About the Project

An important part of this course is the research project: a major assignment in which you and and or two classmates will select a topic of interest to you, conduct research on it, and present your findings in a formal way. The project is the most important assignment you will tackle in the course, and the grade you earn for the project will comprise a significant part of your final grade.

You must work in groups of two or three on this project; this will give you practice in collaborative work, a skill which you will find essential in just about any career you choose in the future. It’s not easy; it means that you have to divide up your efforts carefully, you need to make sure that you avoid duplication, contradictions, and differences in style. It also means that if members of your group members don’t pull their weight, or drop the course, the remaining members will be left to carry the can.

The research assignment consists of two major parts. The first is the project itself, which I describe in some detail here. The second component is your presentation, in which you present your major findings to a broad audience (including but not limited to members of the class), and answer questions about your work.

The Topic
Your paper will deal with an important problem facing the African continent (or part of it) today, and it will show how the problem is related to Africa’s geography. The problem could be political (for example, the conflict in eastern Congo), it could be environmental (e.g. desertification in the Sahel region), it might be a health problem (HIV/AIDS, perhaps), or it could be any other pressing issue that you feel is worth investigating. The only specific requirements to bear in mind are that the problem must be serious, and it should be current, and it must be clearly related to some aspect of geography.

The Contents of the Project

Your paper should begin by describing the problem you have chosen. What is the nature of the problem? What specific evidence do you have that it exists, and is serious? What parts of the African continent are involved?

Having described the problem, you should go on to explain its causes. When did the problem begin? (A historic overview is almost certainly necessary here). What caused it? (There could be many answers to this question, and you should say which explanations you find most plausible, and why you agree with them). How is it related to geography? (And here you should bear in mind that the problem you are investigating could be related to human geography — for example the geography of poverty, disease, literacy, or language — or it might be related to climate, topography or some other aspect of physical geography).

The next step is to explain why you think the crisis has not been resolved. What circumstances have so far made it impossible for Africans to overcome the problem? I strongly recommend that you steer clear of prescribing solutions, since most complex problems don’t have easy solutions. Instead, concentrate on an explanation of why you think the problem has persisted.

Finally, you should examine the implications and consequences of the crisis you have analyzed. Is it a unique issue, facing only the region or people you have described in your project? Or does it have broader implications for a region, a country, or the world?

In putting together your project, remember that every argument you present must be backed up with specific, verifiable evidence. If you believe the problem you are tackling originated in the seventeenth century, you should provide solid evidence to back this up. If you feel that the crisis is likely to be overcome within the next five years, you must say what evidence led you to this conclusion.

Rules and Guidelines

As you work on this or any other piece of academic work, there are some rules and guidelines that it is worth bearing in mind. Some may mark a change from what you may have experienced in high school, or perhaps in some other college courses. Among the guidelines are the following.

