Description

For this project, you will work individually to communicate the science behind an environmental case study of your choice, focusing on how your case study is co-produced through both geophysical and social systems. Your project will take the form of a media artifact designed to communicate environmental science to a non-academic audience.

Project requirements

• Communicates the science underlying a specific environmental issue, demonstrating how that issue is co-produced through both geophysical and social systems. Your paper can be:
  • Selected from the list below, OR
  • Proposed to the instructor for approval and feedback
• Takes the form of a scientific communication media artifact intended to communicate up-to-date knowledge about your topic to a non-academic audience. The format of your project can be:
  • Selected from the list below, OR
  • Proposed to the instructor for approval and feedback
• Answers the question: How is your case study co-produced through both geophysical and social systems? Includes descriptions/discussions of:
  • Geophysical system(s) and concepts relevant to your topic
  • Human activities that are influencing/shaping the geophysical systems
  • How the geophysical system(s) are responding in turn to human activity, and vice versa
• Incorporates a minimum of five (5) credible and robust sources, at least three (3) of which are peer-reviewed, scholarly sources from an academic journal or book

Due dates

• Co-Production Project: Sun. 3/2, 11:59 pm
• Revisions to final drafts (optional): Thurs. 3/20, 11:59 pm
  • This is the final due date for revisions – the sliding scale late policy does not apply for this assignment, to allow for sufficient time to grade any revised submissions
  • Revised submissions will only count towards points taken off before late submission deductions – meaning, any points deducted due to a late submission will still be deducted from a revised submission.

Case Studies

• Environmental and social impacts of eco-tourism in Costa Rica
• Hypoxia ('dead zones') in the Baltic Sea
• Saltwater/Seawater intrusion and coastal groundwater aquifers in Florida State, U.S.
• Cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Climate change impacts for Inuit communities in Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)

Formats

Blog/Website Post

Your blog post should combine informative and persuasive writing to communicate an informed opinion about your topic that is supported by empirical evidence drawn from your sources. While this format is probably closest to a conventional research paper, you do not need to use conventional academic citations (though you should still indicate where your information comes from). Your writing should be accessible to your intended audience, keeping in mind that the readers are likely non-experts on the topic but likely interested in it. Your writing ‘voice’ should be appealing and persuasive to encourage your audience to read the entire blog post.

Blog post requirements:

• Descriptive yet catchy title that draws in your intended audience
• 750-1000 word text
• At least one image created by you that help your readers visualize/understand your text
• Sources: embedded as hyperlinks and listed at the bottom of your post
• Short accompanying text:
  • Intended goals: What is your intended effect for anyone who encounters your work? (e.g. inform the public, raise awareness on a certain topic, provoke critical thought, encourage action, etc.)
  • Intended audience: Describe the audience is your work intended for. (e.g. age, level of education, prior experience with your topic, level of interest in your topic, etc.)
  • Distribution: Where and how would your project be distributed? Name an existing blog/website where your post could be shared. Your answer can be more aspirational than realistic – think of what would be most appropriate given your intended audience and goals.
  • Bibliography: List all sources you used to inform your work at the bottom of your post.

Children’s book

Your children’s book should be largely informative, in that you are educating your audience about your topic and related concepts. However, you may also wish to communicate an opinion and/or encourage specific actions that children can take up on their own. Your children’s book should communicate your topic and related course concepts in such a way that they are accessible to a young audience – the exact age/grade level is up to you. The exact format of your book should be appropriate to the age of your intended audience – for example, younger audiences will have less text but be more visual-heavy, while a book geared towards middle-grade audiences (i.e. 6^th-8^th grade) could be more text-heavy (e.g. a ‘choose your own adventure’ book).

Children’s book requirements:

• Descriptive yet catchy title that draws in your intended audience
• 250-1000 word text (length will be based on format and audience age)
• Any images should be created by you and appropriate to your intended audience
• Short accompanying text:
  • Co-production explanation: Short description of how your children's book is communicating the co-production of geophysical systems and human activity to your audience.
  • Intended goals: What is your intended effect for anyone who encounters your work? (e.g. inform the public, raise awareness on a certain topic, provoke critical thought, encourage action, etc.)
  • Intended audience: Describe the audience is your work intended for. (e.g. age, level of education, prior experience with your topic, level of interest in your topic, etc.)
  • Distribution: Where and how would your project be distributed? Name an existing publisher where your work could be shared. Your answer can be more aspirational than realistic – think of what would be most appropriate given your intended audience and goals.
  • Bibliography: List the sources you used to inform your work.

