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Part 1 - Urbanization

Introduction to Urbanization

Urbanization means the trend towards more and more people living in urban areas.

Around the world cities are growing and rural communities are both aging and

shrinking.

Defining Urban

“Urban” has a variety of meanings. When most people think of urban, the image that

springs to mind is a huge city with millions of people. And in fact, these megacities

(usually defined as having more than 10 million people) are part of the world wide trend

towards urbanization. The world currently has 26 such megacities, most in developing

countries (Brinkhoff, 2011). In fact, of the world’s 10 biggest cities, only Tokyo, Seoul

and New York are found in countries traditionally thought of as developed (see figure 1).

Rank City Population (millions)

1 Tokyo (Japan) 35.6

2 Guangzhou (China) 32.2

3 Seoul (South Korea) 29.5

4 Delhi (India) 25.6

5 Bangkok (Thailand) 24.9

6 Mumbai (India) 23.3

7 Mexico City (Mexico) 22.8

8 New York City (USA) 22.2

9 Sao Paulo (Brazil) 20.8

10 Manila 20.1

Figure 1: The 10 largest cities in the world as of 2011 (Brinkhoff, 2011).

However, urban can also refer to smaller communities. Canada, for example, defines

urban as any community of 1000 people or more if the population density is over 400

people per square kilometer. In Israel a community is urban if it has more than 2000

people with less than 1/3 of them working in agriculture. In Botswana, the cut off line

for the designation of urban centers is 5000 people with more than 75% in

non-agriculture work (Marlatt, 2007). Although these definitions vary, the common

thread seems to be a minimum population size (or density) and the number of people

who are working on a farm.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

However urban is defined, it is clear that a move towards urbanization is a significant

trend around the world. More than half of the world’s population now lives in urban

areas (UN, 2005). For people from developed countries, where urbanization has been a

fact of life for a century or more, this does not seem to be a surprising figure. But as a

global trend, this is a fundamental change in how humanity lives.

References

Brinkhoff, T (2011). The Principal Agglomerations of the World. City Population,

http://www.citypopulation.de

Marlatt, C. (2007) Urbanization.

http://www.craigmarlatt.com/school/worldissues/people_moving_urbanization.pdf

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (2005). World Urbanization

Prospects.

http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/WUP2005/2005WUPHighlights_Exec_S

um.pdf

Summary – Use the space below to summarize the reading.

Independent Follow-up

1) What is Japan’s official definition of “urban”?

2) What percentage of Japan’s population is urbanized?

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Urbanization trends - Working with the Data

A) The following three paragraphs each describe one of the graphs on the following two

pages. Read the paragraphs and match the description to the graphs. Note: there is one

extra graph.

Figure 1 compares urbanization rates around the world and shows some

interesting trends. Firstly it is clear that the worldwide trend is towards more

urbanization. The number of people living in urban areas rose from 29% of the world

population in 1950 to 47% in 2000 and the UN predicts that it will reach 61% by 2030.

However, in different parts of the world, the pattern of urbanization has been and will

be different. In developed countries for example, over half of the population was already

living in urban areas by 1950 while Africa and Asia will not reach this point until early

in the 21st century. It is also interesting to note the rapid urbanization of Latin

American and the Caribbean. Despite having lower urbanization than the developed

world in 1950, these regions will be the most urbanized parts of the world by 2030.

Looking at figure 3 we can see the urbanization rates of major Asian countries

as of 2005. As expected, the city-states of Hong Kong and Singapore are 100% urbanized.

Other very urbanized countries include Australia at over 80% and Korea with 80% of its

population living in urban areas. Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines have a similar

rate of urbanization around 60%. Somewhat surprisingly, China and India are still very

rural. Both have less than 40% of their populations living in cities.

As we can see in figure 2, the world is experiencing a major demographic shift

towards urbanization. The population of the world has been growing steadily

throughout the 20th century and into the 21st. While both rural and urban populations

have been growing, urban areas have been growing faster. In fact, rural population

growth has slowed while urban populations continue to increase rapidly. In the first

decade of the 21st century, the world passed an important threshold. For the first time,

the urban population of the world is higher than the number of people living in rural

areas and this trend is expected to continue. By the middle of the 21st century, the UN

(2007) predicts that the rural population will be half the urban population. More than

2/3 of the human population will live in cities.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Figure _____: Urbanization ratios of selected Asian countries.

Figure _____: Trends in Urbanization by Region

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Source: UN Habitat, State of the World's Cities, 2006

Figure _____: Population Growth and Urbanization (1950 - 2030)

Source: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division 5. World Urbanization

Prospects: The 2007 Revision.

Figure _____: Urban vs. Rural Population Trends

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Part 1 - Urbanization

C) Writing a Data Commentary

Examples and tasks are based on these two figures.

Figure 1: Inflow of foreign workers

into Japan, in thousands (Sanchanta, 2010)

Figure 2: The number of foreign

residents as a percentage of the total

population for selected OECD

countries (Immigration in Japan,

2000)

Immigration in Japan: The door opens a crack. (2000, August 31). The Economist.

http://www.economist.com/node/354192

Sanchanta, M. (2010, November 14) Group appeals for overhaul of Japanese

immigration. The Wall Street Journal Online.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704526504575634151044954866.html

Preview - Talk to a partner about each figure. What trends do you see. What seems

significant to you?

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Starting - Introduce the figure / table.

Figure 1 shows … Looking at table 1, we can see …

compares … As we can see from table 1, …

gives … … is shown in table 1.

provides … … are given in figure 1.

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the number of foreign workers moving into Japan since 2000.

Figure 1 provides data on the number of foreign workers moving into Japan

since 2000.

The number of foreign workers moving into Japan since 2000 is shown in figure

1.

Figure 2

Describing a trend / pattern

… is rising / falling / growing / shrinking / etc. dramatically

… has risen / fallen by X% significantly

… has doubled / tripled gradually

… is expected to rise from X to Y in the next 10 years rapidly

X is larger / smaller/ half / X% larger / etc. than Y similarly

Figure 1

The number of foreign workers entering Japan has fallen. It rose gradually in

the first half of the decade and fell dramatically after that.

Japan now has fewer foreign workers. The number of foreign workers entering

Japan in 2008 was half that of 2004.

Foreign labor is becoming less common in Japan. The number of foreign

workers entering Japan in 2008 was considerably smaller than in 2000.

Figure 2

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Part 1 - Urbanization

D) Your turn - Use the space below to write a short description of the extra graph from

part A.

Independent Follow-up – Find a relevant graph. Print it and bring it, with your written

description (one paragraph) to class. Be sure to make a note of your source.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Asking Questions

Asking questions is a key part of university life. But some students feel like asking

questions means they don’t understand and that is somehow bad or their fault.

WRONG! Of course, sometimes you miss the point because you are sleepy or

daydreaming about your big date next weekend . But mostly, if you have a question,

other students are probably thinking about the same thing.

Top 5 Reasons to Ask Questions

1) Questions can help you understand things better.

2) Questions can help your classmates understand things better.

3) Questions help your teacher keep track of what you do and don’t follow. This helps

with lesson planning.

4) Questions can move the class discussion in new and interesting directions.

5) Questions help keep you awake .

When to Ask Questions

Q&A Time – Some teachers will have a set time at the end of class for questions.

After Class – You can ask teachers and classmates questions after class.

Interrupt – Raise your hand any time during the class.

Throughout this course, ask questions whenever

you want. Try to ask a variety of questions at

different levels.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Kinds of Questions to Ask

Repetition Could you go over that again?

Could you repeat what you said about OO?

Clarification I’m not sure I understood what you said about OO.

What did you mean when you said ….?

Expansion Can you give us another example of OO?

