Geology 358K is a substantial writing component
course; writing assignments can be directed toward individual student
interests. The writing
assignments for the course consist of three components (see specific
sections for additional information):
(1)
Two reports on a specific volcano with a significant amount of recent
(well-documented) eruptive history. One
paper will be written in a fashion familiar to you from other upper division
geology courses and is intended for a technical audience, nominally your
peers in this class who should possess the geologic vocabulary to allow
insightful presentation of scientific information.
A second nontechnical report on the same volcanic event(s) should be
written as a newspaper or magazine article intended for readers with no
background in the sciences and should use a nontechnical vocabulary. The style should be completely different (see the examples
provided); it should contain a hook and/or focus that will make the
reader want to read on, just by noting the title, i.e. make it interesting!
Both of these papers will be critiqued in detail and
will be returned for revision; you will receive grades on both the original
submission and the revised version.
(2)
A longer research paper, the subject of which is of your own choice,
but the topic should not replicate anything done on the first two
assignments, and in general should not focus on a single volcano.
It should be a topic with broader implications to volcanology and
volcanic processes You should
not repeat writing mistakes that you made in the technical and nontechnical
reports.
Technical
and Nontechnical Reports, 2003
