Fluent Essays

Remember that what you want to do is explain and show you understand. Do not simplyrepeat back the information. Rather, put it together in meaningful ways that answer the promptinsightfully and uniquely. You do not need to come up with some Earth-shattering revelation, butsome creativity and showing you are thinking for yourself is important final_essay_prompts.pdf instructions_for_writing_the_final_essay.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview Geography of the US & Canada GEG222/AMS220 City University of New York, College of Staten Island Professor Franklin R. Halprin Final Essay Prompts Choose ONE of the following prompts. Using the readings and materials we have studied and learned this semester, write an essay that has the following components: -Introduction paragraph -Thesis statement (your argument) as the last sentence of the introduction paragraph -Minimum 6 body paragraphs -3 paragraphs contain main ideas where you explain, discuss, and give examples -The other 3 are follow ups; they take the discussion further, add more detail, and/or expand on some aspect of the main paragraph. Each main paragraph must be followed by at least 1 follow up paragraph. -Conclusion Paragraph -Make a minimum 6 citations (references, paraphrases, or quotes) from the book/articles, and additional from class notes if you wish. When you do so, give it a citation (Birdsall et al, *page number*) if it is from the book, and (Halprin, *date*) if it is something I said in class. -Underline a geography theme when you make use of it in your discussion -Consider potential counterarguments to your position and be sure to address them. -This is an open book and open notes exam. However, no phone/internet. 1) How can we get off the Energy-Complexity Spiral? Explain what the Spiral is, apply it to an example drawn from something we discussed in the second half of the semester (other than the BP oil spill), and describe possible ways to fulfill those needs without being on the spiral. 2) Given what you know about the experience of farming/the agricultural industry, how ‘ideal’ is life in The Agricultural Core (or not), and why (or why not)? Be sure to clarify what it means to ‘idealize’ something, and what factors have led people to idealize it in the first place. 3) What role did/does culture play in what we call the Southwest? Choose at least 3 Geography themes and explain how cultures play a role in them. They can be positive or negative, involve a single dominant culture, or multiple cultures interacting and the consequences. 4) Choose 2 regions we studied in the second half of the semester to compare and contrast, determining which one is doing better, and why. The ‘why’ should constitute your thesis statement. Select at least 6 elements from our list of Geography themes, from both the Physical Geography and Human Geography columns, and demonstrate how they are interacting. 5) Choose 3 occasions we discussed where human activities have created problems for animals. Are we doing a good job trying to address those challenges? What steps have we taken? Are they effective? Do they address ultimate causes or proximate causes? Do our responses to each problem you chose have anything in common? Be sure to use Geography themes, especially in explaining why these issues are happening. 6) What does California’s future look like? Divide the chapter into the following sections and include examples from each: (beginning- Valleys & Mountains (include Plate Tectonics), Climate & Vegetation- Settlement History, California’s Agriculture Today- The Southern Metropolis, The Automobile as Landscape Definition- A Postindustrial Place, Ethnic Diversityend). Criteria Value Result Knows main themes/author’s arguments, specific details, facts 5 Contextualizes, effectively explains and analyzes, and connects information to themes of class and prior readings 8 Offers insights and original thinking 4 Formatting, grammar, spelling, punctuation 5 Writing is clear and organized 3 Total 25 INSTRUCTIONS FOR WRITING THE MIDTERM Overall Objectives Remember that what you want to do is explain and show you understand. Do not simply repeat back the information. Rather, put it together in meaningful ways that answer the prompt insightfully and uniquely. You do not need to come up with some Earth-shattering revelation, but some creativity and showing you are thinking for yourself is important. For example, look at Question 2. Don’t write a thesis statement which says “The Agricultural Core is not ideal”, then lay out some paragraphs with examples, and then in the conclusion say “as you can see, it is not ideal”. Instead, come up with an overall argument as to why or in what particular way life there is not ideal, and then your paragraphs back up that specific ‘why’, and reinforce your position. You see the difference? Similarly, suppose you are doing Question 6. Don’t say “California has a good looking future”, then write an essay that basically summarizes the chapter, and then conclude with “clearly, California has a good looking future”. This doesn’t show you understand it and have thought about it, but just picked a side. Instead, why you think California’s future looks good should be your argument, and then your paragraphs back