I’d like to hear more about OO.

Comparison How is OO different than OO?

How does this compare to OO?

Probing Can you be more specific about OO?

What is the connection between OO and OO?

Challenging If OO is true, then what about …

I’m not sure I agree. You said OO but I think …

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Reasons for Urbanization

A) Predicting: As we have seen, urbanization is a growing trend around the world

and more and more people are living in urban areas. Why is this trend growing?

You are going to listen to a short presentation on the reasons for growing urbanization.

What questions do you expect to hear the answers for?

Where is urbanization growing quickly?

B) Vocabulary Check: Check these terms with a partner. How do you think they are

relevant to the topic?

Industrialization

Sanitation

Agriculture

Population

Automation

Magnet

Standard of Living

Possible Reasons

for urbanization

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Part 1 - Urbanization

C) Reasons for Urbanization: Listen to the presentation and take notes here.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

D) Finding Support: Each of these charts or graphs can be used to support one or

more points from the presentation. For each, write a brief (1 or 2 sentences)

description of the information. Then, match each to a point from the

presentation.

1)

Intermedia. (2010) Audience Scapes: The Inter Media Knowledge Center.

Retrieved from http://www.audiencescapes.org

2)

Intermedia. (2010) Audience Scapes: The Inter Media Knowledge Center.

Retrieved from http://www.audiencescapes.org

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Part 1 - Urbanization

3) 4)

Agriculture and Agri-food Canada. (2008). Special Features: Schifferes, S. (2007).

Census of Agriculture Summary. Retrieved from http:// BBC News. Globalizing

www4.agr.gc.ca/AAFC-AAC/display-afficher.do?id= the car industry.

1205766026093&lang=eng Retrievd from

http://news.bbc.co.uk/

2/hi/business/6346325.stm

5) Kenya’s Projected Population Growth

Fengler, W. (2011). Africa can end poverty. Why do Kenyan's want to live in cities. Retrieved from

http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/why-do-kenyans

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Part 1 - Urbanization

6) Access to Safe Drinking Water in Selected Regions

World Resources Institute. (2009). Earth Trends. Sanitation: Access and health. Retrieved from

http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/359

7)

Jing, F. (2010) The China Daily. Urban-rural income gap widest since reform. Retrieved

from www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-03/02/content_9521611.htm

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Part 1 - Urbanization

E) Supporting Ideas in Writing- Look at the following example. Can you see any

mistakes or problems?

1) One reason for the rise in urbanization is improvements in transportation

which make it easier to travel. In developing countries more people now own

their own cars.

- -

- -

One reason for the rise in urbanization is improvements in transportation which

make it easier to travel. For instance, in developing countries, such as China and

India, the rate of personal car ownership is expected to rise dramatically in the

next 30 years.

2) Another pull factor is access to healthcare and other important services. All

around the world, urban areas have better access to sanitation than rural areas

do.

Add 4 more examples of your own combining an idea from the presentation with

support from the graphs pp. 16-18.

3)

4)

5)

6)

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Part 1 - Urbanization

F) Combine your presentation notes and support from the graphs to write a short

(less than 1 page) description of reasons for the rise in urbanization. Add original

evidence if necessary.

_______________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________________________

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Part 1 - Urbanization

G) Citing Sources

Read these examples of linking ideas and evidence. Compare them to the previous

examples. What is new?

One reason for the rise in urbanization is improvements in transportation which make

it easier to travel. For instance, in developing countries, such as China and India, the

rate of personal car ownership is expected to rise dramatically in the next 30 years

(Schifferes, 2007).

Another pull factor is access to healthcare and other important services. As we can see

in figure 5, in most parts of the world, excluding North America, urban areas have

better access to clean drinking water than rural areas do (World Resources Institute, 2009).

Look at your own description of the causes of urbanization (p.20). Where should you add

citations?

