Category: Geography

Current Affairs Write-up #1 The Current Affairs Write-up assignment is designed to foster an appreciation of the prevalence and importance of physical geography and geotechnologies in life. Your writeup will be based on recent instances in news, media, or journal articles within the LAST 12 MONTHS that relate to topics covered in class. You will demonstrate your critical thinking skills and understanding of the material. Write-up #1 includes topics covered in chapters 1-5. Please review How-To for Current Affairs Write-ups for guidance on how to complete this exercise, including identifying if a source is credible and a sample write-up from a previous semester. I strongly suggest writing your response in a Word processor first and then copy/pasting your response. Make sure to include all of the following in your post below: (you can also check the rubric for the points breakdown) Citation (Chicago format) If you don’t know how to cite, visit the Make Citations lessonLinks to an external site. through the CSUS Library site Introduction to the article Synthesis of the article. DO NOT PLAGERIZE! Include a specific quote from the article that relates to your synthesis If the article is a scientific journal, something from the Discussion section that is not in the Abstract of the paper If a news article behind a paywall, something specific from the article that’s not visible in the top portion of the article preview Exactly how the article fits into class lectures, assignments, or readings If from the book readings, specify which chapter and page numbers. If from assignments, specify which one and how If from video, the rough timestamp What you learned How this concept in physical geography and visualization of events/phenomena fits in to everyday life Who is the author of the paper and what are their credentials? Who published the article (this is not the author, this is the company that published) Who owns the publication (who owns the company that did the publishing) Is there any potential bias in paper from the author? Publisher? Publication? If so, what is the bias and how did you identify it If you need to, review How to Identify Bias in Information What you think of the article overall Include the article with your submission as a PDF. You can either save to PDF, or you can “print” webpages to PDF on most computers Once you’ve submitted your response you will see posts by your fellow classmates. Select at least one and post a meaningful response that directly references at least one key topic in their post What will cause your submission to get a ZERO: If you do not make a connection between your article and the topics covered thus far in class Encyclopedia or education articles do not qualify. The article must be location and event specific If the article is not within the last 12 months of the date you post your response If you do not post a citation so that I can find the article If you do not include a PDF of your article, especially if a scientific article or behind a paywall If you do not include a specific quote from the article that relates to your synthesis (see parameters above) Plagiarism and/or cheating

