Creating a Geographic Case Study:

Modified from Ann Linsley and Linda Hammon’s guides

for case studies

Possible topic areas:• Types of agriculture

• Commercial, Subsistence, Organic, Genetically Modified, Green Revolution

• Ethnic conflict/ Genocide• Darfur, Sri Lanka, etc.

• Political systems/ State shapes/ Nationalism/ Supranationalism

• Migration issues• Urban- rural, Refugees, Illegal, Domestic

• Globalization/ Americanization• Environmental Change

• Climate change, Natural Disasters, Sustainable development

• etc. (pretty much anything you can think of)

Tips and Hints• Topics should be fairly narrow.

• Bad topic: The Green Revolution• Better topic: The effects of the Green Revolution in

the Punjab region of South Asia

• Case studies should include the cited reactions of real people who are involved in the issue on a daily basis (on both sides of the issue)• They should not just be summaries of articles written

by scholars or in encyclopedias or represent the ideas and concerns of only one side (there should be some sort of conflict/ disagreement)

• Case study topics should have current relevance• History will play a part in the issue, but it must be

a current, recurring or ongoing issue

• Case studies are short, concise and to the point!• The point is to provide a brief explanation of the

issue, not a long, drawn out recitation of every detail possible.

Instructions•Construct a 6 slide power point type format. • The slide presentation should establish the relationship, the scale of interaction and the impact and problems/ benefits at multiple levels.

•Slide presentation rules• 7x7 guideline• No font smaller than 24, sans serif is best

• No paragraphs/ few sentences• Pictures are better than words• Don’t READ it to us!!! Discuss it, instead.

The Slides (1-3):• Slide 1

• introduces the global relationship and connectivity, the parties involved and presents the geographic setting with a map in a relative setting (small and large scale map)

• Slides 2-3 • the causes, relevant historical information, type of conflict, impact, effects, and contrary opinions.

• Slide 4 • scale of the conflict, government and world/national/regional responses, legislation, and relevant photos/ pictures/ graphics.

• Slide 5• prediction for the future of the conflict/ issue

• A situational map of the location studied, labeled with a legend

The Slides (4-5)

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (LZW) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

Slide 6• Slide 6 includes references and all group members

• A Note about sources: • Current is best (within 5 years is preferable,

within 10 max.)

• Citing (modified MLA)• For print materials:

• author name: last name first (include all authors)• full title of the work: book and journal titles are underlined or italicized; article titles are put in quotation marks; and

• Date of publication• Online sources (Wikipedia is not acceptable):

• Author/s name/s (if no specific author, name of organization which created website)

• Title of article or website• Source (magazine or newspaper name, publication, etc.)• Publication date AND date you accessed the information• URL

• Cut & pasting of passages is not acceptable.