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Part 1 - Urbanization

The Effects of Urbanization

A) How does a high level of urbanization influence a country’s society and

development? Make some notes here.

B) Read the following paragraphs about the impact of urbanization. Do you notice

any significant differences between the two paragraphs?

Rapid urbanization is known to have many negative consequences for the new

urban populations. In countries where urbanization happens quickly, housing is a

problem. Rural migrants arrive in urban centers but find that there is no suitable

housing available. This leads to the development of slums. Around the world, 100

million urban poor are homeless and another billion are living in inadequate housing.

Health is a related factor. Due to inadequate housing and crowding, infectious diseases

spread very easily in urban slums. The urban poor are also at risk from pollution and

poor sanitation. Violence and crime are also a problem among newly urbanized

populations around the world.

Experts suggest that rapid urbanization is connected to several

negative consequences for new urban populations. In countries where urbanization

happens quickly, housing may be a problem. Rural migrants can arrive in urban centers

but find that there is little suitable housing available. This can contribute to the

development of slums. Around the world, as many as 100 million urban poor are

homeless and perhaps another billion are living in inadequate housing. Health can also

be a related factor. Due to inadequate housing and crowding, infectious diseases tend to

spread very easily in urban slums. The urban poor may also face a potential risk from

pollution and poor sanitation. Violence and crime may also be an issue among newly

urbanized populations around the world

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Hedging and Uncertainty

Hedging - In the example paragraphs on page 16, the 2nd paragraph seems much less

certain. The writer is expressing things more hesitantly. This is known as hedging and

is very common in academic writing. Writers often hedge their ideas as a common part

of the academic writing style. There are five main reasons for this.

Show confidence – Hedging can show when the writer does not have complete

confidence that their ideas are correct. Or, when an idea is not hedged, it can

show that the writer is confident.

Avoid certainty – There is always a possibility that later research will show that

your ideas are incorrect. By avoiding certainty, you can more easily update your

ideas later.

Avoid conflict – When your ideas are hedged, it is harder for people to disagree

with you.

Avoid generalizations – Most research and academic writing cannot be said to be

true for all cases. Academic writers have to avoid overstating their ideas.

Create distance – Academic writers often like to create a sense of distance

between themselves and the ideas they are writing about.

It is not necessary to hedge everything you write. In some cases, you will be sure of the

information and then there is no need to hedge. But it is a good idea to get used to

hedging your interpretations or conclusions.

Hedging Techniques – Academic writers hedge their ideas in several different ways.

Think about how you might hedge this example sentence. Write down some possibilities

here.

Urbanization causes social problems.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Compare your sample hedges to the techniques below.

Hedging verbs seem, tend, look like,

appear to be, think,

Urbanization tends to cause social

problems.

Connecting verbs believe, assume,

suggest, indicate

Examples from around the world indicate

that urbanization causes social problems.

Modal verbs: will, must, would,

may, might, could

Urbanization may cause social problems.

Adverbs of frequency often, sometimes,

usually

Urbanization often causes social

problems.

Other adverbs certainly, definitely,

clearly, probably,

possibly, perhaps,

conceivably,

Urbanization conceivably causes social

problems.

Nouns assumption,

possibility,

probability

There is an assumption that urbanization

causes social problems.

Adjectives clear possible

probable

likely

It is likely that urbanization causes social

problems.

Word choice Urbanization contributes to social issues.

Look back at the second example paragraph on page 17. Can you find an example of

each kind of hedging in that example?

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Benefits of Urbanization

Use the following notes on the benefits of urbanization to write a paragraph. Be sure to

hedge appropriately.

• Efficiency - Less effort is needed for basic services

More people accommodated in a small land area.

• Convenience - Access to education, health, social services and cultural activities

Sophisticated and comfortable life

Advanced communication and transport networks

• Social integration - People live and work together

• Economics - Industries develop

- Hub for trade and business

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Reading – Urbanization in China

Vocabulary Check - Match the words and phrases with similar meanings.

