What are the core issues in the mountain top removal debate

Exercise One: Documentary

1.1 What type of images are you shown? What sorts of images are meant to elicit an emotional response?

1.2 Concentrate on the people in the video (i.e., who are they, what are their jobs?). For each person interviewed, decide if they are for or against mountaintop removal mining. What was the basis of their argument? Did they consider all sides of the argument? Were the arguments based on economic concerns, science, emotion, or something else? For your write-up, choose 2 of these people. You can review the video at home if you need to!

Mike Maynor, Randy Huffman, Jack Spadaro, Chris Hamilton, Dr. Ben Stout, Governor Joe Manchin, Anita Miller, Ken Hechler, Bo Webb or Debbie Jarrell

1.3 To help you evaluate mountaintop removal mining, are there any types of people that you’d like to have seen interviewed in this video? What questions might you have wanted to ask them?

1.4 Did your opinion on mountaintop removal mining change after your analysis of the video’s presentation?

Exercise Two: Websites

1.5 How does the companion video to the book “Plundering Appalachia” compare to the NPR story. Which site provides more in-depth coverage of the issue? Remember to use specific examples from each source to support your answer.

1.6 What are the core issues in the mountain top removal debate? Are they adequately discussed in the two web sites?

1.7 How did viewing the helicopter video change your ideas about the coverage you have seen?

Exercise Three: Print Fact Book

1.8 Who produced this fact book? Does that influence how you view the arguments and facts posted in this document?

1.9 How does bias, or conflict of interest, influence what facts are presented? If there is an inherent bias or agenda to one view point (i.e., a document written by an environmental organization, or by an industry group), does this necessarily mean that the information cannot be trusted?

1.10 What are the essential claims made by this fact book? Were you convinced?

1.11 What statements in this document could you identify that conflict with what you have read and seen in the other material from the lab?

Exercise Four: To do at home

1.12 What is the URL, date, and author?

1.13 Summarize what new information the webpage provides.

1.14 Who runs the website? Do they seem to be a reliable source? Do they have a clear agenda?

Remember – You will have one week to submit this lab submission. It is due the day you have your lab section. It is due before the start time for you lab (1 or 2 pm depending on your lab section). Write-ups need to be typed using full sentences and should answer all questions fully. Write-ups are submitted online in Canvas IN TEXT, PDF or DOC formats. (Mac users beware – the system cannot deal with NOTE or PAGES formatted documents)