Format:
Write five to seven pages on the prompt below. All drafts must be typed, double-spaced, have standard one-inch margins, and be in 12-point Times New Roman font. Black ink only. Paper format (including textual citations) should follow MLA style. If you have a question regarding formatting, please see Owl@Purdue. You are required to include a “Works Cited” page at the end of your essay. You must write five full pages. If you do not turn in a draft on time, you will not receive a passing grade (70% or higher) on the assignment.
Assignment Prompt:
You will be writing a dialogue that examines Nathaniel Rich’s work in conjunction with the primary sources assigned during week 3. A dialogue is written like a play, but is not expected to be performed. The form allows the writer to examine a number of different positions in a lively and creative fashion. A student sample of the genre can be found on Canvas.
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your understanding of the different positions taken by Nathaniel Rich, Jason Moore, Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, Van Jones, and the authors of the Bali Principles of Climate Justice.
Dramatic Situation:
Imagine that you are hosting a panel discussion about climate change. The panelists have been tasked with answering the following questions:
- Who is responsible for our climate crisis?
- Who will bear the biggest brunt of global warming?
- What should we do about climate change? What can we do about climate change?
The lead respondent is Nathaniel Rich who will be discussing his work Losing Earth: A Recent History (2019).
Rich will have four respondents. One of them must be Jason Moore. The remaining two can be selected from the following list:
- Pratap Chatterjee, the executive director of CorpWatch, the first signatory to the Bali Principles of Climate Justice
- Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner
- Van Jones
The format for the panel is as follows:
- Rich gives his initial response
- Moore will respond to Rich, stating his perspective and how it differs from that of Rich.
- Chartterjee, Jetñil-Kijiner, and/or Van Jones will follow, each stating their own perspective and how it differs from both Rich and each other.
- Rich is given a chance to respond to his critics.
- You will run a Q&A from the audience.
Suggestions for Doing Well:
- Read the texts and the content on the website! You can’t do well if you don’t know who or what you are talking about!
- Make sure that your comments are supportable by textual evidence. Although the actual words that your figures will say will sometimes be your own, it should be drawn from their actual writings. Don’t fabricate evidence.
- Have your figures both fully explain their views and draw out the distinctions between their views and others.
- Not all figures will discuss each topic and you do not need to cover each topic in your essay. However, you want to give as complete and interesting account as you can.
- Ask questions if there is something you do not understand.