Reading A - Urbanization strains China cities

Plagued by Rise quickly

Teeming Use up

Boost Have a major problem

Deplete Uncertain / unsteady

Volatile Crowded

Peasant Government officials

Revenue Rural resident / farmer

Burgeon Hope for the future

Authorities Income

Expectation Grow

Reading B - China’s rapid urbanization could prove illusory

Illusory Able to continue

Sustainable Very important

Momentous False

Bullish Rural resident / farmer

Peasant Optimistic

Hereditary Wanted

Millennia Chinese currency

Renminbi Passed from parents to children

Desirable Cancel

Abolish 1000 years

Preview

What do you already know about urbanization in China. Make some notes here.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Reading A - Urbanization strains China cities

The southwestern megacity of Chongqing is bursting at the seams as authorities

struggle to keep pace with its rapidly growing urban population — a situation seen

repeatedly across the vast country of 1.3 billion people. Lifelong resident Zhou Dechong,

80, says he is stunned by the speed of development in the teeming metropolis which,

like many Chinese cities, is plagued by chronic traffic jams, dirty air and the deafening

sound of jackhammers. “In every aspect, the pace of development has been very fast,”

Zhou said.

More than 350 million people are expected to move to Chinese towns and cities

in the coming years, boosting the country’s urban population to 1 billion by 2030,

according to a report by consultancy firm McKinsey & Co. The unprecedented

urbanization will more than double the number of cities with 1 million residents to 221

and require the construction of 5 million buildings, including 50,000 skyscrapers —

equivalent to 10 New Yorks, it said.

The staggering expansion is putting an enormous strain on China’s already

depleted natural resources and could trigger more social unrest as millions of people

leave the countryside to live in densely populated urban areas. “There’s going to be more

volatility and uncertainty,” said Jonathan Woetzel, a Shanghai-based director for

McKinsey. “Urbanization essentially picks you up and moves you to a place where you

don’t know anybody, nor do you have as many formal rights as you would have had in

your previous residence.” It means living closely with “with other people who they have

never met and literally don’t share a common language with, nor do they have the same

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Part 1 - Urbanization

sense of rights and responsibilities,” Woetzel said.

University of Sydney professor Lu Duanfang said the massive human migration

would also have “huge ecological implications” as valuable farmland near urban areas is

used for high-rise buildings and demand for energy and water soars. “As more peasants

convert to the modern urban living style, it will cost more energy” as more people use

microwaves and washing machines, said Lu — a specialist in architecture, design and

planning.

Land sales — a key source of revenue for cash-strapped local governments —

also threaten China’s food security by reducing the area available for growing crops and

grazing animals needed to feed the world’s most populous country. Demand for

resources is likely to double, while air pollution — already severe in many cities — could

reach “critical levels” without further investment in green technology, the McKinsey

report said.

The burgeoning urban population has sparked a nationwide building boom as

China spends billions of dollars developing new cities, power plants, roads, high-speed

rail networks and airports to accommodate the masses. Authorities — anxious about

the widening wealth gap — have pledged to reform the controversial household

registration system so migrants can access public services such as health insurance and

free education when they relocate. After 30 years of rapid growth, Chinese cities such as

Beijing and Shanghai are starting to groan under the strain of populations of more than

20 million.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

However, analysts say the key to successful urbanization will be maintaining

the country’s rapid economic growth — a blistering 9.7 percent in the first quarter this

year — so enough jobs can be created for the new urban dwellers. “China is very much

an -expectations-driven environment — as long as people feel like it is getting better,

then the base for fundamental social stability is there,” Woetzel said. “If you are out of

work for a long period, you lose the expectation of things getting better.” Lu agreed,

saying, “As long as the growth rate is high, it doesn’t matter how many are moving into

the cities. Density itself is not a problem; what matters is whether the economy can

sustain itself.”

