PLEASE USE AT LEAST THREE OF THE ATTACHED READINGS IN THE PAPER.

The current state of the U.S. economy, as well as neo-liberal efforts on behalf of business to lessen the “burden” of government regulation.  As a result, the environmental movement, as well as environmental protection agencies within the state, have come under increased political pressure from organized corporate interests, especially those associated with what I term the polluter-industrial complex.  This has resulted in what many consider to be a profound crisis of environmental politics in America and throughout the world.

In a year there will be a presidential election. Utilizing the class readings, lectures, and/or films, provide a solution(s) to the environmental crisis in the United States or any other part of the world offered by a presidential candidate of your own choosing.  That might include proposals for solving a special issues, such as climate change or pesticide abuses.  Or it might take a more general approach to solving the ecological crisis in general.  Regardless, you might discuss what you consider to be the primary political, economic, and/or social obstacles standing in the way of a comprehensive resolution to the environmental problem or crisis.  For instance, you may want to address the types of structural changes, policies, and/or strategies that the environmental movement might pursue in order to overcome these obstacles.  You may want to focus on the need for campaign finance reform, or a new kind of chemicals policy.  Or, you might wish to address the implications of the globalization of capital on traditional tactics for achieving environmental protection.  You may want to focus on policy solutions to a particular problem, such as the export of E-waste or how to reform Superfund.  In other words, there is a great deal of freedom for you to focus on those solutions you find most compelling.  Whatever your focus, however, please be sure to analyze why the changes you propose are required, as well as why they might be effective. 

FORMAT

The final paper shall consist of eight pages (c.2000 words).  The paper must be typed, double-spaced! Be sure to also include a bibliography and/or footnotes page, and to cite your sources. 

A bibliography is a list of sources (books, journals, Web sites, periodicals, etc.) one has used for researching a topic. Bibliographies are sometimes called “References” or “Works Cited” depending on the style format you are using. A bibliography usually just includes the bibliographic information (i.e., the author, title, publisher, etc.).
An annotation is a summary and/or evaluation. Therefore, an annotated bibliography includes a summary and/or evaluation of each of the sources. THIS PROJECT REQUIRES YOUR ANNOTATIONS INCLUDE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:
Summarize: Some annotations merely summarize the source. What are the main arguments? What is the point of this book or article? What topics are covered? If someone asked what this article/book is about, what would you say? The length of your annotations will determine how detailed your summary is.
Assess: After summarizing a source, it may be helpful to evaluate it. Is it a useful source? How does it compare with other sources in your bibliography? Is the information reliable? Is this source biased or objective? What is the goal of this source?
Reflect: Once you’ve summarized and assessed a source, you need to ask how it fits into your research. Was this source helpful to you? How does it help you shape your argument? How can you use this source in your research project? Has it changed how you think about your topic?
Why should I write an annotated bibliography?
To learn about your topic: Writing an annotated bibliography is excellent preparation for a research project. Just collecting sources for a bibliography is useful, but when you have to write annotations for each source, you’re forced to read each source more carefully. You begin to read more critically instead of just collecting information. At the professional level, annotated bibliographies allow you to see what has been done in the literature and where your own research or scholarship can fit. To help you formulate a thesis: Every good research paper is an argument. The purpose of research is to state and support a thesis. So a very important part of research is developing a thesis that is debatable, interesting, and current. Writing an annotated bibliography can help you gain a good perspective on what is being said about your topic. By reading and responding to a variety of sources on a topic, you’ll start to see what the issues are, what people are arguing about, and you’ll then be able to develop your own point of view.
To help other researchers: Extensive and scholarly annotated bibliographies are sometimes published. They provide a comprehensive overview of everything important that has been and is being said about that topic. You may not ever get your annotated bibliography published, but as a researcher, you might want to look for one that has been published about your topic.
The Annotated Bibliography is due Week 10 of the course must contain a minimum of ten (10) references that are being utilized for the final project.

use attached documents for final paper !