(Role) Playing Politics in an Environmental Chemistry Lecture Course

Chemistry for Everyone

(Role) Playing Politics in an Environmental Chemistry Lecture Course A. Meredith Smythe and Daniel A. Higgins* Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506-3701; *[email protected]

Many of the topics covered in environmental chemistry courses are firmly linked to ongoing political discourse. Some of the most noteworthy contemporary issues involve national policies pertaining to the use of nonrenewable and renewable energy resources. Topics related to nonrenewable energy include oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (1), automobile fuel efficiency, greenhouse gas emissions (2), and long-term storage of high-level waste from nuclear reactors (3). Issues related to renewable energy include the energy balance for ethanol production and use (4), the longterm potential of the “hydrogen economy” (5), and (in Kansas in particular) the siting of wind farms. Other important issues span a much broader range of subjects, including the impacts of and cleanup procedures required after natural disasters (such as in the flooding of New Orleans) (6), the development and implementation of genetically modified crops and other organisms, and the setting of standards for arsenic in drinking water. Environmental chemistry lecture courses emphasizing traditional pedagogical methods already provide the students with a deep understanding of the scientific issues necessary for their participation in informed debate on such subjects. They also provide a valuable and motivating link between real-world concerns and the (sometimes abstract) chemical concepts covered in the usual chemistry curriculum. Frequently lacking, however, are opportunities to practice the public speaking and debating skills required for the students to become active participants in discussions of controversial environmental issues outside of class. Such training not only involves development of the necessary research, writing, and speaking skills; the students must also learn to efficiently and effectively evaluate and respond to arguments presented by others, taking into account their educational, political, and cultural backgrounds. In the environmental chemistry course at this university, a general education course for nonmajors, the students learn to participate directly in contemporary debates on environmental issues via their participation in “mock congressional hearings” modeled after those that occur in committee meetings of the U.S. Congress. This activity serves as a replacement for the traditional term paper, while incorporating all the same research and writing skills. Importantly, it also provides the students with the opportunity for active, collaborative learning that greatly stimulates their interest in the subject and enhances learning and retention of knowledge. This activity finds its roots in previous implementations of case discussion (7) and role playing activities (8) in chemistry courses. Related activities (i.e., “public hearings”) (7) have been employed previously in general chemistry labs (9), but to our knowledge have not yet been described for use in environmental chemistry lecture courses. The “mock congressional hearings” reported here are operated as a role-playing activity (7, 8) to help expand the www.JCE.DivCHED.org

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diversity of arguments presented and to make a more direct link to real-world discourse. Of course, the emphasis of these hearings is on environmental chemistry and not environmental law. Each student assumes two different roles during the hearings. Their most important role is as a witness, giving testimony in front of the congressional committee. At other times, they play the role of a committee member. This gives each student a chance to participate in the debate from two different perspectives. As a witness, a student is expected to present the researched (and perceived) views of someone from a particular educational, vocational, or political background. As a committee member, a student typically participates in a manner that more closely reflects the student’s own level of education and world view. The combination of these two modes of participation forces the students to try to imagine the views of someone from a different background, while providing an opportunity to more clearly formulate their own personal views as well. Preparation The students are informed of the mock congressional hearings and associated procedures on the first day of class, during normal discussion of the course syllabus. They are encouraged to immediately begin looking through the topics to be covered in the course, the book chapters, and copious links to Internet-based materials provided on the course Web site. This preliminary research helps them identify subjects in which they have a particular interest. Midway through the semester, the class cooperatively selects a set of three to four issues of contemporary importance that are directly related to environmental chemistry. The topics may be drawn from a list provided by the instructor, but the class is encouraged to develop topics of their own. A list of some recently suggested topic areas, along with some associated educational issues, are shown in Table 1. After the topics have been selected, each student decides on which topic he or she would like to participate as a witness. Usually, three to four students give written and oral testimony on each issue. The students are also expected to participate in the debate on the other topics as well, but their participation in those cases is as a committee member. Because of the format employed, this activity works best in courses with approximately 20 or fewer students. Once the topics have been selected, the students are given further time for preliminary research on the specific subject matter on which they will testify. Approximately one week later, the students select a specific role that they will play as a witness. Suggested roles are provided by the instructor but the students are also encouraged to develop roles of their own choosing. Table 2 lists some of the roles selected recently for the specific topics of (i) federal subsidies for ethanol production, (ii) the licensing of the Yucca Mountain waste storage

Vol. 84 No. 2 February 2007

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Journal of Chemical Education

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Chemistry for Everyone Table 1. Suggested Hearing Topics Topic

A s s ociat e d Educat ional Is s ue s

L ice ns ing of N e w N ucle ar Pow e r Plant s

Ene rgy Supply and De mand N e w Re act or De s igns The N ucle ar Fue l C y cle Re act or Saf e t y and Ef f icie ncy

