2 Separate 250 Word Does The News Media Report Sc
2 separate 250 word discussions links provided
M1D1: Does the News Media Report Science Accurately?
Gary Gutting wrote an editorial in the New York Times in April, 2013, called What Do Scientific Studies Show? Professor Gutting cautions the reader that news reports that say “studies show” are often tentative or likely to be false and should be labeled as such in the news media.
Completing this activity will assist you in mastering Module Level Outcome 3.
First:
- Read Gutting’s editorial (Links to an external site.).
- Read The difference between Correlation and Causal Relationships (Links to an external site.)
Next, post to the discussion board:
1. Based on your readings and viewing in this module, answer each of these questions:
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- In your own words, what is the difference between showing correlation and showing a causal connection? Explain the importance of considering the “third variable” in these types of relationships.
- Create your own example of the differences between correlation and causal relationships.
- Are most results of scientific studies valuable for guiding our lives? Why or why not?
2. In the same post, also provide an example of a news report about a scientific topic with your personal summary/evaluation:
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- Post an example of a report about science that you have read in a newspaper or a news magazine or online news source. Provide a link to the web page, if possible, but always include a complete APA style reference!
- Give a summary of the report. Explain why you think the result is either believable or not believable and if the scientific result report will affect our daily lives.
Your initial post responding to this assignment should be no shorter than 250 words. Include both in-text citations and complete APA style references for all the sources you used to inform your work. Once you have posted your own discussion response, you are required to comment on the posts of at least two of your classmates. You can agree or disagree with their posts, but you must explain why you have chosen to do so. Also, be sure to read the feedback on your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.
Always be sure that your posts are respectful, polite, and considerate. Please see the Excelsior policy “Guidelines for Online Interaction (Links to an external site.)” if you have any questions or concerns.
Remember, when you use a quotation or paraphrase from a source, you must include the correct citation and reference. Using APA style references and in-text citations is VERY important for this course and all your college courses. The Excelsior Library Citation Tip Sheets and Resources (Links to an external site.) will be a helpful guide. You may also wish to use a citation generator – you just insert the information, and it creates the citation in the format you indicate (MLA or APA, for example).
M1D2: Science and Public Thoughts on Important Topics
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Several of the readings and websites you examine in this module deal with the differences between what scientists think and what the American public thinks about important scientific topics. We want to delve more deeply into this disparity and better understand the causes and possible solutions to these differences. As careful and conscientious members of a democratic nation, you will be faced with many decisions about the future of your community and your children and families that will require you to be versed in the science behind the issues you are confronting. Towns and cities need to decide how to spend tax dollars on many projects, such as water purification, waste disposal, recreational spaces, and environmental habitat preservation and/or restoration. Countries and governments need to make important decisions on issues such as climate change, energy conservation, and exploration, to name a few.
The first article you will read in this activity from National Geographic lists several reasons why people have become more distrustful of science and the reported findings from research. The author points out many very human fallibilities that scientists and the general public may wish to recognize and overcome as best we can. The article also addresses the “science communication problem,” which is now a hot topic for research.
Completing this activity will assist you in mastering Module Level Outcome 2.
First:
- Read the National Geographic article by Achenbach titled “The Age of Disbelief (Links to an external site.)”
- Explore the interactive page Major Gaps Between the Public, Scientists on Key Issues (Links to an external site.)
- Read Study Reveals Wide Gaps in Opinion Between Scientists and General Public (Links to an external site.)
Next, post to the Discussion Board:
After carefully reading the National Geographic article, the PBS News Hour page, and visiting the interactive web page by the PEW Research Center, please respond to the following two questions in your initial post:
- Select one of the reasons given by Achenbach in the National Geographic article regarding why the public is distrustful or dismissive of scientific findings. Identify clearly which reason you will be discussing, then restate this reason in your own words.
- Give an example of this type of faulty reasoning from your own experiences or from some popular publication, website, or information source.
Your initial post responding to this assignment should be no shorter than 250 words. Include both in-text citations and complete APA style references for all the sources you used to inform your work. Once you have posted your own discussion response, you are required to comment on the posts of at least two of your classmates. You can agree or disagree with their posts, but you must explain why you have chosen to do so. Also, be sure to read the feedback on your own major postings and reply to it throughout the module.
Always be sure that your posts are respectful, polite, and considerate. Please see the Excelsior policy “Guidelines for Online Interaction (Links to an external site.)” if you have any questions or concerns.
Remember, when you use a quotation or paraphrase from a source, you must include the correct citation and reference. Using APA style references and in-text citations is VERY important for this course and all your college courses. The Excelsior Library Citation Tip Sheets and Resources (Links to an external site.) will be a helpful guide. You may also wish to use a citation generator – you just insert the information, and it creates the citation in the format you indicate (MLA or APA, for example). Here are 3 citation generators to choose from: