Writing Sample

In lieu of submitting an existing document you may have recently written (course term paper, thesis, etc.), you can address one of the following essay prompts:

• Identify an issue or event of local, national, or international significance and evaluate its impact on you and your awareness of geography.
• Graduate education and geography in particular might be said to thrive on diversity. Discuss the significance of this statement in relation to your career goals.
• Geography consists of many “divisions” in how practitioners pursue their research (e.g., human vs. physical, quantitative vs. qualitative, regional vs. methodological). Situate your own research in geography amongst these areas and explain why and how you developed your personal research agenda.
• Scientists who can combine geographic information systems with satellite data are in demand in a variety of disciplines. Discuss the advantages of satellite data in environmental monitoring.
• Develop your own essay question and write a response to it.

Essays should be at least five pages (double-spaced). Citations/references are neither required nor discouraged; it depends on the direction each student chooses to take in crafting his or her response. However, any outside work that is specifically and clearly incorporated into your response should follow proper academic practice in terms of citations and references.

 

Please feel free to contact the Coordinator of Graduate Studies if you have any further questions about the writing sample.