Due Date: December 11, 2023 [and don't forget to delete this line!!]
Reminder: Your report must be an essay written as an HTML webpage, of 1000-1500 words length (longer if necessary). You will link it to your "SGC Activities" list on your ePortfolio. Please respond to the prompts below. If you wish to add additional material, however, go ahead. And keep in mind the rubric on ELMS.
This assignment is to summarize your experience in SGC so far. It must hit all the points listed below, but feel free to express this in your own style. After all, it is YOUR experience you are writing about!
And don't forget to apply your own css to this page.
[A FINAL NOTE: We do recognize the end of the semester is often a time when many high point value projects become due in all your courses, but we really hope that you will put serious thought and reflection into this Three Semester Review. We hope that it will help you think of SGC as a single entity instead of a series of courses. Additionally, we (and hopefully you) can use this essay in future years to look back at your time in Scholars to reflect on how that experienced affected your future experiences at the University of Maryland.]
The Topic: Over the last three semesters, we have examined the Science of Nature and the Nature of Science. Specifically, we've looked at how we use the foundations of scientific practice to explore the evidence, causes, and implications of past and present global change, and examine the use of scientific knowledge and communication when making decisions for the future. Ultimately, we aim for the program to help students plan for resilience in a future of global change.
How has your experience as a Science & Global Change Scholar helped in that understanding (compared to what you have received if you were not in SGC)?
Choose and discuss at least two (2) of the following:
Also, cite at least two (2) specific items from classes that are SGC requirements or supporting courses, but which are not CPSG classes, that additionally support your thesis.
Additionally, discuss how your learning was improved or enhanced by interacting (in or out of class) with one or more fellow SGC Scholars. Please use particular examples of how being in this living-learning community actually aided in learning (or, if it did not aid in learning, indicate such).
Scholars aims to encourage active contribution on the part of students, either in specific academic situations (e.g., Colloquium discussions and projects; field trip activities; etc.) or as part of the larger Scholars community. To what degree do you think you have personally contributed to SGC, giving particular examples?
Furthermore, discuss to what degree (if any) did being in Scholars brought you in contact with people or concepts that challenged previous beliefs or opinions you had (either concerning the academic material of the program or other personal issues in your life). [Please note: a challenge is not necessarily a contradiction! Consider a "challenge" as any situation that caused you to examine or reflect on a belief or opinion that you already had.] How have these beliefs and opinions changed as a result of your experiences over your first three semesters?
Finally, how do you think your Scholars experience might inform your future? Are there particular lessons, methods, events, or other aspects of your time in SGC that you expect to draw upon as a junior and senior? In post-undergraduate education (if any)? In your professional career? [Obviously this is just speculation on your part; it is often the case that it is only in hindsight that we discover what was really our most important or formative experiences!]