STUDENT ROUNDTABLES

Students in groups will be responsible for leading one class discussion. The purpose of this exercise is to encourage student participation and improve verbal and critical thinking skills. Participation in this exercise meets partial fulfullment of the course requirements.

Failure to make your presentation will result in zero points.  This penalty might be waived if the student demonstrates good cause. Having said that, the student must make a presentation the last day of class.  Failure to fulfill this requirement will result in a 5 point reduction.  A student who does not have a good cause for missing the presentation has the opportunity to prepare a 5 minute presentation the last day of class. However, 10 points will be deducted. 

Each student member of the roundtable should address the class for approximately 4-6 minutes which will leave approximately 25-30 minutes for class discussion. 

The issues for discussion will be found in the Vig and Kraft book and the Emanuel book (see "Format" below).  Although the chapters in the book lay the foundation for each roundtable, you can bring in material from other sources to enhance your group's presentation.

Group Focus:  Environmental Policy Issues

1.  Energy Policy and Fracking (Vig and Kraft, Ch. 8)

2.  Food Production and the Environment (Vig and Kraft, Ch. 9)

3.  The Environment and Population (Vig and Kraft, Ch. 14) 

4.  American Cities and the Environment (Vig and Kraft, Ch. 12) 

5.  China and the Quest for a Green Economy (Vig and Kraft, Ch. 15) 

7.   Climate Change:  A 21st Century Problem (Vig and Kraft, Ch. 13 and Emanuel, entire book)

Format:

• Student Roundtables will be scheduled throughout the semester. 

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated by the instructor using a five-point scale (1=poor, 5=excellent) as follows:

Sample Evaluation
Criteria	Points
Knowledge of the Subject	4.5
Clarity of the Presentation	3.5
Organization	3.0
Analytical/Critical Thinking Skills	4.0
	15 out of 20 points

 Note:  If the students in a group feel that one of their members is not participating to the same extent as the other members, you may submit a brief memo to the instructor explaining the problem.  It must be signed by all other members of the group.  The student in question has the right to respond to the memo in a meeting with the instructor. After hearing both sides, the instructor will decide whether a 10% reduction is warranted for this assignment.