Project constraints: You can choose any project that is closely related to the subject matter of the course. Everyone must work on different subject material, so you need to run your proposed subject by Dr. Baring for approval before embarking on it, so as to avoid conflicts.
 
Accordingly, you must submit a proposed topic to Dr. Baring for approval by September 30th. This will permit timely preparation of your paper. To help meet this timeline, I suggest that you scan the textbook during the first two weeks of class to develop an idea of what subjects interest you most.
 
The level of exposition should be commensurate with that of the course; you don't need to present at a level more advanced than the lectures (and should not present at lower levels).
 
You must use sources other than Carroll and Ostlie and the lecture notes. Other textbooks, research papers, the World Wide Web, and even popular journals such as Science can be resources; you will enjoy this project more the further you explore. The intent is for you to investigate a particular subject area a little more deeply than we can in lectures.

Paper format and schedule: The short paper provides a more detailed description of your understanding of your chosen subject area. It should be between 1000 and 1500 words (definitely no longer) plus figures, ideally at least two. It is advisable not to pack it with equations; mathematical derivations are not what is being looked for. Exposition of an occasional key equation would be welcome. Do not spend excessive time making any figures look pretty when embedding them in the text. The written paper must be your own work: you cannot use an AI tool to write it. You will be asked to pledge that you have not used AI at all.

Assessment: Credit will be given most for showing your understanding and for the clarity of your written paper.