3 .5 pages
LeahD
GEO105501Essaypromptsexam1Fa21.docxWorld Regional Geography
For the WRITTEN portion of the First Exam, you are asked to write one ESSAY in response to any of the following six prompts. I am looking for approximately three to three-and-one-half pages of text, double-spaced, uploaded to the FIRST ESSAY folder in Assignments in D2L, in Word (.doc or .docx format) or .pdf format, by 11:59pm Thursday, October 14th. You may need to convert to one of these before uploading. Aim to be as clear, specific and thorough as you can in your essays, keeping in mind that you are aiming for between 3 and 3.5 pages. You should be able to respond effectively to any of the essay prompts based entirely on materials found in the course. (The textbook, the PowerPoints, video mini-lectures, third party videos, course notes, supplemental articles, and online discussions will all be useful sources). You are welcome to use outside sources if you choose: I only ask that you cite those sources appropriately, using a standard style you are familiar and comfortable with - Chicago (either author/date or notes and bibliography), or APA, or MLA – and whichever style you use, please be consistent. I will be applying Turn-it-in to your submissions, but primarily for your benefit. The 'Similarity Report' that Turn-it-in generates by comparing your essays to its database will be freely available for your review, and I will allow one additional day to make revisions, provided they are to eliminate any appearance of plagiarism in your work. If you do make revisions, just upload the revised document to the same folder by 11:59pm on Friday, October 15th , and that is the one I will assess.
UNIT 1: 1. In what ways is climate change expected to affect the planet over the next century? How will these changes differ, in both kind and severity, for different regions of the world ? (Be as specific as you can – identify particular regions or areas of the world and the types of effects you would expect to be present in them.) What threats will this pose to physical landscapes and ecosystems of the earth, and what are the most significant challenges to human societies, governments, economies and populations? Will different regions respond differently to these challenges, and if so, how and why?
2. What is ‘ development ’ and how is this concept captured in the Human Development Index (HDI)? Using this view of development as your starting point, how would you interpret the underlying meaning of the ‘Factfulness Quiz’ (based on the correct answers to the questions); compared to your understanding of the many environmental problems facing the world today (including but not limited to human-induced climate change, deforestation, desertification, water scarcity, soil erosion, mass extinction of species, ocean acidification, plastic waste accumulation)? Does this mean that ‘development’ as we know it in direct conflict with a healthy environment? Is it possible for development to be ecologically sustainable? How would you describe such ‘sustainable development’?
UNIT 2: 1. Describe the key ultimate (underlying or ‘root’) causes as well as direct (or proximate) causes of tropical deforestation in Latin America (you may focus primarily on the Brazilian Amazon, but express your understanding that causes can vary from country to country), as well as the chief environmental and human consequences of this phenomenon. What is being done - or could be done - to slow or reverse the rate of forest destruction, while still allowing forests to contribute to the economies of the region and help to meet people’s needs?
2. Rapid urbanization has made Middle and South America one of the most urbanized regions in the world in just a few decades. What are some of the chief causes of the process of urbanization in the region? (Pay particular attention to factors that are specific to or especially pronounced in this region , not just the generic drivers of urbanization worldwide.) What are the key consequences of rapid and high levels of urbanization in this region? (Consider both positive and negative consequences.)
UNIT 3: 1. Identify, describe, and explain any two consecutive Stages of the Demographic Transition Model as it applies to the region of Europe . What are the key demographic characteristics of these stages, what are the underlying technological, social, and economic explanations for these characteristics, and why and how did the shift between these two stages occur (or is currently occurring)?
2. Identify, describe and explain in some detail any two challenges currently facing the European Union, which might include (but are not limited to): responses to climate change and other environmental issues; monetary and fiscal concerns with the Euro and the debt of member countries; problems of governance and democracy within the Union and some of its member states; social, political, and economic concerns relating to recent large-scale migration from outside Europe and the integration of those migrants, particularly refugees from the Middle East and North Africa; the loss of the United Kingdom due to Brexit; and the threat of further disintegration of the Union.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAZAKPUQMw0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1_4JseKlO4
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aat2340
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGjRNbXeRXI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3BRTlHFpBU
