Geography Research Paper

• Select any region in the world and decide on a thesis topic for that region; both should be of interest to you.
• Use an analysis style thesis statement: in an analytical paper, you are breaking down an issue or idea into its component parts, evaluating the issue or idea, and presenting this breakdown and evaluation to your audience. The format for an analytical thesis statement includes:
 What you are analyzing: this is the topic and region
 The parts of your analysis—these are your sub-topics utilizing the chapter topics you select from the textbook.
Sources:
• Must use at least five secondary sources—you may use more if desired.

Steps:
1. Select a region
2. Select a topic to write about in that region
3. Select subtopics: you must have at least three sub-topics (you may use more), each relating to a Human Geography chapter in the textbook (Chapters 5-13): Population, Cultural, Human Interaction, Political, Economic, Urban, Natural Resources, or Human Impact on the Environment.
4. Create a thesis statement:
a. Example Analysis Thesis Statement: Suppose you are interested in the Sahel region of Africa. Here is a possible thesis statement that includes the topic, region, and subtopics :

An analysis of the desertification (this is the topic) of the Sahel region (this is the region) in Africa reveals that it was caused by heavy migration, improper agricultural methods, and political instability (these are the chapter topics for support: Chapter 7 Human Interaction, Chapter 9 Agriculture, and Chapter 8 Political).
b. Example Analysis Thesis Statement: Suppose you are interested in the Gulf Coast region of the US. Here is a possible thesis statement that includes the topic, region, and subtopics :

An analysis of the pollution (this is the topic) of the US Gulf Coast region (this is the region) reveals that it is caused by agriculture activity, drilling for oil, and a lack of effective protection laws (these are the chapter topics for support: Chapter 9 Agriculture, Chapter 12 Natural Resources, and Chapter 13 Human Impact on the Environment).