Cultural geography

This research assignment is designed to challenge the student to be creative as well as demonstrate subject matter knowledge. You are also challenged to learn a new skill/practice an existing skill in applying PowerPoint (or OpenOffice) software to your research. You will not find the “answer” for this assignment in the text or any other single location – this is an integrative assignment that requires you, the student, to create your presentation template and apply your own knowledge on the assigned topic. You MUST stick to the topic – projects turned in that are not on the topic will not be considered for grading. You MUST have a title slide, at least 10 text-based content slides, at least a few graphics of the topic and region discussed, a slide design, and a properly formatted reference section in APA style at the end of the slideshow – title and reference slides do not count toward the 10 text-based slides minimum) Discuss a particular cultural artifact from somewhere in the world. It could be a food item or cuisine, music, art form, architectural style, etc., if you are unsure if your topic is acceptable, send me a Message and ask. Regardless of topic, the presentations MUST have slides explicitly discussing the following geographic concepts vis-à-vis your topic: 1. Cultural Diffusion – movement of your cultural artifact from its original hearth to other regions. 2. Cultural landscape – how does your topic reflect or affect the cultural environment in which it is found? This could be in its original hearth or in the places where it has diffused. 3. Distance decay – how does distance from its cultural hearth affect the nature and occurrence of your topic? Is there evidence of change in its occurrence across space – demonstrate with evidence. Be sure to address these SPECIFIC geographic terms and concepts. There should be at least one slide for each of these three concepts. The titles of the slides should have the concept displayed, i.e., a slide on cultural diffusion should have a slide title of “Cultural Diffusion of X”, where “X” is the name of your topic. You may use “subsets” of these definitions (e.g. contagious diffusion) if such subsets are present vis-à-vis your topic. Be sure to refer to your text and glossary to ensure you completely understand these concepts. Be sure to present clear citations and college-level work. Make the most of each slide to show effective communication – one of APUS’s primary learning objectives for all students in all classes (see syllabus for detail). This exercise will require some research on your part and you are to use legitimate sources. Do NOT use Wikipedia or other “wiki” sites, as in about.com, infoplease.com, children’s educational sites, and travel company sites. Use creditable official institutional and/or academic sources. If you do not have access MSPPT, please use OpenOffice.org products. The exercise has three components: 1) show you are very familiar with the topic; 2) become familiar with PowerPoint software as everyone uses it in business these days, and; 3) express your topical and geographic knowledge in a slideshow format – efficient, understandable, captivating, professional, and aesthetically engaging. THIS IS NOT A COUNTRY STUDY ASSIGNMENT! DO NOT submit a slideshow with various data of a specific place. While this cultural geography project will require information about the regions from where your topic originated to where it diffused, this does not constitute a country study. The core topic of your project must be a cultural artifact of a particular cultural group. It must demonstrate diffusion from it origin to another location. It must be prevalent enough to add to the cultural landscapes in which it is found. And, distance decay must be addressed, if no discernable evidence for distance decay is found then report that. If it is found, report that. Do not simply disregard the topic of distance decay if no evidence is found for it. Let me know if you have any questions, and have fun with this! Grading Rubric: Appropriate topic and Synthesis of geographic concepts: 25 Presentation showed a clear understanding of the chosen topic. Ideas are clearly and properly organized. There were at least three slides that explicitly dealt with cultural diffusion, cultural landscape, and distance decay pertaining to the student’s chosen cultural artifact topic. Use of technology: 25 Student demonstrated ability to use PowerPoint software to create a slide presentation. Creative ideas are incorporated into the presentation. Must have a consistent slide design. Do NOT overcrowd slides with large amounts of text. Do NOT obscure text with overlying visuals or visuals with overlying text. Citations: 25 References to the course text or to other materials must be properly cited using APA style formatting. URLs of visuals must be presented in a Figures section. Writing standards: 25 The writing was grammatically correct, clear and concise. The presentation was well formulated, and easy to read and understand. Correct terminology was used when needed. The slideshow had at least 10 text-based informative slides pertaining to the topic, this total excludes title, reference, figure, and visuals-only slides. Appropriate topic and Synthesis of concepts Use of technology Clear citations Writing standards Presentation showed a clear understanding of the chosen topic. Ideas are clearly and properly organized. There were at least three slides that explicitly dealt with cultural diffusion, cultural landscape, and distance decay pertaining to the student’s chosen cultural artifact topic. Student demonstrated ability to use PowerPoint software to create a slide presentation. Creative ideas are incorporated into the presentation. Must have a consistent slide design. Do NOT overcrowd slides with large amounts of text. Do NOT obscure text with overlying visuals or visuals with overlying text References to the course text or to other materials must be properly cited using APA style formatting. URLs of visuals must be presented in a Figures section. The writing was grammatically correct, clear and concise. The presentation was well formulated, and easy to read and understand. Correct terminology was used when needed. The slideshow had at least 10 text-based informative slides pertaining to the topic, this total excludes title, reference, figure, and visuals-only slides. 25 points 25 points 25 points 25 points