Alexis Hollingsworth
UNIV
3925
January
18, 2016
Research Assignment 1
1. Geography: Before you travel to another country and/or interact
with people from another country, you should know something about the
country's geography, such as where the major cities are, what other
countries it borders, if it is flat or mountainous, if it is surrounded by
water, etc.
Visit the U.S. Department of State’s “Country Information”
webpage on the country or countries associated with your project.
- Copy and paste
the map of the country here. If you are planning to visit more than one
country, or if you're working with people from more than one country, find
a detailed map that includes all of those countries (Europe, Asia, South
America, etc.), and copy and paste that map here.
· What is the name of the
country's capital city (or the countries' capital cities)?
· Berlin, Germany;
Bern, Switzerland; and Paris, France
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· What other countries
and/or oceans border the country?
· Austria, Belgium,
and Italy are just a few of the many countries that border Germany,
Switzerland, and France
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· Briefly describe
notable physical features of the country: what are the major
mountains, rivers, lakes, deserts, forests, etc.?
· The Alps alone
range across eight different countries including the three I will be
visiting. The Black Forest in Germany is also right on the border of
Switzerland and France. The Rhine is a river that begins near the Swiss Alps
and goes through both Germany and France.
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2. Safety: Levels of
safety vary from country to country and city to city. Before you travel abroad,
you should be aware of how your safety and security might be affected so that
you can take appropriate precautions. If you are not traveling abroad, you
should be aware of the safety and security issues affecting the people you're
interacting with, and their family and friends in their native land.
A. Visit the U.S. Department of State webpages “Travel
Warnings: More” and “Travel Alerts: More” to see if the country (or countries)
associated with your EDGE project is on the Travel Warning list or the Travel
Alert list.
· Is the
country/countries on the Travel Warning list?
· Is the
country/countries on the Travel Alert list?
· If you answered
"yes" to either question, and you wish to travel to the country to
complete your EDGE project, you must contact Dr. Kurt Harris at harrisk@suu.edu for further instructions.
Otherwise, your EDGE project will not be approved.
B. Read the entire U.S. Department of State “Country
Information” webpage on the country (or countries) associated with your
project.
· Describe in
approximately 50 words the most dangerous aspects of visiting or living in that
country (or countries) according to the Department of State.
· The most dangerous
part of being in any of the areas I will be, is the threat of terrorist
attacks on the European nations that have opened their borders to Syrian
refugees, which Germany, France and Switzerland have all done.
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3. Travel Documents: Americans
traveling outside the U.S. will definitely need a passport, and sometimes they
also need a visa. Similarly, visitors to the U.S. have to go through a
documentation and customs process so that they are permitted to enter the U.S.
Indicate here the sources of your
information by copying and pasting the URLs of the webpages where you found
your information:
A. Respond to the following questions about U.S. passports:
· Where does an
American go to get a U.S. passport?
·
You can apply online or go to a passport agency.
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· How much does it cost
to get a U.S. passport?
· How long does it take
to get a U.S. passport?
B. Respond to the following questions about visas:
· If you are
traveling abroad, will you need to apply for a visa to enter the
country/countries you plan to visit? Explain briefly why or why not.
· None of the
countries I am going to require you to apply for a visa unless you stay for
longer than 90 days.
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· If you are not
traveling abroad, did the people you will be interacting with need to get a
visa to come to the U.S.? Explain briefly why or why not.
4. Political: Nearly all
Americans know who their political leaders are, and most people around the
world know who America's political leaders are, but what do you know about the
leaders of other countries?
Indicate here the sources of your
information by copying and pasting the URLs of the webpages where you found
your information:
A. Respond in one or two sentences: Who is currently the
political leader of the country or countries? (If the country has more than one
leader, such as a president and a king or a president and a prime minister—or
some other combination of leaders—please list the top two or three leaders here
and explain who has the most political power.)
Angela
Merkel us the current Chancellor of Germany and also possibly the most
powerful woman in the world at the moment. Francois Hollande is the current
president of France. He responded on TV after the Paris bombings at the end
of last year. Switzerland was the only one I wasn’t sure about. They are run
by the Swiss Confederation, a seven member Federal Council. The current
president of the Swiss Confederation is Johann Schneider-Ammann.
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B. Respond in one or two sentences: When did that person
become the political leader, and what was the process by which the leader came
to power? (For example, your response might be that she was elected in November
2011 because she received the most popular votes, or he was the leader of the
army that took over the government in a political coup in June 2010, etc.)
Angela
Merkel assumed office in 2005 following a federal election. Francois Hollande
was elected in 2012. Johann Schneuder-Ammann was is only the president for
2016 because the president of the Swiss council is only in office for one
year.
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C. In approximately 50 words, describe the political
institutions of the country. (For example, does the country’s government have
executive, legislative, and judicial branches, as the U.S. does? Does the
country have political parties? Are governmental leaders elected or are they
appointed by someone? Who makes the laws? Are women allowed to be political
leaders? Are women allowed to vote? How long has the current political
structure been in place? Does the country have a constitution? When did the
country earn its independence?)
Germany
is a republic with a parliamentary democracy. The Swiss government is a 3
branch democracy, but their executive branch is run by a council of seven
members rather than one individual president. France’s government is a bit
complicated because there are a lot of layers to the system. The first layer
is the national government which is a bicameral parliament. All three
countries allow women to be political leaders and to vote. All three
countries have political parties and elected leaders.
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5. Economics: Money affects
the daily lives of everyone. But how people earn and exchange it can vary
greatly from country to country, region to region, and social class to social
class.
Indicate here the sources of your
information by copying and pasting the URLs of the webpages where you found
your information:
A. What is the unit of currency used in the country
associated with your EDGE project, and what is the exchange rate with the U.S.
dollar today?
France
and Germany are both part of the EU and use the Euro, which is currently
worth $1.09. Switzerland uses the Swiss Franc, which is currently worth
$0.99.
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B. Provide a comparative cost of at least three of the
following items:
Item
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Cost
in the U.S. (in U.S. dollars)
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Cost
in [Germany] (in U.S. dollars)
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Loaf
of bread
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$2.31
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$1.38
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New
schoolbook
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$100.00
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$91.73
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New
pair of jeans
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$41.78
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$65.35
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iPad
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$599
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$633.97
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McDonald's
Big Mac
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$7.00
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$4.47
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Starbucks
tall latte
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$3.75
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$4.33
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Apartment
rent/month
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$1,156.87
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$872.11
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Bottle of
water
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$1.76
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$4.36
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