Helping undergraduate college geography students understand the processes and forces which, in the name of modernization, continue to intensify a world spatial disequilibrium in the relations of people and resources is the purpose of this resource paper. It presents current ideas in social science research on modernization and development with…

Describes a long-term, Arizona field project that allows students to collect and analyze regional economic data and to apply theoretical techniques and applications. Discusses the history and evolution of the project that generally involves a series of economic base surveys and reports on small rural communities. (MJP)