MY Organism is a Bottle Nose Dolphin Organism Profile Summary and Outline Assignment Instructions:  To help prepare you for the Organism Profile which is due Week 5, you will submit a 4-6 sentence summary of what you will be covering in your paper and an outline of your organism profile.  The summary should be written first, letting your professor know what you plan to cover in your Organism Profile. This is NOT a formal paper but your thoughts should be clear and your writing free of spelling/grammar errors.  Once you have a summary of what you want to discuss, you should start organizing the general and specific information you want to include in your paper by creating an alphanumeric outline. You can review instructions on how to develop such an outline as well as see a sample alphanumeric outline at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/03/. Your Organism Profile Summary and Outline should include, but not be limited to, the following topics: 1.  Introduction/background information about the species - Include common and scientific names of the organism, the area you and this species live (country, state, city, etc.), the area’s biome classification, etc. 2.  Life cycle of the species- Describe the life cycle of the organism you have chosen. The life cycle of an organism refers to the series of changes in both development and growth from its beginnings as an independent life form up until maturity, when it is able to reproduce.  Organisms like bacteria have relatively simple life cycles; however other organisms (e.g., plants) have very complex stages to their life cycle.  3.  Structure and Function- Describe the structure and function of at least one major organ system of the species (e.g., digestive system, reproductive system). Choose one system and explain how this organism’s system is structured anatomically and physiologically. Identify any species-specific characteristics or adaptations that are particularly unique to this organism and explain why. 4.  Evolution of the organism- Evolution is simply heritable change over time. Sometimes changes from one generation to the next can give individuals an advantage.  Specifically a trait that increases reproductive success or survival ability could be advantageous. Include a section in your profile paper about your organism’s evolution. Here are possible ways to research the topic:                a.  Conduct a review of scientific literature to understand what is known about your organism’s past evolution.  Search key words may include evolution, fossil, ancestor. Often technical reports from wildlife and                    conservation agencies have descriptions of an organism’s evolution.                b.  Summarize research on any adaptive traits. Search key words include adaptation, evolution, trait, and character.                c.  Find an article on the family tree or phylogeny of your organism. Summarize the information describing related species. Search key words migh.

1. MY Organism is a Bottle Nose Dolphin
Organism Profile Summary and Outline
Assignment Instructions: To help prepare you for the Organism
Profile which is due Week 5, you will submit a 4-6 sentence
summary of what you will be covering in your paper and an
outline of your organism profile. The summary should be
written first, letting your professor know what you plan to cover
in your Organism Profile. This is NOT a formal paper but your
thoughts should be clear and your writing free of
spelling/grammar errors. Once you have a summary of what
you want to discuss, you should start organizing the general and
specific information you want to include in your paper by
creating an alphanumeric outline. You can review instructions
on how to develop such an outline as well as see a sample
alphanumeric outline at
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/03/.
Your Organism Profile Summary and Outline should include,
but not be limited to, the following topics:
1. Introduction/background information about the species -
Include common and scientific names of the organism, the area
you and this species live (country, state, city, etc.), the area’s
biome classification, etc.
2. Life cycle of the species- Describe the life cycle of the
organism you have chosen. The life cycle of an organism refers
to the series of changes in both development and growth from
its beginnings as an independent life form up until maturity,
when it is able to reproduce. Organisms like bacteria have
relatively simple life cycles; however other organisms (e.g.,
plants) have very complex stages to their life cycle.

2. 3. Structure and Function- Describe the structure and function
of at least one major organ system of the species (e.g., digestive
system, reproductive system). Choose one system and explain
how this organism’s system is structured anatomically and
physiologically. Identify any species-specific characteristics or
adaptations that are particularly unique to this organism and
explain why.
4. Evolution of the organism- Evolution is simply heritable
change over time. Sometimes changes from one generation to
the next can give individuals an advantage. Specifically a trait
that increases reproductive success or survival ability could be
advantageous. Include a section in your profile paper about your
organism’s evolution. Here are possible ways to research the
topic:
a. Conduct a review of scientific literature to
understand what is known about your organism’s past
evolution. Search key words may include evolution, fossil,
ancestor. Often technical reports from wildlife and
conservation agencies have descriptions of an organism’s
evolution.
b. Summarize research on any adaptive traits. Search
key words include adaptation, evolution, trait, and character.
c. Find an article on the family tree or phylogeny of
your organism. Summarize the information describing related
species. Search key words might include phylogeny,
phylogenetic, and genetic analysis.
d. Use the Tree of Life Project to describe the
phylogeny of your organism. Start at species, if possible, and
trace back to the root. In addition to your summary, include any
interesting patterns or unknown data.
**Still have questions about how to research for the
evolution section? Click here for a hypothetical example.
5. Additional interests - The diversity of biological organisms
is vast. Therefore, if your organism has a particularly
interesting aspect about its biology that is not covered in the
life cycle, structure and function, and evolution add a section to

