M8A2: Science in Today’s World - ReflectionsWe have covered a lot of information in a very short time in this course. The purpose of the course is to introduce you to some of the exciting things goi

M8A2: Science in Today’s World - Reflections

We have covered a lot of information in a very short time in this course. The purpose of the course is to introduce you to some of the exciting things going on in the world of science and to make you a more informed consumer of scientific information. Scientific discoveries are influencing our world at an ever increasing rate, and the democratic process requires an informed population to make wise choices. Each new discovery brings fabulous potential benefits but also raises concerns about possible unforeseen consequences. The analysis of news reports and scientific information presented in this course has helped you to hone your critical and analytical thinking skills about complex problems. These are skills you can apply to many areas of day-to-day life. This final assignment is going to ask you to apply these skills in a reflection on what you have learned in the course, what you found most informative, and why.

Completing this activity will assist you in mastering Module Level Outcome 4.

When writing this essay, be aware that your work has to show significant effort, creative thought, and research from sources inside the modules. Use APA style citations within the text and complete references in your reference page.

This assignment will be a 750-1000 word (3 page) essay. It must include:

• A title page, including the title of your essay, your name, the course, and the date
• 3 pages of text
  • Include in-text citations for all quotations and any information paraphrased from sources. Only ideas from your brain do not need citations! Please see the EC Library tutorial on plagiarism (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• A reference page with complete references in APA style.

Topic:  We wish to bring together all the things you have learned in this course. Thus, please address the following questions in your essay:

1. What is the “take away message” from this course regarding the identification of reliable sources of scientific information? Give specific examples from the course readings.
2. What have you learned about the job (both good and bad) popular publications, such as newspapers, magazines, and websites, do in “translating” scientific research into articles targeting the average reader? Identify specific characteristics you look for to determine the reliability of these popular publications. Give specific examples from the course readings.
3. What have you learned about locating and evaluating reliable scientific sources, such as publications from government agencies, international agencies, and professional scientific organizations? Identify specific characteristics you look for to determine their reliability. Give specific examples from the course readings.
4. Identify at least two scientific topics from the course that you feel you have learned more about and, if possible, where your experiences in this course have changed your mind about those topics. Give specific examples from the course readings.

You are also encouraged to do your own research through our library on the topic. Do not forget to include in-text citations and complete APA style references for all sources. The Excelsior Library Citation Tip Sheets and Resources (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. will be a helpful guide. You may also wish to use a citation generator – you just insert the information, and it creates the citation in the format you indicate (MLA or APA, for example). Here are 3 citation generators to choose from:

1. Citation Machine (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
2. Bibme (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
3. EasyBib (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Compose your work in a .doc or .docx file type using a word processor (such as Microsoft Word, etc.) and save it frequently to your computer. For those assignments that are not written essays and require uploading images or PowerPoint slides, please follow uploading guidelines provided by your instructor.

Check your work and correct any spelling or grammatical errors. When you are ready to submit your work, click “Upload Submission.”  Enter the submission title and then click on “Select a file to upload.” Browse your computer, and select your file. Click “Open” and verify the correct file name has appeared next to Submission File. Click on “Continue.”  Confirm submission is correct and then click on “Accept Submission & Save.”

Turnitin

This course has Turnitin fully integrated into the course dropbox. This means that you should only submit your assignments to the dropbox below. Please do not submit your assignment directly to Turnitin.com.  

Once submitted, your assignment will be evaluated by Turnitin® automatically.  You will be able to view an Originality Report within minutes of your first submission that will show how much of your work has been identified as similar too other sources such as websites, textbooks, or other student papers. Use your Originality Report as a learning tool to identify areas of your assignment that you may not have cited appropriately. You may resubmit your assignment through this dropbox as many times as you need to check to see if you have made improvements, until the due date of the assignment. However, once you have made your first submission, you will need to wait 24 hours after each subsequent submission to receive a new Originality Report. Plan accordingly as you draft your assignment. Once the due date has passed, your assignment submission will be considered final.