Research Paper on "Human Geography in Our Grandparents' Era"

Quoted Instructions for "Human Geography in Our Grandparents' Era" Assignment:

Geography 171: Human Geographies, Spring 2010: Written Assignment #1

How Global is Your Wardrobe?

This exercise asks you to consider, as Knox and Marston put it, *****geographical interdependence from the point of view of your own life***** (Knox and Marston, p. 39). What we would like you to do is to:

1) Take an inventory of your clothing, noting where possible from the tags sewn inside them, the geographical location in which each garment was manufactured (the country). Make a tally by country. This is your basic data.

2) Then, based on the countries that are included in your inventory, find (or construct!) an appropriate base map on which you can record this information.

3) Record the information on the map! You can use whatever symbolization scheme you*****d like: isoline, choropleth, dot distribution (but this one is only good if you have hundreds upon hundreds of mappable items in your wardrobe!), proportional symbols, located charts, or cartograms (see pages 475-484 of your textbook for ideas). Make sure that your map has a legend that explains any numerical (or clothing type) classification scheme that you create to divide and represent your data.

4) Get ready to write! Your write-up should be 5 double-spaced typed pages (using 12 point font with one inch margins all around) and consist of the following:

A. An introduction . . . where you briefly explain what the assignment is about and why the issue of where your clothing was made is important to understanding *****geographical interdependence.*****

B. A paragraph that lays out the trajectory of your write-up, so the reader will know what to expect.

C. A paragraph that explains your methodology . . . how you collected the data, mapped it, and then analyzed it.

D. A four-paragraph DESCRIPTION of the map pattern.

a. Note places of high value, low value (the range of the data)

b. Associations (regional groupings)

c. Trends (increases from lows to highs as you move across the map)

d. Exceptions (*****sore thumbs*****) and Discontinuities (things that mess up what otherwise is a nice pattern)

E. A LIST of the major factors that you think influence the pattern (see pages 280-281 of your textbook for ideas.)

F. An EXPLANATION of the map pattern that links the factors from 4.E to the parts of the pattern that you described as part of 4.D

G. A speculative discussion regarding how those garments might have gotten to you.

a. To answer this: think about where you bought the garments. Was the store part of a regional, national or international chain? What can you learn (this requires some research!) about their supply and distribution network? Are there certain source regions that certain kinds of stores seem to prefer? Why might that be the case?

H. Conclusion*****what*****s the major thing(s) that you learned about your *****embedded-ness***** within a larger geography of the garment industry?

I. Bibliography*****make absolutely certain that you list where you found information about garment supply and distribution (including your textbook.) We need to know what influenced your ideas. In scholarly circles, researchers often use the bibliographies included with the things they read not only to check to see if the author was telling the truth, but also to help them establish what *****the literature***** is for a given topic. Here*****s the basic format you should use for books, articles and websites.

Author (date) Title (publisher*****s location: publisher), page numbers

Author (date) *****Title,***** Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Name, Volume # (Issue #): page numbers

Website heading name, full URL, date accessed.

Also, if you use ANY text verbatim from another source you MUST put that text within quotes and use some sort of referencing system (numerical footnotes, endnotes; parenthetic citations) that says precisely where the quote came from. You must also do the same thing with any paraphrasing(rewording) that you do! Trying to pass off the work of others as your own is not only sloppy, its academically dishonest and *****illegal***** within a scholarly/university environment! We will be on the lookout for offenses! We don*****t particularly care which form of referencing that you use (within Microsoft Word, endnoting and footnoting are probably the easiest), just as long as you choose one and stick with it throughout the paper. For help on this issue, see:

http://library.syr.edu/cite/BackgroundCiting-SyracuseUniversityLibrary.html and

http://library.syr.edu/cite/citationstyle.html

NOTE: The bibliography and citations do NOT count toward the five page limit!!!!!! (We actually think you*****re going to have the opposite problem*****that is, keeping your writing under control enough to stay within the five pages. Your writing is going to have to be direct and TIGHT!

5) Make a cover sheet that has your name, section number, date, your TA*****s name, and a TITLE for your write-up. Make sure to save EVERYTHING on your computer/thumbdrive. Print a hard copy of all and attach them together (don*****t forget your map!) WITH A STAPLE (no paper clips, no plastic binders, please!)!!!!!!

6) Turn the hard copy of your assignment in to your TA at the beginning of section next week (January 28th/29th). Papers turned in during or after section will be counted as late!

Grades will be based on:

1. Execution (20%)

a. Is the paper formatted properly?

b. Does it have an introduction, a conclusion, and a trajectory statement that sets up the structure of the paper?

c. Is methodology discussed?

d. Is there a LEGIBLE map?

e. Are citations/references and the bibliography present and complete?

f. Is the paper free from typographical and grammatical errors?

g. ANY EVIDENCE of PLAGIARISM? (If yes, the paper will earn an automatic *****F***** and a formal warning of misconduct from the professor. [Second offense: the TA and the professor will make a formal report to the dean*****s office in the College of Arts and Sciences as well as a recommendation regarding further action by the A&S Committee on Student Standards.]

2. Substance (80%)

a. Does the paper explain what *****geographical interdependence is?*****

b. Does the paper adequately describe the map pattern (does it account for the various parts of the pattern)?

c. Does the paper present a plausible list of factors that can be used to explain the map pattern?

d. Does the paper adequately link the factors to the map pattern during the explanation of the map pattern? Are the linkages believable?

e. Does the paper present plausible speculation as to how the author sees their wardrobe fitting into a larger geography of garment production, distribution and retailing?

f. Does the conclusion highlight the most important points that were made during the paper and are those conclusions plausible based on the evidence presented in the paper?

g. Has the author shown ingenuity and creativity in mapping and discussing the *****geographical meaning***** of their wardrobe?

h. Does the paper show creativity and is it enjoyable to read?