Human Survival Synthesis Question: Dr. Gingrich, Fall 2018
Rough Draft : Wednesday, December 5th 2nd Draft: Wednesday, December 12th , these are due to turnitin.com by 3:45. You will have the class period to work on them. Introduction Any survey of news media outlets will illustrate the struggles of human beings as a species to survive from economic crises, starvation, terrorism, and natural disasters. Political discourse focuses on the potential demise of humans due to real or imagined threats from nuclear proliferation, viruses, global warming, etc.. Under this current culture of fear, popular culture has centered on the end of the human species from horrific threats such as vampires or zombies, in televisions shows such as The Strain and The Walking Dead. Many scientists argue that we could see the end of the world due to global warming, natural disasters, or overpopulation within the next millennium. Writers such as Charles Bryant however, discuss the resiliency of the human species: So are humans wired to survive? It sure seems like it. There are many examples of hard-wired human instincts that help keep us alive. Perhaps the most obvious case is the fight-or-flight response, coined by Harvard University physiologist Walter Cannon in 1915. When humans are faced with danger or stress, a biological trigger helps us decide whether to stay and fight or get the heck out of there -- flight. |
In this synthesis questions we will consider the issue of survival as it pertains to humans collectively and individually. The Prompt Are humans a resilient species which can adapt to difficult situations and survive or a feeble group likely to head toward extinction in the not too distant future? Read the following sources carefully. Write an essay in response to the above question. Within your essay consider the following two points:
Essays should be 1000 to 1500 words (4 to 6pages) and cite at least three of the articles and provide two references to the readings from the semester: Into the Wild, Unbroken, The Things they Carried, your independent novel, any of the stories or poems from the semester. You should use at least three different types of appeals Logical (definition, cause and effect, sign, analogy, statistics, syllogism) Ethos (authority of the speaker) Pathos (questions of value: is this right or wrong? Questions of emotions: anger, fear, joy, etc.) Readings and Links Rubric |