geography paper

Where Am I Wearing?!? Garment Project

Welcome to the “Where am I Wearing?” garment project! In this project, you will spend 48 hours tracking every single article of clothing,* shoe, or accessory you wear by its type and place of origin. Check all tags for the printed place of manufacture. For items such as socks which may not list their origin, perform an online search by brand and attempt to locate any information available. Print the attached form and hand write clothing entries or type them in and save on your computer. You will be required to submit this completed form listing each of your items along with your project essay. Following the completion of this tracking, students will use the information they gathered to conduct additional research and write an essay which addresses the following 4 prompts. Essays should be 500-750 words long, double spaced, in Times New Roman font. This project is worth a total of 100 points comprised of 40 points for your completed tracking form and 60 points for your completed essay.

1) What kind of consumer are you (Bargain, Buy-American, Conscientious, Low impact, Engaged, or Mindless)?

2) Pick two countries of origin from the list of items you wore. Briefly research their garment industries. Based on your research, describe the conditions in which your items were likely made. (Mention working conditions, environmental impact, wages, labor demographics, human rights, etc.) Include at least 2 sources referencing each country. List these on a works cited page following the Chicago Manual of Style citation rules.

3) How do you think our shopping decisions influence the lives of international garment workers?

4) Is it in our short term interest to buy cheap stuff? Is it in our long term interest? Why or why not?

*Students are encouraged to track undergarments for their own global awareness but are not required to do so at their own discretion. If a student chooses to track this component, they are encouraged to utilize appropriate/professional labels in their type descriptions (i.e. “undergarment A” “undergarment B” etc.

Where Am I Wearing?!? Garment Project

What (Type & Brand) Predominant Material Country of Origin

Year Purchased

Where Am I Wearing?!? Garment Project

What (Type and/or Brand) Predominant Material Country of Origin

Year Purchased