Research Project: GEO 203
CHOSEN SDG-SDG 6
As a key assignment in this class, you will produce a 3-5 page research paper investigating ONE
of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and then create and present a product that
demonstrates their knowledge of the Goal as well as discusses efforts to address the issues the
goal seeks to address. UN SDG website:
https://www.globalgoals.org/
(also linked on D2L).
The objective of this project is for students to explore an SDG in-depth in the context of
environmental geography to understand the causes for concern and then explain what is being
done (and/or propose a novel approach) to address the environmental impacts.
Students will find out as much as they can about their Goal using different sources (case studies,
interviews, films, books, the Internet, etc.), to create a write-up, and then present that information
in an accessible format (multimedia presentation, PowerPoint lecture, podcast, poster, etc.) to the
rest of the class; specific guidelines will be provided.
Project Components:
1) Topic: Which SDG have you selected and a brief description of why you are interested in that
Goal (5 Points).
2) Proposal: Outline your SDG; Targets and Indicators and provide at a minimum THREE
resources you will use to support your approach to how the Goal connects to environmental
geography (15 Points).
3) Presentation: You will choose the format you think is best to present what you have you
learned to your fellow classmates; students will review and comment on a fellow classmate’s
project for credit.
4) Write-Up: Based on what you have learned about your SDG and your outside research, you
will produce a final write-up that includes the following elements:
a) Introduction – here you will outline and discuss your SDG; why you selected it, and how it
relates to environmental geography.
b) Main body – where you more fully describe and background your SDG, particularly how it
relates to specific geographical concepts and themes. Investigate and discuss the Goal’s targets
and indicators for progress and provide examples of what is being done to achieve your goal at
different scales (at the local to global levels).
c) Conclusion – where you wrap up and state yours conclusions – what did you find out about
your Goal? What is being done to achieve your goal? Are we achieving targets towards
progress? Do you have any proposals for how to achieve progress on your goal? What can you
do as an individual to effect change towards achieving your Goal?
d) Proper grammar and spelling – will hurt your grade if there are many errors; proofread your
work.
e) Proper Citations in the paper – whatever format you choose is okay, but you MUST cite
sources, including the SDG website.
f) Bibliography – finally, provide your resources used for your citations.
Grading
– I will consider the following factors in assigning your grade:
1) RESEARCH
– Proper use of relevant sources
– Information used correctly and presented clearly
– Proper use of citations and referencing
2) THOUGHT AND ANALYSIS
– Clear justification for why you selected your SDG
– Clear connections made to environmental geographic concepts
– A sufficient level of detail to fully explain your SDG
3) WRITING
– Information presented in an effective manner
– Mechanically correct: grammar and spelling acceptable
– Organization and Format: does your project flow and make logical sense?
4) PRESENTATION
– Does the presentation effectively convey your information?
– Is the presentation well-constructed?
– Have you provided a substantive comment on another classmate’s presentation?
