Wildfires - Geography violent weather / Natural

GEOG

GEOGRAPHY VIOLENT WEATHER / NATURAL HAZARDS

Topic: Wildfires / Forest Fires

· Step 1: Gather, read, and analyze at least ten (10) relatively detailed SCHOLARLY SOURCES (at least 200 words each) of information related to the chosen topic. These are your sources! Such information can come from credible major news sources, magazines, academic journals, and books.

 Why should you gather, read, and analyze at least 10 sources? Because it is likely you will not cite all of them for your paper; some of them you will just read for background information. In the scoring rubric, you see that if you cite more than 7 sources, you get the highest points for that category. 

PLEASE – no Wikipedia, Encyclopedia, How Stuff Works, search engines, sources suited for K-12 education, etc.! Those are merely conduits for information! PLEASE USE UNIVERSITY-LEVEL SOURCES ONLY!. FOR THIS ASSIGMENT, OUR TEXTBOOK MAY NOT BE USED AS A SOURCE! Do your best to use at least three sources published or broadcast within the last three years. Video sources are ok, but BE ADVISED: YouTube, and other video outlets, are NOT sources! They are conduits for delivering information, not sources! You must find the ORIGINAL SOURCE of the information! The information collected must provide sufficient details pertaining to the following three areas:

A. Meteorological Causes / Concepts. This means: Assume I know NOTHING about the chosen topic. Explain the ‘nuts and bolts’ of how a particular phenomenon occurs in the atmosphere - how frequently it occurs, where, why, etc.

B. Major Consequences. As you focus on your topic, you might need a ‘time line’ – a step-by-step account of the unfolding event, and its effects on people, infrastructure, and natural systems. This would apply whether you are writing about only one major event, or if you are writing about more than one event under your main topic.

C. Prospects / Results. If this is a weather phenomenon that occurs in an area with some frequency, how could people better prepare for the next one? If this was an event prior to ‘modern’ forecasting techniques, you are better off explaining the vulnerability of those affected by the event, and how people are better prepared now.

· Step 2: Write your paper! Specifically address the three categories just discussed above as they pertain to your subject matter. Here is a suggested structure that will lend itself to a quality paper:

A. Use a five-section structure. The five sections, in order: Introduction, Meteorological Causes / Concepts, Major Consequences, Prospects / Results, and Conclusion. Appropriate headings are always a ‘plus.’ Devote most of your writing to the second, third, and fourth sections. Stay away from ‘flowery’ prose. AVOID USE OF FIRST PERSON - ‘I THINK,’ ‘I BELIEVE,’ ETC. THIS IS NOT AN OPINION PIECE!!

B. The paper must contain at least 1,500 words. Your title page and References Cited page are not included in the word count!

C. Use at least one map, figure, or table placed in the appropriate section of the text, properly referenced. After all, this is a Geography class, and maps, figures, and tables are valued currency in the Geography realm, and help you tell your story. The map should be closely related to the topic discussed. Since your map, figure, or table is a source, don’t forget a caption underneath citing the source, and list the source in your ‘sources cited’ page.

D. I prefer that you use Times New Roman 12-size font, double-spaced, with side, top, and bottom margins no wider than one inch, with black ink, on white paper.

E. Cite your references at appropriate places in your writing, either with footnotes at the bottom of the page, or within the body of your writing. Write in any format (MLA, APA, etc.) you are comfortable with, but BE CONSISTENT. Please do not rely on more than two lengthy quotes that would constitute their own separate paragraphs! Keep quotes short, because Turnitin may ‘flag’ them as plagiarism. Interpret sourced materials in your own words! Please do not cite any sources in the conclusion; all citations should be in the first four sections.

F. Present the final paper in full paper form. This means: (1) a cover page, with paper topic, course title, course section number, submission date, and YOUR NAME; (2) sections with headings, and properly placed map(s) and citations; (3) your Sources Cited page. A ‘better’ paper properly cites more than 7 sources!