OBJECTIVES

This course will use the reading and discussion of journal articles and popular papers to further our understanding of the recent events in geologic, climatic and ecological history as well as to help us all deal with the difficulties of communicating science well. Each week, the group will read two papers in detail and spend the evening discussing not only the content of these papers but the approach that the author took to collecting and presenting data and opinions. By the end of the semester, not only should we have learned more about natural history but you should have more confidence in reading and criticizing papers of all kinds that deal with Natural Science.

YOUR DISCUSSION TOPIC

We will work in pairs. During the course of the semester, each one of you will pursue in greater detail a topic of interest to you that is related to the general theme of the seminar. You will be responsible for finding and reading thoroughly, several papers dealing with your selected topic. After reading these papers, you should select the most interesting one for reading by the entire group. In selecting your paper, you should work with your partner to ensure that we read one “scientific” and one “popular” paper each week.

One week prior to the discussion of our paper, it is your responsibility to email me a PDF copy of the paper which I will post to our class web site for others to download and read.

On the Thursday evening before it is your turn to lead the discussion, you will be responsible for making a 5 minute presentation with sufficient detail to bring your classmates "up to speed" on what they need to know to read the paper. This introduction is particularly important as we are a diverse group!

As discussion leader, you will be responsible for directing the discussion of the paper. Typically one might begin the discussion with a summary of the author's approach and findings. I find it useful to prepare a list of questions to pose to the group and to stimulate discussion when that awkward silence falls over us. Because you will have read several related papers in order to prepare for class, you will most likely have a much deeper knowledge of the particular subject matter than the rest of us and should be able to offer explanations and background material to the group. You should coordinate your discussion with the other person leading that particular week. Interactive exercises are encouraged! Get and keep all of us involved.

PARTICIPATION

The involvement and participation of each and every one of us is critical to the success of this seminar. Most importantly I expect that all of us will read the assigned papers each week. I suspect that it will take an hour or two to read and understand thoroughly each paper. Don't be surprised if you need to read some papers twice, once lightly to figure out what the author is trying to say and a second time to really understand what the data mean and how the author has interpreted them. During the week that you are leading the discussion, your preparation time will probably be twice as long.

Your grade (ugh...something at a grad level I could just as well dispatch with) in this seminar will be based on several factors:

1. Your paper and presentation of that paper.

2. Your attendance and participation each evening.