So far, the government has done “pretty well” moving more than 300 million

people into urban areas in the past three decades, said Paul Kriss, a World Bank urban

specialist based in Beijing. “You don’t see the major slums like you see in India, Cairo or

Lagos or in South America,” Kriss said. “Having said that, they do have mega

challenges.”

Adapted from the Taipei Times June 27, 2011

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2011/06/27/2003506770/1

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Reading B - China’s rapid urbanization could prove illusory

China’s economic development “suffers from a serious lack of balance,

co-ordination and sustainability”. Those are not the words of an ultra-bearish hedge

fund manager. They come from a speech delivered three weeks ago by Chinese President

Hu Jintao and they show that the ruling Communist Party understands better than

anyone the momentous challenges it faces in managing the world’s second-largest

economy.

It is always strange to hear foreign analysts and fund managers who are far

more bullish on China than the people who run it but with developed markets engulfed

in various crises, the Chinese economy has become the great hope for much of the rest of

the world.

Central to the bullish argument is an almost religious belief in the power of

Chinese urbanization. When China bulls are asked who they think is going to buy all the

shiny new apartments springing up across the country, the inevitable answer is all those

newly urbanized peasant farmers.

On paper, China has experienced rapid urbanization over the past two decades,

with the portion of the population living in cities leaping from 26.4 per cent in 1990 to

49.7 per cent last year. Over that time, more than 270 million rural residents moved into

urban areas, an average of about 13 million a year. But what these figures don’t tell you

is that more than 150 million of those people are still regarded as members of the

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Part 1 - Urbanization

“floating population” and their movement into the cities is actually easily reversible

urbanization.

One major barrier to them settling down permanently is China’s “hukou” or

“household registration” system, which grants hereditary residence rights and classes

all citizens as either urban or rural. Under this system, rural migrants mostly have no

access to urban services, including healthcare, education, pensions or other social

security benefits and these days they are mostly not allowed to buy property in the big

cities even if they could afford it. They live in dormitories, shanty towns or other

temporary housing and they have little stake in the new cities they have helped to build.

The hukou system has been a key ingredient in China’s economic model, by

creating an underclass to provide the cheap labour that fuels rapid growth. Despite

government talk of reforming and loosening the hukou system it has actually been

getting stricter in big overcrowded cities, which refuse to hand out hukou permits to all

but the most desirable, well-educated and wealthy residents.

In China, the state officially owns all land and in the countryside it is very

difficult for peasant farmers to sell or trade the family plots they lease from the

government or the local collective. This means that rural migrants retain strong links to

the land and if they lose their jobs they are unlikely to hang around in the cities and

instead return to till their fields, which provide their ultimate social safety net.

Chinese policymakers have nightmares about what would happen if they were to

abolish the hukou system and privatize land in the countryside. They point out that the

only reason China doesn’t have huge populations of landless peasants flooding the cities

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Part 1 - Urbanization

and living in slums (as seen in most other large developing country like India, Indonesia,

Brazil etc.) is because they retain tight control over this two-tier social structure.

At the same time, thanks to policies introduced by Mr. Hu and his

administration over the last decade, life in the countryside is nowhere near as bad as it

used to be. In the past few years, the government has cancelled the millennia-old

agriculture tax, improved social services for rural areas and poured hundreds of billions

of renminbi into developing rural infrastructure.

Labour shortages are already showing up in key manufacturing regions as rural

citizens choose to stay home rather than migrate to find dirty and dangerous work in the

factory boomtowns.

China’s urbanization rate is still roughly at the same level as that in the U.S. a

hundred years ago and it is likely that it will go up over the long term. But this process

will not match the straight-line graphs so beloved of bullish analysts and investors and

continued urbanization relies heavily on some very difficult policy decisions that Beijing

is currently unwilling to make.

