Term Paper

Due dates:        

First part: November 5, 2009 (see below for details).

Final version: November 17, 2009

Length:            About 3 to 5 pages, typed single spaced, 12pt font. This does not include references which should be listed on a separate final page.

This is how it will be graded: information will be provided

What is due on November 5?

• Title of your paper

• Outline of your paper (that means: listing of sections with headings for each section, showing what your paper ultimately will contain). See here what the outline should contain. Note that is mostly intended to help you stay on track and save you time later on! Sample outline.

• References. By this time you should have your principal reference material identified, so list all your references here. You should have multiple references, not just one, because then you might just be summarizing one paper and that is not the point.

What is due on November 17?

The final and complete paper. This link shows how your paper will be graded.

Details on the requirements for the paper:

Pick one of the following subject areas. For each of the subject areas pick a few major issues and discuss those. Don't produce a somewhat random collection of facts or possibilities; it is better to discuss a few in detail than present a rambling shopping list with no particular message. An example: If you pick the long-term survival of advanced civilizations, focus on what may be the two or three largest threats to survival and discuss the relevant time line for them; we all know the Sun will eventually "die" but that is so far away that it is not the largest and most immediate threat humans face. On the other hand, asteroid impacts might be a more urgent one, or internal fights over resources and climate change, etc. Take a position: would you be optimistic or pessimistic in terms of the long-term survival? Would civilizations in other places of the Milky Way face the same challenges we do, or perhaps different ones? The essay will look very different depending on your point of view, so you need to decide what your major message is in advance. In writing your paper, always keep in mind: "What is or are my principal goal(s) in writing this paper?", don't just produce a summary but include your own analysis of the information to reach a conclusion or set of conclusions that you want to convey to the reader.

Possible topics

- The prospects for establishing a manned basis on the Moon.
 
- The Rare Earth hypothesis: why we might be alone?

- Medical challenges in the human exploration of Mars.

- The search for extra-terrestrial intelligence: should we keep listening?

- The long-term survival of advanced civilizations: internal and external threats.

- Forever out of reach? Travel to distant solar systems.

A few key points:

1. Overall purpose:

The paper should explore the principle topic as stated. Try to stick to just one or a few points you are trying to make, keep it focused. Materials to be consulted can range from text books, to science books or science articles in journals, etc. Do include more than just one reference, don't summarize just one article or textbook section. Try to look at your topic from difference perspectives, including your own. You want to write something that others would find interesting to read.

2. Papers have to be written in your own words. Critical REQUIREMENT: AVOID ALL CUTTING AND PASTING TEXT FROM THE WEB OR OTHER SOURCES! On the rare occasion that you feel you must cite something literally, it has to be put in quotation marks and the reference should be indicated.

3. Reference material that you consulted should also be listed at the end, even if you do not take literal citations from it. Do not literally cite excessive amounts of direct text from sources. Use your own words. Direct citations usually only include a single sentence or statement here and there as needed. It is best to indicate a reference where you use it and then put the full reference at the end.

Example of how it would be phrased in an essay: Jones and Smith (2003) argued for the existence of man before apes were around, based on their discovery of a cellular telephone in 50 million year old deposits in a South African mine shaft. They could not rule out, however, that a miner had lost the cell phone from his belt clip. The latter hypothesis gained support when it was discovered that the batteries still worked. Subsequent analysis  of the device showed a voice message from his wife that he left his lunch box at home.

And then at the end:

References

Jones, B., Smith, C., 2003, Journal of the American Society of Fringe Scientists, Volume 1, page 1.

Please consult me if you have any questions.