Fall 2010 Journal Schedule (PDFs)
Tues 7:00 M/W classes
Each week you are required to write at least one journal entry detailing a current event that has taken place in the world and how it relates to the currently studied region. You may research current events in newspapers, in magazines, through the Internet or any way you wish. You must document where the material was found and attach a copy of the article to your entry. The most important component of these journals is the linking of events to the regions and concepts we cover in class. They will be discussed each class period and collected for assessment twice throughout the semester
The good news is all news has an element of geography! You should read as many news stories as possible during the week while thinking about how they relate to the specific geographic concepts we covered that week. Make sure your stories come from reputable sources (tabloids, gossip magazines, blogs and other crap does not qualify). Once you’ve decided on the story to use follow these guidelines to ensure you receive full credit.
JOURNAL REQUIREMENTS
ü The article must be a current event (within 2 weeks) of reasonable length and must be attached (at least the first page),
ü The written entry must be dated and the title must include the week number along with the region for that week
o The first paragraph should be a very brief summary of the article (3-4 will suffice)
ü The article must then be specifically related to the region and a theme(s) by you.
o To be sure you are clearly explaining how the event relates to a learned concept you must start the second paragraph with the sentence “this article is related to the region of _____ and the theme (s) ______.” You should then go on to explain how and why in detail drawing in notes from class and making connections to the article.
ü Your entry must be written at a college level, which means proper English and grammar; seek help if you need to do so!
ü Entries must be at least one page double spaced, with 1 inch margins, 12 point font, etc.
ü They must be organized together NEATLY to turn in.
*These journals are not simply to be a summary of a news article. Simple summaries (regurgitating the article) will not receive credit! A sample journal is attached for your reference and more examples can be found linked through the class website. The class website also has links to some acceptable and good news sources including: BBC World News, Newsweek, Time, The Economist, CNN, NPR online, etc. Make sure your source is reputable!
*If you are having trouble finding an article (or just desire an interesting one) stop by the library reserve desk and browse the archives of interesting stories (Building 37-staff lot #3).
If you are unsure of what this type of journal may look like just look at one of the excellent sample journals collected from former students below:
* Your journals should concentrate mostly on making GEOGRAPHIC connections. Notice in the journals below, only a brief summary of the article is necessary, the important component is connecting current events with what we are learning.
USE THE LINKS BELOW TO NAVIGATE TO OUR CURRENT REGION AND FIND SPEFIC INTERESTING STORIES:
National public radio (91.1 FM) : a good source for news on the radio and online 
NEWSWEEK: a good source of up to the minute national news
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