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THIRD PAPER ASSIGNMENT:
FARMING
DUE ELECTRONICALLY THURSDAY, MAY 15 AT 6:30 P.M.
This is one of three optional assignments, of which you must choose two.
By the time you turn in this paper, you will have read a lot about farms and have visited some with the class. Your task here is to apply the concepts we have gone over in the first part of this class (scale, system, sustainability, resilience, etc), as well as the facts and opinions you learned on your field trip, to a policy recommendation on what should be done about the dairy farmers of Washington (aside from buying commercials on Mariners' broadcasts). You should think about what the Nooksack plain should look like 20-30 years in the future, and answer some or all of the following questions:
- Is it worthwhile for Washington to have a dairy industry, and why or why not (obviously, you will have to define and defend your ideas of worthwhile)?
- Are there contradictions between measures that would ensure a sustainable (that word again!) and environmentally friendly dairy industry, and measures that would ensure a reasonable livelihood for the farmers?
- How important are the conflicts between Dairy farmers and Berry farmers, and how might they be resolved?
- Does organic help?
- What sorts of economic structures would you like to see dominate?
Points for writing effective papers:
- Each paper should be 1500-2000 words in length, double-spaced, with a reasonably readable font size. Part of learning to write effectively is learning to write within limits of length; this means I will not read word #2001 of the text.
- References can be in any standard footnote, endnote, or embedded reference format. The notes or bibliography may push the total over 2000 words.
- Papers will be graded on accuracy and pertinence of content, logic, effective and appropriate vocabulary use, cogency of argument, and elegance of argument.
Processes and grading:
- Papers should be turned in electronically to The Instructor.
- I will grade and return papers, with extensive comments, within one week of the due date.
- A is 4.0, A- is 3.7, B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, etc.
- Late papers will be graded down one letter-scale point (A to A-, B- to C+) at 5:00 p.m. on the due date, and one more letter-scale point for each additional calendar day they are late.
- If you choose to write 4 papers, you may drop you lowest paper grade. I don't have time to read 5 papers.
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