During this course, students will be given two take home exams.
The midterm is worth 25% of the final grade, and will be due during Week 8.
The final exam is worth 35% of the final grade, and will due during Week 13. In lieu of the final exam, students can do a research paper on the topic of their choice with the approval of the instructor.
Midterm Exam Instructions
The purpose of this mid-term is for you to:
- Show your grasp of the challenges in this course
- Demonstrate your understanding of the reading assignments and relationship to the seminar discussions
- Show understanding of sustainability issues at this point, and on this basis
- Obtain some feedback from the instructor as relevant
It would be useful to outline your answers before actually writing. Since you will demonstrate familiarity with the assigned readings, please feel free to draw from materials across various weeks - as needed.
When doing so, please indicate the specific reference(s) you are using. Reference format is your choice, as long as author, date, and page(s) are noted. Please be sure to note references for general points you make, and specific pages for specific points or direct quotes.
Please use:
- At least 3 different sources in your answer to each question (excluding your own summaries of materials that you presented in class).
- Sources selected from at least 2 different weeks. You can use the same sources across questions; as long as you do not use only the same 3 sources throughout the midterm (Wikipedia is not on the syllabus).
Regarding length, please use your judgment, but we suggest no less than 4 pages or so of substance per question, with reasonable margins, and 1.5 spaces. Reference page at the end is not included in this count.
Finally, please make sure that the first and last paragraphs of your essays are coherent and related to each other. It would be a simple reminder that you are retaining your chosen focus.
Final Exam Instructions
Please answer question 1; and then either question 2 or question 3. This is the same type of format and approach as the mid-term.
Suggested length: No fewer than 5 pages and no more than 7 pages for each question, double spaced, not triple spaced with wide margins. (Of course if you can do an excellent essay in less than 5 pages, by all means proceed).
- Each answer is in essence an ’essay’ on the topics you have selected. You must draw on the assigned readings.
- Do not use the same readings as you did in the mid-term, or focus on the same topic.
- Since you need to demonstrate familiarity with the assigned readings relevant to each question, feel free to draw from materials across the 13 weeks - as needed.
- Do not use the same assigned readings for both questions. If you find it necessary to draw on the same assignments, use additional references to make up for the ‘double duty factor.’
- Try to use least 4 different sources in your answer to each question.
For general points, please note that you need the author’s name; for specific points noted, you need author plus the relevant page. Please add your reference list at the end of each question.
Helpful Hints
- Make sure that the first and last paragraphs of your essays are coherent and related to each other.
- It is often useful to do an outline before writing.