1. Your work will be evaluated (by me as well as the rest of your audience) solely on the basis of how good it is. You won’t get credit in this project for how many hours of work you put into it, what hardships you overcame in completing it, how many sources you cite, whether you are a good person, whether praise or a good grade will help your self-esteem, or anything else that does not contribute to the quality of the final product. (In the workplace, the same is likely to apply; would you give credit to a surgeon who messed up an operation because she tried hard?)
2. Any arguments you present will be judged on the basis of the logic you use to support them and the evidence you provide to back them up.  This means that you should assume that you are writing for a skeptical reader, someone who will not believe something just because you say it is so (or just because it seems to make sense.) It follows from this that your opinions alone are without any value at all unless you can substantiate them. It follows from this that…
3. When you choose to use a source of information or opinion, you are vouching for its accuracy. If the information you cite is not accurate, it’s your problem. This means that you have to consider each source carefully, and decide whether you are prepared to stake your credibility and reputation on it. If you are not confident that a source is reliable, don’t use it.
4. Assume that you don’t know your reader. You should assume that the reader cares a lot about the subject you are writing about and the argument you are presenting, but really doesn’t care about you personally. So it really doesn’t matter to your reader whether something makes you happy or sad, whether you enjoyed reading something, or whether you feel that you are a better person as a result of doing your research. The reader may well care, though, about what it is about a particular situation, book, or movie that might make an observer happy or sad, despondent or hopeful. In short, an academic research project is not about you, it’s about the subject matter.
5. Anything that gets in the way of your argument or distracts your reader shouldn’t be there. This includes digression, bad grammar, spelling mistakes and typographic errors, poor layout, repetition, inconsistencies in style or formatting, and unnecessary use of direct quotations, to name just a few. From which it follows that…
6. Any figures (photographs, maps, diagrams) that are not part of your argument should not be there. Figures are an integral part of the argument, not a form of decoration. If you include a figure, refer to it an an appropriate point in your argument; don’t leave it to your reader to figure out how it fits in. (When I read a paper, if you don’t tell me to look at Figure 1, I won’t. And if I have to page through the text to find it, I probably won’t look at it either.)
7. Good writing matters. It matters even more than the subject matter, because if you don’t write well, you will lose your reader, and there is nothing more you can do once that has happened. Some corollaries:
   7.1 The introduction is the most important part of any piece of writing, presentation, or video. If you introduction doesn’t interest and draw in your audience, you no longer have an audience.
   7.2 If you don’t understand something, you won’t be able to explain it. Confusion is almost impossible to disguise. Your reader can only work with what you say, not what you mean to say.
   7.3 It is easy to make something sound complicated. The challenge of good writing is to make complicated ideas easy to understand.
8. Do anything you can to make it easier for your reader to follow your argument. In most disciplines, this means that it is almost always a good idea to divide your paper into sections, each with its own heading. It means telling you reader, in your introduction, what approach you will take in your argument. It means that when you start a new point, start a new paragraph. It means providing transitional sentences between sections.
9. For all of the reasons above, it is always a good idea to get someone else to read over your paper, and to give you feedback. Ask your reader to let you know whether your argument is clear, whether it is well organized, and whether it makes sense. (Your reader does not need to be an expert on your subject; in many cases, it is best if the reader knows little or nothing about your subject.) The UMW Writing Center is an excellent place to go for this kind of feedback. (In this course, you may ask for feedback on any work except for in-class quizzes. Other professors may have different policies in their classes, so always check.)

Rules

1. The Golden and Inviolable Rule of Academic Writing is that you must provide a reference for any information, ideas, photographs, video clips, diagrams or anything else that you obtain from another source.  If you cannot provide a reference for a piece of information, then you may not use it. If you use any material from another source and you do not say where it comes from, you are committing plagiarism, the worst of all academic sins. In this course, at the very least plagiarism will guarantee a failing grade for an assignment (and that grade will be shared by all authors in a joint assignment.) I will also not hesitate to refer cases of plagiarism to the Honor Council.

   The only exception to the above rule is in cases where information is common knowledge. This is a narrow exception, though, and it can vary depending on the subject matter and audience of your paper. (In this course, for example, writing that Gaberone is the capital of Botswana would qualify as common knowledge; saying that the population of Botswana is 1.95 million would not.)

2. If you do not cite a reference for an idea, you are in effect saying that the idea you are presenting is your own. This means that it is never necessary to write “I think” or “I believe” since unless you include a reference this is implicit. If you do not cite a reference for a fact, you are in effect saying that you gathered the information yourself. So, for example, if you write that the population of Botswana is 1.95 million and do not include a reference, you are in effect saying that you counted them yourself.
   
3. It is unacceptable to make stuff up, no matter how trivial it may seem. Just because you think something is probably the case, it doesn’t mean that you can state it as a fact, even if it seems obvious.

