Research Paper

A Research Paper for the End of the World

Apocalyptic Literature
Spring 2013 HSOBX
Instructor: Lydia Netzer

STEP ONE: DEFINE A TOPIC
Choose one possible cause for the end of the world. Make it specific. Here are some ideas:

War

Disease (pandemic, superbacteria, supervirus, possibly developing because of overused antibiotics or nuclear radiation)

Nuclear disaster via bombs, leaks, spills.  

Ecological collapse, environmental ruin, environment turns on us for revenge.

Resource depletion (fuel shortage, water shortage)

“Peak Oil,” or the end of the oil age

Gradual decline of human civilization.  

Impact event or near impact effects (meteor, asteroid, comet, Rogue black hole drifting too close to our solar system)

Solar event (flare, supernova, or nearby star goes supernova)

Robot uprising, or some other cybernetic revolt.

Overpopulation, underpopulation, or under/overpopulation by a specific gender or group.

Natural disaster (earthquake, tsunami, onslaught of tornadoes, supervolcano, possibly caused by tectonic shifts)

Polar shift

Religious judgment day (demons, rapture, return of the 12th imam)

Time travel mistake or experiment creates time/space rift.

Genetics (genetically altered species take over / clones / extinct species resurrected, GMOs destroy biodiversity)

Global warming (ozone depletion, flooding, decline of the magnetosphere)

Write a paragraph defining your topic, explaining why you picked it, and what you expect to learn about it. A paragraph is at least four sentences.

STEP TWO: CREATE AN OUTLINE
Make an outline to help you organize your project. Your outline should have at least three levels. Keep in mind that this essay needs to do five things:
1. Explain exactly what event you are researching, and how it would cause the world to end.
2. Prove that people actually do worry about this event happening. 3. Explore the science or history behind this event and find its basis in reality.
4. Conclude whether this event is a reasonable fear or an unreasonable fear.
5. Provide some suggestions for preparing for this event, to increase survival chances.

STEP THREE: LIST YOUR RESOURCES
You can use any sources you can find: books, magazine articles, internet sites, interviews. However, you must consider the agenda and reliability of each source. For example, you might use the site http://www.themeteorsarecomingohnoweraeallgoingtodie.com as proof that people really do worry about meteor strikes ending life as we know it. However, you might not want to use their data on actual meteors or the likelihood of a meteor hitting the earth, because clearly their publication has a bias. To cite sources in your paper, use MLA format for parenthetical notations, as described here: http://www.library.cornell.edu/resrch/citmanage/mla

STEP FOUR: WRITE A DRAFT
A rough draft of your paper will help you figure out where you still need work. You’ll get feedback from your teacher and peers regarding what needs clarification and further explanation, and what can be deleted.

STEP FIVE: POLISH AND SUBMIT
Using comments from your teacher and peers, submit your paper in printed format, 12 point font, double spaced, stapled. Celebrate with a loaf of burned bread and a handful of river water!