Radiation Realities

Introduction

What happens when nuclear power goes wrong? Since the birth of nuclear energy and the applications of nuclear chemistry, great achievements and horrible disasters have followed. Through the lens of ethics, political philosophy, and atomic chemistry, you will investigate real-life nuclear disasters like Chernobyl, Fukushima, Three Mile Island, and others. Explore the science leading to these events and propose safety improvements or alternative solutions.

Explore how decisions were made in these times of crisis and the ethical and political implications moving forward. This expedition encourages you to dive into the chemistry and ethics behind nuclear energy and radioactivity to understand how energy is generated, how radioactivity behaves, and the environmental and health consequences of historical disasters to argue on nuclear technology's benefits and potential risks.

Essential Questions

• What makes up an atom, and how are these pieces structured?

• What is radioactivity, and how does it interact with the outside world?

• How do nuclear reactions occur, and how can this energy be made useful or harmful?

• Why are nuclear reactions both useful and dangerous?

• Do governments have the responsibility to be ethical?

• What makes an action or policy morally right or wrong?

• How can philosophical/ethical frameworks like utilitarianism or virtue ethics guide real-world political decisions?

Learning Objectives

• Describe the structure and function of atoms and subatomic particles.

• Identify isotopes and their characteristics.

• Compare and contrast different atomic models and the information they provide

• Describe the arrangement and organization of the Periodic Table.

• Describe some beneficial and harmful effects of radioactive isotopes.

• Differentiate between Fission and Fusion.

• Recognize and describe unstable isotopes.

• Explain the applications of radioactivity, along with its benefits and risks

• Explain key political philosophies, such as anarchism, socialism, communism, libertarianism, and democracy.

• Identify and analyze real-world examples of ethical dilemmas in politics (applied ethics)

• Evaluate the ethical implications of various political systems and ideologies.

• Apply philosophical reasoning to current events or historical case studies involving governance and ethics.

• Analyze arguments for and against government authority using concepts like justification, social cooperation, and natural rights.

• Construct logical arguments defending or critiquing political or ethical positions.

• Engage in respectful debate over controversial political or moral issues.