Each student will compare and contrast the physical geography of a pair of assigned nations. This writing assignment is designed to provide students with a more in-depth understanding of prominent physical geography features in two different assigned nations.  Additionally, the assignment will provide a more thorough understanding of human/nature interaction, along with environmental issues, within these nations.

 Format: Papers are to be double-spaced, 12-font with 1-inch margins. No cover page is required. Have your name written at the top of the first page, with a title and page numbers.

Your paper needs to be organized in paragraph form, including an intro and a conclusion.  The intro paragraph needs to have a specific thesis statement that gives an overview of your analysis of the material in its entirety (This is best written AFTER doing all the research and writing for the paper).

Any photographs, maps, tables, etc., need to be attached at the end of the paper only, and they do not count as part of the length of the paper. If you want to attach a cover page, it will also not count towards the paper length.

The amount of writing on each of your two countries should be roughly equal in length.

Sources, Bibliography:

You must have at least 5 academic/scholarly sources total and list them in a bibliography at the end of each paper.  Use MLA or Chicago Manual of Style which you can Google to find websites with examples of this format.

All sources MUST be cited in the body of your paper (see “In-Text Citations” below) AND listed in a bibliography, otherwise you will receive a score of ZERO for the paper and potentially an F for the entire course!

Copying and pasting over 20% of your paper from another source, without providing citations, is an automatic F.

The 4 parts of the course paper:

Part 1: Lithosphere

– For each country, what is one major geologic feature (can include mountains, desert, plains, coast, etc)?

– Briefly describe these features, how they came to look like how they do today.

– How are humans using these features (tourism, nature reserve, sacred lands, extracting resources, etc)?

– Does human use of these features create concern for the future of these features, or the wildlife found on them? If so, explain how.

– Print pictures of the geologic features, or maps showing where these features are located, and attach them to the back of the paper.

Part 2: Atmosphere

– For each country, describe the year-round climate found in the majority of the country (climate maps will help with this). If there is a wide variety of climate types in one country, just pick one city and describe its climate. Be sure to include information about temperature, precipitation, and seasonal changes in both, such as the extremes of the temperature and precipitation differences.

– Has climate change already impacted these nations (whether the people or the natural environment)? How so?

– What is one major concern for each country in the future related to climate change? What is being done about it?

Part 3: Hydrosphere

– What is one major body of water found within, or adjacent to, each of your assigned nations? Describe them, and give a brief description of where they are found.

– How are humans using these features (fishing, tourism, wildlife etc)?

– Does human use of these features create concern for the future of these features or the living organisms found within them? If so, explain how.

Part 4: Biosphere / Environmental Sustainability Challenges:

-What are 2 environmental sustainability issues (deforestation, urbanization, poaching, etc.) in each of your nations, aside from climate change itself? This can also involve environmental problems humans face, such as pollution or water scarcity.

– Why do these problems exist?

– Sustainable development involves balancing the environment, the economy, and society to achieve the best long-term benefits for all. What type of sustainable development programs/efforts exist to improve your nations’ environmental problems? Your answer can include actions being taken by either your assigned nations or other nations providing assistance.

Countries: Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar)

10 pages research-paper  ( no INCLUDE THE FRONT-PAGE OR REFERENCES )

single-space, (10 references) font-size 12 ……..   THE FORMAT IS APA-STYLE

DUE TOMMOROW

THE SUBJECT IS  ON  Effects of Computer-based Prescribing on Pharmacist Work Patterns

This paper serves as an alternative assignment to attending the Owens Valley Field Trip.

Throughout this course you’ve learned about a lot of different processes and phenomena. You have also been taught to “think geographically”. Geographers are interested in two basic questions: where are why? For this paper you will use critical thinking and perform in-depth research to analyze the physical geography of a specific location on Earth.

STEP 1 – Select a natural, physical area/feature on Earth to research. This may be a location you have or haven’t visited before and/or something you are interested in learning more about. These must be related to physical geography. The scale of the features is up to you. Examples include: an entire country, a specific feature such as a mountain or mountain range, a plate boundary, an aquifer, a valley, a volcano, a river, a lake, sand dunes, rocks, a forest etc. National and state parks are excellent options since a lot of information will be available. Your instructor and the textbook are excellent resources if you are struggling to pick features/locations. The location/topic of your paper must be approved by your instructor by Friday, March 24th.

Here are some examples of features/locations students have used in the past:

 Mountain or mountain range (such as the Sierra Nevada, Mt. Whitney, the Himalayas, etc.) • Plate boundary (such as the San Andreas Fault, the Great East African Rift Valley, etc.) • Aquifer (such as the Central Valley Aquifer in California) • Volcano (such as Mt. Saint Helens, Mt. Kilauea, Yellowstone, etc.) • River (such as the Colorado River, Mississippi River, Russian River, etc.) • Lake (such as Lake Tahoe, Lake Baikal, the Salton Sea, Lake Merritt, etc.) • Rocks (a former student did a great project on Yosemite granite) • Forest (someone last semester did a great project on the Petrified Forest in Sonoma County, you could do a project on the Amazon Rainforest, Coastal Redwoods, etc.) • Coral Reef (such as the Great Barrier Reef) • Karst Topography (a former student did an excellent project on sinkholes in Mexico) • Hurricane (a former student did a great project on Hurricane Katrina. Students have also done really interesting projects on specific tornadoes and “tornado alley”)

Note: the list above is not a complete list, just some examples to help you get started. You can research any feature/location, as long as it is related to physical geography. Be sure to avoid cultural features, such as cities, museums, etc. Needless to say, it will be difficult to explain the physical geography of cultural features. If you are unsure whether or not a feature/location you’ve chose qualifies, feel free to send me an email. 

STEP 2 – Research your physical areas/features. 

STEP 3 – Write an 8-10 page paper – typed, double-spaced, 12-point font, with heading. Please include a title, your name, date, and the course title GEOG 1L. This paper need to answer geography’s two basic question

1. Where?: Provide an introductory description of your feature. Be sure to provide its location. You must include both the absolute (longitude and latitude) and relative (bordering countries, landmarks, etc.) locations of you feature. (Should be about 2-3 pages)

2. Why?: This question is going to be the bulk of your paper. Based on what you have learned in this course, explain why your feature is located where it is. In other words, what processes or mechanisms have occurred to form this feature? Is this feature unique to this one specific location? Why or why not? Supplementary questions can be addressed as well, such as, how have human beings impacted or affected this physical feature? (Should be anywhere from 6-7 pages)

3. Include at least one images and/or diagrams of the features/areas. This will aide in your description of the feature as well as your discussion of why. You may include as many images/diagrams as you wish. You must also include one map of the area/region. Note: these are separate and do not count towards the 2-3 pages.

4. Lastly, you need to include a Works Cited page with all of your sources. You should have at least four sources. The Works Cited is also separate and does not count towards the 8- 10 pages. Works Cited page should be in MLA format.