Assignment:

This assignment asks you to explore and investigate some aspects of cultural geography at the community level without losing sight of the regional and global scale. The assignment is divided into three parts. Part I & II are descriptive, rather than argumentative. You may use first person to talk about your personal experiences. Please address the following:

Part 1

Identify a community?

1. Provide a sense of relative location of your community.

a. Why did you choose this community?

2. Describe your past and current experience with this community.

Part 2

Describe aspects (ex. cultural, social, economic, political, environmental, geographical) that define your community.

(About 1 paragraph for each of the questions below)

1. Describe some of the cultural/ethnic symbols of your community.

2. Describe the racial-ethnic and class composition of your community.

a. Describe the crude birth rate/death rate, infant mortality rate and migration situation of your community

b. Where is your community situated on the population pyramid?

i. Use US Census Data to provide population, population density, racial and ethnic makeup, age distribution etc. of people in your community.

3. Describe the human and social capital of your community.

a. Look for other data sources to describe formal and informal social networks and groups within your community.

4. Describe the major infrastructure of your community: highways, ports, railroads, rivers, airports, etc. Describe the natural landscape and major land uses of the area (agriculture, forestry, mining, recreation, etc.). Include references to any maps that you used.

5. What is the political dynamics of your community?

6. Describe the major public and private institutions in your community. For instance: libraries, town halls, museums, large businesses, military bases, colleges and universities, public and private schools, etc.

7. Describe the major industries, primary, secondary, tertiary etc. industries in your community.

8. Mention any major historical trends, global processes or events that have shaped your community that are of interest to you for further investigation.