GEOG101 Introduction To Geography

Search for a scholarly article in geography through the library database Academic Search Complete.  Limit your search to:

1. Scholarly articles only.

2. Full-text articles only.

3. Articles no longer than ten pages.

4. Articles published within the last five years.

I will provide a folder in the content section with some self-directed instructional videos on conducting research.

Choose an article about any world region, any country, and any relevant, geographic topic, examples of which can be found throughout Finlayson cite the article in APA format. The database will do this for you by clicking on “cite.”

Obtain assistance through Ask-a-Librarian on the BCC Library website if needed.  (The search is trial and error, which is why it is called research.) Please note that in addition to the professor and Ask-a-Librarian, students can make an appointment at History Department Tutoring or the Writing Center.

Narrow down your search by place or topic if it produces 100 or more articles. If your search produces fewer than ten articles, however, your search is too narrow and needs to be more general. An ideal search produces 20-30 articles, which you can then skim through to make a suitable selection.

Summarize and explain the article, by section, in your own words. Follow this order.

1.Introduction (write one paragraph)

2.Conclusion (write one paragraph)

3.The authors’ methods (write one paragraph)

4.Results and discussion (write one paragraph)

Next—think about how can you apply your understanding of two geographical concepts learned in Finlayson, chapters 1-5 to your article? In other words, in your review of the article, how do the purpose, findings and conclusions relate to two concepts that we have discussed through Finlayson and our work?

Look for key terms (in bold) in Finlayson that relate to the article.Write one paragraph about each concept and the relationship of the article to the concept.

Very often, scholarly articles in geography are case studies of a concept in a particular place. If this applies to your article, relate the case study to two larger concepts.

Do not base your analysis on the abstract. This will not provide the depth of analysis I expect.

Do not copy. Write in your own words. Keep an on-line dictionary open to look up words that are difficult. Do not use Wikipedia.com! Examples of good online dictionaries include:

Oxford English Dictionary (OED), which may be available through BCC library and Merriam Webster Dictionary, which is available on the Internet.

Dictionary of Human Geography is available through the BCC Library. (Be aware, however, this is not an introductory-level dictionary.)

In summary, this take-home midterm exam consists of:

1. Your research to find a suitable article.

2. Your reading, analysis and writing about this article.

3. The first four paragraphs are a summary and explanation of four sections of the scholarly article.

4. The last two paragraphs relate the article to key terms and concepts that we have discussed in the geography class.

Narrow down your search by place or topic if it produces or more articles. If your search produces fewer than ten articles your search is too narrow and needs to be more general.narrow down your search by place or topic if it produces or more articles. If your search produces fewer than ten articles your search is too narrow and needs to be more general.