PUTTING RESEARCH IN CONTEXT: AN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY PROJECT IN A WRITING-INTENSIVE CAPSTONE COURSE

The senior capstone seminar in environmental science at University of the Pacific is a writing-intensive course on current environmental issues. The course is designed to integrate all aspects of the students’ prior environmental coursework: geology, biology, water chemistry, social sciences/policy, and humanities. For many years, the focus has been on water resources in California, with an emphasis on current issues related to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The first portion of the course involves readings and guest speakers that introduce students to various aspects related to California water policy, including: history of water projects, water law, endangered species, surface and groundwater hydrology, water quality, levee engineering, current and proposed water policy. Students prepare summaries of the readings and discuss them in class. With this initial background, students choose a research question that they are interested in pursuing further. Topics have included: methods of abatement of invasive species, potential impact of proposed diversion tunnels on legacy communities, benefits/drawbacks of alternative farming methods, impacts of water diversions on endangered species, effects of agriculture on water quality. The research paper (50% of the course grade) must place the environmental issue in context, provide a detailed analysis of relevant data, and propose a well thought out/viable solution. The assignment is structured with numerous intermediate deadlines (with increasing point value): initial reference list, annotated bibliography, detailed outline, preliminary draft, peer review, final draft. This structure ideally keeps the student on task throughout the semester and provides multiple opportunities for instructor input. Students report that they find the research project a very valuable assignment, providing intensive, real-world experience that requires synthesis of a broad range of concepts.