Effects of Conspiracy Theories on Modern American Society
Order ID:89JHGSJE83839 Style:APA/MLA/Harvard/Chicago Pages:5-10 Instructions:
Effects of Conspiracy Theories on Modern American Society
Hillsborough Community College
Ybor Campus
IDS 2891-26394 Connections
Summer 2019
Conspiracy Theories
PROFESSOR: Steven Milhorn Ed. S.
OFFICE: YLRC 311
PHONE: 259-6492
EMAIL: smilhorn@hccfl.edu
CLASS MEETING: 6/18 -7/23 Fridays 9- 11:40 am YBOR 216
1 CREDIT HOUR
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students in IDH 2110 will explore the presence and effects of conspiracy theories on modern American society. This will be done through reading, discussion, research, and experience. The course examines the aspects of conspiracies and the importance of credibility and media responsibility.
The following course objectives have been drawn from the General Education Goals
Students will demonstrate:
- their ability to think critically.
- their ability to express themselves clearly in written and oral communication.
- their understanding of and appreciation for the value and significance of culture.
- scientific method of inquiry and historical and contemporary impact of science on daily life.
- their understanding of global, social, economic, and historical perspectives
- their ability to use technology to access, retrieve, process and communicate
TEXT: None require
GRADING: Following college policy, grades in this course will be Pass/Fail.
Grades will be based on attendance and participation. The following standards will apply:
- Students must attend all class meetings. For any absence to be excused
documentation of medical or other emergency will be required.
- Students must participate in each phase of the course. Due to the abbreviated course,
some work may be completed outside class. It will also include the submission of
two written papers.
- A passing grade will be given only if both papers are submitted in proper form
and on the day each is due.
PAPERS: There will be two writing assignments due on dates indicated below. In the first paper students will select one conspiracy theory and evaluate it from multiple perspectives. This paper should also look forward and discuss future challenges, especially focusing on how technology may help or complicate the process. The second paper is required of all IDS 2110 students. Instructions and detailed information are attached.
All papers are to be typed, double-spaced, size 12 font and WILL NOT be accepted late. The first paper will be graded using the following rubric:
Learning Outcome Performance
Minimal/Poor Adequate Above average Excellent
Objective Excellent – 4 Good – 3 Less than adequate- 2 Poor quality – 1 Identification /rationale Historical/ social value Future implications DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Our fourth class meeting will be devoted to an open and frank discussion of theories and the findings of individual research. Student wishing to present their research are welcome to discuss it or present it in manner that they consider to be interesting and relevant. Student should have questions and be willing to exchange in a collegial discourse format with their peers. All student will be expected to participate and will receive class credit for doing so.
TENTATIVE COURSE PLAN:
DATE ACTIVITY
Week 1- INTRODUCTION
Concepts: What is known about conspiracy theories? What pre-knowledge do student have? What assumptions can be made and express? Do they serve a purpose?
Week 2- THE EVOLUTION OF CONSPIRACY…
Students will watch the documentary “Loose Change,” then discuss the probability and legitimacy of the claims.
Concepts: Credibility
Week 3- SOCIETY
Student will work in teams to discuss how information is gathered. They will create surveys to establish social effects of alternative theories.
Concepts: Gathering information/ Research
Week 4- CLASS DISCUSSION
Students will divide into small groups. Each group will be given questions previously written by class members. Answers to the questions will be formulated by the group and discussed by the entire class.
Concepts: Political repercussions, media bias, and data interpretation
Week 5- CONCLUSIONS
Papers 1 and 2 due
INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENT
ADDENDUM TO IDS 2110 SYLLABUS, FALL 2008
DUE ON _________
All students must submit two papers. The first is one required by the general Education Assessment Committee. Its parameters, evaluation standards, and due date are given to students under separate cover.
Appendix A
Holistic Assessment of Critical Thinking
Essay Directions:
Read the passages below and write an essay that addresses the following:
- What is the position in each passage?
- What evidence or reasons are given in support of each position?
- Which position is more convincing and why?
Do no additional research on the topics other than using a dictionary. [NEW]
The Controversy: Does fracking contribute to global warming?
Passage 1. Pro: from “Fracking Contributes to Global Warming” by Louis W. Allstadt
The fracking that’s going on right now is the real wake-up call on just what extreme lengths are required to pull oil or gas out of the ground now that most of the conventional reservoirs have been exploited—at least those that are easy to access.
First of all you have to look at what is conventional oil and gas. That was pretty much anything that was produced until around 2000. It’s basically a process of drilling down through a cap rock, an impervious rock that has trapped oil and gas beneath it. And once you’re into that reservoir—which is really not a void, it’s porous rock—the natural pressure of the gas will push up the gas and oil.
