JGE378 Natural Hazards
Project Proposal
Fall 2025
1 Introduction
For this assignment you are asked to write a Proposal specifying the topic that you have chosen as the focus for your Case Study and outlining the specific focus and basic structure of the Term Paper component of your Case Study.
1.1 Objectives
The objectives ofthe Proposal are for you to:
1. select a natural disaster that is of interest to you;
2. learn and report on some basic facts about the event;
3. articulate a specific research focus related to this event;
4. delineate the depth and breadth of your chosen analytical focus;
5. practice writing a formal research proposal; and
6. identify and cite appropriate scholarly resources.
2 The Proposal
The proposal:
。 Must be 1.5 to 2 pages in length (approximately 500 to 800 words), “normal” font size and margins.
。 Must begin with one to two paragraphs summarizing the factual basis of the major disaster, catastrophic event, or hazardous process that you have chosen as your Case Study focus. Additional criteria and suggestions for choosing your topic will be provided.
。 Must include an indication of how you plan to organize the Term Paper and must indicate what specific focus or perspective you plan to take on the topic. The organizational plan can take the form of a description, or a bulleted list of topics, or a preliminary outline, but it must demonstrate organizational thought.
。 Must reflect the fact that the Term Paper is meant to be an analytical work, rather than just a descriptive work. In other words, you can’t just describe this event and its impacts, you have to choose a specific aspect of the event to explore and analyze in greater depth.
。 Must include at least some full-sentence prose (because we would like to detect any major problems with writing mechanics early enough to arrange for help).
。 Must include a correctly formatted list (APA style) of at least four references that are relevant to your topic and that you have read. Three of the references should be from scholarly, peer- reviewed sources; one can be from a non-scholarly source that is still reliable (i.e., so-called “grey literature”).
。 Must be submitted digitally by the due date. As per Department of Geography, Geomatics, and Environment policy, a penalty of 10% per working day (including weekends) will be applied to all late submissions.
3 Grading Rubric
Here are the evaluation criteria for the Term Paper Proposal:
Factual basis of the topic is adequately explained and understood 20 pts
At least 4 appropriate, relevant, scholarly references provided and properly cited 20 pts
Proposal demonstrates evidence of organizational thought quality of the evaluative paragraph 20 pts
Discussion demonstrates an analytical focus 20 pts
Full-sentence prose demonstrates scholarly tone and quality 20 pts
Total 100 pts