Geography and the Global Citizen. Social Sciences Essay

GGR 2 - Spring 2020 Geography and the Global Citizen Professor Pires
Instructions for the Global Citizenship Report Assignment
The purpose of this assignment is to reflect carefully and report clearly on the main theme of the course: global citizenship.
Guidelines on Content, Structure, Sources, and Length & Composition
Content
The Global Citizenship Report should include information, analysis, and reflection on the idea of global citizenship as you come to understand this concept through your engagement with it in GGR 2. Work on this assignment will be informed by a combination of materials made available to you, including assigned course readings and multimedia resources on Blackboard, together with additional information you identify on your own (see statement on Sources below). Note: this assignment is not a major research-based term paper; rather, it is designed as a more modest “report” in which you demonstrate skills related to several of the academic learning goals of the core curriculum, including critical thinking, written communication, inquiry and analysis, and information literacy.
Structure
Each student’s report must be organized using the following underlined section headings: Introduction
Begin with a brief (2-3 paragraph) introductory “icebreaker” statement about the topic of global citizenship. End the introduction section with a paragraph that gives the reader a “road map” that indicates what you are going to talk about in the remaining sections of the paper.
Defining Terms: The Concept and Vocabulary of Global Citizenship
From your examination of the sources you consult as well as information from classroom discussions during the semester, describe, in your own words, what you understand to be the main ideas associated with the concept of global citizenship. Also, include in this section a brief discussion of the “vocabulary of global citizenship” to illustrate some of the terminology used when talking about this concept.
The Case For Global Citizenship Thinking
In this section, state what you see as the rationale for promoting global citizenship thinking among the world’s population. What are the possible benefits or advantages of doing so?
The Case Against Global Citizenship Thinking
In this section, state what you see as the rationale against promoting global citizenship thinking among the world’s population. What are the possible risks or disadvantages of doing so?
Critical Assessment and Personal Perspective on the Idea of Global Citizenship
In this section, offer a critical assessment and your own personal perspective on the theme of global citizenship. Do you think it is an idea that should be pursued aggressively in the 21st century, or is it just a utopian and helplessly idealistic notion that isn’t worth considering any further? Elaborate on your point of view. Also, comment on where you stand, personally, on the idea: do you, or do you not, see yourself as a “global citizen”? Explain.
Conclusion
Conclude the paper with a statement (1-2 paragraph) that succinctly summarizes your report and its findings. References
Using the Chicago Style format (see guidelines below in this document), include a list of references used to inform your report.

Sources
As noted above, work on the report will be informed by a combination of course materials available to you on Blackboard together with at least one additional source of information you identify on your own. In total, a minimum of five (5) sources must be used to prepare the report. All sources consulted for the report must be cited appropriately in the text of the paper and appear in the list of references using the Chicago Style citation format. Suggestions on how to identify additional sources and guidelines on using the Chicago format will be discussed in class. Note: the assigned reading by Pires (2008) can be used as a model to see how one cites sources and formats references in the “Chicago Style” commonly used for academic writing in the social sciences.
Length & Composition
The report must be a minimum of five double-spaced pages long (approximately 1500 words of text) with standard one- inch margins all around, 12-point font, and page numbers inserted. The paper must include the underlined section headings described above. While not required, tables and/or figures can be inserted to illustrate points you wish to make. However, incorporation of any tables and/or figures does not change the requirement to have a minimum of five pages (~ 1500 words) of text – i.e., a paper that includes such illustrations would be more than five pages long. In addition, the list of references is not included as part of the minimum five pages of text. The paper should also have a separate cover page with a title and your name; again, the title page is not part of the minimum five pages. It is essential to note that good composition is an important part of this assignment. Clear, cogent, concise, and grammatically correct writing is expected.
Assignment Submission
This assignment will be drafted and submitted in stages with three specific due dates during the semester:
• a draft of the “Defining Terms...” section is due by 11:59 pm on Friday, February 21
• a draft of the other three sections (“Case For...,” “Case Against...,” and “Critical Assessment...”) is due by 11:59 pm on
Friday, April 10
• a final draft of the complete paper, including the “Introduction,” “Conclusion,” and “References” sections, is due no later
than 11:59 pm on Sunday, May 3.
All drafts should be submitted to the instructor via email as attached files.
Assessment Criteria
This assignment is worth 30 points toward the final grade. The following criteria will be used to assess the work:
• report complies with all instructions noted above regarding content, structure, sources, and length
• each draft is submitted on time by its respective due date (points will be deducted for late submissions)
• final draft is written clearly and incorporates composition-related feedback from the previous two draft submissions
General Information on Reading & Writing with Sources
Consider the following source (formatted in Chicago Style as it would appear in a reference list) an example for the purpose of illustration:
UNESCO. 2015. Global Citizenship Education: Topics and Learning Objectives. Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
In Your Own Words
Communicating ideas, concepts and other information from sources in your own words has a lot to do with the art of paraphrasing. For example, the bullet list below from page 16 of the UNESCO document contains information that is useful in describing what global citizenship is about – information, for example, that one might want to mention when writing a report on this topic. Since it would not be appropriate to reproduce (i.e., copy and paste) this list “as is” in the report, consider ways in which you could summarize in your own words an “overall sense” of the points in the list.
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Here is one example of how the ideas communicated in the seven bullet points above could be distilled into a few sentences that represent proper paraphrasing of the original text (note: you should not include this particular example in your paper – instead, if you refer to this passage from UNESCO, come up with your own paraphrasing of the information):
Global citizenship is a very broad and complex concept. In many ways, it’s an idea that might be described as the search for unity among the diversity of the human population. One description of global citizenship speaks to the need to develop an understanding of connections that exist between global, national, and local spaces (UNESCO 2015). In doing this, all people need to learn how to appreciate and empathize with others based on different belief and value systems, build and apply skills in the area of civic literacy, and acknowledge our collective responsibility to participate and engage with important global issues.
How and When to Cite Sources and Use Verbatim Quotes
Knowing when, where, and how to cite sources involves using some judgment. Students with little experience in academic writing, or who worry about unintended plagiarism, tend to include too many citations unnecessarily. As a rule of thumb, you should insert a “general” citation (i.e., one that does not involve a direct, verbatim quote) whenever you begin to discuss information obtained from one of your sources. However, you don’t have to keep citing the same source after every sentence in your discussion that clearly relates to it. Also, general citations should be found at the end of any sentence that begins something along the lines of “A study showed that....”; or “There is evidence to suggest that....”; or “As mentioned in the work of....”; etc.
In an assignment such as the Global Citizenship Report, direct, verbatim quotes should be used sparingly. The paper should not be constructed as a pastiche of quoted passages taken from your sources. Decisions to quote verbatim should be made on the basis of a strongly felt need to emphasize or underscore a particular point. Remember, citations must be used for any passage that is quoted verbatim. When quoting verbatim, use ‘lead-in’ wording to begin a sentence prior to the quoted passage as in the example below:
According to the United Nations, “sustainable consumption and production is about promoting resource and energy efficiency, sustainable infrastructure, and providing access to basic services, green and decent jobs and a better quality of life for all” (United Nations 2019).
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