World Regional Geography GEG 101 ONLINE! Paper 2: Geography of Cultural Conflicts

~/~ HOME~/~ SYLLABUS ~/~ SCHEDULE ~/~ PAPERS ~/~ BLACKBOARD ~/~ TEXTBOOK WEB ~/~

BACKGROUND

The SPATIAL PERSPECTIVE of geography (Where?, Why there? and Why do we care?) and our four class themes (physical, cultural, economic, and historical geography) are useful to better understand the underlying causes of cultural conflicts around the world. In this assignment you will select a recent or current conflict and use (1) maps, (2) our vocabulary, and (3) the class themes to describe WHERE the conflict is occcuring and, more importantly, why it is occuring there.

READ AND STUDY

• Review the CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY section of the Instructor Notes for the INTRODUCTION found on the Blackboard CHAPTER/REALM: BEGIN HERE link
• Review this vocabulary:
  • culture
  • cultural landscape
  • nation
  • State
  • nation-state
  • multinational state
  • cold war
  • irredentism
  • balkanization
  • devolution
  • acculturation
  • transculturation
  • centripetal force
  • centrifugal force
  • coup d'etat

INSTRUCTIONS

This is a very structured paper. The idea is to encourage (force?) you to think like a geographer. You must closely follow the STYLE SHEET found at: style sheet

• Select a conflict from the list below

Darfur, Sudan Sudan Civil War Ethiopia/Eritrea Rwanda Chiapas, Mexico Colombia: "La Violencia" and the "insurgent state" Paraguay / Argentina / Brazil : "Triple Frontier" Arab-Israeli conflict

Iraq Afghanistan The Kurds Kashmir Sri Lanka Nepal Tibet Myanmar Vietnam

Mindanao/Moro (Philippines) East Timor (Indonesia) Bosnia Basques Kosovo Northern Ireland Cyprus Chechnya Nagorno-Karabach (Armenia and Azerbaijan)

• Research the conflict using our textbook, online lectures, the internet, or another source.
  • Possible online sources:
    • BBC
    • The World Factbook
    • the Instructor Notes found on our Blackboard site
    • If you find a good site you may want to share it with the rest of us on our Blackboard Discussion Board.

     

• FIND OR MAKE MAPS that help explain some of the underlying CAUSES of the conflict.
  Remember that Geography studies WHERE and WHY THERE. You need to find maps that explain the WHY THERE question of geography.
  • Where to get the maps:
    • make your own using outline maps from our textbook website
    • color copy from your Goodes atlas
    • check your instructor's online maps at: http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/geogres/maps/
    • Country outline maps at: http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html
    • Search online (Google)
  • NOTE: you may not find the "perfect" map, but you may make your own, or modify a map by writing or drawing on it.

• Write a SHORT, 2-3 page, paper discussing the conflict following the STYLE SHEET.
  Include the following:
  • WHERE is the conflict occurring? (include a map)
  • WHO IS FIGHTING WHOM?
  • WHY the conflict is occurring? What are the underlying physical, cultural, economic, and/or physical causes of the conflict. Most of the causes will probably be CULTURAL.
  • Use MAPS to help explain the underlying physical, cultural, economic, and/or physical causes of the conflict.
    • NOTE: You must refer to your maps in your paper. For example, You may say something like "The conflict is taking place in the western part of this country (see map 1). or " the conflict is between the Muslims who live in the east and the Hindus who live in the west (SEE MAP 2).
    • TELL the reader when to look at the map
    • DISCUSS all maps in the paper
  • Use the VOCABULARY above, or from our textbook, in your paper
  • Take a look at the GRADING SHEET so you get an idea of how the paper will be graded

   

SUBMIT THE FINISHED PAPER VIA OUR BLACKBOARD SITE

• Go to the ASSIGNMENTS link
• find "Assignment 3: Cultural conflicts"
• Click on the "View/Complete Assignment: Assignment 3 - Cultural Conflicts"
• Attach your paper using the "Attach local file" box.

Mark L. Healy
Harper: 847-925-6352
Home: 815-728-1571
mhealy@harper.cc.il.us