BIOL101: Article Review and Discussion
Purpose:
To stimulate discussion of a wide variety of topics related to biology that may not otherwise be specifically discussed in the course.
Procedure:
You are going to write a summary of and verbally discuss an article of your choosing. See the guidelines below for selecting an appropriate article.
Your selected article must be approved by your instructor. You will not be permitted to discuss or turn in a written summary of an article that has not been approved by this deadline. You can email me your article for approval by using Blackboard email only. A copy of the article or the original article must be submitted with your summary.
Guidelines and grading:
1) Written Summary
- The summary must be typed using a 12 pt. font and double spaced.
- The summary should be at least two pages but not more than four pages.
- Do not plagiarize the article but discuss the article’s subject matter in your own words.
- The summary should include at least the following information:
- Identification of the main subjects mentioned in the article and an explanation of what events/phenomena are being discussed in the article
- The title and author(s) of the article
- An explanation of the key terms important for understanding the article. A discussion of these terms should be incorporated into your review of the article. Do not simply list and define the terms separately.
- A brief discussion of how the article relates to your experience with BIOL 101.
- The reason you chose the article
- One question that comes to mind after reading the article
- In a short paragraph, briefly discuss a specific example of how the biological concepts discussed in your article directly relate to your personal life or to a social issue that impacts you.
The written summary is due on the first day of the article presentations. Your written summary must be submitted as hard copy or an electronic copy of your summary via Blackboard as an assignment. If you do not have your written work, but are ready to discuss your article, then you may receive credit only for the oral presentation.
2) Oral Presentation
You will turn in an outline of your oral presentation on the first day we discuss the articles. The verbal presentation will be simple. You do not have to get up in front of the class. Do not simply read your written summary. Be sure to mention the main subjects of the article and the central points being discussed. Integrate an explanation of key terms into your discussion. You may also talk about your personal interest in the article that you chose. You only need to speak for 5 minutes. The rest of the class is going to listen and comment on your summary.
3) Choosing an article
- The article must be of substantial length (e.g., 3 columns in a newspaper, at least a full page of text in a magazine etc.).
- The article must be 3 years old or less.
- The article must directly relate to biology.