Science and Environment Writing FALL 2008
Topics in Media Writing / COMM 4254 (Virginia Tech) / COMM - MSTD 407 (Radford)
Link back to the class home page
Each student is expected to write 100 - 200 words each week on their observations on reading and questions for class guests
Students may post their stories or send them via email to the instructor. (wkovarik@radford.edu)
To create a wiki site of your own, go to www.pbwiki.com. Or, use any wiki or web page you can link to. Be sure to link it in the appropriate area for your group, below, so everyone can see it. FYI, the password for this page will be given in class or by email.
Current Exercise ... Dec. 2
Read this: "Climate change skeptics on Capitol Hill are quietly watching a growing accumulation of global cooling science and other findings that could signal that the science behind global warming may still be too shaky to warrant cap-and-trade legislation...\" Climate change skeptics on Capitol Hill are quietly watching a growing accumulation of global cooling science and other findings that could signal that the science behind global warming may still be too shaky to warrant cap-and-trade legislation..."
1. What was the reaction to the climate change article ?
2. What kinds of professional and ethical tools do we bring to bear on these problems?
!
Interview with Dan Grossman, producer of Meltdown
Discussion with Michael Polan, author of the Omnivore's Dilemma
!
Citizen Journalists can save the environment -- Jeff Goodell, author of Big Coal
Wyss book reading assignments
!
Student pages
Angie De Soto
Courtney's in the house
Quentin
Jackie Pontious
Deaaannnaaaaa
Maureen
Chris Cox
Derek Ragland
Will Parker
Koryn Stevens
Stories for College of Natural Resources Public Affairs Office:
If you choose to write one of the stories
-call/email the professor involved to set up an interview and tell them you are working with Lynn Davis
-i also have some info so ask me (Maureen) and I'll pass on what I have to you.
-best place to start: search the professors name on VT web page
-after you write the story send a copy of the story and some photographs to Lynn Davis: davisl@vt.edu
*Water Project Story
Professor Tamin Younous conducts research for Virginia Water Center
Angle: What are the water problems in Virginia? What does the center do to help?
*The Future of U.S. hardwood lumber industry & assessing the economic impact of global competition on the Appalachian hardwood industry
Wood Science and Forest Products Associate Professor Urs Buehlmann
*Korine Kolivras of the Lyme disease research team has received $20,000 to support preliminary analyses and data collection on the project from Vt's Institute for Biomedical and Public Health Sciences
*Kristen deBeurs' research on the effect of gypsy moth defoliation using MODIS
*Lynn Resler and some graduate students spends the summer in the Rockies at Glacier National Park studying White Pine Blister Rust Disease
Web reading & reaction
Sept. 2 -- Orwell - Politics and the English language (Sept. 2) And by the way, here's Lincoln's Gettysburg Address Powerpoint
Sept. 4 -- Climate Change - Russell, Rosenbaum, Gelbspan (Sept. 2)
Sept. 9 -- Climate Change - Whitby, Fahn (for Sept 4)
Sept 11 -- Ten tips for covering biofuels
Sept. 16 -- The Alligator’s Allure: Changing Perceptions of a Charismatic Carnivore by Mark Barrow
Due Sept. 23 Historical exercise -- Find article(s) dealing with a controversy before 1922. How was it written? What sources were used? What assumptions are evident?
Sept 26 - Ecotourism
Oct 2 -- Writing Mrs. Kelly's Monster
SEJ CONFERENCE -- Oct 17 & 18
Friday student conference session signups
Saturday student conference session signups
Sunday assignments
__ __
Oct 21 --Arizona Star Warming series by Tony Davis Davis seems to be trying to pitch the story to the average reader.
Oct 22 - 23 -- (Wyss Chapter 4) Sex, drugs, violence - Stephen Jay Gould
Oct 30 -- Tammy Ballinsky talk on regulation
Nov. 3 -- React to Tom Henry's article
Nov. 5 -- Cleaning up the Bush agenda -- Three paragraph reaction / research assignment
Nov. 13 -- Future of Appalachia
Dec. 2 -- Green Old Party (Suggested by Chris Cox)
Open Discussion about class and assignments - **
You are encouraged to write comments here about the class. All should be signed.
Thanks -- BK
Comments (0)
You don't have permission to comment on this page.