L ice ns ing of a H igh-L e v e l N ucle ar W as t e St orage Facilit y

The N ucle ar Fue l C y cle St orage v s Re proce s s ing of W as t e Radioact iv e De cay and H alf -L if e

Product ion Tax C re dit s f or Solar Ene rgy

Env ironme nt al Impact s of Re ne w able Ene rgy M e t hods of H arne s s ing Solar Ene rgy Pot e nt ial f or Solar Ene rgy Us e C os t s of Re ne w able and C onv e nt ional Ene rgy

Env ironme nt al and Ene rgy Impact s of W ind Ene rgy

Env ironme nt al Impact s of Re ne w able Ene rgy M e t hods of H arne s s ing Solar Ene rgy W ind Ene rgy Pot e nt ial Ene rgy Supply and De mand

Subs idie s f or Et hanol Product ion

N e t Ene rgy B alance Ins e ct icide and H e rbicide Us e Irrigat ion and Ground W at e r Re s ource s C arbon C y cle and Gre e nhous e Gas Emis s ions Ox y ge nat e d Fue ls De ple t ion of C onv e nt ional Fos s il Fue l Re s e rv e s

Oil Ex plorat ion in t he A rct ic N at ional W ildlif e Re f uge

Origins of Fos s il Fue ls Ene rgy Supply and De mand De ple t ion of C onv e nt ional Re s e rv e s W at e r or Soil Pollut ion, W ildlif e H abit at s

Re gulat ion of C oal-Fire d Pow e r Plant Emis s ions

Origins of A cid Rain Sulf ur C ont e nt of C oal and C le anup Proce dure s H e av y M e t al Emis s ions and H e alt h Ef f e ct s Gre e nhous e Gas Emis s ions

Fe de ral Funding of Fue l C e ll Re s e arch

Fue l C e ll De s igns and Ope rat ion L imit s on Ene rgy Ef f icie ncy M e t hods of H y droge n Ge ne rat ion and St orage B at t e ry Te chnology

Impact s and C le anup Proce dure s Follow ing N at ural Dis as t e rs

Ground or Surf ace W at e r C ont aminat ion W at e r Tre at me nt M e t hods H e alt h Ef f e ct s of Drinking W at e r C ont aminat ion Impact s of C ont aminat ion on W ildlif e

A rs e nic St andards in Drinking W at e r

Origins of Ground W at e r C ont aminat ion Source s of Fre s h Drinking W at e r M e t hods of W at e r Tre at me nt

De v e lopme nt of Ge ne t ically M odif ie d Organis ms

DN A , Plant and A nimal Ge nome s H e re dit y and Ge ne t ic M ut at ions Ins e ct icide s and H e rbicide s

facility, and (iii) the environmental impacts of flooding in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. The only limitation placed on the selected roles is that they must be different from those of other witnesses on the same topic. The students are also encouraged to select roles that will facilitate debate and reflect the actual diversity of opinions usually found on the issue being debated. 242


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The students then begin researching their topics and individual roles in more depth, employing both print and Internet-based resources. They are encouraged to share information with other students, and some class time is provided to facilitate this process. Specifically, one or two preliminary “committee meetings” are held during the regular class period. During these meetings, the class as a whole also


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Table 2. Suggested Roles for Representative Topics Topic

Possible Roles

Ethanol Subsidies

National Corn Growers Association Representative Agricultural Products Industry Representative Petroleum Industry Representative USDA Representative Environmental Scientist or Ecologist EPA Representative

Licensing of Yucca Mountain Storage Facility

DOE Representative EPA Representative Power Industry Representative Environmental Group Representative Local or Regional Politician

Flooding of New Orleans

Wildlife and Fisheries Representative EPA Representative Human Health Expert Water Quality or Water Treatment Expert Local or Regional Politician

brainstorms a list of potential questions for the witnesses, which are then distributed to all members of the class. The students are also provided with additional information (developed by the class, but guided by the instructor) as to the overall purpose behind each hearing. These activities are particularly helpful in providing guidance to the students as they prepare their testimony. As an additional preparative guide, the students are provided with several examples of written statements submitted by actual witnesses testifying before U.S. congressional committees. Such information is available from U.S. Senate and House committee Web sites and from other agencies. The students then prepare two page (single spaced) written statements, based on their research and in keeping with their selected role. These statements are submitted to the committee one week in advance of the scheduled hearings, after which the committee chairperson (the instructor) has the option of returning the statements to the witnesses for further clarification, when necessary. Finally, the students prepare oral testimony based on their written statements. They are strongly encouraged to develop graphics, charts, and figures to help in their presentations. Because their testimony is limited to five minutes, they are also instructed to focus their arguments by raising one or two main points at the beginning of their oral testimony, and then to provide direct supporting arguments for these points alone. The students are encouraged to watch congressional subcommittee meetings on television (i.e., on C-SPAN) in advance of the hearings to help them prepare for their oral testimony and to better play their chosen roles. This activity helps them learn to better formulate and present cohesive arguments in the limited time allotted. Hearings The final week of class is usually reserved for the hearings. Each hearing begins with an introductory statement www.JCE.DivCHED.org