3. your paper on that aspect. For example, if your species has an
interesting parental care strategy or mating system (i.e.,
protrandry/protogyny, polygymy, promiscuity, monogamy) you
can include that in your paper.
PLEASE NOTE that you must submit your Organism Profile and
Outline as a “Microsoft Word” document rather than a Word
Pad, Works, etc. type of document, otherwise you will not
receive credit for your work.
Please review the university-wide policy on Plagiarism in your
student handbook. All written work will be submitted to a
plagiarism detection website so it is imperative that your papers
are your original work in your original words. Don’t forget to
utilize proper APA style in-text citations for any paraphrasing
and/or direct quotes utilized in your written work. Less than
10% of your written work should contain direct
quotes. Plagiarism will result in a zero for the entire
assignment, as well as a formal letter to the Dean of Academic
Affairs who will determine the next course of action, so make
sure the work is your own.
Essay Topics (choose one)
This assignment differs from the short answer essay question
assignment. For this assignment, choose only one topic below
and write your essay based on the topic of your choice. Make
sure to develop your essay using authors from our course
readings from weeks one through four.
1. Explain several of the tensions and conflicts that arose
among the earliest settlers in the colonies and each other or the
Native Americans. Show how those tensions and conflicts
emerged in early American literary works.
2. Examine some of the Puritan beliefs revealed by the works
we have covered that led to tensions, conflicts, and concerns
among the colonists and/or the Native Americans.

4. 3. Think about this rather surprising statement: It has been
suggested that Olaudah Equiano may not have been born in
Africa, but in South Carolina. If this were true, does his
birthplace change the way we read and evaluate this memoir?
Does this possibility affect its viability or reliability as a source
on slavery and the slave trade?
4. Compare or contrast two individuals from weeks one
through four who best illuminate important themes of America
during the time period covered. Define the themes you’ll write
about, and then discuss what precisely in the writing defines
those themes. Discuss these themes as they relate to current day
approach or understanding.
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS: Your submissions must be in proper
MLA formatting. Essay Onerequires 1,000 words (plus 10%).
Please do not exceed the maximum word count by more than
10% and do not go under. Academic writing requires discipline
and the ability to edit one's thoughts and ideas. Maintaining the
word count will help with this skill. - In the upper left-hand
corner of the paper, place your name, the professor’s name, the
course name, and the due date for the assignment on
consecutive lines. - Double space the entire paper, starting
with the heading. Do not add any extra spaces, and do not use
single spacing anywhere in the paper. - All papers should be
in 12 point Times New Roman regular black font. - Use one-
inch margins (usually the default margin settings) top, bottom,
left, and right. - All paragraph indentations should be one tab
(one-half inch) from the left margin. - All work is to be left
justified, except for the title and the heading on the Works
Cited page, both of which should be centered.
- When referring to works of literature, the source must be
quoted or paraphrased to support the writer's assertions. -
When quoting or paraphrasing lines in literature, follow the
proper way to cite short stories, plays, or poems. - Refer to the
Tutorial and Student Studies Center in the APUS library for
further information about MLA formatting and style.
NOTE: Do not write in first or second person narrative voice.

5. Always write in third person narrative voice. You should
make use of the online APUS library in searching for sources to
support your points. Avoid all uses of Wikipedia (or any
encyclopedia or dictionary) and reference guides like
SparkNotes. You can access the LITR220 Course Guide and
librarian help at
http://apus.campusguides.com/content.php?pid=112410&hs=w
Be careful that you do not cut and paste a paper of
information from various sources. You may not use previously
submitted material (i.e., self-plagiarism, also called double
dipping); your ideas are to be new and freshly constructed for
this course, this professor, and this session. Also, take great
care not to plagiarize; if in doubt, cite the source.
Due Sunday
Philosophical Essay: You will write a two-part 5-6 page essay
using our Library Guide for PHIL101 and our Online Library to
answer one of the following questions:
Please be sure to carefully read the syllabus assignment
instructions prior to submission, as well as review the example
in the syllabus of the Philosophical Essay Part 1.
1. According to Socrates, must one heed popular opinion about
moral matters? Does Socrates accept the fairness of the laws
under which he was tried and convicted? Would Socrates have
been wrong to escape?
2. If God exists, is murder immoral? Can those who do not
believe in God be highly moral people? Can people who
practice different religions agree about how to resolve a moral
disagreement?