Now what’s happened is that the prospect of finding more of those conventional reservoirs, particularly on land and in the places that have been heavily explored like the US and Europe and the Middle East just is very, very small. And the companies have pretty much acknowledged that. All of them talk about the need to go to either nonconventional shale or tight sand drilling or to go into deeper and deeper waters or to go into really hostile Arctic regions and possibly Antarctic regions.
Both the horizontal drilling and fracturing have been around for a long time. The industry will tell you this over and over again—they’ve been around for 60 years, things like that. That is correct. What’s different is the volume of fracking fluids and the volume of flowback that occurs in these wells. It is 50 to 100 times more than what was used in the conventional wells.
The other [difference] is that the rock above the target zone is not necessarily impervious the way it was in the conventional wells. And to me that last point is at least as big as the volume. The industry will tell you that the mile or two between the zone that’s being fracked is not going to let anything come up.
But there are already cases where the methane gas has made it up into the aquifers and atmosphere. Sometimes through old well bores, sometimes through natural fissures in the rock. What we don’t know is just how much gas is going to come up over time. It’s a point most people haven’t gotten. It’s not just what’s happening today. We’re opening up channels for the gas to creep up to the surface and into the atmosphere. And methane is a much more potent greenhouse gas in the short term—less than 100 years—than carbon dioxide.
Source Citation
Allstadt, Louis W. “Fracking Contributes to Global Warming.” Natural Gas, edited by Dedria Bryfonski, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 12 Dec. 2016. Originally published as “Former Mobil VP Warns of Fracking and Climate Change,” Truthout.org, 19 July 2013.
Passage 2. Con: from “Fracking Does Not Contribute to Global Warming” by Coral Davenport
A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concludes that hydraulic fracturing—the controversial technique behind the nation’s recent oil and gas boom—doesn’t appear to contribute significantly to global warming, as many environmental groups have warned.
It’s great news for oil and gas companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and Chevron, which have relied on breakthroughs in so-called fracking technology to cheaply unlock vast new reserves of domestic oil and natural gas that had been trapped underground in shale-rock formations.
“It’s very good news,” said Richard Keil, a spokesman for ExxonMobil, of the study. “This is a groundbreaking survey. It’s the most extensive one that’s been done yet, and it serves to add important new evidence that hydraulic fracturing does not contribute to climate change—it does not contribute methane emissions at levels higher than those set by the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA].”
The study concluded that the majority of hydraulically fractured natural gas wells have surface equipment that reduces on-the-ground methane emissions by 99 percent, although it also found that elsewhere on fracking rigs, some valves do allow methane to escape at levels 30 percent higher than those set by EPA. Overall, however, the study concludes that total methane emissions from fracking are about 10 percent lower than levels set by EPA.
The $2.3 million study was conducted by scientists at the University of Texas, with funding provided by nine energy companies, including ExxonMobil, and one environmental group, the Environmental Defense Fund. A spokesman for the University of Texas said that while the companies contributed money to the study, they had no input on the research or results, which were subject to independent peer review before being published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the nation’s most prestigious scientific journals.
University of Texas researchers say their yearlong study, which involved measuring methane emissions from 190 natural gas production sites in the Gulf coast, mid-continent, Rocky Mountains, and Appalachia, is far more comprehensive than [other studies], which relied on existing data rather than new fieldwork.
Source Citation
Davenport, Coral. “Fracking Does Not Contribute to Global Warming.” Natural Gas, edited by Dedria Bryfonski, Greenhaven Press, 2015. Opposing Viewpoints. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, Accessed 12 Dec. 2016. Originally published as “New Study Says Fracking Doesn’t Contribute to Global Warming,” National Journal, 16 Sept. 2013
Effects of Conspiracy Theories on Modern American Society
RUBRIC
Excellent Quality
95-100%
Introduction 45-41 points
The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned.
Literature Support
91-84 points
The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned.
Methodology
58-53 points
Content is well-organized with headings for each slide and bulleted lists to group related material as needed. Use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance readability and presentation content is excellent. Length requirements of 10 slides/pages or less is met.
Average Score
50-85%
40-38 points
More depth/detail for the background and significance is needed, or the research detail is not clear. No search history information is provided.
83-76 points
Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is little integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are included. Summary of information presented is included. Conclusion may not contain a biblical integration.
52-49 points
Content is somewhat organized, but no structure is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. is occasionally detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met.
Poor Quality
0-45%
37-1 points
The background and/or significance are missing. No search history information is provided.
75-1 points
Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is no integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are not included in the summary of information presented. Conclusion does not contain a biblical integration.
48-1 points
There is no clear or logical organizational structure. No logical sequence is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. is often detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met
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