1. Sustainability for the Common Good
GEO300
Sustainability for the Common Good
11/9/2018

2. Introduction My name is Keith. I am tall.
I’m married and have two dogs (that’s Hazel to the right).
Office: 249 Wilkinson
Hours:
Tuesday 2-3
Wednesday 1-2
I will be available to discuss your papers and other assignments at those times.
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3. Sustainability and me Ride bikes everywhere
Reusable water bottle and coffee mug
Use recycled paper
Compost
Vegetable garden at home
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4. What I’m Going to Talk about
Recitation schedule
Critical Thinking papers
Using the OSU Library website
Group project assignments
Energize Corvallis
Carbon footprint assignment (time permitting)
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5. Recitation Schedule Week 1 Week 3 Weeks 7, 8, 9, and 10
Introduction and Critical Thinking papers
Week 3
Critical Thinking paper workshop
Bring final draft of CT #1 for peer review (you need to have a draft for review or you won’t get recitation points)
Weeks 7, 8, 9, and 10
Group project workdays and presentations
All other weeks will be lectures with Dr. Cook.
Remember – your recitation attendance counts towards your overall grade.
Please let me know in advance if you will be unable to attend and a make-up assignment will be given to you.
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6. Why Critical Thinking Papers?
Because they are awesome.
Reflection of real-world writing and reports.
Lets you explore various topics in sustainability at a deep, intellectual level.
Teaches you how to make a concise, impactful point.
Exposes you to peer-reviewed literature.
Strict format of CT papers is relevant to real-world job experience.
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7. CT Instructions
All the information is posted online as a handy reference:
Access:
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8. CT Format Logistical stuff: Example: Name Assignment due date
Recitation day/time
TA name (Keith Jennings)
CT#, question #, and your ID#
Word count
Title
Example:
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9. CT sections All CT papers must have an informative title.
CT papers have 6 separate writing sections and they must appear with the proper heading in the following order:
Interpretation
Analysis
Evaluation
Inference
Explanation
Self-regulation
Word counts:
The entire paper must have between 500 and 550 words.
The analysis section must have between 400 and 450 words.
The other sections must have between 100 and 150 words combined.
Each section heading must have the word count next to it.
Each section must appear in the paper in the order listed above and must be labeled as such.
If the above directions are not followed, you will get a zero.
Also must include a literature cited section (more on this later)
Literature cited does not factor into your word count
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10. Title
Your position on the CT paper topic must be clear from your title.
Example prompt: Overconsumption by wealthy “elites” in “developed” countries is the biggest threat to long-term sustainability of the Earth? (Support or oppose this statement)
Good: Emerging Global Middle-Class Poses Greater Threat to Sustainability than World’s Elites
Bad: Society Classes and Sustainability
Very bad: I Like the Taste of Paste
Yes, your paper must have a title and it counts towards your point total!
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11. Interpretation Short introductory paragraph
No more than 2 or 3 sentences
Should present the topic and your position.
Example:
Note proper heading and word count—include these or you will get a zero!
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12. Analysis This is the meat of the paper (or the tofu, if you prefer).
Use at least 4 books or peer-reviewed journal articles from the 21st century to support your position.
Limit your ideas to two or three main points.
You may have more points, but it will be impossible to adequately explain them in 400 – 450 words.
Write a paragraph for each point.
Don’t waste space with superfluous information (e.g., “Kim Kardashian is a wealthy elite who consumes a lot. Her lifestyle is unsustainable. I know this from US Magazine.”)
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13. Analysis continued My three points:
The size of the emerging global middle-class (relative to the world’s elites) makes it a large threat to sustainability.
Middle-class citizens consume more products, leading to negative impacts on sustainability.
Middle-class citizens also eat more meat, which has a large ecological footprint.
Each point supports my position that the emerging middle-class poses a greater threat to sustainability than the world’s elites.
Ask yourself if each of your points supports your position.
If one doesn’t, get rid of it and replace it with a new one.
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14. Analysis continued Use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph:
“One hallmark of the transition from the lower to middle-class is an increased consumption of material goods.”
Each point should be supported with evidence from the literature:
“Across the globe, an increase in income is associated with an elevated rate of consumption, particularly at lower wealth levels (Banerjee and Duflo, 2008: page 5).”
End each paragraph with a sentence that ties together the evidence you presented to support your topic sentence:
“This indicates that the increased income and the higher consumption rates of nearly a billion individuals stands to have a negative impact on the environment.”
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15. Analysis cont. Be concise and interesting. Example from a previous TA:
This is very hard, but your writing will dramatically improve once you learn this skill. People will think, “Shucks, so-and-so is such a great writer thanks to Dr. Cook’s sustainability class.”
Example from a previous TA:
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16. Evaluation Identify author biases in your peer-reviewed sources.
Check where they are employed and past work they’ve done.
Identify weaknesses in the methods of your peer-reviewed sources.
For example, were the statistical methods appropriate? What are the limitations of the authors’ conclusions?
