Educating the public

Educating the Public: Issues in Human Geography

One of the goals of this course is to become aware and concerned citizens capable of speaking out and working for positive change. This term project encompasses issues in human geography and government. It asks you to dig deeper into an area of concern and consider how you might contribute to change in your world.

You are to create a brochure or video aimed at educating the public on a contemporary issue in human geography. You may look at global issues, but you may also focus on issues of poverty and injustice here in Canada. In either case, try to highlight the gap of inequality that exists by using comparisons to relevant statistics here in Canada.

Topics for the project: 1. Economic opportunities for women in developing countries 2. Literacy rates in developing countries 3. Infant mortality rates in developing countries 4. Disease epidemics in developing countries 5. Armed conflict as a cause of poverty 6. Natural disasters as a cause of poverty 7. International debt issues in the post 2008 recession world 8. Overpopulation 9. Lack of education and employment as a cause of poverty (Canada or globally) 10. Rascism as a cause of poverty (Canada or globally) 11. Lack of affordable housing in Vancouver 12. Homelessness 13. High cost of food in Northern communities 14. Various environmental issues (global warming, pollution, deforestation etc) as a cause or contributing factor to global or indigenous poverty/injustice.

15. International aid: spotlight an organization of your choice Note: Topics will be signed up for through a lottery. Maximum two students per topic unless it is the “International aid” topic or “environmental issues” where there can be one student per organization/issue with no maximum number of organizations/issues. You may choose your own topic IF you consult with me about it (via email before Oct 27) to make sure it is appropriate to the unit, and unique enough from the topics already listed.

You will be representing your research in one of two forms: 1. An online brochure using Issuu – a free online publishing platform 2. A screencast style video using Power Point or Prezi with a voice ove

STEP ONE: Proposal and collection of resources  

Paragraph proposal Preliminary list of sources

DUE: OCT 3

Do some preliminary reading and research on your topic to gain a better understanding of the issues involved. Start to collect sources using easybib or a word doc. Consult a variety of sources from government websites, NGO sites, scholarly research and news articles. Scan and check that your sources are reputable and current before investing time with them.

Your proposal should narrow your topic to indicate what region, and/or specific years you wish to focus in on (all narrowed topics should fall within the last twenty years). It should communicate why this topic is important. Please explain who your target audience would be for your final product, and whether you wish to create a brochure or a screencast presentation.

STEP TWO: Annotated Bibliography DUE: OCT 18 

Annotated bibliography with at least 5 sources

An annotated bibliography is a listing of your sources in proper MLA format. For each listing, you must include a brief paragraph describing the source and evaluating it. You may note the type of info you found (statistics, stories etc) and any type of bias or perspective that would be helpful to know.

The purpose is to help you understand your sources better, do better research and summary, and avoid plagerism. As you move through potential sources, scan it for its potential value and reliability before you begin to summarize and take notes on what you find. Many websites that initially appear on topic, in fact, are very unhelpful. You should NOT include all your notes for each source you consulted, only the annotation.

STEP THREE: Inquiry Question 

DUE OCT 18

1­2 Sentence Thesis or questions

Based on your research develop your topic into a question or thesis. For example, if you chose to research child mortality in Kenya – you might learn that rates, while still high, actually sharply dropped in the last few years. You could ask “What factors affected the great decrease in Kenya’s child mortality?”

Or example’s could be “Why is child poverty so high in one of Canada’s wealthiest cities?” or “How can educating girls be part of the solution to over population?”

You need to have a working question at this stage, but you may modify it as you go along.

STEP FOUR: Design Draft

DUE: OCT 31

In this step you will need to submit a solid outline which demonstrates that a significant portion of your research is complete.

For the draft you will be compiling a list or creating a storyboard of the different sections/slides for your final project, and providing as many notes as possible for what specific information will be included in each section.

This stage will not only allow you to demonstrate your research, but also assist you in identifying which stages you need to further elaborate on before you create your final product.

STEP FIVE: Brochure or Screencast  

DUE: Nov 15

An online brochure using Issuu – a free online publishing platform OR A screencast style video using Power Point or Prezi with a voice over

What to include:       

Clearly defined inquiry questions Key points summarizing topic Fast facts and stats Potential solutions to your issue, or in the case of international aid – roadblocks to success How contemporary Canadian’s can do their part Visuals to enhance impact of your project – graphic organizers, pictures etc.

Be sure to look at the rubric and handout on visual communication.

Whether you choose to create a brochure, or a screencast presentation it is important that your project is formatted so that it is a cohesive piece of work.

With permission, all completed works will be uploaded to a class blog that will serve to “Educate the Public”. Remember that because you are communicating to the public, it is important that your work is published, original (not plagiarized), and error free.

STEP SIX: Action and Reflection 

DUE: Dec 1

1­2 pg reflection on what you did as a result of your project

You’ve finished your project and submitted it. The last step of this project asks you to do something out in the world with what you learned. Part of your project was thinking about what Canadian’s can do to contribute either to ongoing good work or help make change in areas where its needed. Now what are you going to do? Write a brief reflection on what personally impacted you in your research and what you will do as a result. You should do something that is personal and meaningful, and what you do is limited only by your creativity and motivation. You do everything from writing a letter, sharing your work somehow, volunteering, donating something, fundraising, starting a group or just making a connection with someone who has lived or worked in the areas you researched.

Resources: There are many youtube videos and helps for learning how to do a voice over. Here are some articles to get you started.

PREZI Voice Over https://prezi.com/support/search/?q=voice

POWERPOINT Voice Over https://support.office.com/en­us/article/Record­a­slide­show­with­narration­ink­and­slide­timings­ 3dc85001­efab­4f8a­94bf­afdc5b7c1f0b?CorrelationId=47b5a626­6e00­4206­90dc­33553d47c365&ui=en­ US&rs=en­US&ad=US&ocmsassetID=HA010338313

ISSU: Online publication https://issuu.com/