Adapted from The Globe and Mail July 20, 2011

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/international-news/global-exchange/fi

nancial-times/chinas-rapid-urbanization-could-prove-illusory/article2103551/

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Reading Summary

Reading: A /B Title:

One Sentence Summary:

Summary Key Vocabulary

Connections: How does this topic connect to other class materials, things you have

learned elsewhere, etc. ?

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Independent Follow Up

Look into some other aspect of urbanization in China.

Title / Source:

One Sentence Summary:

Summary Key Vocabulary

Connections: How does this topic connect to other class materials, things you have

learned elsewhere, etc. ?

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

This is an important question for university students to think about. On the surface it

seems like a simple question but if you look a little deeper, it gets complicated.

Most expert definitions of plagiarism agree on a few common points. Bailey for example

says that “plagiarism is using another person's ideas or research without

acknowledgement” (2003, p7). This is the key component of most definitions of

plagiarism – using the ideas of another person without saying where they came from.

For students, and others working in academic fields, plagiarism is very serious. Leki

(2002) goes so far as to say that plagiarism should be considered a kind of stealing.

When students use ideas without acknowledging the source, they are stealing those

ideas. On most university campuses this has very serious consequences.

Many students believe that a little plagiarism is not such a bad thing. The feeling of

“everybody does it” is fairly common. In fact, one study of North American university

students showed that as many as 80% of students felt that they would either not be

caught or not be severely punished if they plagiarized (What is Plagiarism?, n.d.). But

actually, there are three main reasons that plagiarism is wrong.

1. Honesty – If you use ideas that are not yours you are simply being dishonest. You

are giving your teacher an essay, report or other piece of work that you did not write

and hoping to get a grade for it.

2. Respect – Using someone’s ideas without acknowledgement shows a lack of respect

for the work of the original researcher or author. You may also lose the respect of

teachers and classmates if you

are guilty of plagiarism.

3. Education – In most cases,

plagiarized work is done

without thinking a lot about

the topic. If you copy others’

ideas, you are not really

learning about the topic. You

are also not learning how to

think and write about the topic. (www.blaugh.com)

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Part 1 - Urbanization

How can I Avoid Plagiarism?

The simple answer to this question is – do your own work. But that doesn’t mean

everything needs to be completely original. All academic work is based on the ideas of

others. Using other peoples’

ideas can support your own

thinking and can put your ideas

in context in the wider academic

community. However, when you

use other’s ideas, there are a few

things to keep in mind. First,

use multiple sources so you are

not leaning too much on one

person’s ideas. Second, be sure

that you are using ideas from

your sources that you really

understand and are

synthesizing into your own

ideas. And most importantly,

cite your sources. Many, many

cases of plagiarism happen by

accident when students forget to

cite their sources or make a

mistake and cite them

incorrectly. In fact, some experts even say that the main reason for citing sources is

avoiding plagiarism (Hartley, 2008).

Is it Plagiarism? – A Quiz

In this quiz, you will have a chance to think about some common things students do. In

each case, you have to decide if it is plagiarism or not. If you think it is plagiarism, what

should the student do differently?

(http://www.pyrczak.com/antiplagiarism/)

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Part 1 - Urbanization

1) You are really busy and don’t have enough time to finish all of your homework. So

you ask a friend to write your Economics report for you. When your friend finishes,

you put your name on the file and send it to the teacher.

2) Your history teacher gives you an assignment to write about the Maya Empire. Last

year, you wrote an essay about the Maya for another class. You add a few new things

to the essay and send it to your History teacher.

3) You are writing a paper in your second language and you are having trouble finding

a good way to express an idea. Your source says what you want to say nicely so you

copy the sentence into your paper.

4) You are writing a paper in your second language and you are having trouble getting

your ideas on paper. You decide to write the paper in your first language and use an

online translator to make the final version.

5) You are giving a group presentation. You don’t have time to prepare a script so on

the day of the presentation, your group mate gives you a script to read.

6) You find a great source that says everything you want to say so you use that source

as the basis of your paper. You cite the source and paraphrase it.

