Assignment Details

Introduction - Background to Study Area

2023-24

U6C Geography NEA 23-24 JRP

Date Due

Sept. 14, 2023

Additional Info
The guidance below is generic, and each of you will have an individual variation on it...different projects will want maps at slightly different scales, or will want to emphasise different things about the study location in the writing. Refer back to the conversations we had in the lesson, and keep on asking questions if you're not sure. I'm very happy to meet for 5 minutes in a break/lunch to put you on the right track, and it might save you time and effort having to backtrack and redo things later on.  The Introduction Guidance document on OneNote is very thorough - keep referring to it.

Complete the 'Background to Study Area' part of your Introduction.

This should include (preferably hand drawn) locational maps - probably three of them at different scales. The most common (but not only) combination is national (England/UK), regional (usually SE England or maybe Surrey or your county) and local.

It also needs to include the accompanying writing that describes*: where your study area is (again, think national, regional and local scales); proximity to other major settlements and main transport links administrative context (what's the local authority, who manages the area); demographic profile; coastal landscape (e.g. sediment cell, name of sea, names of headlands and bays - coasts projects only); what the existing coastal management approach/techniques are (coasts projects only); relevant history (e.g. if your project is about the impact of a major regeneration scheme, then you need to find out the key facts and figures of the scheme and include them).

You need a paragraph justifying your choice of study area - think about spatial scale and practicality, safety, legality of access, proximity to home and why your location is a good place to study your topic.

You will have some citations (e.g. websites that give you the demographic profile of your study area).  Make sure you include the citations and start your reference list as a separate document (follow the Introduction guidance on OneNote).

You are not writing a tourist brochure.  Avoid phrases such as 'Holmbury St Mary is a hidden gem, nestled comfortably in the folds of the gorgeous Surrey Hills'.  

* This is where is needs to be tailored to your project - provide information that is relevant.