Objective:

1) Critically review an encyclopedia entry on "geography"

2) Suggest an edit/addition that would be “geographical”

It is recognized that encyclopedic sources are often useful for basic research into a topic. In geography, they can often give clues for how one might obtain more information about a subject. However, they seldom address a topic from a specifically spatial perspective – often presenting bare facts or trivia as “geography.” As trained geographers, we are often left to fill in the gaps in this perspective with our learned interdisciplinary interpretation skills.

Your task in this assignment is to critically review an encyclopedia entry for a region, place, city, or area that you believe that you know well. Once you have done this, you should be able to suggest additions, deletions, or edits that would make the entry conform better with what you have learned is “geographical.”

Suggested procedure is to find an encyclopedia entry that purports to address the geography of a place that you know intimately. It could be your birthplace, where you grew up, or a favourite location you have since come to know well. It is entirely your choice, but its encyclopedia entry must include coverage of “geography.” Any encyclopedia is acceptable for this (Wikipedia, Britannica, Encyclopedia.com, etc.). You will examine and discuss its strengths and weaknesses in a critical analysis based on your understanding of geographical concepts.

Questions you might consider, but are not limited to, might include:

Is the information accurate and current?

Is the information just “trivial?”

Does it address specific geographical themes and how?

Does the entry match your perspective of this place that you know well?

What is done well? What needs modification, clarification, or deletion? others???

You must then write a short edit or addition that you feel ought to be included in the encyclopedia entry. This should conform to your known understanding of the discipline of geography.