Physical Geography

Scenario: Imagine that you are a geographer working for a research firm. You have been retained
by a government agency or consulting firms to examine ONE geophysical aspect of present day
Earth. Your job is to conduct research, make observations, analyze data, and then prepare a report
of your findings, including maps, graphics, and other supporting material.
Choose ONE area of interest. Consider: What is happening to our planet?! What natural or humancaused
issue affecting the planet is most urgent, dangerous, or imminent? Is it Energy-related?
Resource-related? A Pollution issue? An Environmental issue? Ecological? What is the distribution
of this issue (WHERE)? What are the relationships (WHY)? What variables are important? What
can be done to remedy the situation? Is there a global awareness about this issue? Why or why not?
Instructions: Your report should be concise but comprehensive, with sufficient detail for uninformed
readers to make a judgment regarding its relevance. The finished report should be approximately
seven (7) to ten (10) pages of text, plus about seven (7) to ten (10) pages of maps, diagrams, charts,
tables, photographs, or other graphic supporting material. At least ½ (50%) of your graphic material
must be of your own creative production. This may include photos you take yourself, graphs, charts
or tables you create yourself, or maps, drawings, or other illustrations you sketch, draw, or enhance
by hand. A final page should include all the sources you used in compiling your information as well
as sources for your maps and other illustrations. Your finished report should be about 15-20 pages.
Cite sources and label illustrations with care. You MUST write your report in your own words – no
paraphrasing or cutting & pasting of passages from e.g., Wikipedia or other web sites, etc.
(Warning! – all submissions are auto-checked for plagiarism). You need not create all of your
own photographs or illustrations, but be sure to properly credit all sources. All factual material must
be
adequately source-identified in footnotes and/or on the final “works/sources cited” page as
appropriate. Include web-links or other paths by which your research may be followed-up on or
continued. You may feel free to draw conclusions, make recommendations as to trends, problem
areas, practicality, cost-efficiency, or other variables – BUT: Present all sides of an argument!
Explore your selected area of interest in depth – tell us why it is important and what can be done
about the issue. You may team up with another student (maximum of three), but groups/team projects
must increase their content proportionally (i.e., 30-40 pages total for a two-person team, etc.)
In addition to your report submission, you may be asked to share an informal, very brief (~1-2 minute)
verbal summary of your research highlights and conclusions. Just prepare a few bullet items or a
short paragraph ahead of time about what your project was about and a few of the most interesting
things you discovered or learned about your topic. What was it about? What did you learn?
Deliverables must include a printed hard copy AND a digital version of your report in text or
Microsoft Office-compatible format only, e.g., MS Word, etc. -no PDFs or other image-based
submissions. Electronic versions should be submitted by attaching your completed project file in its
native format (e.g., x.doc file) to an e-mail sent to the instructor through campus e-mail and/or to
GIS@cox.net . If you use Mac/Pages, SAVE AS a Microsoft Word .DOC or .DOCX file. You will get
an acknowledgment from me when your project is received. If your project report is too large to email
(e.g., has many hi-resolution images), then you can burn a CD, bring a flash drive in to class, or
see me for alternatives. You may scan to include hand-drawn items in your digital copy, but it is not
required. All digital text and graphics should be submitted, however.
IMPORTANT: ALL projects – Name your project FILE document attachment like this:
LASTNAME_TOPIC_COURSE#.doc. e.g., Williams__Rainforests_12345.doc

Project submissions that are missing either the hard printout copy OR the digital, electronic version
will be considered incomplete and graded accordingly. Do not assume that submitting one or the
other, but not both, will be satisfactory for full credit –it will not. Be sure your project is
complete upon
submission. Credit is awarded upon receipt of both.
Although individual grammar and spelling errors will not be graded per se, the overall composition
and aesthetic qualities will be evaluated, ranked, and quantified when determining your grade. You
should take the time necessary to submit a quality effort by preparing a neat, cleanly typed report, be
diligent about proper sourcing, perform frequent spell checks and grammar checks, properly label and
identify all maps and illustrations, etc. You should complete this project as if you were actually
being
paid for it. Assume that this report will go to a high-level government agency and that the contents
within it are of paramount importance to discussing or setting national or even international policy.
Projects/Papers will be due at the end of the semester either on the day of or just prior to the final
exam. Schedules, topic tables and instructions will also be posted on the class web site. Extra credit
may be awarded for early project submittals (on a decreasing scale) – so do not procrastinate. Plan
and complete your project incrementally in small, manageable parts rather than attempting to do it all
at once near the end of the semester. It is much easier and more enjoyable if done that way.
The accompanying table includes suggested topics to research and explore. You need not use one
of these suggestions, but if you elect to do your project on another area of interest, it is advisable
to
ask the instructor for approval and guidance before doing so. We will have periodic discussions in
class to gauge your progress and offer additional assistance. Previous sample projects may also be
presented so you may compare the work of others who have done similar projects before you.
Key advice: Do not wait until the weekend prior to the due date to start working on this project! You
will be quite unsatisfied with the result. With final exams and other pressures at the end of the
semester you will not be able to devote the time and energy necessary to research, analyze, and
compose a respectable, independent research project. Start your project as early as possible!


ALL Projects Submitted MUST Contain the Following:
1. At least ONE MAP showing the distribution of your topical item. Two or more maps at
different scales is even better. You may download an outline of a map if you wish, and
then color/symbolize/customize the map to show what you wish.
2. At least ONE PHOTOGRAPH of any kind which depicts or represents your item/topic.
3. At least ONE Chart/Graph/Table that compares two or more variables of your item/topic.



You SHOULD Answer these questions (as a list or within the body of your text):
1. WHERE in the world is your item/topic area primarily located?
a. Distributed widely or just in a few places? (Countries, land types, etc.)
b. Is this item/resource increasing/diminishing in this location? Why?
2. HOW MUCH of your item is there in the world?
a. Use specific weights/volumes –numerical values.
b. Include the date/source of this information.
c. How have/will these values change over time (past/present/future)
d. Is there a dollar value somehow associated with this item/topic?
3. WHO controls the item/resource in question?
a. Which countries/states/organizations/corporate entities are in control?
b. Is this control status changing – or expected to change in the future?
4. WHAT is happening to this item/resource/topic of interest?
a. What is the expected IMPACT of changes to this item/resource/area of interest?
Why? Be specific. What can be done about it? At what cost/consequence?
5. HOW DO YOU FEEL about this item/resource/topic? What do YOU think?