geographic region.
The Human Impact on Coastal Zone; choose a specific coastal zone