Assignment 1: Biology Article

Assignment 1: Biology Article

Due Week 5 and worth 120 points

Use the Internet and / or the Strayer Learning Resource Center to research aspects of biology.

Select
an article from a magazine or newspaper that has something in it that
pertains to biology. This will serve as the “target article” for this
assignment. For instance, you can select an article about medicine,
invasive species, nature, conservation, genetic technology, ecology, or
any other topic that is related to biology. One purpose of this
assignment is to help you become aware of how biology is related to your
everyday life.

Write a one to three (1-3) page paper in which you:

1. Summarize the article in one (1) or more paragraphs, using your own words. Be
   sure to identify the article using an in-text citation in the body of
   the paper, as well as a reference in the reference section.
2. Explain
   how the article relates to this course. Identify which biological
   concepts from the course and / or text are relevant to the topic covered
   in the article. Citing the course text, discuss the ways in which this
   course does (or doesn’t) provide background information to help you
   understand the article and the larger issues surrounding it.
3. Explain
   why the article caught your attention. Relate the article to your life
   and to issues that are important to you. Discuss how or if the
   scientific knowledge about the topic covered in the article affects you
   directly or indirectly.
4. Discuss
   your opinion on how research on this topic should be funded. State
   whether you think taxpayer monies should support research on this topic
   or whether such research in this area should be funded by the private
   sector. Rate the importance of research on this topic, relative to other
   areas of research.

In addition to
the target article, you should use at least one additional resource,
such as your textbook or another article. You must have a reference
section which contains an APA reference to your chosen article and all
other sources. Additionally, you must provide in-text citations (in APA
format) to your references in the body of the text. Integrate all
sources into your paper using proper techniques of quoting, paraphrasing
and summarizing, along with your in-text citations.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be
  typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with
  one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA
  or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional
  instructions.
• Include
  a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s
  name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover
  page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment
  page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Use technology and information resources to research issues in biology.
• Write clearly and concisely about biology using proper writing mechanics.

Grading
for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic /
organization of the paper, and language and writing skills.