ATMO 336 Independent Project Spring 1999
The independent project gives each member of the class an opportunity to: (1) go beyond the course material and get a deeper understanding of a particular topic or area, (2) explore a topic or area that is not covered in class, and/or (3) practice research methods and gain experience in writing and editing reports. You are free to focus on any scientific, technical, historical, social, humanistic or artistic aspect of weather and/or climate and its connection with society.The evaluation of your project represents a significant fraction (25%) of your final grade. You should submit a provisional title and a one-page plan for your work by Tuesday, February 9, 1999, and a final report (up to 10 pages, including any figures and references) should be submitted on or before April 20. You will be evaluated on your choice of topic and plan (5%) and the overall quality of your final report (20%). The plan should include a statement of why you think the topic is important and at least 5 sources or references that you plan to use in your work. The final report should represent your best effort. You will be graded on the quality and clarity of your English as well as the originality and content of the report.
Examples of possible projects include: an analysis of a historical event that was influenced by weather or climate, a current topic in economics or public policy that relates to weather or climate, effects of weather or climate on health and/or the spread of disease, the response of different cultures to weather or climate phenomena, a serious artistic or creative effort that reflects some aspect of weather or climate, designing an experiment or analyzing data that test a hypothesis about weather or climate, etc. BE CREATIVE and feel free to build on your outside interests and/or material in your major field of study.
CAUTION - Academic dishonesty will NOT be tolerated. The project should represent your own efforts and should NOT duplicate any other work that you have done in the past. Use of other people's work without acknowledging their contribution is PLAGIARISM, a very serious breach of academic conduct in any discipline. Plagiarism includes verbatim copying, paraphrasing (changing a few words here and there), and structural plagiarism (borrowing the structure or outline of someone else's work without acknowledgment). Students who submit plagiarized material will FAIL the assignment and may fail the entire course. If there are any doubts in your mind, use quotation marks where appropriate and include a reference or a footnote as to the source.
See the university's Code of Academic Integrity.