Term Project Instructions
Recall from the syllabus that the term paper
counts 30% towards your grade and that your proposal each count 5%. The term
project proposal should be given to me in writing on February 22, providing us
all with ample lead time to implement this requirement with happy results.
Please notes below on this web page which explain in
detail the instructions and format for the term project proposal.
A progress report, in memo format, or, preferrably, a rough draft, is
due on April 16. The term project, due on May 7, 2000, should be the equivalent
of a paper 10 to 12 pages in length and will have at least ten references.
Please pick a topic which expands on the themes of the course. Consider your
personal interests and your major as you choose a topic. If you have doubts,
see me. I will discuss the range of acceptable projects and make suggestions in
class. So keep these dates in mind:
- Term paper proposal: February 22
- Progress report or rough draft: April 16
- Final report due: May 7
Appropriate Topics
Your choice of topics will be critical and should be done as soon
as possible. Examine the syllabus and the schedule's list of topics. Peruse the
readings and, during lectures, pay attention to key words and phrases. Examine
your own curiosities, ponder your personal goals, and consider yoru major and
how your work here can connect to your interests.
I rarely turn down a topic due to its connection to Inside
America. Rather, I might discourage a topic if the research material may
be difficult unavailable. I almost always suggest modifications of topic
definition or improvements in access to information. I encourage you to use the
Internet, recognizing the Potter library's deficiencies.
Here are a bunch of suggested topics which you can
emulate:
- The fate of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge, shaping up as a
major energy battlefield.
- A focus on a state or region, such as Colorado or
New England. The subject can be about culture, ecology, politics, economics, or
other content of your choice. Some examples:
- Electricity in the West, particularly California. The Western
governors formed an energy block in the 1970s and President Bush has indicated
theirs is not a federal responsibility, so how does the West cope with the
California electricity crisis?
- Water in the West
- W(h)ither the BreadBasket: farmers in crisis, still.
- Rural America: agriculture, militia, fundamentalism?
- The natural history of the automobile: how it shapes the ways we
live.
- Suburbs, exurbs, and Edge Cities: how the metropolis adapts and with
what consequences.
- The introduction of wolves in the West.
- Poetry in the Pacific Northwest or the transcendental writers of New
England
- Silicon Valley as a region: hi tech success, with stress.
- The state of the Pinebarrens of New Jersey
- Land use and preservation in, say, Vermont
- Arcadia exists:
succession over secession.
- A theme with regional, or place-specific, implications, such as the
spread of religious fundamentalism or efforts toward conservation and
sustainability. Take any theme built into Inside America: economic
growth, sustainable development, environmental protection.
- The 2000 presidential elections provide ample data for understanding
the current state of politics in American states and regions. Example: The
Florida presidential elections: beyond chads to Jim Crow.
- The tension between economic development and environmental
sustainability. Example: The aftermath of the WTO debacle in Seattle in late
November, 1999.
- Issues of growth, regional ecology, and extant culture manifest in
recent changes throughout the USA. Example: How sustainable is Los Angeles?
Should the Great Lakes export water to a dry BreadBasket and SouthWest?
- Take a seminar work and do the biography of an idea or a book,
such as Joel Garreau's Nine Nations of North America.
These topics illustrate the variety of forms of projects you may pursue
and it not intended to restrict your choices. We will discuss this in
class.
The term paper proposal includes these components:
- An explanatory title and often a
sub-title. For example, "Edge City: Exurban Nodes in New
Jersey."
- A carefully crafted theme paragraph which clearly
indicates your mission and contains a very strong, assertive, and lucid theme
sentence to serve as a beacon to guide your paper. Expect to refine and revise
this theme paragraph several times. Your theme sentence is your mantra
and should serve as a beacon to keep you on track.
- An outline which displays a map , or a
strategy of how you plan to develop your topic. I prefer elements in the
outline to include full sentences, not a simple list of related nouns.
- An annotated bibliography with at least three
references and a brief note explaining how each citation will assist your
project.
- A personal assessment of how you feel about the term
paper;
The four criteria by which I evaluate the term paper are depth, content,
integration of thought and presentation, and writing style, each weighed
equally. Examine my Tips and Traps
guidelines for how I assess your projects. I will be happy to examine "on the
fly" any aspects of your term paper prior to submission. Plagiarism and
fabrication will not be tolerated, as I have explained in class.
I do hope that this assignment is a lively and interesting challenge. I
will be happy to answer any questions you may pose. This assignment, with
formatting modifications, will be posted at my web site for the course:
http://www.oocities.org/~profwork/ia/.
You can e-mail me with questions, but
the proposal must be presented on paper.
ProfWork, by Wayne Hayes, Ph.D.
for Inside America, AAMR30501
profwork@yahoo.com
February 8, 2001
