Reading to be done before Class: Assignment Read ESBS Chapter 19 for case study details. Optional, browse some of the web sites below.
Come to class with a basic familiarity with the following concepts and ideas: Come to class with an understanding of the history of the proposal to drill for oil in ANWR and the arguments for and against doing so as well as a general understanding of the broader context of the Wildlife refuge system.
Additional Assignment: You have been assigned one side or the other in the debate. Do some research on your own on the issue and find material that you can use in class to support your side of the argument. Be prepared to argue for your side and against the other side.

In class we will examine the arguments for and against proposals to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge through a class debate.  Few environmental issues have attracted more attention.  Your textbook discussed the science behind this issue. Be sure to rely upon it as a primary source. You'll find plenty of arguments and information on the web about the issue as well.   A few web sites are listed below. They should not necessarily be considered as neutral or authoritative sources but rather as presentations of arguments in the debate. It is important as you look over these web sites to think about who is producing them and to evaluate their arguments. Nevertheless these sites help us to glimpse what the terms of the debate have been as well as the arguments presented on each side.  These sites may be helpful for formulating your arguments in class but are not necessarily required reading.

Fish and Wildlife Service Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Arctic Power: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Defenders of Wildlife

NRDC Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Sierra Club: Chill the Drills