Wikipedia:Canada Education Program/Courses/Controversies in Science (Winter 2012)/Timeline

Week 1: Water Fluoridation and Wikipedia Essentials

 * In class
 * Overview of the course
 * Introduction to how Wikipedia will be used in the course
 * Tips on finding the best articles to work on for class assignments
 * Basics of editing
 * Handout and videos:
 * Welcome to Wikipedia (available in print or online from the Wikimedia Foundation)
 * Video on creating an account,
 * Talk pages tutorial video,
 * Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure, **Account and user page creation handout,
 * Wikimarkup cheatsheet
 * Sandbox tutorial
 * Referencing handout,
 * Referencing: Wikicode handout,
 * Plagiarism handout,
 * Citing sources tutorial video,
 * RefToolbar citation tool tutorial video
 * Uploading images handout,
 * Uploading files to Wikimedia Commons video


 * Assignment
 * Create a Wikipedia account, create a user page, and sign up on the list of students on the course page.
 * To practice editing and communicating on Wikipedia, introduce yourself to one of the class's Online Ambassadors (via talk page), and leave a message for a classmate on their user talk page.
 * due week 2:
 * Read Five pillars, an explanation of Wikipedia's basic rules and principles

Week 2: Case 1 Astrophysics; Was there a big bang?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

Week 3: Case 1 Astrophysics; Was panspermia responsible for life on Earth?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

Week 4: Case 1 Astrophysics; Is the LHC safe?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes
 * Assignment (due next week)
 * case 1 argument defense
 * choose term paper topic

Week 5: Term paper preparation
This assignment is designed to give you an opportunity to study a scientific (not moral or philosophical) controversy of your own choosing and not covered in class. Identify and explain the arguments made by opposing sides of a controversy of your choice. You must find four documents or other sources, two for one side of an argument, and two for the other. Two of the sources are allowed to be from popular media, but at least two must be peer-reviewed scientific papers.

Compose answers to each of the questions listed below in sentence form using APA line citations, and list your sources on a separate page in APA format. There is a document posted on the Blackboard site that will help you.

I have included a rubric on the following page that will guide you in detail. I will use this rubric to grade your answers. You will use this assignment to write the term paper, using my feedback to improve the mark. The term paper rubric contains this rubric plus three new categories.

Questions
 * 1) What is the controversy being addressed?
 * 2) Identify each point made by each article
 * 3) How is the scientific method being used to research the controversy? Explain the rationale behind the arguments posited in the popular article.
 * 4) What mathematics are used to measure and describe the data and support their point?
 * 5) Explain any potential sources of experimental and personal bias in both pieces.

Week 6: Case 2; Is recycling viable?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

Week 7: Case 2; Is nuclear power greener?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

Week 8: Case 2; Are humans causing global warming?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes
 * Assignment (due next week)
 * case 2 argument defense

Week 9: Term paper
In this assignment you will bring the term paper preparation questions assignment to fruition as a term paper.

You will add to the term paper preparation questions:
 * 1) an introduction (no abstract);
 * 2) a discussion where you critique the scientific method or rationale, the mathematics used as well as the potential biases you have identified;
 * 3) a conclusion where you will critically assess both sides as a whole and explain why you believe one of the sides.

Like the term paper preparation questions assignment, this paper needs to include in line APA citations and a list your sources on a separate page.

Week 10: Case 3; Was there a mitochondrial Eve?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

Week 11: Case 3; what killed the dinosaurs?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

Week 12: Case 3; Was there a warm little pond?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes
 * Assignment (due next week)
 * case 3 argument defense

Week 13: Do vaccines cause autism?

 * Research/write in pairs
 * Group (another pair)
 * prepare brief (max 3 minutes) class presentation
 * prepare self marking quiz question based on class presentation
 * class presentations
 * group quizzes

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