Human-environment interactions: state of environment; air, water

26 Jun Human-environment interactions: state of environment; air, water

Question
3RW3 – The Geography of Europe

Winter 2014

Due Date: March 24, 2014, 4.30 p.m.

Writing Assignment

General Information

The writing assignment is worth 20 % of your final grade.

The writing assignment is a research paper where a particular topic in regional geography of one European country is discussed.

This assignment will allow you to explore a particular region of Europe on more depth and to examine a specific topic in regional geography of Europe.

The Structure and the Content

· The assignment should consist of 8 pages of text minimum and be 15 pages of text maximum.

· All the citations in the text and reference cited must follow a uniform APA format according to standard models (please use the following link about APA format:https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/).

· The assignment must bedouble-spaced. Please use Times New Roman 12 point font.

· This assignment must include 10 sources minimum, including 2academic (peer reviewed) sources.

· You can use different reliable sources including books, articles, and websites

· Lecture notes and the textbooks cannot be used as a source for this assignment.

· The writing assignment must include the following:

1. Introduction (up to 3 pages): general information about the country (name, area, etc.) and short characteristic of physical geography (geology, landforms, climate/weather, rivers and lakes, biomes, protected areas)

3. Topic and Analysis (5 – 10 pages)

4. Conclusion (up to 2 pages)

· Four (4) tables/graphs/diagrams should be analysed including two (2) graphs/tables individually created to receive full marks.

· Maps, graphs, charts and other materials should be included separately as an appendix.

· You can have a title page; however, you can also include all the title page information as a header.

About Topic and Analysis:

Ø Each student will get one topic in regional geography of a particular European country.

Ø There are four topics:

1. Human-environment interactions;

2. Population and demography;

3. Cultural geography;

4. Agriculture and land use.

Ø The topics must include the following sub-topics:

1. Human-environment interactions: state of environment; air, water, soils, and land use issues; climate change and global warming; contemporary anthropogenic impact; technological disasters/issues.

2. Population and demography: the main demographic characteristics (fertility/mortality/ life expectancy); population pyramid analysis;migration patterns; immigration/emigration; urban – rural population; urbanization; population policies.

3.Cultural geography: ethnic geography – ethnic groups; ethnic minorities; linguistic families/groups of languages; some linguistic characteristic of language (s) – phonetics, structure, etc; religion(s); ethnic/religious issues/conflicts; ethnic/religious policy.

4. Agriculture and Forestry:the structure of agriculture/the main branches; production: top agricultural products (crops and livestock); export: top agricultural products (crops and livestock); analysis of agricultural regions; forestry – forested land and protected areas; agriculture and environmental issues; agricultural policy.

How to submit the assignment

· The writing assignment must be printed and submitted with the rubric attached before the due date.

· The students can submit the assignments in class (before the lecture), or they can use 3RW3 drop box at the School of Geography and Earth Sciences.

· Electronically submitted assignments will not be accepted.

· Late assignments will incur a penalty of 25 % a day.

Rubric

Grade Component/Weight

Minimal

0-3

Basic

4-6

Proficient

7-8

Advanced

9-10

Points

10

Structure and Length

10 %

Paper

is

disorganized

and lacks

coherent

structure;

scope of

paper is

unclear;

significantly

outside of

length

requirements

Paper

inconsistently

organized

but

attempts

to

guide

reader

through

arguments;

scope

of

paper

may

be

too

broad/narrow;

paper is between 6 and 9 pages

Paper

is organized

in a

coherent and

logical manner;

scope of

paper is

appropriate;

within

of

length

requirements (8 -15 pages)

Paper

structure

is fluid

and guides

reader

through

arguments;

scope of

paper is

clearly

defined and

appropriate

to the

arguments;

within length

requirements

(8-15 pages)

10

Grade Component/Weight

Minimal

0 – 5

Basic

5 – 12

Proficient

13 – 20

Advanced

21 – 25

Points

25

Geographical Content

25%

Lacks

an

understanding

of topic;

repetitious,

incoherent,

illogical

development.

Shows

basic

understanding

of ideas

and

information;

geographic

connections

not clear

or

shows lack

of

understanding

of geographic

concepts;

assignment demonstrates little

or shallow

connections to the

course material.

Shows

thorough

understanding

of the topic

and goes

beyond

recitation

of facts;

engages with

at least

one branch

of geographic

thought

Critically

engages

topic

in

insightful

ways;

clearly

demonstrates

engagement

with

different

branches

of

geographic

thought; the

student has

demonstrated full

understanding of the material;

supporting

points are

presented in a

logical/outlined

progression

25

Grade Component/Weight

Minimal

0 – 5

Basic

5 – 10

Proficient

11 – 20

Advanced

21 – 25

Points

25

Analysis

25%

No clear or no

geographic

analysis

Opinions are vague

or are not

explained /

justified well; may have

some

factual,

interpretive,

or

conceptual

errors

May have

minor factual

or

conceptual

inconsistencies;

assignment

demonstrates

reflection;

3 tables/graphs analysed; 1 graphs/tables individually created and analysed

Geographical

analysis

central

to

argument/subtopic;

opinions and examples are stated

and explained /

justified clearly; content is factually correct; assignment demonstrates a

high degree of

deep reflection;

4 tables/graphs analysed; 2 graphs/tables individually created and analysed

Grade Component/Weight

Minimal

0 – 5

Basic

6- 15

Proficient

16 – 25

Advanced

26 – 30

Points

30

Use of Scientific Data

30%

Does

not cite

relevant

scholarly

research

to

support

arguments;

arguments

mostly

unsubstantiated

Uses

academic

and

non-

geographic

sources

inconsistently;

arguments

inconsistently

supported

by evidence;

may contain

unsubstantiated

opinion

Appropriately

cites

academic

geographic

research

to develop

arguments;

demonstrates

comprehension

of arguments

and

distinguishes

argument

from opinion

Engages

with

scholarly

geographic

research;

synthesizes

and

critiques

the

arguments

of

scholarly

geographic

research

30

Grade Component/Weight

Minimal

0-3

Basic

4-6

Proficient

7-8

Advanced

9-10

Points

10

Grammar/Format

10%

Errors in

mechanics,

grammar, and / or

organization to the point of distraction; limited vocabulary; a little or no attempt to follow APA style

Noticeable errors

in mechanics,

grammar, and / or organization (more than 2);

formatting

shows

some

use

of APA

style

conventions

Generally free

from mechanical,

grammatical, and

organizational

errors (no more than 2), accurate word

choice; formatting

generally

consistent

with

APA style

convention

Uses

scientific

terminology

appropriately

and correctly; no grammatical or spelling errors; formatting

follows

APA

style

conventions

10

Total Score: Out of 100 points (out of 100%) =