Assignment 1a - Diffusion, disease, and spatial organization of Cholera in 19th c. America

Due date: Week Four - Friday at 1:00 pm. Late assignments will not be accepted.

Assessment: 100 points or 10% of grade

Hand in: Analysis of the diffusion of cholera in 1832, 1849, and 1866.

Materials needed: Maps of the spread of cholera in North America in 1832, 1849, and 1866 ( in your textbook p. 46) and research on modes of transportation and population movements during these time periods. Materials that may be useful include, a map of US waterways (rivers and canals); a US map showing location of towns and cities and information on existing transportation networks and population movements during the years 1832, 1849, and 1866.

Exercise:

Write a paragraph (one for each year) explaining the spread of cholera in North America in 1832, 1849, and 1866. Your analysis should include:

point or points of origin of the disease in North America (i.e. US and Canada)

the diffusion type (contagious and/or hierarchical) for each year and

the diffusion path, i.e. the route taken by the disease (taking into account major modes of transportation and population movements during that time), explaining why you think the disease followed that particular path.



This assignment was originally written by Purba Fernandez

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