Writing Assignment, GEOG 4403 Economic Geography, Winter 2026 Due Date: before 11:59 pm, Monday, March 2, 2026 Graduating Seniors before 11:00 am, Monday, March 2, 2026 1. Read the article about the Contraband Trade in colonial Honduras posted on Canvas under the module Paper: Readings & Instructions. Write an analytical review of this article as it regards Economic Geography. The review is not a criticism of the authors viewpoints, nor a criticism of any political entity (see the note under section 2). The review is to examine the economic geography that is brought up in this article and apply what you have learned about economic geography to explain what the author of the article is discussing. Contraband trade, while illegal, has been and continues to be, a large part of the world economy throughout history and space. 2. Write a review of the article with at least 1,100 words; 1,100 WORD MINIMUM. Most people write somewhere around 265 words per page, so this is especially little considering this is a 400-level course. READ AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS IN THE WRITING ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS BELOW. Your writing assignment is to review the article by discussing the authors’ main points, what the author sees as the main issues of Economic Geography with contraband trade in colonial Honduras and how it fits into what you have learned about Economic Geography. A simple summary of the article would earn a “D” by showing a lack of analytical thinking. Try to be thoughtful and creative in your review. THE REVIEW IS NOT A SIMPLE CRITICISM of the authors viewpoints, projects, or supposed Economic ideals. That is NOT what Analytical Review means. You do not have the proper training or educational credentials to do those things. An Analytical Review examines the geographic viewpoint from that of Economic Geography of this contraband trade in a thoughtful way, using analytical thinking skills to show that you are incorporating what you learned from the lectures throughout the course. A simple summary of the article will likely earn a D by showing a lack of analytical thinking. A review that incorporates analytical thinking to show you are incorporating some learning from the lectures into the article will likely earn a C especially if it is at or just above the minimum word count, while a review that also shows organization that is original to you and that thoughtfully incorporates learning from the lectures will likely earn a B. A grade of an A will show analytical thinking, all of the above, and may include some research from other experts on contraband trade. 3. USE THE TIMES NEW ROMAN FONT in Size 12 IN YOUR PAPER. It is much easier to read than other fonts, especially when it comes to grading lots of papers. This font is Times New Roman. Font size 12 is required. Do not use bold, underline, or all capital letters, just regular Times New Roman size 12 font. DOUBLE SPACE! PUT PAGE NUMBERS IN THE TOP RIGHT CORNER OF EACH PAGE. Just the page number, do not add your name, course number or anything else. LENGTH a minimum of 1,100 words (not counting title and your name) for the review. If you write less, you will score much less. If you write only 650 words, you only wrote 50% of the assignment, so grading will never go over 50%, and will probably be much less because it is too little to have written anything of consequence, and hence would not earn anything close to 50% of the total possible points. FAILURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS WILL RESULT IN A LARGE LOSS OF POINTS 2 HONOR CODE Cheating and plagiarism are serious offenses and will be dealt with severely. Honor Code violations will result in a Failing Grade for the Entire Course DO NOT CHEAT. You have been warned. NO CITATIONS WITHIN THE BODY OF YOUR PAPER IS PLAGIARISM NO CITATIONS, YOU GET A ZERO AND FAIL THE ENTIRE COURSE. USE CITATIONS THEY ARE YOUR FRIENDS ! ! ! – Dont know how to use citations? Read Number 5 below, and then ask for help! 3. All papers must be turned in through TurnItIn.com hard copies (printed copies) and papers in email are not acceptable, will not be read or opened, and will be thrown out and deleted. I have had three computer viruses from students sending papers through email not going to happen again! Only those papers turned in through TurnItIn.com on Canvas will be graded. Students are responsible for loading a viable electronic paper to TurnItIn.com If TurnItIn.com cannot read your paper, you will receive a zero. I will let you know if there is a problem, but you will need to upload another copy of the paper immediately. TurnItIn.com will check for plagiarism. Read the section on plagiarism in the syllabus. 4. NO QUOTATIONS ARE PERMITTED IN YOUR PAPERS. Learn to paraphrase correctly No quotations are permitted in the paper, regardless of how short the quote is Do not use any quotations in your paper When writing, use your own words and do not use quotations For every quotation, there will be 50 point deduction after the Paper is graded. FAILURE TO DO CITATIONS CORRECTLY MAY RESULT IN A FAILING GRADE FOR THE ENTIRE COURSE HOW TO DO CITATIONS CORRECTLY FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS FAILURE TO DO CITATIONS AS STATED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW WILL RESULT IN A GRADE OF F FOR YOUR PAER. 5. CITATIONS USE THEM! When citing (but not quoting!) from the articles you may simply put the authors last name and page number in parentheses at the end of the section where the citation belongs. 5a. – You are REQUIRED to cite at least 6 different and relevant Video Lectures to show that you are applying what you learned in the course to this article. You will have to think anlytically about Economic Geography, the material from the articles, and the material from the Video Lectures. 5b. – HOW TO CITE VIDEO LECTURES site Video Lectures by the Week and Lecture Number, For example: (Week 4, Lec 11) for the eleventh Video Lecture in the course during the fourth week of class. WARNING JUST THROWING RANDOM VIDEO LECTURE REFERENCES INTO YOUR PAPER WILL COUNT AGAINST YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT THINKING ANALYTICALLY AND ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO GET THE VIDEO LECTURE CITATIONS INTO THE PAPER WITHOUT ANY THOUGHT OR WORK. Bad references would be something like Geography is an important issue in contraband trade (Week 1, Lecture 2). You CANNOT use any material from the first 2 weeks of Video Lectures. 3 Do Not simply put a random Video Lecture reference in that has nothing to do with what you are writing about in your paper. Example: DO NOT cite Week 6, Lecture 14 if you are not discussing feudalism in Europe. 5c. – Reference the Author of the article by only their last name and page number. Use the real page number from the articles, not the page number on the PDF file. NEVER use the authors first name, nor the complete title of the articles within the text of your paper. 5d. NEVER, EVER THINK ABOUT USING THE AUTHORS FULL NAME and/or FULL TITLE OF THE ARTICLE IN THE TEXT OF YOUR PAPER. That is only done when someone needs to cheat to try to artificially boost the word count. NEVER write things such as In Professor Jonathan Smiths article Economic Geography is Terribly Important: Let Us Study It! published by the Association of American Geographers . . . This will definitely show that you are deliberately trying to artificially boost your word count. You also NEVER need to reference what universities or other institutions they are affiliated with. I already know about them, so DO NOT even think about putting that stuff in your paper. Doing this kind of thing will result in a 30 point deduction on your paper. BIBLIOGRAPHY if you use sources other than the assigned article, you are required to have a bibliography. If you do not use other sources, then you do not need a bibliography. If you do use other sources you are required to use MLA style of citations within the text of the paper and in your bibliography. 6. BANNED SOURCES using any of these banned sources may result in a zero grade use university-level sources if you plan to use outside sources. Textbooks Notes from other classes Notes from this class that are not relevant to what you are writing about Notes from this class that are blatantly over-simplistic (such as saying this article is Economic Geography citing a lecture on Intro Economic Geography you can do much better than that!) Notes from the first week of class Childrens books Webpages Encyclopedias Poor sources for a Senior-Level university course, like National Geographic Magazine 7. Deadline: before 11:59 pm, Monday, March 2, 2026, Ruston Time according to Canvas Papers may be turned in early NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED the quarter ends for this course at the above deadline There is no make-up or excused late papers. If you cannot turn the paper in on the assigned due date, then turn it in early! Graduating Seniors, Winter 2026 Due Date before 11:00 am, Monday, March 2, 2026

