What kind of RQ do we want?

I was just thinking that the previous posts here are somewhat scattered in focus.

What kind of area are we focusing on? Should we focus on one specific subject, such as the suggested Tar Sands of Alberta? Or should we focus on a broader theme like Green Energy? Or sould it be even broader, like the suggested Interest Groups' influence over Government policy?

I think if we determine what kind of area of Government environmental policy we'd like to focus on, then we can start finding a specfic subject/topic, and it will be easier to narrow down a RQ, and easier for people to contribute.

Personally I like the Tar Sands of Alberta. It's a greatly debated issue, and we'd have no trouble getting interesting answers from people.

As far as I know, we don't need to try and come to a consensus on which general theme we like best and formulate 5 questions just on that topic. We can brainstorm on all of them, and perhaps by the deadline chose the 5 questions that look best. Alternatively, we'll have more than 5 questions and the marker (Prof. Owen or the TAs) will chose which are the best.

Agreed, I also like the Alberta Tar Sands issue, there is alot that can be explored there and alot that can be questioned in regards to government involvement (both present and future). I also like the idea of formulating 5 questions (as long as they're relatively diverse in what they ask). We should also ask the questions so that they can be answered by numeric ranking/importance.

Personally, I prefer the issue of the Alberta Tar Sands because it is both a provincial and national issue, implying that it would raise a lot of questions regarding power relations between the Provincial and Federal Governments related to environmental policy. I will try to design several survey questions to try and address this issue in the near future...