Sources of Information

To write a good paper, you will have to consult a wide variety of sources of information. If you topic is a controversial one, you will have to be particularly diligent in ensuring that you are familiar with all sides of the issue. What all of this means is that you will have to undertake a thorough search of the materials available in the library and through interlibrary loan. Remember that the various computer catalogs and indexes are not the only places to look for information. You will need to search through various specialized indexes, abstracts and bibliographies as well. If you are unsure about where to find or how to use these resources, ask the librarians for help.

When I grade your paper, I will pay close attention to your list of references to find out how thorough and extensive your research has been. It will be impossible for you to receive a good grade for the assignment if you do not show evidence of having consulted a sufficient variety of suitable sources.

Your sources should include all of the following:

1. Books that deal with your topic. These should preferably be books written by experts in the field, not general reference sources. (Encyclopedias and introductory texts are therefore unacceptable as major sources for this assignment). You should also make sure that the books you consult are up to date.

2. News articles. These are useful for recent information, or for contemporaneous accounts of past events.  This means that you will need to look at news archives, not just a news site or publication’s current stories. You should also look at foreign newspapers, ideally papers from the country you or region are writing about.

3. Articles in academic journals. These are articles written by experts, reviewed by other experts, and then published in specialized academic journals. Good journal articles represent the cutting edge of research, and you should be sure that your paper demonstrates that you have consulted such sources.

Important Note: There is a world of difference between periodicals and journals, and you should not confuse the two. Periodicals such as Time, Newsweek, US News, World Press Review, and National Geographic are not sufficient as sources for a serious research paper. Journals like the Annals of the Association of American Geographers and Geographical Review are.

4. Web-based sources: a a few cautionary notes.
i) Please remember that although there is a vast amount of intformation available online, there are still a lot of very material printed on paper an on the shelves in the library. Don’t overlook it!
ii) Be constantly aware that just because something has been published on a website, it doesn’t mean that it is necessarily reliable or usable as a reference in an academic paper. As a general rule, you should not use an Internet source unless a) you are prepared to vouch for its accuracy, b) you can cite an author and/or publisher, and c) you provide a full reference, including the specific URL of the material as well as the usual author/title/publisher information.
iii) You can’t find everything you need simply by using Google (or even Google Scholar.) You will almost certainly need to use more specialized research tools available on the web as well as in Simpson Library and on its website. (Some limited access online sources, including numerous journals, are available only through the library site.)

5. Other Sources. You may also need to consult a variety of other sources, including census data, atlases, maps, and government reports.

I print sources you need might not be in the library, and you will have to make use of interlibrary loan (The fact that the library does not own a copy of a book or journal you need is not an acceptable excuse for not using it as a source. That is what interlibrary loan is for). But interlibrary loan takes time, and you will not be able to get what you need if you leave it too late.

The Presentation

An important part of the research project is the presentation. In it, you will make a 10-15 minute formal presentation on your research to the rest of the class (the amount of time you have will depend on the number of people in the class). You may use slides, maps, diagrams or any other appropriate audiovisual aids if you wish. Members of the class will then have the chance to ask you questions and to challenge any arguments you have presented in your paper.

It is very difficult to give a brief presentation summarizing a subject on which you are an expert. The only way to make sure that your presentation is lucid, concise, and persuasive is to prepare it thoroughly beforehand. I therefore suggest that you write out the entire presentation. Then practice it and time it (I will be ruthless in stopping each presentation when the allotted time is up). When you give the presentation in class, I recommend that you read it (unless you are very confident of your public speaking ability, and are certain that you will not waste time by digressing, pausing, or losing track of your argument).

When I allocate a grade for the research project, I will take into account both the written paper and your class presentation. When I assess the oral presentation, I will be particularly interested in your mastery of your subject, and how convincingly you answer difficult and challenging questions. So when you give your presentation, be prepared to defend, substantiate, or clarify any of the arguments in your paper. In assessing your presentation, I will also take into account the same considerations that apply to the presentation and style of the written paper. So if you do not speak clearly, if your presentation is punctuated by “umm’s,” or if your oral argument is not clear, you will see the consequences in your project grade.

