For this assignment you will apply geographical concepts to your life and to the world around you. The assignment requires both primary and secondary research. To do this, you will visit 2 places in Metro Vancouver; while there, you will observe and analyse the sites using concepts from the course. Based on your observations and analysis, you will write two short analyses, an introduction, and a conclusion (plus a bibliography), which you will put into one document. Analyse means to apply geographical concepts to a phenomenon. When I say analyses I mean the sections of the paper where you do that (not the intro, conclusion, references).

GETTING STARTED

Choose 2 small sites to study (e.g. a playground, shop, public square, school, caf, living room, temple, theatre, park) in Metro Vancouver. Smaller sites are better than larger ones. For example, a neighbourhood is too large to analyse in a few hundred words; instead, focus on one small part of the neighbourhood.

Decide which course concepts (selected from readings + lectures) you will use to analyse your observations at the location. To do this, you must visit the place and spend at least one hour closely observing (looking, listening, smelling, touching, making sketches, taking photos, possibly speaking to people) and taking notes.

Record your reflections and observations. Your analysis will connect the location and your observations to the concepts you chose. Do not take anything for granted! Even apparently minor features (a table, a photograph, a tree, a plaque, a glass of milk, mementos, a bee) are important. Look for relationships between space, place, identity, and power. How can geographic concepts help you understand such interactions?

Use your observations to illustrate the concepts you selected. At the same time, you are using geographical concepts to help you understand what you observe. You may choose to focus on one aspect of landscape/objects or human behaviour. You will not be able to write about everything you observe.

The two sites:

-one must be a room in the apartment/house in which you currently live

-one must be a location in the neighbourhood in which you live (e.g. Mount Pleasant, Guildford). Note that if you are not able to leave your dwelling, then you can choose two rooms in your home, or focus on a garden, entrance hall, or other section of the property. You may be surprised to discover that geographical concepts apply everywhere even to a walkway or a garage!

Optional Challenge: Choose a location you dont like! Can your analysis help you pin down what it is that you dont like about a particular place?

WRITING & SUBMISSION

Each analysis must be 600-800 words in length. Indicate the date and time of your observation. Begin with a brief description of the place you observed, and then move into your analysis. Your description should be relevant to the analysis that follows; dont describe everything! Describe only what the reader needs to know in order to understand the analysis.

Each analysis must use at least 2 major human geographical concepts (eg. culture is an appropriate concept; language is not really a concept, but its a good example of a cultural trait). Be sure to clearly and fully define the geographical concepts you use. Your grade will suffer considerably if you do not define the concepts fully and accurately. Find the definitions in the textbook, lecture notes or a reputable geographic source such as the Dictionary of Human Geography. Do not use a general-use dictionary or Wikipedia.