6. 3. Consider the following philosophical puzzle: “If a tree falls
in the forest and there's no one around to hear it, does it make a
sound?” (1) How is this philosophical puzzle an epistemological
problem? And (2) how would John Locke answer it?
4. Evaluate the movie, The Matrix, in terms of the
philosophical issues raised with (1) skepticism and (2) the
mind-body problem. Explain how the movie raises questions
similar to those found in Plato’s and Descartes’ philosophy. Do
not give a plot summary of the movie – focus on the
philosophical issues raised in the movie as they relate to Plato
and Descartes.
5. Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Are morally good acts willed by
God because they are morally good, or are they morally good
because they are willed by God?” (1) How does this question
relate to the Divine Command Theory of morality? (2) What are
the philosophical implications associated with each option here?
6. Explain (1) the process by which Descartes uses skepticism
to refute skepticism, and (2) what first principle does this lead
him to? (3) Explain why this project was important for
Descartes to accomplish.
Part 1: At the end of week 4 you will turn in (1) a clearly
articulated thesis statement, and (2) a selected list of
appropriate sources using our Library Guide for PHIL101 and
our Online Library, as indicated below:
1. Identify at least one encyclopedia, or similar work,
providing a big picture overview of key issues your topic needs
to address.

7. 2. Identify at least one secondary source, an interpretive
work, addressing your topic which was written by someone
other than the philosophers identified in your topic. This
secondary source should be located through the journal article
database available in the APUS Online Library, where
contemporary philosophical articles pertaining to your topic,
can be located. For instance, use EBSCO’s Academic Search
Elite. This is a searchable database of scholarly articles from
many academic disciplines, including philosophy. It should be
used to locate contemporary scholarly articles pertaining to
epistemology, perception, Locke, etc. It also contains the full
text of many of the articles.
3. Identify at least one primary source, from a major
philosopher identified in your topic choice. Be sure that the
primary source selected pertains to the issues raised by your
topic.
Provide a complete reference in MLA style for each work
selected, and explain briefly (annotate) how the content of each
source will assist you with your Philosophical Essay
Assignment.. Attach as a correctly formatted MS Word
document and submit. See the syllabus for additional
instructions and an example of what is due week 4.
Due Wednesday
Minimum 300 Words for each part
Part 1: We see in “Rip Van Winkle” themes of generational
change, continuity, preservation, and tradition. Written nearly
half a century after the American Revolution, in "Rip Van
Winkle" Irving is making a statement about the Revolution.
What is it Washington Irving is trying to convey to the reader
through his story? Do any of the surrounding characters have

8. roles or represent themes related to the Revolution? If so, what
might those be?
Part 2: James Fenimore Cooper challenges the reader to
consider who really owns the land and its natural resources.
What evidence is in there of natural law versus human law?
What can we say about individual freedoms versus the ideal of
equal opportunities protected by the institutions of a
justly ordered society? Express these juxtapositions using lines
from the reading as support. And then please add your opinion
of ownership and conservation, law, and freedoms.
Due Wednesday
Minimum 300 Words
You should conduct research on the topic of discussion and use
this research to support your answers. You can use Internet
articles, journals, text books, etc. In fact, I strongly recommend
that you utilize the APUS Online Library for your research as
they offer a plethora of reliable and pertinent research sources.
However, NEVER use Wikipedia for your research as anyone
can alter the information on this site making it a poor source of
accurate information. Be sure to list your references at the end
of your post, include in-text citations where applicable, and be
sure that both are in APA format.
In our current lab, “Population Biology,” we are learning the
principle of competitive exclusion: that no two species can
occupy the same niche. Now, let’s take this concept and expand
it to the scale of the entire Earth. The human population
recently reached 7 billion people. Do you feel we are nearing
the Earth's carrying capacity for our species? Discuss any
impacts the exponential growth of our species could have on

9. other species and their habitat. Finally, explain what you could
do to reverse the trend of competitive exclusion by humans so
that we do not exhaust the limited resources of the Earth?
Don’t forget to back up your arguments with properly cited
references.
Due Wednesday
Minimum 150 words
Between Jefferson, Franklin, and Paine, who do you think had a
bigger influence on American democracy as we know it today
and why?