Your paper should be the equivalent of 12 – 15 double spaced, typed pages in length (excluding maps, diagrams, bibliography and title pages). Anything shorter probably does not do justice to the topic, and anything longer means that you have not sifted through your argument and discarded extraneous and irrelevant material.

Presentation and Style

Clear presentation and lucid style are crucial components of any written assignment. Even though the purpose of this paper is to test your geographic rather than your language or typing skills, the way you write and the way you present your findings will make an impression. Bad English, typographic errors and sloppy presentation distract the reader and detract from the arguments you are making. So be sure that your paper is neatly and accurately typed (double spaced) and turned in as a single MS Word or pdf file, with your name(s) as the file name (e.g. Smith.doc not geogpaper.doc.) Check that you have thoroughly proofread it to make sure that it is written in good English, and contains no spelling or typographical errors. Remember that maps and diagrams are an integral part of a good paper, and they should be carefully constructed and properly labeled.

The best way to make sure that any piece of work is properly written is to ask someone else to look over it for you. Get a friend to read your paper and offer critical advice. Or better still make use of the expert services of the Writing Center, where the staff are specially trained and eager to help you with projects like this one.

As you write this paper (or anything else), you should bear in mind the audience for whom your work is intended, and write for that audience. Your audience in this case is the rest of the class, all of whom will read your paper before your make your class presentation. Write for this audience, that is a group of people who are intelligent, who have some background knowledge of Africa and of geography, but who know little about your specific subject.

Remeber that your research paper will be posted on the Internet for the world to see, and your name will be on it!

Referencing
In any paper or research assignment, it is absolutely vital that you indicate the source of any fact or opinion that is not i) the result of your own original research or ii) common knowledge. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism — the theft of ideas — which is the worst of all academic sins. Your paper must therefore be thoroughly, accurately, and comprehensively referenced.

When you compile your reference list, remember that you may only include those sources you have specifically referred to in your text. It is unacceptable to include a book or article you read for general background information but did not cite specifically, even if you read it from cover to cover and were inspired by it. You either used a source or you did not use it, and if you used it you must indicate where and for what information.

It is important that your referencing style and format are consistent, and conform with a standard and generally accepted referencing system. For the purposes of this paper, I would like you to use the same referencing system as that used in the Annals of the Association of American Geographers.

Remember that any material you obtain from web sources must also be properly referenced. Click here more information on referencing citation styles (from TALON).

Grading

Your objective in this assignment is to write a clear, logical, and persuasive paper, backed up with reliable and verifiable evidence, for your classmates to read. I will use this objective as the touchstone in assigning a grade to the paper, and as I do so I will ask the following questions.

Is the paper clear? Does the reader come away from the reading the paper with a clear idea of what the topic of the paper is, what the authors’ thesis is, and what their conclusions are? Is all of the language in the paper clear? Do the authors make good and appropriate use of maps, diagrams, illustrations, and hypertext links? Are there any spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or layout problems to detract from the clarity of the paper?

Is the authors’ argument logically constructed? Do the authors lead the reader through the argument clearly and logically? Does the argument progress sequentially from one point to the next? Does the introduction properly introduce the argument? Does the conclusion present logical and well-founded conclusions, and not just a summary of the paper?

Is the argument persuasive? Does it make sense? It is supported by the facts, and by the opinions and conclusions of leading scholars in the field?

Does the author make appropriate use of reliable sources of information? Is there evidence that the author has considered all sides of complex issues, and consulted a wide array of different sources? Are these sources reliable and up-to-date? Are they properly referenced, and in accordance with the guidelines used by the Annals of the Association of American Geographers?

The Paper Proposal

To help you get started on your paper, and to ensure that you are on the right track, you should prepare a brief (not more that two pages) proposal. In it, describe the topic you have chosen, how you plan to approach it, why you feel it is an appropriate subject for a paper in this course, and what sources you plan to use in your research.

