Annotated bibliography about a research question on gmo and environment

FRINQ Sustainability Dr. Scheller 1 of 4
FRINQ: Sustainability
Dr. Scheller – Fall 2014
Final Assignment
DUE DATE: Check D2L!
Final Assignment: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Overview: Each student will conduct research in PSU’s library to find sources that help them answer a research question. Building on our discussion of the effects of agricultural globalization on diverse cultures, you will prepare a short annotated bibliography about globalization, environmental justice, and food production. An annotated bibliography is typically the first step towards creating a full research paper. It enables you to gather your thoughts and supporting sources in one place before you begin writing a longer paper.
Because the topic of globalization is so broad, each student should first choose a specific country or region on which to focus. After doing some preliminary research on the country or area, you can begin to narrow down the topic. Example topics:
? How do cotton subsidies affect African farmers?
? What effect are GMO crops having on Indian farmers?
? How much soy bean farming in Brazil is controlled by international corporations?
? What has corn farming declined in Mexico?
? Is there an increased risk of crop failure in Asia due to loss of crop diversity and climate change?
Objectives: Diversity, Critical Thinking, Communication
? Develop a manageable research question. We will work on this as a group.
? Use library databases to find specific sources to answer your research question.
? Write an annotated bibliography where you summarize and evaluate sources.
? Practice proper citation of sources.

FRINQ Sustainability Dr. Scheller 2 of 4
An annotated bibliography includes two main components:
1. An introductory paragraph with a clear research question. The introduction should lay out for the reader what topic you will be investigating. The rest of the paragraph elaborates on your research question. I recommend starting with the research question and completing the paragraph after the second step, below. Your research question and citations MUST be related to globalization, environmental justice, and food production. However, you are free to pursue any reasonable research question. The introduction should be 200-400 words long.
2. A list of citations with brief summary of the article (2-3 sentences) and a brief description (2-3 sentences) about how the citation supports your thesis.
a. All citations should have author, title, source name (e.g., journal name), and year. Exception: Government reports often use the agency name as the author name.
b. Note: A URL is NEVER an acceptable substitute for citation information. I should be able to quickly find the information without using a URL.
c. Remember: web sites are ALMOST NEVER good sources. Wikipedia is NEVER an acceptable source.
d. ONLY include references NOT USED IN CLASS.
An annotated bibliography for a research paper will often include upwards of 30 citations. For this assignment, quality is more important than quantity. (The reverse may be true in other, future courses.)
Citations:
The minimum citations for this assignment are:
? 4 academic sources – these can be peer-reviewed journals, books, or book chapters.
? 3 popular press sources – these can be articles from reputable newspapers or magazines.
? 1 ‘gray’ literature source – a report from a governmental agency (this includes any government and the United Nations).

FRINQ Sustainability Dr. Scheller 3 of 4
Rubric:
Introduction (20 points)
0 pts: Missing or less than 200 words.
5 pts: Poorly written research question. Poor sentence structure. The essay contains numerous Basic Usage and Grammar Slips (BUGS).
10 pts: Strong research question. Sentences are clear and short with minimal wordiness. The essay contains only a few Basic Usage and Grammar Slips (BUGS).
20 pts: Exceptionally clear writing and research question. There are no BUGS and no wordy sentences. Each sentence is clear and to the point.
References (8 Sources; 5pts each; 40 points total)
Each reference should followed by 2-3 sentence summary and 2-3 sentences describing how the reference supports your thesis statement. The reference MUST include ALL the necessary information for me to find the article in less than two minutes: Author, Title, Year, Source, Page Numbers.
Codes: MS = Missing source name; MT = Missing title; (-1 pt. each)
MA = Missing author; MD = Missing date; (-1 pt. each)
NR = Not related to research question; (-2 pts.)
SS = super short; (-2 pts.)
BUGS = Basic usage and grammar slips. (-1 pt.)
NA = Not Acceptable. This is not a valid source. (-5 pts.)
TOTAL 60 Pts.
Standard Assignment Rules: ? The assignment MUST be submitted via D2L as an ATTACHMENT. ? LATE ASSIGNMENTS are NOT accepted without a really good reason. ? You MUST submit as a Microsoft Word (doc or docx extension). I have a PC. PCs are generally not very smart. Therefore, your file must be saved as (or exported to) a Word file or I cannot open it. ? Double-spaced. 1” margins. 12 pt. font.
FRINQ Sustainability Dr. Scheller 4 of 4
An EXCELLENT example From Last Year:
Thomas, Chantal. “Globalization and the Border: Trade, Labor, Migration, and Agricultural Production in Mexico.” McGeorge Law Review 41.4 (2010): 867-889.
Academic article:
The article discusses the general and specific dynamics that play a role in liberalization and production across the Mexico-U.S. border. It elucidates Mexico’s agricultural production specifically the production of corn and the staple of crop of Mexican farmers. It recounts the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)-induced corn import surges from the border of the U.S. to Mexico with the context of liberalization.
This article provided a lot of useful information in regards to how NAFTA has impacted Mexico and the effects that have arisen, broken down in a way that is very easy to follow and understand.