Choose a topic and write a 1000-word research paper on:
1. The diffusion of [choose a cultural trait]
By what processes of diffusion did this trait develop and spread from its cultural hearth?
2. Development in Costa Rica and Brazil
Compare and contrast these two countries’ development strategies and experiences 1945-present.
3. Demographic aging in Canada and Japan
Is Canada heading down the same path as Japan?
4. Fertility Decline in East Asia: Was the One-child Policy Necessary?
Compare population policies and fertility rates in China and other East Asian countries 1950 to 2015. Was China’s one-child policy really responsible for reducing its fertility rate?
5. Gender and Population Growth in India
Contrast how gender inequality in India (north and south) has had an impact on fertility rates.
6. Megacity Profile
Pick a megacity in a developing country (e.g. Mexico City, Delhi, Manila, Cairo). Is it “over-urbanized”?
You may choose a different topic, but it must be related to one of the subdisciplines we have discussed in class and be approved by your instructor (send me an MIO).
Format
Your paper must be written in a proper essay format – with a title, an introduction (identifying the topic and its importance, stating a thesis and outlining the main points addressed in the paper), the body of your paper (organized into three or four main paragraphs), a conclusion summarizing your paper, and a references list. It must also include at least one properly formatted illustration (preferably a map) that you have made and discussed in your paper.
In-Text Citations and References List
All in-text citations must follow APA format (see resources posted on LEA). PAPERS WITH NO IN-TEXT REFERENCES OR REFERENCE LIST WILL RECEIVE A ZERO GRADE.
Illustrations
Your paper must include at least one properly formatted thematic map (preferred) or graph that you have prepared (in the same way that you have done in the course assignments, e.g. a diffusion map, a choropleth map, a population pyramid, etc.). Any data source used for information in the illustrations must be included in your reference list. This illustration must be discussed and interpreted in your paper.