Description of the Exam
The exam will contain two sections of short-answer questions. In the first section students will be asked to answer four required questions worth 10 points each. In the second section students will be asked to answer three of five questions worth 10 points each.
Reading Assignments
Required
Class Notes.
Globalization
Risk Assessment
Risk Assessment Critique: Part 1
Risk Assessment Critique: Part 2
Risk and Public Policy
Risk and the Media
Risk Communication: Theories
Recommended
Familiarity with consumer issues regarding the Sampler Technologies.
Discussion Questions
- Be prepared to describe the concept of comparative advantage.
- Be prepared to describe the concepts of economic leakage and dependency as they relate to primary, secondary, and tertiary economiies.
- Be prepared to describe the key characteristics and strengths and limitations of each approach to risk assessment.
- It will be important to recognize the philosophical and applied implications of differences between the approaches to risk assessment. In comparing the economic approach with the probabilistic approach, for example, note that we shift our focus from expected value to expected utility, thereby placing emphasis upon perceptions of the usefulness of the technology. In a sense, we are shifting our focus from asking, "How safe is the technology?" to asking "Is the technology safe enough?"
- Be prepared to describe the limitations to technical risk assessments and Adams' suggestions for evaluating technical risk assessments. Recall that Bell and Mayerfeld describe some limitations to quantitative risk assessment that are not mentioned by Adams.
- Be prepared to describe the general principles of a hierarchy-of-effects model as it relates to understanding public reponses to complex, controversial new technologies.
- Be prepared to describe the dilemmas faced by risk assessors in working with the public to define technological risk (i.e., fact-value dilemma, etc.)
- Shrader-Frechette identifies four inappropriate responses to public concerns about complex, controversial technologies. Describe each one and the counterargument to these responses offered by Shrader-Frechette.
- Shrader-Frechette identifies five improper/unethical rationales used to disseminate usafe technologies to areas with little knowledge about the technology or power to influence its use. Describe each of these rationales and why it is improper/unethical.
- Be prepared to discuss the Natural History Model, the Public Arena Model, and the Hoopla Effect. Know appropriate ways the media can present risk information to the public.
- Be prepared to describe the four elements of Paul Slovic's argument that the system destroys trust.
- Be prepared to describe the recreancy theorem as a theoretical approach to risk communication.
Help Session
The help session for this exam is scheduled for Wednesday, October 29, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We will meet on the first floor of East Hall and find an open classroom to hold the help session.
Dr. Sapp's Office Hours are MWF, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., or by appointment. Students are invited to come to the office at any time to discuss the class materials.
