The research project for this class is to thoroughly investigate the physical geography of one place on Earth.
The research project for this class is to thoroughly investigate the physical geography of one place on Earth. You must submit a final PowerPoint presentation that is a compilation of all of the research material you have found for the location you have chosen. While this place could be a location that more dramatically highlights certain aspects of physical geography, such as a National Park like Grand Canyon N.P. or Yellowstone N.P., a location near where live is actually the preferred choice. In fact, the place should be a location that you will be able to visit at least once during the semester in order to gather personal “field work” information. Note that this class is not as much about “exotic” far-off places, but about learning how the basic principles of physical geography are constantly at work all around you. The major goal of this project is to have you apply what you learn from the course content to the process of trying to learn about the physical geography of the place you have selected and analyze and evaluate this information based on the actual characteristics you identify for this place.
The requirements for this project are designed to allow the student to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the course’s Core Learning Outcomes (CLOs), which are:
Explain the basic processes of and interactions between the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere.
Evaluate geographic patterns to the earth’s physical environment (soil, vegetation, climate, earthquakes, winds, etc.) that result from various processes.
Assess the effects humans have on the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
Solve problems or make predications by analyzing the physical geography of a particular place.
Two of the most important resources for this project are your class textbook (especially its numerous maps) and Google Earth (which you will use for some of the unit activities). Some of the items specifically required to be included in your presentation are probably not easily available. For example, specific information about actual insolation values for your place of study is probably not available. However, you can use the map of average surface insolation values to determine an approximate value to use for this project. The information available through the USGS National Map Viewer (http://viewer.nationalmap.gov/viewer/Links to an external site.) can be used in a similar manner. Be sure to explore all of the layers of information that are available for your location through Google Earth. You may be surprised by the amount of information you can obtain from these various layers. Also, don’t forget that you should go to this place at least once and make some of your own observations to include in the presentation.
The presentation must have the following format and content:
Cover slide: Include a cover slide with the following information: title, author, date, class
Content slides: Include at least one slide for each of the following:
Place overview slide: Provide basic information about where the place is. Must include:
any name(s) commonly used for the location and the city, county, state, country in/near which it is located
latitude and longitude
general description of its topography, with minimum and maximum elevation
at least one map that highlights its location
Atmosphere slide(s): Describe the atmospheric characteristics of the research location (CLOs #1 & #2). Must include the following:
estimated insolation
estimated albedo
wind data and patterns (prevailing global winds and the local winds)
typical types of storms and other weather patterns
Hydrosphere slide(s): Give information about the hydrology of the research area(CLOs #1 & #2). Must include the following:
names and descriptions of bodies of water
type of drainage pattern and/or groundwater systems
climograph (constructed by the student)
climate classification analysis (to what extent does this location exemplify the characteristics of the climate in which it is classified)
Lithosphere slide(s): Provide information about internal and some external geomorphic processes that occur in the research location (CLOs #1 & #2). Must include the following:
types of rocks and/or soil
any evidence of folding and faulting, earthquakes, volcanoes
types of weathering and/or mass wasting
geomorphic processes (fluvial, eolian, coastal, or glacial) that occur (or have occurred) in the area and the mark they have left on the landscape
Biosphere slide(s): Provide information about the ecosystem of the research location (CLOs #1 & #2). Must include the following:
types of vegetation
types of animals
examples of food chain relationships
terrestrial biome classification analysis (to what extent does this location exemplify the characteristics of the biome in which it is classified)
Human-environment interaction slide(s): Provide at least 3 examples of how human actions have altered any aspect of the physical geography of this location. In addition, you should include comments on any subsequent problems that are the result of these interactions and make suggestions on what can be done to reduce/eliminate these problems. (CLOs #3 & #4)
Works Cited slide: Include a list of references for which citations exist within your presentation. At minimum, you should have at least 6 different sources from a variety of different source types (i.e., journal articles, books, magazines, newspapers, websites, field observations, etc.). Do keep in mind that you must include in some way information you gather from your own personal observations at the location, so you can count yourself as a source. Note that a list entitled Works Cited is not exactly the same as a bibliography. Both contain enough information that the sources used can be identified and found by the reader. However, each source listed in a Works Cited must actually have a citation in the text. Formats for a reference list also vary. Common formats used are APA or MLA, although several others exist. They all contain the same basic information (author’s name, year of publication, title of work, and publisher). Again, the most important thing is that you choose one that is sufficient to identify each source and stick to it! Also, be sure to follow that format style’s method for appropriately listing Internet sources (simply giving a web address is not appropriate).
Citations: Citations must be used appropriately and consistently throughout the presentation. A citation is an annotation which indicates that information was taken from a particular source. Any fact that you obtained from researching should appear in the presentation accompanied by a citation. Typically, a citation must be given immediately following any fact or direct quote that is given. However, if you are writing a paragraph that is a paraphrasing of information from one source, it is acceptable to simply put the citation once at the end of the paragraph (rather than several times throughout the paragraph). There are a variety of common formats for citations that can be used. For example, parenthetical citations are often used in scientific disciplines. The format for these is usually as follows: (author’s last name YYYY, page #). An example of how such a citation would appear following a direct quote is as follows: “Some parts of the Amazon Basin in Brazil receive over 200 inches of rainfall per year”(Smith 1999, p. 22). Use any format you like, but again, just be sure to use one and use it consistently.
Submit the final presentation by the due date indicated in the syllabus. Late presentations will be subject to the grade penalty stated in the syllabus.
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