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290 Geography of
Popular Culture |
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Roadside America |
Forgotten Detroit |
Baseball Parks |
Scroll Down for Virtual Field
Trips
- Read
this section carefully
Introduction: Why do I have to write? Isn't this a
Geography class?
The most important reason I have students write is to give students an
opportunity to learn something new and valuable. Another important reason involves
giving you a chance to practice your writing skills. Since the ability to write
well is highly valued by employers, but generally underdeveloped among
students, it is important for you to practice writing and have your work
evaluated frequently. Writing assignments also give students a chance to
demonstrate to me they are learning outside the medium of a test.
What
are the format requirements?
- All
papers must be typed and they should be done on a word
processor
(if you don't know how to use a word
processor, see me and I'll give you a crash course)
- Margins
should be no more than 1 inch all the way around.
- Double
space your paragraphs.
- Font size
should be 10 or 12 and fancy font styles are prohibited. Times New Roman
or Arial is fine.
- The assignment
number, due date and title of the assignment should be across the top of
the page.
- Identify
your paper by your four digit ID only. This helps me grade more
objectively.
- If you
have more than one page, staple your pages together in the top left
corner. Do not turn in writing assignments bound by anything other than a
staple.
- Check the example
below
When is it due?
Due dates are listed with each assignment.
Hints
and Suggestions
- PROOFREADING is an absolute
must. Get a friend or a classmate (who knows what they are doing) to read
your paper and do the same for them. Poor grammar and spelling will result
in a poor grade.
- New versions of Microsoft
Word and WordPerfect will help you with your spelling and with your
grammar.
- You may evaluate, synthesize
or analyze others opinions, but to simply collect and record the ideas of
others is boring and gives me little with which to evaluate your effort.
Without your own opinions and ideas, I have nothing to grade.
This guide below roughly outlines the
things that I consider while I am evaluating your paper. I provide this guide
in order to help you better prepare your papers. The numbers on the right-hand
edge of this guide represent the maximum percentage I will deduct from papers
failing to meet this component of the paper requirements. I reserve the right
to use considerable discretion with regard to this guide.
Style
and Format
Requirements
POTENTIAL DEDUCTION (percent)
Did
the student remember to put his/her four-digit code in the upper right hand
corner? ________ 5
Did the student remember to OMIT his/her name on the
paper?
________ 5
Did the student remember to stapled the paper in upper left hand
corner?
________ 2
Did the student observe the minimum and maximum length
requirements?
________ 10
Did the student's paper look collegiate (typed, correct margins, font size
etc.)?
________ 10
Content
Quality
POTENTIAL DEDUCTION (percent)
Were
the punctuation, spelling, grammar and syntax
acceptable?
________ 20
Was the paper topical? Did it meet the requirements for subject
matter?
________ 50
Did the student demonstrate that they learned
something?
________ 50
Did the student exhibit critical thinking? Did they analyze, evaluate and
synthesize ideas? ________ 50
Appropriate percentage of the text is the student’s
idea/opinion?
________ 10
Does the paper seem
recycled/plagiarized?
________ 100
Things
that have been presented and discussed in class should be considered your foremost
resource. You may also want to search the library or Internet for other
opinions, so you can better inform your own. I have a link to some search
engines I like and to some alternative press
outlets available on-line.
Those
of you who have difficulty composing, writing, spelling etc. might want to
consult with an on-line
writing lab. Dr. Smith in English has created some links to several..
This is a Microsoft Word
document. Click on the link above and your computer should launch the
appropriate word processing software. I have hard copies available should
you have trouble.
Field Trip 1
Roadside America
Due: Friday October 4
Click
on the hyperlink above. It will take you to a really good, but odd
website called Roadside America. You are to thoroughly explore this site,
take a number of the links within. I urge you to take one of their hypertours, go to the vortex site, or to the fruits and vegetables
site. You can fully explore other parts of the website as well.
Your
task is to briefly describe what you saw on your field trip and then offer an
intelligent, well-written ANALYSIS of what you saw on this e-field trip.
You should aim at two pages, but don't exceed three. I am looking for
quality of thought, not quantity of BS. Good luck and have fun, but
take this seriously.. Normal rules of composition, grammar and format
apply.
Field Trip 2
Fabulous
Ruins of Detroit
Due: Friday October 4
Click
on the hyperlink above. It will take you to a bittersweet website called Fabulous Ruins of Detroit.
You are to thoroughly explore this site. Take the tour and read what the
author had to write. You may want to consult JB Jackson's essay "The
Necessity of Ruins". I think it will help you better understand what
you are about to see.
Your
task is to briefly describe what you saw on your field trip and then offer an
intelligent, well-written ANALYSIS of what you saw on this e-field trip.
You should aim at two pages, but don't exceed three. I am looking for
quality of thought, not quantity of BS. Good luck and have fun, but
take this seriously.. Normal rules of composition, grammar and format
apply.
Field Trip 3
Americas'
Ballparks
Due: Friday October 4
Click
on the hyperlink above. It will take you to a really cool baseball
website called Ballparks.
You are to thoroughly explore this site. Look at the pictures of a dozen
or so ballparks. You should also explore the past and future ballpark
sites.
Your
task is to briefly describe what you saw on your field trip and then offer an
intelligent, well-written ANALYSIS of what you saw on this e-field trip.
I think you would do well to concentrate on the design vocabulary of the
various eras of ballpark construction. Talk about how the architects have
designed these parks in terms of their "fit" with neighborhoods, how
fans react to these parks on an emotional level. Think about how the game
(its appeal, its fundamental nature) and how the park facilitates the
experience for the fan.
You
should aim at two pages, but don't exceed three. I am looking for quality
of thought, not quantity of BS. Good luck and have fun, but take
this seriously.. Normal rules of composition, grammar and format apply.
Back to Geography Home
If you have comments or suggestions, email me at sgraves@latech.edu