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University of Ottawa *
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Course
2129
Subject
History
Date
Feb 20, 2024
Type
rtf
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3
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HIS 2129 B
History 2129: Technology, Society, and Environment since 1850
Professor: Jean-Louis Trudel
Office hours: (by appointment)
Assignment 3 (Answers)
Option A: (double-spaced; outside sources may be used, but must be cited properly)
1) What four (4) types of samples provide the clearest evidence of the peak in atmospheric radioactivity that resulted from nuclear testing up to the 1960s? [2 points]
Half a point each for any four (4) of the following:
(a)
corals
(b) tree rings
(c)
ice cores (from glaciers or ice caps)
(d)
lake sediments
(e)
salt marsh sediments
(f)
speleothems [sediments deposited by groundwater in caverns]
(Lewis and Maslin, 2015, pp. 175-176.)
2) According to Stokols, what are three (3) factors that affect people's ability to cope with climate change? Explain each one fully in your own words. [3 points]
One point for a reasonable version of each of the following:
(i) geographical location: certain places are far more vulnerable to impacts of climate change, such as low-lying areas close to the sea, polar regions where the population depends on sea ice or permafrost, and arid climes threatened by desertification;
(ii) economic status: people who are poor are less able to move to a safer location, they are likelier to run low on food, and they are more vulnerable to illnesses;
(iii) demographics: women, children, the elderly, and people with preexisting health issues are also going to be more susceptible to heat waves, extreme weather, food shortages, illnesses, and the social conflicts that would be exacerbated by climate change.
(Stokols, pp. 247-249.)
3) After 1940, the "Small Committee" formed by several U.S. pharmaceutical companies created
a file of evidence about the safety of diethylstilbestrol (DES) for use by women. Two (2) selection criteria ensured that the evidence would be mainly positive. Explain why each selection criterion helped to support their claims. [1 point]
Half a point for each of the following:
(i) animal studies were excluded since they produced often negative results, such as a higher incidence of cancer in animals treated with DES;
(ii) the exclusion of long-term human studies reduced the chances that negative outcomes would be observed.
(Langston, pp. 46-47.)
4) Identify two (2) arguments used by Rachel Carson to counter the idea that deploying the milky spore disease against the Japanese beetle was "too expensive." Explain sufficiently. [1 point]
Half a point each for any two (2) of the following:
(i) Carson suggests that if it wasn't too expensive in the 1940s, it should not be considered too expensive at the time she was writing;
(ii) Carson objects that the cost of inoculation should be compared to the even higher cost of losing the plant life, domesticated animals, and wildlife destroyed by exposure to synthetic pesticides;
(iii) Carson also notes that inoculation is a one-time cost, whereas pesticides might well have to
be sprayed time and time again.
(Carson, p. 98.)
5) Why was Rachel Carson's first book of scientific popularization about the ocean less appreciated or noticed by readers and book critics than her following books? [1 point]
The book, Under the Sea-Wind
, came out in November 1941, only weeks or days before the United States joined
the Second World War (after the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese). Lear suggests the public and book reviewers too were arguably much more attentive to the war.
(Lear, p. 25.)
6) Beyond ensuring the safety of genetically modified food, Margaret McLean identified in 2005
additional related ethical concerns. Describe two (2) of these in your own words. [1 point]
Half a point each for a reasonable version of any two (2) of the following:
(i) ensuring justice and valuing the common good by focusing on human sustainability
: genetically modified crops should not affect unduly existing farmers:
(ii) ensuring justice and valuing the common good by focusing on environmental sustainability
:
genetically modified crops should not affect unduly the environment and risk ruining humanity's natural heritage;
(iii) ensuring justice and valuing the common good by focusing on the fair distribution of food
: genetically modified food should not be reserved for a small portion of the population;
(iv) ensuring justice and valuing the common good by balancing the need for regulation and the pursuit of a reasonable profit.
(McLean.)
7) According to Neil Postman, which industry produced the most visible and pervasive changes in U.S. politics by the end of the 20th century? [1 point]
The television industry.
(Postman)
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