CCST 9035 Making Sense of Science-related Social Issues (Socioscientific Issues)

Initial Essay
This assignment contributes a bonus of 5% towards your final grade.
Below are the format requirements:
· Three-page A4 maximum
· Font size 12
· Single line spacing
· Times New Roman font
Please cite the reference where others' work has been drawn upon.
The list of references is NOT included in the word count.

Assignments must be submitted to Turnitin (via Moodle) for plagiarism detection. You can log in to the course
homepage via Moodle and click on the “What is Plagiarism?” button to get more information about plagiarism.
Please submit a soft copy of your assignment to Moodle before Sep 17 (Tue) at 12:00 pm.
Please submit all assignments with the document file saved as a Word file with your university number, name, and
tutorial group number, such as “3035000000_ChanTaiMan_Mon_2”

Initial Essay
There is no right or wrong answers in this essay.

Part I: Argumentation (~2 pages)

As an educated layperson (NOT a scientist!!), read the excerpt of two articles uploaded on Moodle and answer the
questions below:

1. With reference to each of the articles, do you believe that organic farming would impose more severe
environmental impacts or alleviate the negative impacts of agriculture? Why? Provide as many reasons as
possible to justify the choice you made.
2. Should organic farming be promoted as an alternative for future agricultural development for sustainability?
Why? Provide as many reasons as possible to justify the choice you made. You are not required to do any
additional research beyond the two articles provided, but feel free to reference additional sources of information
if you wish.

Part II: Reflection (~1 page)

3. By reflecting on your journey in reaching a conclusion on the SSI news in part I, describe and explain the train
of thoughts that led you to the conclusion and justifications made, with a particular focus on aspects that are
more crucial and those that are less crucial in determining your viewpoint.
4. Reflect on the feelings (be they positive or negative) that you have experienced throughout this journey of
reaching a conclusion on the SSI news in part I, describe the feelings and how they arise.

As the journey in reaching a conclusion on SSI news in part I is a very personal experience, there is no right or
wrong answer to these questions. Reflection is part of the learning process. It is the depth of your reflection that
matters!