AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY                   CAESAR III PROJECT


I.    Rationale

The study of Urban Geography deals with several key concepts: the origin and evolution of cities, the functional character of contemporary cities, built environment and social space, and models of urban systems.  It is in the latter that this project deals with.  Students will conceive their idea of a perfect urban development, put their plan into practice, adjust it, readjust it, and evaluate its success.


II.   Instructional Objectives

Students will:

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Determine the significant characteristics of the "place" of their city.
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Describe a region in terms of culture, physical features, trade, industry.
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List reasons why their city's structure complemented or detracted from its effectiveness.
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Understand that human actions modify the physical environment.
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Analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on the Earth's surface.
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Describe the resemblance of their city to actual geographic urban models.
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Gain an awareness of the characteristics, distribution, and movement of human populations on Earth's surface.
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Recognize the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface.


III. Materials and Equipment

Handouts: Caesar III Project Guide
Video Game: Caesar III, Sierra Entertainment, Inc., Tips and Basic Information


IV. Instructional Procedures

(Time Required: Four to Five Class Periods.)

Part One: Begin Playing

Step 1 - Mac: All students will bring in their laptops, insert the Caesar III CD, then drag the "Caesar III Mac" folder onto the desktop (or selected folder). When it is finished downloading, open the folder, then drag the "Caesar III Setup.exe" file onto the "Caesar III" application (this loads the game). Wait for the game to load up; a message should say "checking file integrity, please wait". A message box should show up entitled "Setup - Caesar 3". Click the box at the bottom so it is checked, then click "Start Installation", click "Yes", then "Launch". Note: you will need to repeat this process each time you want to play (aside from downloading the folder from the CD). To begin playing, select Start a New Career and follow the tutorial for the first two campaigns.  The basics of the game will be explained.

Step 1 - PC:    All students will bring in their laptops, insert the Caesar III CD, then fully install the game (do not install anything other than Caesar III).  If the game starts, exit out.  Go to the Units folder on my Schoology site, go to Semester 2, and download the file called CRCAESAR.EXE.  Drag this file into the game directory folder (i.e., C:\Impressions Games\Caesar3) and you will no longer need the CD!  To begin playing, re-open Caesar III, then select Start a New Career and follow the tutorial for the first two campaigns.  The basics of the game will be explained.

Step 2:

The first draft of your city map is due. After you have completed the first two tutorials go to File and select New Game.  Go to City Construction Kit and select Londinium (London, England).  Once you begin working on your city, go under Options, Difficulty, and turn the God’s Effects to Off (your version of the game may not require this step).  You should begin designing your city by providing water, food, roads, and plenty of space for immigrants before building other structures.  Be sure to familiarize yourself with the different structures and buildings.  Also, experiment with different designs for your city blocks.  Keep track of which designs produce the best results with the highest degree of efficiency.

    Save the game and exit approximately five minutes before the end of the period.  CDs must be returned to the teacher (the CDs are school property).  To save the game to your hard drive go to the C: Drive - Program Files - Impressions Games – Caesar III, and look for the name you saved your city under (the file will end in .sav)  Your game’s name must be a combination of your name and your partner’s (e.g. JoeShmo.sav).  Click on the file and drag it onto your desktop.

Part Two: Advanced City Design

Step 3:     All students will bring two copies of their final city maps (one for individual use, and one for the teacher).  This city plan must contain elements of any THREE of the following urban models discussed in the course: Central Place Theory, Concentric Zone, Sector, Multiple Nuclei, Peripheral (Galactic City), Urban Realms, Latin American City, Southeast Asian City, and/or Sub-Saharan African City.  All major areas must be labeled, and each map must contain at least a one-paragraph explanation of its design.  The map must be detailed, showing the location of your CBD (or microdistrict, or port zone, etc.), as well as any hinterlands, manufacturing districts, or other important sections (your final city may look vastly different from this and it will be imperative to explain why). Students must be prepared to discuss the fundamentals of the game and compare the simulation with the urban models discussed in human geography as well as the real world.

    After the maps have been handed in, students may begin implementing their urban designs in Caesar III.  Students must document the progress for their cities during and after every session for an accurate and well-designed paper.  Have fun!!

Step 4:      Final city design - you must complete all the requirements of the project (see Section V - Assessment).


V.  Assessment

Final Objective:   To create a thriving city with a population of at least 2,000 citizens and 3,000 denarii in your vaults.  To receive an “A” on this assignment, you must successfully complete the previous requirements in addition to submitting a thorough paper.  You must keep track of your city’s progress each day.  The day’s date as well as important additions, problems, alterations, or other key areas of your city must be documented as well.   You must include the vocabulary listed throughout the paper itself.  All vocabulary terms must be bold, underlined, and italicized when used in the paper.  When you have reached the final requirements for your city, you must create a new map displaying your final city plan.  Email your final saved city to me via First Class.

The essential elements of the paper:
1)  Describe the city’s original design plan, referencing actual urban models.
2)  Discuss the city's development.  Include key events or alterations
3)  Compare and contrast TWO aspects of the design of your initial city plan and the final result. Explain why they are different (or why they are similar).
4)  The final analysis.  Was the city design successful?  Why or why not?

One small suggestion:  Remember this is an AP assignment.  Write your paper using appropriate geographic analysis.  Below is a simple example of applying geography to the game:

Clay Pit
ClayPit


Removing clay from the earth is a primary economic activity.  The clay pit belongs to the extractive sector of the city.  This work is highly manual and requires lower-class workers.

Pottery Workshop
Pottery

Converting clay into pottery is a secondary economic activity.  The pottery workshop is part of the city's manufacturing sector.  Laborers in this workshop are part of the basic sector of the city's economic base. 

Market
Market

Manufacturing clay into pottery provides no flow of money without selling it for profit.  The market distributes goods to the people, which is a tertiary economic activity.  The market is part of the service, and nonbasic sectors of the city. 

VI.  Vocabulary:  These terms and concepts MUST be addressed in your paper.  Any term used in the paper must be bold, underlined, and italicized.  Terms in italics (below) are optional.

agglomeration (and deglomeration)

central business district (CBD)

cityscape

commercialization

disamenity sector / periferico

economic activity (primary, secondary, tertiary)

edge city / suburban node / “mall”

employment structure (basic/nonbasic sectors)

entertainment / theocratic center

functional specialization

gentrification / rehabilitation

hinterland (market area, suburb)

mercantile or manufacturing city

microdistrict / port zone

primate city

site and situation

squatter settlement / informal satellite townships/barrios

suburbanization / sprawl

urban elite

urban function (of people and buildings)

urban model (Concentric Zone, Latin American, …)

urban morphology

zone of transition / inner city

zoning