1. Let’s say you’re hanging out with family around the dinner table, and between mouthfuls of turkey they ask what you’ve learned about dinosaurs. You reply that one of the most interesting things you’ve learned is that all birds ARE dinosaurs, including the turkey that everyone is eating! Your family is skeptical, and concerned that you’re being taught a bunch of rubbish. What FIVE lines of evidence would you use to respond? In other words, of all the evidence we’ve discussed, what FIVE things do you think best demonstrate the evolutionary link between dinosaurs and birds? Remember, you’re trying to convince your family, so you also need to EXPLAIN THE SIGNIFICANCE of each piece of evidence.

2. Read this National Geographic article (https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/01/why-birds-matter/) and answer the following questions:

(A) About how many bird species are there? (It’s worth noting that there are about 5000 species of mammals.

(B) Thick-billed murres use their wings to fly and swim, diving into oceans to feed. How deep can they dive?

(C) Corvids (which include crows, ravens, and jays) are among the most intelligent and social of all birds. The article refers to a YouTube video of a crow using a lid for what purpose?

(D) There’s an individual bird, a red knot tagged as B95, that has flown more miles than separate what two objects?

(E) At one point, the author quotes Shakespeare to epitomize the whole point of this essay. Read the last four paragraphs closely, and explain how King Lear’s lament (“O, reason not the need!”) relates to why we should value birds.

[Also, just for fun, and completely optional, you may find it interesting to learn about the dark secrets of the bird world.]

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS

Discussion Questions (DQ)

• Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, including a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
• Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
• One or two-sentence responses, simple statements of agreement, or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
• I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.

Weekly Participation

• Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
• In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
• Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
• Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.

APA Format and Writing Quality

• Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
• Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
• I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.

Use of Direct Quotes

• I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’s level and deduct points accordingly.
• As Masters’s level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
• It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.

 

LopesWrite Policy

• For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
• Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
• Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
• Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

• The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
• Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
• If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
• I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
• As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

• Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: 
  • Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
  • Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.