Online Poster/Instagram Carousel

Rather than presenting and defending an opinion, online posters are meant to raise awareness of a certain issue and/or provide objective data on a well-defined topic. Online posters can be highly variable in terms of their format and audience. They should present a compelling combination of text and images, providing empirical data where appropriate. Your audience will vary based on where you envision this online poster being shared/posted, but your final product should be consistent with and appropriate for your intended audience. Alternatively, this format can be framed as a carousel for an Instagram post – the requirements for each format are listed separately below.

Online Poster requirements:

• Descriptive yet catchy title that draws in your intended audience
• All images should be created by you, and/or cited to show where you sourced them. All images must be appropriate to your intended audience
• Size: equivalent to one A4 page
• Sources: should be cited/listed in the online poster and accompanying text as necessary to show where information came from (see next point)
• Short accompanying text:
  • Co-production explanation: Short description of how your infographic is communicating the co-production of geophysical systems and human activity to your audience.
  • Intended goals: What is your intended effect for anyone who encounters your work? (e.g. inform the public, raise awareness on a certain topic, provoke critical thought, encourage action, etc.)
  • Intended audience: Describe the audience is your work intended for. (e.g. age, level of education, prior experience with your topic, level of interest in your topic, etc.)
  • Distribution: Where and how would your project be distributed? Name an existing website, social media account, etc. where your infographic could be shared. Your answer can be more aspirational than realistic – think of what would be most appropriate given your intended audience and goals.
  • Bibliography: List all sources you used to inform your work.

Photo Essay/Instagram Carousel requirements:

• Descriptive yet catchy title that draws in your intended audience
• Text: 100 (minimum) word description that would accompany your post, not including sources
• Size: 6-10 images, can be a mixture of text and images
• Sources: should be cited/listed in the images and accompanying text as necessary to show where information came from (see next point)
• Short accompanying text:
  • Co-production explanation: Short description of how your images are communicating the co-production of geophysical systems and human activity to your audience.
  • Intended goals: What is your intended effect for anyone who encounters your work? (e.g. inform the public, raise awareness on a certain topic, provoke critical thought, encourage action, etc.)
  • Intended audience: Describe the audience is your work intended for. (e.g. age, level of education, prior experience with your topic, level of interest in your topic, etc.)
  • Distribution: Where and how would your project be distributed? Name an existing social media account or website where your images could be shared. Your answer can be more aspirational than realistic – think of what would be most appropriate given your intended audience and goals.
  • Bibliography: List all sources you used to inform your work.

Reel/Short Video

A video can be variable in its content and approach: it can be highly persuasive in presenting a clear opinion, or be more of a neutral communication of data. Your audience will vary based on your topic, goals, and where you intend to post the video. Your video should combine images and sound in a compelling way that clearly communicates your argument and supporting data. Your approach can be more artistic and creative, or aiming for a more objective relation of facts – whatever you choose, it should be consistent with and appropriate for your goals and intended audience.

Reel/Short Video requirements:

• Descriptive yet catchy title that draws in your intended audience
• Distribution: Existing channel/account (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, etc.) or website where your video(s) would be shared (can be aspirational)
• Short description (up to 100 words) in the style of a YouTube video description
• Length: 3-5 minutes (if you are aiming for a TikTok/Instagram reel, you can create a sequence of shorter videos adding up to 3-5 minutes)
• Sources: should be provided either in the video itself and/or in the video description
• Short accompanying text:
  • Co-production explanation: Short description of how your video is communicating the co-production of geophysical systems and human activity to your audience.
  • Intended goals: What is your intended effect for anyone who encounters your work? (e.g. inform the public, raise awareness on a certain topic, provoke critical thought, encourage action, etc.)
  • Intended audience: Describe the audience is your work intended for. (e.g. age, level of education, prior experience with your topic, level of interest in your topic, etc.)
  • Distribution: Where and how would your project be distributed? Name an existing social media account or website where your video could be shared. Your answer can be more aspirational than realistic – think of what would be most appropriate given your intended audience and goals.
  • Bibliography: List all sources you used to inform your work.

Thanks to Clara Lemme Ribeiro who allowed me to adapt her version of this project into its current form!