Nuclear science and technology: Beneficial or Harmful.

THE RESEARCH REPORT – OVERVIEW This assignment is an analytic research paper. This means that it is an exercise in analysing and evaluating specific aspects of science and technology as human activities, using the conceptual tools that you learned in the course. It is not an argumentative essay, where you formulate a thesis statement in the introduction, and then articulate an argument to support it. The purpose of this assignment is not to take a stance on some scientific or technological issue—as for example whether GMOs are or are not the solution to world’s hunger, or whether nuclear energy should be or should not be the energy of the future—and to convince the reader of the validity of your stance. The purpose is to apply the ideas that we discussed so far in the course to examine and interpret how scientists, engineers, journalists, activists, corporations, patients, consumers, and other actors deal with such controversial issues. The Research Report will have the character of a quest: you will start by asking an interesting question, and you will collect, examine, and organize information and ideas from a range of sources, looking for an answer. You will conclude with an evaluation of your findings. You may end up finding a complete and satisfactory answer, a partial answer, or no answer at all. If you found a satisfactory answer, explain what the answer is and why you think it is a satisfactory answer. If you did not find an answer, explain why. Conclude by suggesting an outcome of your research. What are the consequences of the answer your found? Does the answer suggest that STS2411 INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY STUDIES FALL 2017 2 For class use only. Do not circulate. more questions need to be asked? Some action needs to be taken? Or is answering your question still a work in progress? What could or should be the next move? Like anybody else, you will have prejudices and expectations before starting the research. It is impossible to be completely unbiased when collecting and organizing information. But one of the aims of this assignment is to train your ability to recognize and question your hidden standpoints. Do not force your expectations onto your findings. Be prepared to rethink and revise your preconceptions according to the information that you will find. FORMAT OF THE PAPER The report will be typewritten, about 8 pages long (cover page, notes, list of sources, and illustrations excluded), 12 pt font, double spaced, standard margins, no blank spaces. Print it single-sided on plain paper. Write your name, student number, the course name (STS2411 Introduction to STS), and the title of the report on the cover page. The title may be simply your research question, or a title of your choice that suggests the question or an highlight of your findings. Write in clear and correct English. Use a dictionary to ensure that your words convey your meaning precisely and are spelled correctly. Form sentences that are complete, logical, and clear. Proofread your work to avoid mistakes, obscurities, and nonsense.