Getting Started with a Capstone Proposal
In the final module of the class we will return to the idea scientific literacy and give you the opportunity to demonstrate your own. This last module should also allow us as a class to explore the power of a thinking community. If you’ll recall from weeks past I gave my preferred and biased opinion on the measure of science literacy focusing on a person’s ability to:
1) apply scientific thinking to a problem,
2) find scientifically valid evidence and sources to answer questions,
3) know what subjects fall within the epistemology of science.
We will test your ability to do this in the capstone project. It will happen in 3 parts beginning with a proposal in a discussion so your colleagues can help you refine your problem and then you will build a sound and valid argument for the problem with ample current evidence from credible sources, with the help of a peer review process.
In this discussion you will post your 3 best ideas for a problem, debate, controversy or other topic you would like to author an argument for that can be approached using logic, reason, and scientific thinking. Keep in mind there has to be objective empirical evidence used if something can be considered “science”. Your subjects should be important to society at large so that a large portion of the public would care about your work and it should be something we have not considered so far in the class.
You will help your peers by giving them some feedback on the choice of topics;
Is it an important issue to society at large?
Is it an issue the scientific thinking can address?
So for this discussion post your 3 ideas, each with at least a few sentences to explain why they are important and scientific and then comment on at least 3 of your peers to help them decide which of their options they should develop into their capstone project.