Ideally mention at least two issues with your cited material.
Example:
“The conclusions of the Bussolo et al. (2011) and Fiala (2008) papers rely on uncalibrated model data, which could undermine the validity of the authors’ findings.”
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17. Inference What are the broader consequences of your topic?
List a potential consequence of your topic that wasn’t discussed in the analysis.
Apply a what-if scenario.
Apply your analysis to a different location and/or scale.
How might your topic influence other populations than the ones(s) considered.
Example:
“Increased livestock cultivation to satisfy growing meat demands could lead to water quality issues in countries with emerging middle classes such as China and India.”
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18. Explanation Concise conclusion. Hammer home your position. Example:
“The expanding global middle-class is driving increased rates of consumption, which is increasing greenhouse gas emissions and negatively impacting environmental sustainability.”
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19. Self-regulation
State what your bias is (relevant to your topic) and what its origins are.
Example:
“My bias in favor of sustainable initiatives is a result of my education and familiarity with environmental issues.”
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20. Recap of the sections
Interpretation – introduce topic and your position.
Analysis – discuss two or three talking points and back up position with at least 4 peer-reviewed sources.
Evaluation – identify author biases and/or weaknesses in methods.
Inference – apply lessons from analysis to a different context.
Explanation – a concise, one-sentence, impactful conclusion.
Self-regulation – identify your bias and its source.
Remember:
Each section must have a heading with the word count next to it and the sections must appear in the proper order.
The analysis must contain between 400 and 450 words, and all other sections must have between 100 and 150 words combined.
The paper must be between 500 and 550 words total, meaning if you use the max number of words in analysis, you can’t use the max in the other sections.
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21. Literature cited
Your analysis must include at least 4 relevant references to peer-reviewed journal articles and/or books from the 21st century.
What does peer-reviewed mean?
The article is not published until it’s been reviewed by other scientists.
What does it not mean?
Magazine articles
Newspaper articles
Your favorite website (including Wikipedia, obviously)
How do I find these articles?
Whoa, we have a library?
Yes.
With a website?
Totally.
And I can search for peer-reviewed articles there?
You got it.
How?
Let me show you.
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22. Lessons from the library
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23. Literature cited cont. Citing literature in the body of the analysis:
Always use the format of (Author, Year: page #)
The page number is the exact page in the article where your cited information can be found.
Do not give me the paragraph #, just the page #.
One author: (Fiala, 2008: page 14)
Two authors: (Banerjee and Duflo, 2008: page 5)
Three + authors: (Steinfeld et al., 2006: pages 84-97)
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24. Literature cited cont. Citing literature at the end:
Any standard style is acceptable (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.).
Just be consistent.
Remember that the library website can automatically generate citations for you.
List in alphabetical order by the first author’s last name in the literature cited section.
Example:
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25. Literature Cited review
Must have at least 4 approved sources from the 21st century.
This includes books and peer-reviewed journal articles.
Each source must be cited in text using the format (Author, year: page #).
Each source must be listed in the literature cited section using a standard citation format.
Again, you can use the library website to automatically generate the citation.
You will get a zero if you don’t follow the citation instructions.
Note: You can use additional sources (e.g. government reports) once you surpass the 4 approved citations from the 21st century.
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26. Other ct logistics
CT papers must be typed! Handwritten papers will not be accepted.
CT papers must be printed double-sided or on reused paper.
You will get 1 bonus point if your paper is printed double-sided or on reused paper, and you will lose 2 points if it is not.
CT papers must have the grading sheet attached.
Or you will lose 15 points.
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27. CT grading
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28. DON’T GET A ZERO
You will absolutely get a zero if you do one of the following:
Unacceptable sources (not peer-reviewed)
Not properly citing sources
Not having 400 – 450 words in Analysis section and 500 – 550 words for the entire paper.
Not using the required headings and format
Repeat after me:
“I, your name, understand I will receive a zero if I do any of the above 4 items on my critical thinking paper.”
During the week 3 recitation, your signature on the sign-in sheet will count as an acceptance of the above terms. Additionally, you will have to sign your CT1 grading sheet indicating that violating any of the above items will earn you a zero.
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29. Ct: one more thing Don’t plagiarize and/or cheat. That is very bad.
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30. CT Questions?
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31. Group projects Is everybody signed up?
Group projects listed on GEO300 website by recitation section.
Sign up through BlackBoard.
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32. Energize corvallis Takes 1 month to complete.
Everything due by February 28th.
Meaning you must sign up by January 27th.
This is the bare minimum, start earlier if you don’t want to cram.
What’s required:
A preliminary assessment of your situation.
4 journal entries (one per week) – see instructions on GEO300 site.
Print out compilation page from Energize Corvallis upon completion.
Concluding 250-word essay.
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33. Energize corvallis – How To
Link available on GEO300 website.
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34. Energize Corvallis – Me too
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35. Carbon footprint
How’d you do?
My results (not good):
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