For this assignment you will analyse a news article using concepts from Human Geography. You may choose any news (ie. current events) media article (eg. a news item rather than a blog, editorial, opinion piece or journal article) that interests you as long as it was published after May 6, 2024. Choose an article that is approximately ½ page – 1 page in length. See below for a list of possible sources. If you are not sure whether the article you have selected is appropriate, you may send me the link or a copy of the article in advance.
THE ASSIGNMENT
a) Fully and accurately summarise the article (approx. 200 words, double-spaced), and
b) Write 2 paragraphs (300 words each, double-spaced) connecting the article to two different geographic concepts selected from the list below.
Summary: Begin by introducing the article to the reader – who wrote it, published it, etc. – it must be clear to the reader which article you are summarising (papers that do not indicate clearly in the summary which article is under analysis will receive 0). Then provide a clear summary of the article.
Analysis: Define the concepts early on -you can even open with the definition. Provide as full and complete a definition as possible. Then use the definition to explain how the concept can aid in understanding the context (the news item) you are analysing. Also explain how the information in the article illustrates the concepts. Track back and forth between the concept and the information in the article to keep the connection tight and focused.
USE of CHATGPT or similar AI program is prohibited (including Grammarly, ChatGPT, Quilbot. and any other generative, editing, or paraphrasing “service.”) All suspected use will be reported to the Office of Academic Integrity. Use of AI will result in a zero grade for the assignment and potentially a deduction in your course grade. There will be no opportunity to redo assignments or make up marks. Just use your own brain : )
Core Concepts
• To conduct your analysis, you must use two concepts from the following list.
• You may also use derivatives of these concepts, eg. place → sense of place. In such cases, be sure to define both the core concept and the derivative.
• Note that some concepts include sub-concepts which will likely require consideration in your analysis, eg. Region → 3 types of region; Location → site & situation.
Space Distribution
Place Anthropocentrism
Distance Region
Diffusion Scale (of analysis, NOT map scale)
Location Density
Culture Ecocentrism
You must define the concepts and provide citations for the definitions. Find the definitions in the textbook, lecture notes, or a geographical source such as the Dictionary of Human Geography (available online through the Langara Library). Do not use a general-use dictionary or Wikipedia.
You must give your assignment an interesting title.
Possible sources for news articles (not an exhaustive list)
The Globe & Mail
CBC
The National Post
Winnipeg Free Press
BBC
The Independent
Al Jazeera
The Guardian
The Tyee
Calgary Herald
The New York Times
La Presse
Toronto Star
The Washington Post
Vancouver Sun
The Times of India
China Daily
Wall Street Journal
Sources
You are not required to use scholarly sources for this assignment, and I am primarily interested in your application of the concepts to the news item. If you would like to use scholarly sources, use the Langara College Library website to access online databases such as Academic Search Complete or JSTOR to find suitable journal articles. Do not cite Wikipedia! You may read it for background information, but it is not an acceptable source for an academic paper.
ORIGINALITY & AUTHENTICITY
You must submit an original work. An original work is one that has been written by you, that has not (and will not be) submitted as part of the requirements for any other course and does not copy directly from other sources. Any submission of work that is not your own is plagiarism. You may not use ChatGPT or similar tool on this assignment.
Anytime you use another person’s ideas, expressions, information, line of thinking or argument without acknowledging them you are committing plagiarism! You must acknowledge all sources of information, data, and ideas (not only direct quotations) and provide in-text references or footnotes. All sources must be listed under the heading of “Works Cited” or “References” at the end of the paper. That’s right – you need to include BOTH in-text references AND a bibliography. You must cite your sources correctly using MLA, APA or other recognized style.
You must cite lecture notes. Use the following example as a guide:
Francis, J. 2024. Cartographies. Geography 1110: Introduction to Human Geography. 15 Jan
2024. Langara College, Vancouver BC, Canada.
FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE ALL YOUR SOURCES CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM.
PROVIDING INCOMPLETE REFERENCES MAY RESULT IN A GRADE PENALTY.
Suspected Plagiarism
All cases of suspected plagiarism will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct, Accountability, and Support (SCAS). To guard against plagiarism, I reserve the right to inspect notes and drafts and to examine students orally on the final version of their papers. Therefore, keep your notes and drafts! You may also be asked to answer some written questions on your paper.
Become familiar with Langara’s Code of Conduct. You are responsible for making yourself aware of plagiarism guidelines. Plagiarism may lead to a failing grade on the assignment or on the entire course, or suspension or expulsion from Langara. If in doubt, cite!
SUBMITTING YOUR PAPER
Papers are due by 11:59pm on June 13. Upload to the Assignment folder in Brightspace.
Late Policy
- Papers that are submitted on time will receive extensive comments and a grade. Also, if you submit a complete paper on time, and have not used AI, then you have a chance to revise and resubmit to earn a higher grade based on my feedback. Revised papers must be resubmitted within 2 weeks of receiving your initial grade. Note: while there is no guarantee your grade will go up, it will not go down unless you resubmit exactly the same paper with no changes.
- Papers submitted within 7 days of the due date will receive a grade but no comments. Papers submitted more than 7 days after the due date will be penalized 3% per day and will receive a grade but no comments.
- You do not have to tell me why your paper is late. Exceptions will only be granted under exceptional circumstances and must be arranged in advance with the instructor.
Example:
Your assignment is due on June 13 at 11:59pm. If you submit your paper on or before June 13 at 11:59pm, you will receive extensive comments and a grade, and you can also revise and resubmit your assignment in order to improve your grade. If you submit your paper between June 14 at 12am and June 19 at 11:59pm, you will receive a grade without any comments. If you submit your paper on June 20, you will be penalized 3% and you will receive a grade with no comments. If you submit your paper on June 22, you will be penalized 9% and you will receive a grade with no comments, and so on. You do not have to tell me why your paper is late. Extensions will only be granted under exceptional circumstances and must be arranged in advance with the instructor.
TIPS
- Begin with something interesting to engage the reader’s attention; do NOT begin with “This article…” as that would be both boring and grammatically incorrect.
- Pay attention to grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation; proofread carefully.
- It’s fine to use “I” but do not use “we” or “our” (just say specifically who you mean).
- Use active rather than passive voice.
- Write as if for a general audience, rather than drawing attention to the fact that this paper is written for a class assignment.
- When you have a nearly final draft, read your paper out loud to yourself.
USE ASSIGNMENT CHECKLIST TO ENSURE YOU COMPLETE ALL THE REQUIREMENTS!