The target city is Moncton

I have attached what do do in a word document.

The place i chose is osswald park in fort lauderdale fl i really grew up there but from 6th grade to college i went there everyday and played basketball, and worked out with my friends and mentors and older guys that helped me and taught me a lot. I also used that place as a get away place and clear my mind because when im out there it helped me block a lot of things that was going on and enjoy the time being.

You can use this to elaborate more.

Choose one of the topics below for your initial post. For Discussion guidelines, see the link at the bottom.

Topic 1. Sub-Saharan Africa in the News

For this forum, find a recent news article (within the past 12 months) that describes the latest developments in a conflict, issue, or other major event in the Sub-Saharan Africa realm. Provide a brief summary of the conflict/issue/event that your article describes, and your own analysis of how this issue might affect the realm, and might be resolved. If the event you choose is medical in nature, post it in the next topic. Resist the urge to make generalized statements about this region – or any others we discuss in class. Africa is not a “country” – it’s a continent. PICK ONE COUNTRY OR SPECIFIC REGION OF A COUNTRY in Sub-Saharan Africa TO DISCUSS HERE. Be specific and examine the issue academically.

–OR–Topic 2. Medical Geography

Sub-Saharan Africa has a number of diseases and other health issues which cause significant suffering for its residents and presents significant public health challenges. Choose one health concern in Sub-Saharan Africa that gets your attention. Describe the disease or issue, why it’s such a problem, and how the areas affected might best meet the challenges posed by it. Resist the urge to make generalized statements about this region – or any others we discuss in class. Africa is not a “country” – it’s a continent. PICK ONE COUNTRY OR SPECIFIC REGION OF A COUNTRY in Sub-Saharan Africa TO DISCUSS HERE. Be specific and examine the issue academically. CHOOSE A COUNTRY AND CONDITION COMBINATION NOT YET COVERED.