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from the committee chairperson (the instructor). The instructor welcomes the committee and witnesses, then describes the goals of each hearing in detail. For example, in the case of ethanol subsidies, the stated purpose might be to determine whether continuation of current federal subsidies is warranted, based on issues such as the potential impacts of ethanol use on greenhouse gas and carbon monoxide emissions, the energy balance of ethanol production and use, and general concerns over increased petroleum imports and the ongoing depletion of petroleum reserves. Such specific focal points of the hearings are decided during the “committee meetings” held earlier in the semester. Each witness is then introduced and gives a five-minute oral presentation based on their chosen role and research. Typically, four students give testimony during each hour-long class period. They are strongly encouraged to play their role as best they can. To the extent possible, it is also expected they give their testimony with the same level of formality found in actual congressional committee hearings. After each witness completes the oral presentation, the committee members (composed of the remainder of the class) are given the opportunity to question the witness. The committee members are also encouraged to express their own views on the subject during this time. Assessment Grading of the activity is based on the level of participation by each student, both as a witness and as a committee member. An 80:20 weighting is applied to these two roles, respectively, in grading the activity. As witnesses, the students are graded on how relevant or believable their presentation is for their chosen role. They are also graded on how completely they have researched their written statement, how well they have condensed and organized their oral arguments, and how relevant their presentation is to the actual issue at hand. The scientific content and accuracy of their statements is im-


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portant in determining the final grade; however, this aspect of the grade is heavily weighted by the degree to which each topic was covered in class. Assessment of the activity is done at the end of each semester primarily by the completion of a voluntary survey by the students. Student feedback on this activity has been almost uniformly positive. Many have commented that they learned the material covered in the hearings in general and on which they gave testimony in particular to a much greater depth. Several have also commented how they appreciate the opportunity to explore issues on their own and present their own views to the class. Active, animated debate is frequently observed during these hearings, providing some of the best evidence of enthusiasm for this activity. Finally, questions specifically dealing with the material covered in the hearings have been included on final exams. Student answers to these questions clearly demonstrate the educational advantages of this method over the more traditional term paper. The students were able to give in-depth answers to questions on topics for which they had served only as committee members, demonstrating that they had gained significant knowledge from the oral testimony and questioning of the other students on the other topics.

Many political issues currently being debated in the United States and throughout the world are directly linked to topics covered in environmental chemistry courses. The traditional methods employed in the teaching of such courses have long provided the students with the necessary scientific background to contribute to these debates. However, training in public speaking and debating skills is often lacking.


Acknowledgments DAH gratefully acknowledges NSF support (CHE0404578 and CHE-0316466) of his teaching and research programs. Laurel Peterson, Susan and Bob Higgins and Maryanne Collinson are thanked for their helpful suggestions and proofreading of this manuscript. Literature Cited 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

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Participation of environmental chemistry students in mock congressional hearings has been described here as a means of helping the students better develop their speaking and debating skills with a direct emphasis on environmental chemistry issues. This activity also brings active learning principles into the classroom and greatly increases student participation in an otherwise traditional lecture course.

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Kaiser, J. Science 2002, 296, 444–445. Demirdoven, N.; Deutch, J. Science 2004, 305, 974–976. Carter, L. J.; Pigford, T. H. Science 2005, 310, 447–448. Hess, G. Ethanol Wins Big in Energy Policy. Chem. Eng. News 2005, Sep 12, 28–30. Service, R. F. Science 2004, 305, 958–961. Pardue, J. H.; Moe, W. M.; McInnis, D.; Thibodeaux, L. J.; Valsaraj, K. T.; Maciasz, E.; van Heerden, I.; Korevec, N.; Yuan, Q. Z. Environ. Sci. Technol. 2005, 39, 8591–8599. Herreid, C. F. J. Coll. Sci. Teach. 1994, 23, 221–229. Jackson, P. T.; Walters, J. P. J. Chem. Educ. 2000, 77, 1019– 1025, and references therein. Kimbrough, D. R.; Dyckes, D. F.; Mlady, G. W. J. Chem. Educ. 1995, 72, 295–296.


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(Role) Playing Politics in an Environmental Chemistry Lecture Course

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