Biology 113: New York Times
Students commonly say statements such as, "There's no point in me studying this – it doesn't apply to me." Or, "I'll memorize this for the test, but I'll never need to know this stuff again." Even biology majors can utter such comments when they encounter certain topics in their field.
The Biology 113 New York Times project is an assignment designed to disprove some students' opinion that they are somehow removed from or unrelated to biology topics they perceive only as abstract concepts in their text. The assignment requires students to monitor the New York Times during the quarter and extract articles pertaining to biological topics, which they summarize and incorporate into a project paper as determined by the particular assignment of that quarter. Use of the New York Times in Biology 113 is part of an endeavor by the Center for Life Sciences Education to "bring home" biology in all of its courses for both science major and non-major students. The objective of the New York Times assignment is to develop in students a sense of connection among course topics, "the real world," and most importantly, their individual lives.
New York Times Project Description:
This assignment is designed to help you identify and follow an area of current news that is both of interest to you and relevant to the topics covered in this course. Your objective is to follow a "thread" of a particular biological topic in the news for the remaining weeks of the quarter (see below for details). The topic thread can be associated with your major or not, as long the topic has biological relevance. The main point behind the project is to emphasize the relationship of subject matter covered in Biology 113 to the rest of the world, including your daily life. The project is a group effort worth 65 points. All members of your team are expected to contribute equally, and all group members will receive the same score from the graded paper. The group report is due in the class period designated by your TA.
Your group report should include:
- A detailed description of the thread your group chose
- Seven (7) articles from the New York Times pertaining to your thread. This is approximately one article per week. In addition to standard articles, these may include editorials and letters to the editor. You may subscribe to the New York Times at a very reduced rate as announced in class, or you may visit their web site via the Useful Links icon on Carmen
- A thorough explanation of why each of the seven (7) articles is relevant to your thread. This should amount to at least two pages, typed and single-spaced.
Example threads:
Note: Your TA must approve your thread topic at the start of the project. These are only examples; many other potential topics exist.
- Advances in biotechnology/health science
- Concern about genetically modified foods
- Cloning and its potential benefits/complications to society
- Stem cell/fetal cell research
- Bioterrorism
- Drug resistance in bacteria
- Hormone therapy
- Emergence of new diseases (avian flu, etc.)
- Dietary and athletic enhancement supplements