Remember, paraphrase the information in the article into your own words – and attribute your source(s).

reply to:

Week 4, Topic 1 – Spencer

• Contains unread posts
• Spencer Allen posted Feb 25, 2026 12:48 AM
• Good evening class!
• For this weeks discussion, I chose an Associated Press article detailing the flooding that has affected the Republic of Mozambique. The country lies on the Southeastern coast of Africa with a population of 34-million and is bordered to the west by Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Malawi. The article expresses that more than 300,000 people in one province have been displaced by the flooding and that 40% of the Gaza province is submerged. One cabinet minister stated that approximately 600,000 people have been affected in the two provinces of Gaza. The flooding is a result of weeks of persistent rain and is estimated to cost is estimated to be around $250 million.
• Southern Mozambique is a low-lying coastal plain region that accumulates large amounts of rain annually. To compound the issue, the Gaza region is mostly flat terrain, and the area does not possess the adequate infrastructure to combat the runoff of excessive rainwater. To resolve this issue, I think the government should leverage various world organizations for funding to build up their infrastructure in the way of drainages and reservoirs. The reservoir plan could serve a dual purpose by providing catchment for the rainwater runoff, reducing the impact of severe flooding, while also providing drinking water and irrigation for crops, provided water treatment facilities are also built in conjunction with the reservoirs. Mozambique ranks 181 of 189 on the Human Development Index (actiononpoverty.org). This is a pretty important factor considering the fact that building infrastructure suitable enough to mitigate the floods would likely be very expensive. This goes back to the country leveraging different world organizations for financial assistance and even entering partnerships with its neighboring nations to offset the costs as much as possible.
• Associated Press. (2024, February 20). Floods in Mozambique displace more than 300,000 people in one province, governor says. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/flood-mozambique-southern-africa-rain-weather-12a2a9d5204710cb8db637ebfd7b4fab..
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W4-Sub-Saharan Africa-Becky

• Contains unread posts
• Rebecca Cohen posted Feb 24, 2026 5:47 PM
• I chose topic two, about Medical Geography. One major health issue in Kenya that really stood out to me is iron deficiency anemia, especially among young children and women. This is mostly happening in the more rural areas where food and other needed items for nutrition are harder to come by. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS) 2022, about 41% of children under age five and 29% of women aged 1549 are anemic, showing that this is a widespread problem in the country. This iron deficiency anemia happens when the body doesnt have enough iron to make healthy red blood cells. This leads to tiredness, weaker immune systems, and slowed growth or development in kids. It affects daily life, kids who are anemic can struggle in school, and women who are anemic, especially during pregnancy, face higher health risks. The article also shows that anemia rates arent the same everywhere in Kenya, with some regions having higher levels than others, likely because of differences in diet, access to healthcare, and living conditions. To help fix this, Kenya needs several things working together. Like increasing access to ironrich foods, giving iron supplements to the highrisk groups like young children and pregnant women, and giving nutrition education at the community level can really help. Making the healthcare systems stronger so people can get screened and treated earlier is also key. By taking these steps, Kenya can reduce anemia rates and help people be healthier and more productive.
• Source:
• Anemia Crisis In Kenya -KDHS 2022 Report by Lilian Mumina

Instructions

In your essay:

• Define Demography.
• Clearly explain the three demographic processes:
• Fertility
• Mortality
• Migration
• Discuss how each process influences:
• Population size
• Age-sex structure
• Spatial distribution
• Provide relevant examples from South Africa, global context, and/or your own community observations.

ESSAY: Write your essay in the empty box below. Read the article “Falling into Place along the Fall Line.” Based on the information in the article, write a response to the following: Explain how geological features have helped shape the history of human civilizations. Write a well-organized informational composition that uses specific evidence from the article to support your answer. Remember to clearly state your thesis organize your writing develop your ideas in detail use evidence from the selection in your response use correct spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammar Use only the article “Falling into Place along the Fall Line” and nothing else. This is a high school essay so make it seem like a high school student wrote it.