ASSIGNMENT 2 Reflective Essay – Part 2
Preparation for the Reflective Essay
EXPLORATION COLUMN
Part 2a: Getting More Familiar with your Issue
Assigned: Monday, January 8th
Due: Wednesday, January 10th
Reading:
1) “Summary for Policymakers,” Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis, IPCC (in Reader)
Readers Journal Entry #1
In your reader’s journal fold your page in half (longwise) and draw a line down the
middle. Label the left hand column ‘From Reading’ and the right hand column ‘My
Interpretation.’ While you read the “Summary for Policymakers,” take notes about any issues,
comments, statistics or descriptions that interest or surprise you. These may or may not have to
do with the issue you wrote about in class. You can write down exact quotes and words, and/or
paraphrase portions of the text in the left hand column. Be sure to include page numbers for any
directly quoted or paraphrased material. We will address quoting and paraphrasing in detail later
in the quarter. For each entry in the left hand column you can do any or all of the following in
the right hand column: pose questions, raise doubts, make connections, note opposing views,
note how the reading is related to what was discussed in class, or express any confusion you may
have. This entry will be helpful in the drafting of your exploratory essay, described below, and
your final reflective essay.
Part 2b: Exploring an Experience
Assigned: Monday, January 8th
Due: Wednesday, January 10th
Length: 1-1.5 Page
Exploration Column
The goal of this assignment is to form a basis for Assignment 2, the Reflective Essay, by
choosing an issue you are personally interested in or concerned about and would like to explore
further. In this 1-1.5 page exploration column you will use information from the IPCC report to
discuss one of the issues discussed in the report that interests you. Think of this as a short article
for a campus newspaper. Imagine that your editor is interested in topics mentioned in the IPCC
report and has required you to write up a short side bar on a topic dealing with environmental
change. Your readers will be college students on campus at UCSC.
Questions you may want to think about as you read the IPCC report: Who does the issue
you chose affect? When will the effects of this issue become a serious problem? Is the issue you
are looking at already considered a serious environmental problem? Think about questions you
may have that the report does not answer. You can take many different approaches; you may
want to think about how the issue (e.g. sea level rise) affects people, plants, or animals, or when
the issue was first documented and how it was discovered, (e.g. ozone depletion). Your column
should include the following:
1. The issue you are addressing: what aspect of global environmental change will be the
focus of the column? What, how and why?
2. Questions: What else do you want to/need to know about the issue (at least 2)
3. More Information: Where would you look to find out more information? What kinds of
sources may contain information to help you answer your questions?
Global Environmental Change Issue Exploratory Column Details
Reading: “Summary for Policymakers,” Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis, IPCC
Your Assignment: Summarize the nature of your issue based on information from the IPCC and
report and any other material you have found to inform UCSC students.
Due Date: Wednesday, January 10th
Audience: College Students at UCSC
Length: Brief, 1-1.5 pages (300-500 words)
Format General: Name, date and class in upper left hand corner, title centered and bolded.
Format Details: Double-spaced, 12 pt font, Times New Roma, 1 ¼” margins all around.
Number of Copies: 3 (1 for instructor, 2 to share with classmates)