Question: All information given, and I will be focusing on (Japan) in the research essay ,the research essay will be APA style.

The Geography of the Asian-Pacific Rim Winter 2016

Project - Core & Periphery Regions of the Asian-Pacific Rim

Description

In this assignment you will be learning about core and periphery relationships and applying your knowledge to an Asian-Pacific Rim nation of your choice. Core-periphery is a concept discussed by Friedmann (1966) and others which describes an uneven development process whereby core areas hold economic, educational, political, and social power and source raw materials from the periphery. Peripheral areas are dependent on the core and typically have weaker economies and political influence, lower educational levels, and lower rates of innovation.

I will randomly assign you to one of the following three countries (China, Japan & South Korea) listed below in the Country Table to focus on in your report. Then, you will be using maps and other sources to define core and periphery areas within your country. Finally, you will be explaining why the particular core and periphery areas have developed, and any threats or opportunities for these regions looking into the future.

Preparation

Please begin by reading about Asian core and periphery relationships on pages 20-21 and 86-94 in your course text (Weightman, 2011). You should also scan the sections of the text related to your country for relevant information. Next, start exploring maps for your country on the below listed websites. You will be selecting and describing 5 maps that justify your definitions of core and periphery areas in your country.

Report Contents

You will be writing a report which should include the following elements.

1) Introduction outlining the core-periphery model, briefly introducing your country and listing the topics covered in your report.

2) Map Observation of 5 different maps which you will identify (names, dates, and weblinks), and describe in writing (text only). You can source the maps from the listed site for your country, but you may also employ maps from other sources. The maps need to justify the core and periphery boundaries that you delimit on the Country Map (see next). You do not need to include the 5 maps in the report. If at all possible, please refer to maps that are based on percentages or proportions, rather than straight numbers. Also, the date that each map was created is important as it may influence your conclusions. Make sure the maps are different from each other. For example, if you are including a map showing percentage of children, avoid also using a map of percentage of elderly, as likely the same conclusion could be drawn from both maps since they are both depicting age as the variable.

3) Country Map(s) showing boundaries of your core and periphery area(s). Please choose (a) map(s) that suit(s) your purposes. You can use a graphics package to create your boundaries electronically, or you can mark up a hard-copy map (which you should scan to include in your report - see the library for details on how to use the photocopiers as scanners). The map should be clear and easy to read and should include a legend and a title. Each student's map must be created/drawn individually and must not be an exact copy of any other student's map.

4) Justification of Country Map(s) provides an argument for the boundaries you selected including explicit references to any external sources (including the course text) that aided in this decision. You should refer back to the Map Observations (see #2) above to support your boundaries. Clearly define what core and periphery mean in relation to your maps.

5) Discussion of reasons why the core areas have succeeded (for example, government investment, historical inertia, etc.), and why the peripheral areas have lagged in development. Also, what threats and opportunities do you observe for both the core and periphery areas? Are there any existing or upcoming government programs that invest in either the core or periphery regions? And, how do you expect these core and periphery areas to evolve over the next 30 years?

6) Conclusion.

What To Hand In and Evaluation

Please prepare a report with the above contents that is 5 pages in length maximum, in 12pt font, and double spaced (**title page, reference page, & maps are not included in the page limit). Your submission will be graded on the pertinence of the maps you select to the core- periphery model and a robust justification of your core-periphery map boundaries. The justification (#4) and discussion (#5) are important sections of the report. In the discussion, you will be explaining the underlying reasons for the core-periphery relationships, and evaluating their future prospects. Organization, spelling and grammar, and formatting (cover page, page numbers) will also be considered in the grading of the assignment. Please include full references in APA format for any sources used.

(5 pages in length maximum, in 12pt font, and double spaced (**title page, reference page, & maps are not included in the page limit).)