The Discussions are not simply statements of opinion. They are intended to allow you to expand upon and apply the principles discussed in your textbook, the lectures, and/or other research you conduct. Each week a question will be posed for your consideration. Before answering, you should review the chapters covered during this week and the lectures.
For the Week 4 discussion, please pick one of the topics below to discuss. Your initial post should be posted by 11:59 PM ET Thursday of Week 4. Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length and this MUST be in your own words. You are required to include at least one reference in your initial post. Do NOT use Wikipedia, Blurtit, Yahoo Answers, ANY open source or ANY open blog as a source. They are unacceptable academic resources. Be responsible when researching information and use reliable sources. Also, do NOT copy and paste from the Internet. If you DO quote a phrase, be sure to try and explain the phrase afterward, be sure it is enclosed in quotation marks (“”), and be sure that you show which reference the quote came from. Do not count quoted material or the citation in your 250 word count requirement. Please do not plagiarize. If you quote directly from the source, you MUST put quotation marks around it AND you MUST cite the source at the end of your post. It is NOT simply enough to put a source at the end.
You are required to make at least two additional response posts to two different students (or one student and the professor) on two separate days and not posted on the same day as your initial post. The response posts should be at least 100 words and be substantive in nature. While pleasantries such as “I agree” or “great job” are nice, they will not count as one of your required posts. A complimentary, philosophical, or off-topic comment does not count as one of the three required entries. For example, it does not help us to tell us that you did not know something before you read an entry. All entries should help everyone understand one or more of the concepts presented. Your posts should be on at least 3 separate days with all being completed by 11:59 PM ET Sunday of Week 4.
Refer to the rubric below to see how points are allotted for the discussion board posts.
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Threaded Discussion Rubric |
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Post 1 [Initial post] |
60 Points Possible |
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1. Student submitted an appropriate and substantive post to the original assignment. This includes addressing all of the original questions/issues in a grammatically correct and logical manner. |
30 |
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2. Assignment submitted on time and on a different day than other posts |
10 |
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3. Assignment met word count and Word Count (WC) is stated at the end of the post. |
10 |
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4. An appropriate scientific website was referenced properly and according to APA format. |
10 |
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Post 2 [Response post #1] |
20 Points Possible |
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1. Student submitted an appropriate and substantive response to another student’s post in a grammatically correct and logical manner (this includes proper APA citation of any references used). |
10 |
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2. Assignment submitted on time and on a different day than other posts |
5 |
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3. Assignment met word count and Word Count (WC) is stated at the end of the post. |
5 |
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Post 3 [Response post #2] |
20 Points Possible |
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1. Student submitted an appropriate and substantive response to another student’s post in a grammatically correct and logical manner (this includes proper APA citation of any references used). |
10 |
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2. Assignment submitted on time and on a different day than other posts |
5 |
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3. Assignment met word count and Word Count (WC) is stated at the end of the post. |
5 |
1. Take a look at the World POPClock using this weblink, where you can compare the ever changing world population with years gone by. The current world population is over 6 billion people. Do you believe that the U.S. should be concerned about overpopulation and that immediate action is warranted, or do you believe that the risks of overpopulation have been grossly overstated? What about other parts of the world? It is a requirement to properly cite at least one source from your research.
2. Review the various Ecosystems in the US, using this weblink. Research the Internet about the different ecosystems. For your first post, write a description about the particular ecosystem that you live in. What is the ecosystem? What is the climate like? What type of vegetation is there? What is the temperature like? Etc? Your answers should reflect your own observations about your surroundings as well as those found on websites. It is a requirement to properly cite at least one source from your research.
3. Everything we do on this planet leaves a mark. An ecological footprint is the degree of human impact on our ecosystems. Americans are at the top of the list for their detrimental footprints on our ever increasing fragile planet. Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz on the following weblink below.
Share with the class your results. How does your personal footprint compare to others in America or others around the world? Do you personally do things which should help to lessen your footprint? Have you within recent years changed your habits or actions to help the planet? Do you think that global warming and destruction of our planet is really severe or do you think it is all public hype? Are the Earth’s forests disappearing? Does it matter if they are? Is there any hope for our planet? What are your suggestions or concerns? It is a requirement to properly cite at least one source from your research.
RESPONSES FROM PEERS
