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Evaluations

Assignment #1 - NPRI and Pollution over Time and Space

Assignment 1 Outline

The purpose of this assignment is to "explore" a chemical substance known to have serious health effects.  You will become (more) familiar with the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) as an example of freely available government data. NPRI is a database of point source pollution in Canada. Since the mid 1990s the Canadian government has been collecting this data from companies, who are required by law to submit data on pollutant releases from their facilities. The data has both temporal and spatial dimensions that make it ideal for geographic study. You will extract data for whatever substance you choose to create a brief report on the distribution of the substance over space.

For a full description of assignment 1, please see the outline posted here.

 

Assignment 2 - Evidence Linking Exposure and Outcome

Assignment 2 Outline

The purpose of this assignment is to investigate an environment and health issue in detail.  You will write a critical essay which assesses the state of evidence on the link between an environmental "exposure" and a health outcome.

For a full description of assignment 2, please see the outline posted here.

 

Midterm

Weight: 20% Duration: 1.5 hours

Date: Feb 26 Location: TH-3102

Possible Format: mixed, all answers on exam paper - 85 marks

Material Covered

All lectures and readings up until the end of the class immediately prior to the midterm date. The focus will be on lectures, but the readings typically overlap the lectures considerably. Generally speaking you do not have to know specifics like who said what in what year for the multiple choice, but it would not hurt to know some of the more important figures mentioned in class to round out your definitions and short answer.

 

Final Exam

Weight: 35%

Duration: 1.5 hours

Date: April 28 19:00 - 22:00 (always verify on official exam schedule)

Location: SSC 2024

Possible Format: mixed, all answers on exam paper - 100 marks

Multiple Choice and True/False (15 marks)

1 mark ea.

MC usually 1 of 5 choices (a - e)

NOT scantron, circle on exam paper

no "correction factor" (i.e., NO subtraction of incorrect answers from correct answers)

Definitions (25 marks)

5 marks ea

Choice - you will choose 5 from at least 7

Identify what the thing is, why it is important, how it relates to other things in the lectures and provide an example(s)

I have been told by students that I, "expect a lot in a definition". I agree.

only those definitions that include an example will receive full marks

space - use only the space provided - approximately 1/5 of a page

Short Answer (30 marks)

10 markes each

choice - you will choose 3 from at least 5

address the question directly and include at least one example.

examples - only those short answers that include at least one example will receive full marks

space - use only the space provided - approximately 1/3 of a page.

Essay (30 marks)

choice - you will choose 1 from 2

address the question directly and include examples.

space - use only the space provided - approximately 1/3 of a page.

outline - though there are no marks explicityly awareded for this, sketch an outline on the extra sheet of paper provided (back of last page)

Material Covered

All lectures and readings since the midterm date. You are also responsible for material you might use in an essay answer. That is, the essay question will be quite general and will allow you to draw on material from the entire course. The focus will be on lectures, but the readings typically overlap the lectures considerably. Generally speaking you do not have to know specifics like who said what in what year for the multiple choice, but it could not hurt to know some of the more important figures mentioned in class to round out your definitions and short answer.