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Assignment 1: The Annotated Bibliography – Due Week 3
Project Overview:
This is part of a 3-PART SERIES OF ASSIGNMENTS on the SAME topic. Assignment #1 – the Bibliography (submitted Week 3). Assignment #2 – the Outline – is due Week 5. Assignment #3 – the Final Presentation – is due Week 7. You’re building this project throughout all three Assignments, using the same or similar topic.
For this project, you’ll choose a topic and then research how four geographic concepts are related to and affect your topic. Instead of presenting your research as a traditional paper, you’ll use PowerPoint to create a narrated presentation. Your presentation will be structured like a paper, including a title, introduction to the topic, main body, summary and conclusions, and references. Creative use of properly cited graphics and photos from the Internet relevant to your topic is required.
First, choose a topic! Topics must be a food item, cuisine, invention, or idea with a SUPER CLEAR REGION OF ORIGIN. Do some investigation of the 4 required elements (see below) before you settle on one topic. If you’re not sure if your desired topic is appropriate, please feel free to ask!
Your topic must be analyzed through these 4 required elements to determine how each of these geographic concepts affects or is related to your topic: 1. Regions 2. Cultural Landscape 3. Diffusion 4. Distance decay. The first two concepts are covered in the first chapter of your textbook. Diffusion is covered in Chapter 8, Section 2. Distance decay refers to the fact that influence and interaction between locations decreases as the distance between them increases. As such, it has a significant influence on how things change as they diffuse away from their point of origin. Be sure to address these specific geographic terms and concepts in your work. You don’t need to address them in this order, but you do need to address all of them. You may use “subsets” of these definitions (e.g., contagious diffusion) if such subsets exist. Be sure to refer to your text and other reliable resources to ensure you completely understand these concepts. You should be detailed in your treatment of these concepts – for instance, you should explain both how and why your choice varies by region, and how and why it has been affected by distance decay. Remember that geography, as an academic discipline, seeks to explain why things vary from place to place, not just describe how they do.
FOR ASSIGNMENT #1, you will complete your annotated bibliography. Completing the project in separate assignments allows you to work your way up to the final presentation and provides opportunity for feedback along the way.
Assignment Objective: Assess sources for your research for your final presentation (for credibility, reliability, and relevance) and list references in proper APA format through the creation of an annotated bibliography.
Assignment Instructions: An annotation is a summary and evaluation, and your annotated bibliography will include a summary and evaluation of some of the sources (or references) you will use for your presentation.
To prepare for this assignment, I recommend that you do the following:
Read these directions carefully.
Review the sample annotated bibliography provided to you below.
Read the grading criteria below. The grading criteria is a detailed evaluation that I will use to assess your performance. It also will help you understand what is expected of you as you prepare your assignment.
Email me with any questions!
The reason the annotated bibliography is included as part of the research project is that writing an annotated bibliography provides excellent preparation for the final presentation. One of the issues regarding any type of research is the credibility of the sources used, particularly those obtained from various websites. By evaluating your potential sources carefully, the annotated bibliography helps you determine if the sources you chose are credible and relevant to your topic. It will also help you understand the topic better, which will help you develop your presentation.
For this project, you will assess three sources to include:
a complete citation for each source,
a summary of each source, and
an evaluation of each source.
Three sources are required for this assignment (i.e., you are to write an annotation for each source). However, you must use five or more sources in Assignment #2 and 3.
Use the TEMPLATE below to summarize and evaluate each of your three sources.
Citation:
Written in APA reference list format. For more help with formatting, see APA handout.
Summary:
What is the purpose of the source, review article, original research? What topics are covered? This section is generally 3-5 sentences that summarize the author’s main point. For more help, see this link on paraphrasing sources.
Evaluation:
After summarizing the article (or research paper or book), it is necessary to evaluate it and state where you found it – its source (e.g., journal, website, etc.). Briefly answer the following questions in 3-5 sentences:
What is the format or type of source (e.g., peer-reviewed journal paper, website, book)? How reliable is the information in the article, and how credible is the source (e.g., website’s sponsoring organization, journal or book publisher) and the author(s)?
For more help, see this handout on evaluating resources.
Additional Resources:
Please see the resources below at The Owl at Purdue site for more information on how to write an annotated bibliography as well as other pages on the site to assist you with the other parts of the research paper:
Annotated Bibliographies
Annotated Bibliography Example
Annotated Bibliography Samples
Evaluation: Please review the Annotated Bibliography Grading Criteria below that describes how your annotated bibliography will be graded.
Software: As an APUS student, you have free access to Microsoft Office for both Windows and MacOS, which includes Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.