Fall 2004, Goshen College
MWF 2:00-2:50, Wyse 319
Professor Jan Bender Shetler
Office: Wyse 311, phone 7108, email jans@goshen.edu
Survey of the world’s geographic regions with emphasis on the impact humans have had on the physical environment and explanation for variation of the world’s regions. Course includes regular discussion of current issues in world affairs.
Midterm and final exams 200
Current Events presentation 10
Popular Culture presentation 50
Discussion Questions/Participation 100
Representations Paper, Maps 50
Representations Paper, Media 50
Map Quizzes 40
500 points
Michael Bradshaw, George White and Joseph Dymond, Contemporary World Regional Geography (McGraw Hill, 2004).
Dan Smith, The State of the World Atlas (Penguin, latest)
Annual Editions, Global Issues, 2004-5
Schedule, Fall 2004, World Geography
PAPERS AND PROJECTS
World Representations Papers
This set of two papers will explore different ways of representing the world through 1) the State of the World Atlas and 3) the Media. Each of these are in a sense mental maps of the world, they convey ideas about how we see the world, a world view or a cosmology. They portray something about what we think is important, which places are more important than others and what values are attached to different places in the world. Even though we often see maps, in particular, as an objective view of the world, representations of the world are never neutral, they always convey an ideology or a political stance in the world. These exercises are designed to make you conscious of the different forms in which the world is represented to us each day in hopes that you will become more critical of, or at least more reflective about, those representations.
You do not have to use other sources for these papers other than the ones indicated. But you should cite your source when you refer to a particular page or concept from the source. Each paper will contain a map that summarizes this representation of the world. You can draw the map by hand or on a computer but it should be original. Be creative with these papers, they ask you to think beyond the obvious and to see how these representations of the world subtly mold our ideas about the world with very particular consequences. This should be a thesis-style essay, so I will be looking for a thesis statement at the end of the first paragraph of your paper that will be supported as points in your argument in the topic sentence of each succeeding paragraph. You will be graded on the following criteria: Thesis/Argument, Evidence, Writing, Map, Creativity (See writing rubric on the Blackboard site for more details.) Your thesis statement might begin something like, "The State of the World Atlas or the London Times represents the world as…"
In class we will be going over a number of the maps in the State of the World Atlas. You are to look at all of the maps and think reflectively about what overall vision of the world is reflected in these maps and why. Some questions that you might think about, but are not limited to, include: Why are certain things chosen over others to be represented on the maps? What things are valued? Who might benefit from this view of the world? Who put the Atlas out? Who was meant to read it? Is it a neutral and objective view of the world? How else might the world be represented on a series of world maps? How closely do these maps represent reality on the ground? Is local diversity taken into account? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach? Is there any way to check the data or to question whether the representation is fair? Does it imply why the world is in this state? What do you learn from studying these maps? What kinds of innovative ways to map are used and to what effect? After studying these maps how would you characterize the world? How is it divided? What are the characteristics of those divisions? What would this atlas be useful for? What kind of information can be communicated easily in an Atlas and what kind cannot?
At the beginning of the course you will choose one region of the world that you want to follow in terms of how their media represents the world. Identify a newspaper from that region by looking in one of the largest cities in that region, that has an international news section, and one that is published in English! The following are places to begin the search:
On the Goshen College Library Page, http://www.goshen.edu/library/newssources.htm
List of On-Line Newspapers on the web, http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/
Arabic Media on the Internet, English sites listed, http://www.arabchamber.com/media/
The Internet Public Library, Newspapers, http://www.ipl.org/div/news/
Reference Desk US and World Newspaper list, http://www.refdesk.com/paper.html
News and Newspapers on-line, http://library.uncg.edu/news/
Lists by the place the news in about, http://www.abyznewslinks.com/
If you want to get your news from a shortwave radio you may also tune in to the international news daily for BBC World News or Deutsche Welle or Voice of America or another worldwide radio station.
Read the international news each day and note the main news story(ies) for the day. Then put that story on a world map where the story took place, perhaps with a date and a symbol for what kind of story it is – a gun for conflict, a dollar sign for economic news, etc. Keep a brief record of the stories to which the symbols refer. By the end of the three weeks you should have a world map that would give some indication of patterns in world news. For this exercise you will need a blank world map to record your stories. You can find one on this site or elsewhere on the web: http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf/world_country.pdf
Which areas get reported on most? What kinds of stories are covered for which places? Write an essay that interprets this map. What does it say about how the media represents the world? What are we not hearing about? Is the reporting biased?
Read the headlines for the day too even if it is not on international news so that you get some sense of what is most important here in this place.
You might also want to look at the New York Times as a check on the interpretation that you are getting from the world media source. How is it different? If you are ambitious you might map the New York Times as a contrast.
You will have to cooperate with the other people who are signed up for this day to decide who will be reading what newspapers. Try to get each of you reading a different one. When you are ready to do your 5-minute current events presentation in class divide amongst yourselves the following assignments:
Each person has five minutes to report. Tell the class what newspaper you read and the date. Give the facts of the story and then tell something about the particular interpretation of this media as you have read it over the last few weeks, perhaps comparing it to other stories or giving examples from other stories in that paper.
You will have to cooperate with the other people who are signed up for this region to decide what you will do, this is a joint presentation in which everyone has a part and gets graded separately on their own parts, but of course it matters what the whole looks like too! Your assignment is to find some form of popular culture current in that region today that you can present to the class, something that young people your age would like. It can be influenced by global culture, like rap, but has to be produced by a local artist and reflect something of the history and culture of the region. For example what kind of music produced by groups in the region are young people listening to? What are the lyrics? Can you translate and interpret them? What are they singing about? What is the source of the music itself? In what context do people listen to this music and how does it fit into their lives? What about popular theatre, written by local playwrights? You could perform an act of the play and then interpret it for us. Other ideas might be to look at dance, clothing, street art, body art, food, etc. I am assuming that you can find something like this on the web. But also ask international students from this region to help you. You must be able to show the connection between regional tradition and global culture.
Once you identify the form of popular culture that you want to explore you need to find an effective way of communicating it to us in class, through CD, Video, PowerPoint photos, a drama, a demonstration, a dance, etc. You should try to identify the artist by name and tell us something about them, the country or region where it is performed and something about the context in which it is performed. After you demonstrate or describe or show the form of expression you need to interpret it in terms of what we have learned about this region. How does this form of expression relate to the physical, social, cultural, political, demographic, environmental geography that we are learning about? Does it seem consistent with what we know about the region? Can you explain why this form of expression appeals to young people? What is the connection between global culture and local forms of expression? You might think of the presentation as having four parts:
You can have each person in the group take one part or have everyone help with each, just so everyone in the group participates. You do not need to hand in a finished paper but at the end of the presentation give me the notes that you used and a bibliography for the part that you did. Please let me know at least one day in advance what your group is planning to do and if you need any special equipment for your presentation. Get started right away and come to me if you need more ideas. Make this a fun project!