Cultural Landscape Analysis:
For this assignment you are to find and select five (5) different pictures of key cultural landscapes from the place that you have chosen to research this semester.
Your selections should include examples that demonstrate a variety of different aspects of the cultures (both national and ethnic—i.e., dominant and minority) that play some kind of significant role in the place today. Recall, as discussed in class, that cultural landscapes are the visible, tangible evidence of human activity on the surface of the Earth (past and present). As such, they represent the material expressions of the values, beliefs, norms, and institutions of the culture groups that have and are continuing to actively fashion (i.e., re-make) the landscape which they inhabit. As espoused in this course, cultural landscapes offer a primary “text” for cultural geographers to read and interpret in order to understand and explain the past and present (and perhaps even future) aspects of the culture group(s) that occupy a place.
After finding and selecting the cultural landscape photos that you think best represent the significant aspects of the cultural geography of the place, copy and paste each of them onto slides in a PowerPoint presentation document. Re-size each photo as needed in order to make it fill the slide.
Then, in the notes section for each slide (the space provided below each slide), write an “O.S.A.E., Can You See” analysis for each of these cultural landscapes (see the chapter 4 class presentation material). For each cultural landscape you should list at least 3 specific examples of things that you Observe in each picture.
After making your observations, you should provide a Speculation about what aspects of the culture you think these landscape elements illustrate. Then, you should cite a source (i.e., provide some Analysis) that either confirms or refutes your speculations. Finally, you must provide an Evaluation regarding your observations, speculation, and analysis of this cultural landscape—i.e., explain why this information “proves” that this was a valuable example of a cultural landscape from this place to share in this assignment. Be sure to properly cite the sources you used for both the picture and the Analysis citation at the bottom of each notes section.
Note: While your cultural landscape examples may reflect any aspect of the culture(s) of this place, you are encouraged to think in broad terms of the topics and concepts covered in this course to date and to connect these cultural landscapes to as many of those as possible.
Finally, on a separate slide, provide a 150-200 word summary of what you have learned about the cultural geography of this place based on your analysis of some of its cultural landscapes.
Be sure to include an introductory “title” slide, as well as a final slide that provides a proper bibliographic citation for each of the sources that you use.