up that specific angle. There is a phrase: “a mile wide but an inch deep”. This means you cover a lot of ground but don’t get into the details on it. We don’t want this. Instead, do the opposite: take some narrower aspect and think through it deeply. Paragraph Structure and Organization The introductory paragraph is flexible. Here, you lay out the overall issue. You can be stylistic and put it together in whatever way you want, but it ultimately is leading to your thesis. The last sentence of your intro paragraph is your THESIS STATEMENT. Here, you condense your argument into one sentence. This is the essence of your insight and the centerpiece of the essay. The rest of the essay speaks to this sentence, reinforcing it and showing how it is the case. Keep in mind that, while there are facts and there is the possibility of getting information wrong, when it comes to the thesis there aren’t necessarily any right or wrong answers. The point is to think things through and show you can put it together. Each paragraph is its own contained thought or discussion. You want to have multiple aspects of the issue to back up your thesis. In the first body paragraph, explain and talk about the first one. When you are finished discussing it, it is time for a new paragraph. This helps you keep your thoughts and arguments organized. Otherwise, you are all over the place and mixing up things that don’t necessarily go together. The first sentence of each body paragraph is the TOPIC SENTENCE. This sentence says what that paragraph is about. Think of it as a mini introduction. This also helps you keep your thoughts organized. As you write your paragraph, ask yourself: is this relevant to the topic sentence, or is it somewhat unrelated and deserves its own paragraph? Include a Conclusion paragraph at the end which wraps things up. Do not include any new information here. Notice that I am asking for “main” and “follow up” paragraphs. This is to stimulate further thinking. Having 3 main paragraphs means you basically have 3 ideas that fill out your thesis argument. We have seen throughout the semester that the material is complicated and detailed. Therefore the follow up paragraphs are an opportunity to elaborate more. There are several ways to do this. -A follow up paragraph can be an example which shows the content of the main paragraph in action. -It can talk further about some aspect of the main paragraph. Think of it as a subsection in this way. -It can be used to address COUNTERARGUMENTS. Since these issues are messy and multifaceted, sometimes you may take a position and I will ask in the comments: “but what about *insert example concept here* which contradicts or flies in the face of your argument?” Preempt me by thinking ahead about what weaknesses there might be in your position and lay them out. Explain why, despite this, your argument still holds. Or, acknowledge that this is a limitation of your position. That happens sometimes. Things to Keep in Mind The 8 paragraphs are a minimum. Feel free to write more. You need at least, but can have more than, 3 main paragraphs. You can have more than 3 follow up paragraphs too. Each main needs at least 1 follow up, but maybe one main needs a second follow up. That is fine. Don’t forget about grammar, spelling, and writing issues overall. Writing is a skill that remains important in life and all sorts of jobs. Be aware of things like: run-on sentences, ending sentences with prepositions, lacking a subject in a sentence, subject-verb agreement, all that fun stuff. Write formally. Plagiarism might be easier because of the internet, but the internet has also made catching plagiarism easier. Just don’t do it. It’s not worth the trouble and will just take up more of your time than actually writing the essay yourself. We have specific Geography themes, vocabulary based on the textbook, and ways about talking about these materials; stealing things from online won’t really be helpful anyway. Things you can use: the textbook, the articles posted under Content, your notes from when you read at home, your notes from when we discussed in class, your homework answers (and my feedback; go check that on Blackboard!), the Google docs, and my feedback (regarding structure and organization) from the midterm. Notice the requirement of using citations and how to do so. There are 3 reasons for this. First, so you are not plagiarizing. Second, so you are engaging with the content and using it directly in your analysis. Third, so I can see what you are using and specifically where you are getting it from. Notice that the second page of the prompt is the grading rubric which I will use. Pay attention to it as you write, so as to be sure you are hitting all the requirements and expectations. There is no length requirement for paragraphs or the essay as a whole. Write so that you answer the prompt thoroughly. Yet I will say that paragraphs tend not to be shorter than 4 or 5 sentences… Remember our 5 Thinking Points, which are the key to thinking, analyzing, and understanding: 1) What is important? Why? 2) Identify Geography themes/patterns 3) Make connections to other things we have read/discussed 4) Understand depth and complexity 5) Other random knowledge? ... Purchase answer to see full attachment