Write a 8 page essay of the plant from your assigned topic – Rice (Oryza sativa). Your essay should somehow address all 5 of the course objectives:
Integrate diverse uses of plants to formulate commonalities across cultures and times.
Connect historical events with how we currently use plants.
Describe and categorize the various uses of plants in current culture.
Evaluate how humans’ usage of plants has impacted plant species, both cultivated and wild.
Examine how past, present and future uses of plants impact current global issues.
Your paper should be based on reliable, scholarly sources (can include the textbook) and appropriately cited throughout (APA or CSE format).
Peer reviewed research articles (primary and review) are good choices. These should be citated as if they are in print rather than websites.
No websites should be used except for “.gov” if using for data.
For books, “reliable” is harder to judge. University press books are usually good as are those that include citations to high-quality scholarly sources. If in doubt, ask your professor.
Your information should integrate different sources to create a cohesive story about the plant. This is ensured by including all of the topics in the thesis statement.
Someone like your professor is your intended audience – a scientist with some plant knowledge but not about your particular plant.
My suggestion for steps to take:
Based on feedback during your presentations, brainstorm about what new information you need to find
Search for primary research relating to your unanswered questions (if you can’t find what you need, check with me)
Create an outline and check it with me
Flesh out your outline and send me a draft to give you feedback on
Paper is well organized (catchy introduction, body, conclusion) with a clear and consistent framework that is logically structured and cohesive. Writing has few grammatical errors and is appropriate to the audience. Writing shows mastery of academic discourse and conventions.
Paper demonstrates a clear and sophisticated understanding of the source material and course content. Paper makes a compelling and creative story. Claims are strongly supported with relevant, reliable, well-chosen evidence. Content is integrated to create novel insights into the topic.
Source information is properly used, well explained and from a variety of sources. Sources are reliable and correctly cited.
