Final Paper and Presentation
The purpose of this project is to research and analyze a major tourist site in an academic paper, and present your analysis to the class.The Paper
- Your paper must be 10 pages long.
- Your paper must have a bibliography and internal citations. The bibliography must include some academic work.
- You must use five or more books or articles as your sources. The same sources should be used for the paper and the presentation.
- Maps and illustrations are optional, but recommended.
- The maps, illustrations, and bibliography do not count toward the 10-page length.
- The topic of your paper must be a theme park or folk village that has NOT been covered in the readings or in lecture. You may not use any of the locations mentioned in the article by Joy Hendry, not even the ones that weren't described in detail. You may use a national park or a nature preserve if you want, but you may not use a zoo.
- You must get your topic approved by Professor Pai by the end of Week 7.
- Your paper will be graded on content and style.
- Be sure to tie some tourism theory into your paper.
The Presentation
- Your presentation must be 10-15 minutes long and be on the same topic as your paper.
- Presentations will be given in class during Dead Week.
- The body of your presentation must contain details about the site.
- Your presentation must include all of the following information, but not necessarily in this order. You must determine an order that makes sense for your site and your presentation.
- Why did you pick this site?
- What is this site famous for?
- Why is this site relevant for this class?
- Who operates this site and what is their agenda?
- How many visitors does this site have per year?
- What are your impressions of this site?
- How can you apply the issues discussed in class to the analysis of this site?
- If you were a developer/operator of the site, what would you do differently?
Tips
- Can't think of a topic? Some students' previous topics and sources are listed on this page.
- Have a topic, but don't know where to get started on your research? Try the library's East Asian Studies page.
- To keep track of all the tasks required to complete this project, we recommend the thermometer method. On this site, you can download a thermometer graphic with all the steps of the project listed next to it. The first step is at the bottom and the last step is at the top. Print the thermometer page, and for each step you complete, color in that section of the thermometer. It's a good motivating device as well as a way to avoid forgetting any steps. (Note: this is not required, it's just a suggestion. Also, we recognize that not everyone writes papers the same way or does things in the same order. Feel free to make your own thermometer, your own way.)
Download the thermometer (PDF format)