Introduction

Chapter 1. Polar Bears

Video Case Study

In this activity you will watch the short video Canada – Polar Bears Tracked (3:07), produced by the Reuters news agency. This news report follows the work of scientists from the organization Polar Bears International (PBI) as they study polar bears living on the western shores of Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba. The report also focuses on the work of the philanthropic organization Explore.org, which has sent a production team to the PBI field site in order to post live streaming video of polar bears to their website. Their aim is to give visitors a glimpse of these iconic creatures in the wild and to thereby foster greater awareness of, and concern for, the threats polar bears face as the planet warms.

In the questions that follow, you will be asked to analyze the content and presentation of the video in relation to the learning competency of Information Literacy, which is discussed in Chapter 3 of your textbook.

Instructions

Watch the video and answer the following questions:

1.

What environmental problem did the video highlight?

2.

What did the video argue was the cause of this problem?

3.

After watching the video, were you convinced that this problem is serious and worth addressing? Explain why or why not.

Instructions

Watch the video a second time, focusing on the types of images that were presented. Once you have done so, answer the following questions:

4.

The total running time of the video was three minutes and seven seconds (3:07). In the spaces provided below, estimate what percentage of the total running time was spent on:

Feature
Video footage of polar bears in the wild:
Interviews with scientists:
Video footage of scientists at work in the field:
Other:

5.

Place a check mark next to any of the activities listed below that the video showed polar bears doing in the wild.

Activity
Walking on ice
Testing the ice to see if it is safe to walk on
Bear cubs playing
Digging in the ground
Swimming in open water
Feeding on seals

6.

In your opinion, what emotional reaction(s) was the video footage of the polar bears designed to elicit from viewers, and how were images (and sounds) used to do so?

7.

The video's narrator explained that seals were the main source of food for polar bears, and yet there was no video footage showing the bears hunting seals. Why do you think that footage of bears hunting was not included in the video, and do you think it should have been included? Explain why or why not.

8.

Place a check mark next to any of the activities listed below that the video showed scientists doing in the field.

Activities
Conducting interviews on camera
Trapping and examining an adult polar bear
Measuring ice thickness on Hudson Bay
Monitoring bear activities using cameras
Speaking to local communities about polar bears
Carrying out laboratory experiments

9.

In your opinion, what was the purpose of interviewing scientists in the Arctic and showing them at work in the field?

10.

Overall, did the video’s use of images and sounds effectively reinforce the existence and significance of the environmental problem identified in Section A? Why or why not?

Instructions

For this part of the assignment please read Chapter 3, pages 50–52 of your textbook (critical thinking skills). If necessary, watch the video a third time, focusing once again on its information content. Once you have done so, answer the following questions:

11.

Choose "Yes" or "No" in response to the following questions:

Question Yes or No?
a. Did the video explain why polar bears require the formation of ice in order to hunt and how they use the ice flows to hunt seals?
b. Did the video present evidence to demonstrate that ice formation is happening later than usual on Hudson Bay in recent years?
c. Did the video present evidence to demonstrate that slower ice formation in Hudson Bay is due to climate change?
d. Did the video present evidence to demonstrate that polar bear numbers are declining in the Canadian Arctic?
e. Did the video explain how watching polar bears in the wild via a streaming web video could help inspire community action to combat climate change?
f. Did the video offer suggestions about other actions viewers can take in their own communities to address the problem of climate change?
g. Did the video explain the concept of a “tipping point” or what it means to “mitigate” greenhouse gas emissions?
h. Did the video clip provide any information that supported Dr. Amstrup’s assertion that it was not too late to save the polar bears?

12.

Add up the number of “No” answers you recorded for the previous question and record your score out of eight here:

13.

Based on your score above, do you think that the video provided enough evidence so that viewers with little or no background knowledge on this issue could fully understand the situation? Justify your answer.

14.

Look at Infographic 3.7 on page 51 of your textbook. Based on the options provided, what logical fallacy does the video most rely on to convince viewers of its claims concerning the threats faced by polar bears? Explain your selection.

15.

Now that you have analyzed the video in detail, do you think it did an effective job of convincing viewers that the threat to polar bears is serious and worth addressing? Why or why not?

Instructions

In this activity you will read the short article “ Freeze Out: Can Polar Bears Survive a Melting Arctic?,” published by Scientific American on Friday April 29, 2011.

In the questions that follow, you will be asked to analyze the content and presentation of the article in relation to the learning competency of Environmental Literacy, which is discussed in Chapter 1 of your textbook.

16.

What environmental problem did this article highlight?

17.

What did the article argue was the cause of this problem?

18.

How does the article’s central story of the mama bear and her cub illustrate the environmental problem you identified in Question 1?

19.

Why might such a story be effective in raising awareness about this environmental problem?

20.

The article states that “the polar bear has come to symbolize the impact of global warming on wildlife.” Why do you think that the polar bear gets more attention than other species threatened by climate change, and is this attention justified?

21.

Which of the “environmental worldviews” outlined on page 14 of your textbook best describes the concern for the polar bear we see expressed in this article and also in the video from Part 1 of this assignment? Explain your selection with reference to details presented in the article and video.

22.

Which source did you find more effective in raising your awareness about the threats polar bears face due to climate change, this article or the video you watched in Part 1? Explain your selection.

Activity results are being submitted...