Description
1. This is for Outline of Research Paper (GLOBAL POLITICAL ECOLOGY)
Just as all other assignments, please submit it in a format that can be readable by Turn It In (e.g. .doc, .docx, .pdf, .rtf… not .pages). I will give comments to your assignment on Canvas, so make sure to check your assignment for these comments when you receive your grade.
Just as all other assignments, please make sure to include your NAME, date, the title or code of the course, and the name of the assignment.
Just as all other assignments, do your best to check the spelling and grammar (there are softwares that can help you with that – and for the final paper itself, seek additional support from the writing center or other colleagues if you find it necessary).
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Outline of Research Paper
You must include the following (in a single file):
– a title for your paper that shows clearly the topic you are examining
– a revised version of your abstract
– a revised version of your references (no need to annotate them) at the end of your outline
After your title, the outline should include the following elements:
1. Your revised abstract as the opening paragraph (this is standing in for your introduction)
2. A clear set of headings for 2 to 4 sections (showing how you will organize your paper), in addition to “introduction and conclusion”
Think of each of these headings as sub-titles for each sub-section of your paper. Although it is ok to include “introduction” and “conclusion”, the most important thing is to think carefully about the substantive sections of your paper. Each heading should be a few words long, not just a single word or two
3. Within each sub-heading, write about two or three sentences explaining what exactly it is that you will cover in this section, and how this sets up your argument. You can also include a sentence that indicates which references you expect to use in that section (you don’t need to write the full reference here, just cite it by the last name of the author and year of publication, e.g. Oliveira 2019).
4. Make sure that at least one of these sections (usually the last one before the conclusion) is explicitly dedicated to your own argument of what a political ecology approach to this topic critiques, reveals, and/or recommends.
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Here is are two BAD examples of an outline (this is what you should NOT do):
Example 1:
Introduction
Agriculture and industry
Soil pollution
Policy recommendations
Conclusion
(This is a BAD example because it does not actually help you develop your structure and argument much at all, and does not show me anything to help you prepare and advance your research paper. It also shows no evidence of how your research paper is a political ecology approach to this problem.)
Example 2:
Introduction
I will argue that soil pollution is a major global problem, and that we need to get more people well educated and more government officials working hard to solve this problem. In this paper, I will list all the ways that soil pollution happens, and recommend solutions for each type of problem.
Agriculture and industry
– fertilizer
– livestock manure
– erosion
– toxic chemicals
– plastics and e-waste
– municipal solid waste
Policy recommendations
– education
– government regulations
(Although this is slightly better than the first bad example, this is STILL INADEQUATE because it simply lists out more keywords without developing the structure of the paper, showing what references you will use, and most importantly, it does not show any ARGUMENT, much less a political ecology approach – remember, the point is not to make “policy recommendations”, but to identify the POLITICS involved in the problem you are examining.)
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This is a GOOD example of what a suitable outline SHOULD look like:
Name: Gustavo Oliveira
Date: Feb 18, 2020
Course: Intl St 106A: Global Political Ecology
Assignment: Outline of Research Paper
Title: Profits, not overpopulation, are the real driver of soil pollution
1. Introduction
In this paper, I will examine the problem of soil pollution using a political ecology approach. I will focus on the specific issue of soil pollution from agriculture, since that is one of the main sources of soil pollution. In the first part of this paper, I will show the mainstream explanations of soil pollution from agriculture as resulting from the excessive application of chemical fertilizers and the excessive demand for meat consumption. This mainstream explanation identifies the problem, but attributes its main drivers to overpopulation, the idea that there are too many people in the world now, and people are consuming too much meat, which is why we must rely on chemical fertilizers and factory farms to feed the world. In the second part of the paper, I will show what a political ecology approach reveals, shifting the examination from overpopulation to the forms of agricultural production based on chemical fertilizers and factory farms for livestock. In this political ecology account, it is the commodification of food and farming that drive soil pollution, not overpopulation. In the conclusion, I show how my argument focused on agricultural soil pollution can lead to a reevaluation of soil pollution more generally, and a broader critique of mainstream views based on false neo-Malthusian ideas of overpopulation causing resource scarcity and environmental degradation. (This would be a revised abstract from the assignment previously submitted)
2. The mainstream (neo-Malthusian) view of agricultural soil pollution
In this section, I will draw on the journal articles of Smith (2005), Wang (2010), and Kramer (2012) to describe how modern agriculture and factory farms cause soil pollution. I will then use the articles by Borlaug (2000) and Yuan (1995) to show the mainstream explanation of these problems, as rooted in a neo-Malthusian idea of overpopulation. This will include a discussion of the “green revolution”, especially the use of chemical fertilizers, and also a discussion of growing meat consumption, drawing on the chapters by Smith (2005) and Wang (2010).
3. The political ecology of agricultural soil pollution
In this section, I will draw on the book chapters and journal articles by Foster and Magdoff (2002), Patel (2013), and Guthman (2004) to critique the mainstream view outlined above. I will explain how reliance on chemical fertilizers and the unsustainable concentration of livestock in factory farms are two sides of the same coin, and that these transformations have taken place due to farmers seeking greater profits from their production. I will also argue that these farmers are not necessarily greedy, but pressured by a system in which their agricultural inputs are commodified, and in which they have to generate cash income to pay for growing expenses (like land rentals, hybrid seeds, new machinery, etc.). I will also show that consumption of agricultural products is highly uneven between countries, and between rich and poor people within countries. In the end, I will argue it is not population pressure, but the pursuit of profit that drives these farming practices that pollute the soil.
