In the Fall 2003 semester, the Geography 3050-North America class broke up into groups to examine a social problem in Louisiana from a geographical perspective. The problems included poverty, homelessness, HIV-AIDS, child abuse, outmigration, drug and alcohol abuse, and crime. The students presented their projects on December 4, 2003, to students in the Geography 1010,1020, and 2010 classes. These students rated the quality of the projects based on use of maps, use of data, quality of handouts, and other criteria. Many of the projects effectively highlighted the spatial distributions of some of Louisiana's most significant social problems. Overall, the project was a success and the class learned something about the problems facing the state.

Students from Geography 1010,1020, and 2010 check out some of the projects

Students checking out some of the projects

The project on Outmigration from Louisiana was an excellent effort

The group that looked at unemployment gave a particularly spirited presentation

The group that studied poverty in Louisiana did an excellent job

The group that looked at divorce was very energetic and interested in their topic

The project on Infant Mortality utilized maps and graphs well

The Geography 3050 class enjoyed learning about Louisiana's problems and
many seemed interested in searching for solutions