please use this textbook as a source for this essay:
Jan, Nijman, Peter O. Muller, Harm J. de Blij’s Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts [published by Wiley] … 18th or 17th edition
please read attached file for paper instructions
answer this statement in the essay: Russia is not a landlocked state. Yet it has often behaved and was formed like a landlocked empire incorporated different populations and lands over many time zones. It’s historical expansion was a quest for security and natural resources. To put it another way, based on what you’ve read about Russia–what are the most important geographic features, both physical and man-made, that explains how Russia became the way it did, that is the largest country in the world impacting Central Asia, the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and even the Asian Far East. What are the global “hot spots” both real and potential on the Russian periphery in this Realm? Explain in a paragraph or two. If you don’t know that “hot spots” means, please look it up, and its not geothermal. How did Russia’s geography influence its history, culture, traditions?
In your essay, explain and discuss the significance of this statement based on your textbook readings and resources.
After reading chapter on Russian Realm and Region answer the following question in essay form [1,000-1,500 words–better essays tend to be on the longer side]. In your exposition of the essay you can interpret the question as broadly or as narrowly as you wish.
You will notice by now that a great deal of the writing in this course allows you considerable freedom to explore and discuss topics that are of interest to you. This is a a function of how I ask the question and my philosophy of teaching geography in the first place. Needless to say, the downside of this method is that it can give space for lazy and undisciplined students to present “fluff” and pad their work with broad and surface explanations not thoroughly grounded in the textbook or the resources found in the unit. Geographic concepts and scholarship are ignored or given short shrift in their work. The end product is impotent and not very rigorous. I encourage you to put in the time and effort in reading and thinking about the material to fight against this negative tendency.
Consider the following statement:
Russia is not a landlocked state. Yet it has often behaved and was formed like a landlocked empire incorporated different populations and lands over many time zones. It’s historical expansion was a quest for security and natural resources. To put it another way, based on what you’ve read about Russia–what are the most important geographic features, both physical and man-made, that explains how Russia became the way it did, that is the largest country in the world impacting Central Asia, the Baltics, Eastern Europe, and even the Asian Far East. What are the global “hot spots” both real and potential on the Russian periphery in this Realm? Explain in a paragraph or two. If you don’t know that “hot spots” means, please look it up, and its not geothermal. How did Russia’s geography influence its history, culture, traditions?
In your essay, explain and discuss the significance of this statement based on your textbook readings and resources. This may seem like a challenging question for beginning geography students. What’s important here is your stab at answering it and how you think about the question. There isn’t necessarily one correct answer. Make sure you discuss and analyze, don’t just “fact puke”.
Once upon a time in a big country….
Be sure to read the article by Prof. John Morrison found in the “Resources” section of the unit which was written in the early 1950s on Russia’s geography based on a lecture he gave at the Naval War College. You don’t have to look it up yourself, its found in this unit. At the time, since Russia was the core of the Soviet Union, the article is meant to be about the U.S.S.R [a country that officially existed from 1922-1991]. Indeed, in those days “Russia” and “Soviet Union” were often used interchangeably by experts and the lay public. The other interesting observation is that it is really hard to believe that this article was classified as restricted! The geography of Russia was a state secret. We must remember that it was written during the early Cold War, when mistrust and misunderstanding between the two world superpowers the United States and Russia was greatly intensifying. It was a time when the threat of nuclear war always lurked in the background. Nevertheless, if you take out the political and military undertones [overtones, might be more appropriate] of the article, it’s quite useful as a geographic piece on Russia’s growth and potential as a nation. Its coverage of landscapes and resources are excellent. Obviously, much has changed in Russia’s geography since the 1950s, but many things have not.
Important: You are not required to directly cite the article, unless of course you wish to quote in paraphrase or copy verbatim. Merely use the article to enhance your understanding of Russia’s geography.
I’ve always admired this quote from a letter written to a friend by one of America’s great writers and cultural critics revealing how its more difficult to write briefly: “I apologize for such a long letter. I didn’t have time to write a short one.”—Mark Twain
You are welcome to paraphrase what you find in the textbook, but I don’t recommend that you copy a direct quote unless it is absolutely relevant to the argument and drive of your essay. Any quotes I will assume came from the book or course resources. Library or internet research is not required. This is not a research paper, but a thinking paper. I want to check to see whether you did the readings and put some energy into applying your geographic knowledge to the question. You don’t need provide a citation [page number, for example] for every bit of evidence since I know the source you are extracting the information from. In some ways, the entire paper is a citation. You can also start sentences with “The textbook states…” or “Geographic research has revealed…” or “Geographers have concluded…” which are all acknowledgements of citations in a clever way. I am more interested in how you demonstrate your understanding of the material.