4. Conclusion
I will briefly argue that my argument can also be expanded to apply to other forms of soil pollution, and broader critiques of neo-Malthusian views regarding resource depletion and environmental degradation.
References:
Guthman (2004)….
etc.
etc.
(This would be a revised list of references from the assignment previously submitted.)
My bibliography:
Annotated Bibliography: Reducing the global carbon footprint from road transportation
This paper will present an annotated bibliography of four research articles on the global issues presented by carbon emissions from road transport. Road transport is the major contributor of both the global and local carbon footprint, and the world’s leading threat to environmental sustainability. In particular, this annotation will present the significance of the findings of these studies regarding my proposed research problem on the need for combined efforts from the public, government, and different organizations in the elimination of carbon footprint from road transportation.
Independent Evaluation Department (IED). Reducing Carbon Emissions From Transport Projects. Asian Development Bank, 2010, https://www.oecd.org/derec/adb/47170274.pdf. Accessed 10 Feb 2020.
One of the major issues tackled in this article is the growth of vehicle traffic, and how this growth has promoted the increase in the number of carbon emissions. This evaluation report provides guidelines based on the measures that particular regions can implement in reducing their global footprint towards achieving the common global goal of a cleaner and healthy environment. Also, the article looks at some of the possible ways in which different actors in reducing the carbon footprint from vehicle emission can join forces to attain their primary objectives. This article will be crucial in supporting the thesis of my research problem.
“Which Industries And Activities Emit The Most Carbon?”. The Guardian, 2011, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2011/apr/28/industries-sectors-carbon-emissions.
This article provides an overview of some of the industries and activities that produce the highest amount of carbon emissions from a global perspective. The details presented in this article will help in analyzing significant areas of concern, apart from the road transportation sectors, as a comparative analysis to broaden the viewpoint of my arguments.
Chatzky, Andrew. “Envisioning A Green New Deal: A Global Comparison.” Council On Foreign Relations, 2020, https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/envisioning-green….
This article presents a wide variety of details regarding global climate change, the major contributors to climate change, and the different actions and plans that are both underway and those that have been implemented to curb the spread and impacts of climate change. Among the contributors to climate change, carbon emissions are among the key factors. Therefore, this article will be vital in creating an evidence-based foundation to support the need for a more comprehensive and strategic approach to combining forces from all the political-economic and social factors in reducing carbon emission from vehicle transportation across the globe.
US EPA. “Carbon Pollution From Transportation”. US EPA, 2018, https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/carbon-pollution-transportation.
This article holds that transportation is currently the leading source of carbon emission in America. It also provides several reasons why that is so and the potential mitigation measures. Based on these reasons, the defined perspective and the possible actions against the global issue of the article will be essential in answering the research question and creating a sense of urgency in the proposed moves in reducing the global carbon footprint from road transportation.
and feedback:This is very well written, as well as well organized. And clearly this material is relevant for your research paper. Unfortunately, however, none of this is academic. Your first reference is a report by an international bank, your second one is pure journalism, your third is from a think tank (NGO), and your fourth is a government document. These may all be useful for you, and you may indeed cite them in your research – particularly government documents when those are used as data for your investigation – but they must always be accompanied by proper academic research, drawing upon peer-reviewed journal articles or book chapters. Academic peer review is intended to guarantee the quality, validity, and rigor of the scholarship, which has no similar safeguards from journalism, think tanks, and government publications. You can resubmit your assignment this week for a grade reassessment. Second and very importantly as well, while you are finding materials that describe carbon emissions from road transportation, there is nothing in these references that seems to indicate what might be the power relations, political conflicts, and/or questions of in/justice that you are setting out to examine. Remember this needs to be a political ecology research paper, so you must do more than simply describe this problem and call for “combined efforts from the public, government, and different organizations in the elimination of carbon footprint from road transportation.” The purpose is not to “propose solutions”, but reveal the politics at hand. Feel free to come into office hours (or email to schedule an appointment in person or skype, if the time of office hours doesn’t work for you) if you’d like more support with this process.
2. this is for writing class（The theme is violent games），i will provide sample
Please complete an annotated bibliography entry for at least:
- 2 Scholarly Sources (Academic Journals, Books, etc.)
- 3 Popular Sources (Newspaper Articles, Magazine Articles, Blogs, Youtube, Twitter, etc.)
Please submit your entry as a Word Doc and insert them in the in the google doc “Class Annotated Bibliography” found in the Collaborations section. Please insert your source alphabetically.
Now that we have moved on to the Advocacy Project, you want your entries to be more critically geared.
- summarize the argument:
- What is the topic/subject/problem? What is the author’s main claim/problem? What are some of the sub-claims/sub-problems? What is the author’s position regarding the problem or issue they identify?
- assess the source:
- What kind of evidence/materials/examples are used to justify and support their claims? How well does the evidence work to support the author’s argument?
- Are there any specific strengths and weaknesses of the argument?
- reflect on the source:
- Will this source be useful to your problem, why or why not? If you think the source will be useful, how do you see it working to shape your argument (i.e. how will you integrate it into your argument)? Will the source be used to justify a particular subproblem you identify? Does it work to demonstrate the efficacy of a potential solution? (Remember, you will need to martial evidence to demonstrate both that a particular problem/sub-problem exists, as well as evidence that demonstrates that a proposed solution would be efficacious/effective.)