The proposal must include the following components:

1. A brief statement explaining what your topic is.

2. A statement of your thesis, in which you state clearly and specifically what the major argument of your paper will be. Your thesis statement should not be longer than one sentence.

3. A few paragraphs in which you elaborate on the thesis, and provide enough information to convince a skeptical reader that you have chosen a worthwhile topic, and that you have formulated a good argument.

4. A paragraph explaining how much progress you have made in your research, and what you still plan to do.

5. An annotated bibliography of the reference sources you plan to use, showing clearly that you have found enough information (including up-to-date sources) on your topic to make a paper feasible. This means that you should list (in proper bibliographic format) the books, articles and maps you plan consulting, and provide a couple of sentences describing why each source is necessary and useful to you (and also giving me some evidence that you have done more than simply browse through an online catalog or read the cover notes of a few books).

I will read your proposal and return it to you quickly with suggestions and criticisms. Please keep your proposal and turn it in again with your completed paper. I will not grade any papers turned in without the original proposal.

Penultimate Draft

A requirement in this assignment is that you send your completed paper to me no later than one week before your post the final version on the Web (see below for specific dates). By this time, your paper must be complete. This means that it should be typed out, it should include all maps, diagrams, and references, and you should have proofread it carefully. This is the time to visit your Writing Center and to ask a friend or a colleague to read your paper, and make suggestions to you for improvements. When you have made the necessary changes to your paper, e-mail me a copy of the paper, and I will return it to you promptly with some suggestions for improvements. You will then be able to begin work on the final version of the paper.

I encourage you not to wait until the last minute to visit the Writing Center or to bring the completed paper to me. The sooner you finish your penultimate draft, the more time you will have to work on the final version of the paper.

Submission of the Paper
You will not turn in a printed copy of your paper, but will instead post it on the Web where I and your co classmates can read it. On or before the due date listed on the Semester Schedule, you should make sure that your paper is posted, and that you have given me the URL so that I can link it to the course web site. If your paper is not posted and accessible by the deadline, you will be penalized!

Oral Presentation

An important part of the research project is the presentation. In it, you will make a 10-15 minute formal presentation on your research to the rest of the class. You may use a Powerpoint presentation or other audiovisual support if you wish (Don’t forget that exactly the same referencing rules apply to Powerpoint presentations as to the paper itself. If you use a photograph, a video clip, or a quote in your presentation, you need to indicate where you got ti from.) Each presentation will be followed by a brief formal response from a discussant, who will pose significant and challenging questions to the presenters. Members of the class will then have the chance to ask you questions and to challenge any arguments you have presented in your paper.

It is very difficult to give a brief presentation summarizing a subject on which you are an expert. The only way to make sure that your presentation is lucid, concise, and persuasive is to prepare it thoroughly beforehand. I therefore suggest that you write out the entire presentation. Then practice it and time it (I will be ruthless in stopping each presentation when the allotted time is up). When you give the presentation in class, I recommend that you read it (unless you are very confident of your public speaking ability, and are certain that you will not waste time by digressing, pausing, or losing track of your argument).

When I allocate a grade for the research project, I will take into account both the written paper and your class presentation. When I assess the oral presentation, I will be particularly interested in your mastery of your subject, and how convincingly you answer difficult and challenging questions. So when you give your presentation, be prepared to defend, substantiate, or clarify any of the arguments in your paper. In assessing your presentation, I will also take into account the same considerations that apply to the presentation and style of the written paper. So if you do not speak clearly, if your presentation is punctuated by “umm’s,” or if your oral argument is not clear, you will see the consequences in your project grade.

Due Dates

The research paper proposal, the penultimate draft, the final paper MUST be submitted by the deadline dates specified on the course calendar.

I will not accept any proposals or papers which are turned in late for any reason whatsoever. Unacceptable excuses include computer failure, canine ingestion of your notes, or theft of the paper from your dorm room. So be sure to make an early start on your paper, keep your notes and drafts in a safe place,  and be sure to make frequent backup copies of your work.