7) You are writing a paper in your second language. You find a great source that says

everything you want to say but it is in your first language. You summarize the

source and translate it for your paper.

8) You are writing a paper and you find some good information on line. You copy three

paragraphs from one source and four from another into your paper and then

paraphrase them a bit. You cite the sources.

References

Bailey, S. (2003). Academic writing: A practical guide for students. New York: Routledge

Leki, I. (2002) Academic writing: Exploring processes and strategies. Cambridge:CUP.

Hartley, J. (2008) Academic writing and publishing: A practical guide. New York:

Routledge

What is Plagiarism? (n.d.) Retrieved July 15, 2008, from

<http://www.plagiarism.org/learning_center/what_is_plagiarism.html>

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Understanding Relationships Between Ideas

In academic writing (and thinking) it is important to understand how ideas can be

connected together. It helps you understand others' ideas and express your own ideas

more clearly. Some common patterns are:

Restatement Refutation Chronology

Expansion Explanation Example

Comparison Detail Solution

Contrast Reason Result

A) Looking at the following examples, what connections between ideas can you see.

1. Urbanization has been progressing rapidly in developing countries all around the

world. This has lead to rising GDP in most cases.

2. Canada has been largely urbanized for a long time. By 1950 over half of the

population was in urban areas.

3. In developed countries the difficult transition of urbanization occurred during

between 200 and 50 years ago. On the other hand, in developing countries it is

happening now.

4. China's urbanization rate is expected to grow rapidly over the next few decades.

Likewise, India's population will become predominately urban.

5. The transition from a rural to urban population can be difficult for a nation.

Countries can experience many problems during the change.

6. While some say urbanization leads to economic growth and prosperity, others point

to the rise of slums and the urban poor.

7. In Europe, the rise of urbanization was tied directly to the industrial revolution.

8. Rural people are often pulled into urban areas by the promise of access to services.

In Kenya for instance, clean drinking water and electricity are much more

commonly available in cities.

9. In the 2nd half of the 20th century, Asia urbanized rather slowly. Urbanization

rates are expected to be much higher in the first half of the 21st century.

10. The single greatest demographic trend in the world today is urbanization - the

process of a population shifting from a rural to urban lifestyle.

B) Look again at the examples. Underline any transition words or phrases that help you

understand the connection between ideas.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

C) Look at the following ideas. Can you find links between them?

Urbanization in

Africa is mainly

being driven by

push factors.

In Asia, urbanization is the result

of a balance of push and pull factors.

In the west, rapid urbanization happened

from the time of the industrial revolution

up to the end of WWII.

In North America,

the rate of

urbanization is now

relatively stable.

In Mexico, 70% of the population

lives in towns and cities.

Conflicts and rural poverty are forcing

people out of their traditional rural

homelands.

In many developing

countries, the

urbanization rates are

very high.

Urbanization has

been shown to result

in an overall rise in

per capita GDP.

Some people argue that

rapid urbanization leads to

poverty, exploitation and

poor living conditions.

D) Write down the ideas that fit together. Add a transition word or phrase if necessary.

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Part 1 - Urbanization

Urbanization Project

Outline: Students will work with a group to make a

presentation about urbanization.

Subject: Urbanization

Contents: Groups choose a country which has

experienced significant urbanization.

Prepare a well-organized presentation

profiling the country.

The profile should include information about:

- the extent of urbanization

- the timing / pace of urbanization

- reasons / triggers for urbanization

- effects of urbanization

- etc.

The profile should apply general information from class materials to a

specific case.

All information should be properly cited (following the APA format).

The presentation should be 10-12 minutes long.

Assessment: Grades will be based on preparation, organization and delivery of the

presentation as well as the quality of information and the level of

critical thinking shown.

Schedule: Project assigned, groups chosen

Groups choose topic

Research and preparation

Outline due

Presentations