PHYS 280 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Required Essay 3, First Version (RE3v1)

Electronic submission due Wednesday Feb. 22 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Feb. 23 at 2pm

For RE3v1 you will write an essay using the scenario and guidelines described below. Your RE3v1 will be graded by your writing lab TA, who will use this rubric. 

Like RE2, the primary learning goal of RE3 is to learn the important technical aspects of nuclear weapons, described below, by writing about them.

Scenario

A group of incoming members of Congress would like to revisit the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, from which the U.S. withdrew in May 2018. These new members of Congress have asked the Congressional Research Service (CRS) to provide a report on the scientific background necessary to understand certain aspects of the deal.

CRS is charged with "providing timely, objective, and authoritative research" and "insightful and comprehensive analysis...Congress relies on CRS to marshal interdisciplinary resources, encourage critical thinking and create innovative frameworks to help legislators form sound policies, reach decisions on a host of difficult issues and address their constituents’ concerns and needs" (About CRS).

As the analyst at the CRS assigned to fulfill this request, you will write a 1.5–2 page report (single-spaced) that

  1. begins with a brief summary,
  2. provides an introduction that discusses some of the most important nuclear-explosive nuclides,
  3. describes the science and reasons about its implications (see below for more detail about required body sections), and
  4. concludes with a brief explanation of why restricting the availability of nuclear explosive nuclides is the most effective way to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

The body of the report should include the following sections, which may be presented in any order:

Guidelines

Writer's Memo

Professional writers often ask for feedback on their written products from their peers. This feedback is most productive when one requests comments on specific points or sections. 

For the RE3v1 writer's memo, please compose 3-5 questions to which your peer review partner will respond. These questions can be related to content, style, or grammar. For example, you could ask for clarification on some aspect of the science or if your paper has adequately adhered to the CRS report genre.

The writer's memo for RE3v1 will facilitate the peer review component of this assignment (see below). Please see the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide for additional instructions on formatting the writer's memo.

Your submission must include:

  1. Your RE3v1
  2. Your writer's memo for RE3v1

**submission must be in one file**

Content Learning Goals:

  1. Learn the isotope requirements for uranium and plutonium weapons and the technologies currently available to meet these requirements. 
  2. Learn how to create a nuclear explosion with uranium and plutonium weapons.
  3. Learn how reactor-grade plutonium compares to weapons-grade plutonium in terms of power generation and potential for nuclear explosion.
  4. Understand why restricting the availability of nuclear explosive nuclides is the most effective way to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons.

Writing Learning Goals:

  1. Learn course concepts by writing about them.
  2. Learn and practice conforming to the Phys 280 style and formatting guidelines.
  3. Practice assuming a professional role and style (in this case, an analyst for CRS).
  4. Practice analyzing and adapting to different writing situations and genres for responding to them.
  5. Develop a sense of audience and editorial awareness as a writer through peer review.

Required Essay 3, Peer Review of RE3v1

Electronic submission due Sunday Mar. 5 at 10pm

This assignment has a peer review component. You will be asked to review a peer's RE3v1 by (1) addressing the questions contained in their writer's memo (describe above) and (2) making at least two substantive comments on their RE3v1, preferably using the review feature of Microsoft Word. These comments can address an issue with content, style, or grammar; they could also praise an exceptional aspect of the paper. Your partner will be assigned via email after you submit RE3v1, and you will discuss your review with your partner in the TBD Writing Lab. 

In the email assigning your peer review partner, you'll also receive instructions for finding their RE3v1 submission. You will be asked to email your peer review to your partner at the end of your Mar. 6 Writing Lab.

As stated in the RE3v1 rubric, peer review is worth 15% of your RE3v1 grade (the points will be added after the TBD Writing Lab).

Required Essay 3, Second Version (RE3v2)

Electronic submission due Wednesday Mar. 8 at 10pm; paper submission due Thursday Mar. 9 at 2pm

For RE3v2 you will revise your RE3v1 essay. This revision should address all of the comments from your TA and peer review partner. Your RE3v2 will be graded by your writing lab TA, who will use this rubric (different from the RE3v1 rubric above). 

Writer's Memo

In addition to your RE3v2 essay please submit a brief statement (5–10 sentences) that describes how you incorporated your TA and peer review partner's feedback and, if appropriate, explains why you did not incorporate any feedback that you chose to ignore. 

Please see the Phys 280 Style and Format Guide for additional instructions on formatting the writer's memo.

Your electronic submission must include:

  1. Your RE3v2
  2. Your writer's memo for RE3v2

 **submission must be in one file**

Your paper submission must include:

  1. Your RE3v2
  2. Your writer's memo for RE3v2
  3. Your graded RE3v1 with the writer's memo for RE3v1