A central theme of this course is that the world is incredibly diverse and that there are meaningful differences both within and among countries. By researching and developing country profiles for two distinct countries from different parts of the world, you will have the opportunity to gain geographic insights about the diversity and complexity of our planet. In this project, you will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the cultural and physical geographical elements that help define your two countries of focus. This includes an understanding of the physical environments, political/social context and developments of your selected countries (e.g., social and technology developments), demographic, ethnic, linguistic, and religious patterns of the countries, revolutionary periods, and analysis of key geographic opportunities and challenges associated with the selected countries. The Basics Early in the first week of our course, you will have an opportunity to select a set of countries from a designated list provided by your instructor. Each student in our class will select a different and unique set of countries from the list to focus upon. Any students who do not select a set of countries from the list during the first week will have a set of countries randomly assigned to them at the beginning of week 2, when all country selections will be confirmed by your instructor. Once your country selections have been confirmed, you will be welcome to begin working on the research project, which will be due by the end of Week 7. Country Profiles Instructions and Requirements This heart of this assignment will consist of two key parts: 1) the development of country profiles for your two countries of focus, and 2) a comparative analysis highlighting the commonalities and distinctions between your two selected countries. Your country profiles and subsequent comparative analysis should convey to the reader information that captures the essence of each country and gives the reader a sense of familiarity with the people and conditions of the countries. Introduction Make sure you provide a general introduction of the countries of focus, starting by describing their location (where they are in the world and relative to one another), dimensions, and perhaps even the origin of each countries' names. You can also discuss some general geographic and historic characteristics they possess Part I – Country Profiles This is where you will want to provide a description of the population, size, growth, distribution, and linkages to global issues. Be sure to use the statistics you learned in the course: birth rate, death rate, fertility rate, life expectancy, infant mortality, etc. Tell the reader WHY this information is relevant ... don't just lay out the facts. Provide a discussion of important cultural geographic elements, which can include religion, language, economic systems, government, history, ethnic identity, relations with neighboring countries/world, and politics. It is up to you to identify which characteristics are most relevant to developing the profile of the assigned country, and integrating the spatial patterns and connections that exist among/between these elements. Be sure to tell the reader HOW these characteristics have developed, WHY they help to bind the people together and define the population, and in WHAT ways these cultural elements are intertwined. What key cultural issues, opportunities and challenges do the countries of focus face (historically, nowadays, and looking into the future)? A description of the physical geography can include the kinds of environments and climates found within each country of focus, along with water resources, natural hazards, other resources that have been or are available, etc. Your paper can also integrate ways in which climate change has impacted each of your countries of focus. A discussion should also be incorporated on how the physical environment has impacted the development, cultural patterns, security (i.e. geographic “situation” relative to neighboring countries), settlement patterns, economies, and histories of the country and their people. Have the physical environments provided opportunities or challenges for the societies, and in what ways have the physical environments of the countries been utilized, preserved, or modified? Part II – Comparative Analysis In the second part of your paper, you will want to provide a comparative analysis of the geographies of the two countries you geographically profiled in part I. You aren’t being asked to discuss which country is “better” – rather, you’re asked to examine the commonalities and distinctions about the physical environments and cultural geographies of the two countries of focus, and the opportunities and challenges that may come along with those respective geographies. What are some of the unifying themes that emerge when analyzing the profiles of these countries together?
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