GEO 101 World Human Geography
Discussions Fall 2009
Discussion 2: The Geography of Global Financial Crisis

Reading to Be Done Before This Discussion:

Florida, Richard. 2009. How the Crash Will Reshape America. The Atlantic. March Available http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200903/meltdown-geography

Things to Bring to Discussion: Your own notes on the article and/or a print out.
Due in Discussion THIS Week: Answers to the questions below due at the beginning of class.
Due in Discussion NEXT Week: Answers to questions as usual, Essay 1
Concepts/Ideas/Places: globalization, fragmentation, information society, interconnection, agglomeration effect.

Essay 1 Assignment

Essay 1 Assignment: For your first essay you need to read the article and think about the implications of the econmic crisis for different places in the United States. Then you should review the guidelines for Writing an A essay and the advice below.

Your essay should be 2-3 pages and 5 paragraphs and should address the following scenario and question:

You are the Economic Development Planner for a medium sized city in the United States who has been asked to report to the mayor on long term strategies for maintining the city's economy in a global economy. Based upon what you have read in the article answer the mayor's question:

What strategies should we pursue to maintain a healthy urban economy at a time of economic crisis and globalization?

For this essay you will need to come up with three strategies, and support your ideas with evidence from the article. For example, if you want to pursue a strategy of diversifying the city's economy then you might cite the author's arguments about the diversity of New York City's economy. The more creative you are, the more interesting your paper will be. While your paper will be in the form of a five paragraph essay, you should of course write it as if you are indeed the economic development planner and address it to the mayor. You may add to the scenario by making up specific details for your city if you wish (where it's located, what its name is, its current economic situation, etc.) but be sure that you have solid and well supported arguments and have satisfied the requirements for the assignment.

Your essay must be typed (or word-processed), double spaced, in 12 pt font, stapled, and with 1 inch margins all around.  You must cite any direct quotes AND paraphrased ideas from the article or other sources as directed in Citing Sources in GEO 101.  Papers that do not properly cite sources will lose points.

Additional Tips for Writing this Essay

Concentrate on doing the following four things when writing this essay:

• write a strong thesis statement,
• make sure that you support your argument with evidence in the supporting paragraphs,
• make sure that you cite your sources,
• and write more than one draft of your paper.

Whatever you plan to argue, your essay must have a thesis statement, usually placed at the end of the introductory paragraph. Your thesis not only states your argument but outlines your entire paper by explaining why you believe the argument to be true. A thesis statement in a five paragraph essay is usually structured like this: [Argument] is true because of [reason 1], [reason 2], and [reason 3]. There are more subtle and sophisticated ways to do this, but sometimes being too subtle can unnecessarily mystify your reader. Your goal is not to suprise your reader, but to be as clear and direct as you can be.

The next thing to pay attention to is that your thesis statement connects with the rest of your essay by addressing each of the three supporting reasons from your thesis statement in the following supporting paragraphs. Be sure that you use topic sentences to remind your reader of your argument in each supporting paragraph. Quote or parahprhase evidence from the article to support each of your sub arguments and provide a proper citation. You do not need to and should not do extra research to write this paper. If you are not the kind of student who follows your professor's advice, you should at least be sure that you are still responding to the article assigned for this discussion and that you use credible sources. In many cases students who do additional research end up writing papers that drift off focus or that lack credibility because they have used poor quality sources from the Internet.. You should not cite lecture as a source of ideas. Most of what we have discussed will be found in your textbook in some form or another. Cite it from the textbook. For more information on the 5 paragraph essay format and what makes a good essay see the Syllabus and “Writing an ‘A’ Essay”

Finally you should write more than one draft of your paper. Do not hand in your first draft. Read your paper over and evaluate it using the Grading Guide for Short Essays. Ideally, print it out and make corrections on the page. Make sure that you've fixed any typos and grammar problems. Then make sure that your paper makes sense and that you have supported your argument well. Fix the paper where needed and hand in your second or third draft. If you have trouble with any aspect of the paper do not hesitate to get help from your professor or from the Writing Center.

Context: The second half of the 20th century introduced a new phase economic restructuring of the world economy called globalization. The world is becoming more interconnected due to the rapid progress made in communication and transportation technologies. Some people believe that globalization will finally extinguish economic and even cultural inequalities between different countries.  It is true that global integration has improved the quality of life for many in some of the poorest countries in the world.  Despite these improvements, globalization’s critics maintain that socioeconomic gaps will widen. Given the growth in foreign investment by transnational firms, places all over the world are becoming increasingly interconnected.  This has become painfully apparent with the emergence of the current global financial crisis. This is in contrast to the relative immobility of most people engaging in the daily activities of social reproduction.  Such immobility reinforces an opposite trend of reasserting local identities, cultures, and histories.  Religious, cultural, and national groups resist interdependent globalism by reasserting the uniqueness of place.  In lecture and discussion, we’ll discuss the ways that places are changed by increasing global interconnection and how people living in particular places resist or accommodate such changes. Additionally, we’ll address the question of how economic changes promote parallel changes in culture, religion, and social relationships.  We will ultimately ask what meaning the economic globalization of the world has for people in particular places in the context of capitalism’s uneven development.

To prepare for Discussion: In todays discussion we will try and discuss some consequences of the current economic crisis for different places. Am important point made in today's article is that though the crisis may be global, it's consequences are different in different places. While no place will be untouched, some places may thrive while others may find economic restructuring painful. The crisis has had a significant impact on Northern and Northwest Indiana, especially in Elkhart, Indiana where the economy depended heavily on the manufacture of recreational vehicles. Here in Valparaiso the effects of the financial crisis are visible on the landscape. While Lincolnway near campus has undergone a significant transition over the past year, that transition has stalled. Plans for a retail and residential complex were recently cancelled. Over by the movie theater the office supply store that just opened liquidated their entire inventory and closed. While the causes of the global financial crisis are not located here in Valparaiso, the consequences are easy to see. No matter where you live, you may have had trouble getting a loan for a new car or a new truck. Undoubtedly you know someone who has been laid off from their job or who can not find a new job. Perhaps that person is you.

The article you will read for today's discussion offers predictions about the differential effects of the crisis.

Works Cited

Questions to be Answered and Turned in at the Beginning of Class
Name:
Honor Code:  

1.  How have you or people you know been affected by the current financial crisis? Have people you know in different places been affected differently?

2.  According to Florida, what regions of the United States will thrive and what regions will struggle due to the economic crisis? Why?

3.  Why is diversity in both a city's economy and culture important for economic success in the context of globalization?

4.  Why isn't the world "spky" rather than "flat"? Or why does place still matter in the global economy, according to the article?

5.  What is one question about the reading that you would like to raise during discussion?