Astronomy 201 
Sullivan
Summer 1996
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SHORT PAPERS- DUE THU. 14 JULY AND THU. 11 AUGUST

 

The short papers are designed to give you an opportunity to delve into two
topics in a bit more depth. The first paper deals with cosmology and the
second with life in the universe. The topics must match those given below,
which have been chosen because of their relevance to the material of this
course, their accessibility to introductory students, their ability to be
treated in only about 1500 words (5-6 double-spaced pages), and the
existence of sufficient suitable source material. The first paper must
treat one of the following topics:
	
	- the ideas of any historical figure relevant to cosmology
	
	- the cosmology of any society or culture other than our own

	- an aspect of extragalactic astronomy that bears on cosmology
	
	- an aspect of modern scientific cosmology


The second paper should treat one of the following:
	
	- early life on earth
	
	- the definition of life
	
	- creationism
	
	- SETI (the search for extraterrestrial intelligence)
	
	- today's global warming
	
	- the anthropic principle
	
	- the Gaia hypothesis
	
	- mass extinctions of species in the fossil record
	
	- alternative life that might exist on earth or on other planets

	
It is possible to do a topic not related to the above, but you must obtain
approval from your TA. In any case you must turn in a page containing your
proposed topic and your approach to it and what sources you have found in
a preliminary search. This page is due Tue. 5 July for the first paper and
Tue. 26 July for the second.

Because of the brevity of the paper, you must carefully choose your line
of attack and restrict your coverage, often to only some particular aspect
of the above general topics. For example, "Possible agricultural
consequences of global warming in the next fifty years," or "The relative
influences of the various greenhouse gases on global warming," or
"Accuracy of computer models of future global warming," or "The luminosity
of quasars," or "Is the cosmic background radiation constant in all
directions?" Whatever your topic, show in your paper how a knowledge of
astronomy, physics, and/or the biological sciences is vital to your
treatment. It is probably best if you somehow tie your chosen topic  in
with your own expertise, be it politics, economics, history, philosophy,
engineering, or whatever. If you choose to discuss only the science,
however, be careful to produce more than solely a collection of quotes
from books and  articles.     A good source  of information for some of
these topics is a file called "Term Paper Topics  and References" on
reserve in the UGL.   This file contains a wide variety of bibliographies.
After tentatively deciding on a topic and approach, it is a good idea  to
check the UW Library's Online Catalog (the "UWin" or "Willow" programs are
best - ask a librarian to help you) and the Reader's Guide to Periodical
Literature  in order to see how much  source material exists at an
appropriate level.   It is extremely advantageous  to get started early,
both for the obvious reasons as well  as the fact that you'll get first
crack at the Library's often limited  resources on a given topic.
The term paper will be graded on content, grammar, organization,
imagination, and neatness.  Carefully proofread and correct  your papers
before handing them in; what we read should be at least a second draft.
Because the paper is short, we want no padding, but well-reasoned,
well-edited "meat." Distinguish clearly between your thoughts  and quotes
from other sources.  Footnotes and references (all gathered  together at
the end) should be used to indicate only those books and articles  that
you have actually used. The TAs and Dr. Sullivan are glad to help you in
your choice of topic, finding suitable material, and understanding that
material, but don't come asking two days before the due date - this
assignment should be worked on for at least a period of two weeks.

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