GEO 101 World Human Geography
Spring 2011
Syllabus

About World Human Geography

Geography studies the Earth, its people and environments.  It asks “Where?”, “Why?” and “How?” questions about the physical environment, society, culture, politics, and the economy. Where are phenomena located and why? Why does location matter? How have societies modified the physical environment and what effect has that had on both the environment and society?  How do people understand their relationship with the environment?  What places do people value and why?  Moreover, the kinds of questions that geography seeks to answer are directly relevant to some of the largest challenges we face as a society in the 21^st century.  How will we respond to the challenge of global warming?  How do we resolve and prevent geopolitical conflicts, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan among others? How can we effectively confront racism and its spatial expression as segregation? How can we most effectively use our limited natural resources to feed the world’s people?  How can we design cities that provide for a good quality of life, opportunities for all, and that are environmentally sustainable? To be sure other disciplines ask similar questions, but geography uniquely focuses upon locating problems and their solutions.  Asking where things are located can often reveal solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems, or reveal that seemingly simple problems turn out to be more complex. Because it focuses upon understanding spaces and regions, geography is also an integrative discipline that requires the ability to synthesize knowledge from a variety of disciplines. You will seek answers to many of the questions asked above as you explore World Human Geography.  As you do so, you will develop important skills in thinking geographically.  Such skills are important for helping to solve problems in an increasingly interconnected and complex world. 

Everything and everyone has a geography.  Thus you will likely find that this course directly connects with your own interests no matter what your major is. You will certainly find what you learn in this class to be useful in your career.  You may even find that geography is a central part of your career, and throughout we will highlight geography related careers. Whatever your career path, the class will also prepare you to be a more informed citizen and will enrich your life by making you aware of the fascinating world that can be found just outside your door.

Course Goals

By the end of this course students will…

• Understand major concepts in human geography including place, space, scale, landscape, etc.
• Understand the geography of population, the environment, culture, identity, the economy, politics, agriculture, and of cities.
• Understand that human landscapes are not simply an inevitable product of nature but are planned, constructed, and contested by identifiable people working within historically and geographically specific social, cultural, political, and economic situations.
• Be able to interpret everyday landscapes and understand some of the spatial processes that help to structure them.
• Be able to participate knowledgeably in discussions with other people about world events and about the importance of geography for these events.
• Be able to identify what is geographical about a given issue discussed in the media.
• Be able to integrate knowledge about population, the environment, culture, economics, politics, and agriculture to understand specific places or types of places (cities for example).
• Develop a greater awareness of how their lives are interrelated with the lives of people in other places.
• Develop an improved appreciation for the places and landscapes encountered in every day life.
• Understand the relevance of geography to their chosen vocation in life and understand the vocational opportunities available for those who study geography.
• Be able to state a position on an issue in writing or orally and effectively support it with evidence.
• Develop strategies for studying and good study habits that will benefit them throughout the rest of their college career.
• Be able to read and critically interpret a wider range of writing on current events and world affairs than when they started the class.

How This Class Works

A diagram has been included at the end of this syllabus that outlines how the class works on a week-to-week basis.

Reading (Textbook and Online Discussion Reading)

You will need to complete readings in your textbook prior to lecture and review them after lecture.  You will also need to read one or more articles, available online, prior to each discussion.  One textbook is required for the course:

Greiner, Alyson.  2011. Visualizing Human Geography. Wiley.  

This textbook offers an excellent and compelling visual introduction to human geography.  Moreover it provides tools that you should use to aid in your learning.  While the schedule lists readings relevant to lecture on a particular day, you may wish to reach each chapter in one sitting to take advantage of the learning tools. At the start of each chapter is a “Chapter Planner” consisting of a checklist of tasks for you to complete while reading.  Use the checklist when you read and study for exams. Read the learning objectives and test yourself to see if you’ve accomplished them after you have read. See if you can answer the concept check questions. Check out the “Where Geographers Click” resources on the web. Take the self-test at the end of the chapter. (Note that the text is available as an e-book for a 180 day subscription at half price.  See the textbook web site for more info.)

An Atlas (optional).

In addition to the required book, you may want to purchase an atlas. You will need a moderately detailed atlas like Goode's World Atlas or the Rand McNally Answer Atlas. Alternatively, you may also find that online atlases including, Google Maps, Google Earth, and Bing Maps for example, are more compelling and exciting to use than a traditional paper atlas. There are also plenty of great atlases and maps in the library (on the second floor in the reference section).

Discussion Readings and Course Web Site. 

All of your other readings for discussion sessions are available on the Internet through the course web site (see the address above).  You should bring a copy of the reading to class to refer to, either printed out on paper (your print quota has been increased for this purpose) or on an electronic device (ipad, smartphone, or computer). You should obtain discussion readings as far in advance as possible. If for any reason you have a problem accessing a reading you should alert your professor as soon as possible in person so that he can address the problem. Unless the reading is truly inaccessible to all students (because of a power outage, etc.) an inability to access an article will not be considered a valid excuse for not doing the reading.   You will also find a complete set of lecture outlines, guides to writing your essays for the class, a guide to citing sources, a glossary and much more on the web site.  Be sure to check it out and make use of it.

Lectures

Lectures meet twice a week. The purpose of lecture is to introduce concepts and ideas in human geography and illustrate them through examples and case studies.  During lecture you should listen, take brief notes, and ask questions (or write them down so that you can ask later in discussion or during office hours).

Discussions

Discussions meet once a week in a smaller classroom and provide you with an opportunity to explore the material in more depth and to learn from your peers.  Prior to most every discussion you will complete a reading and answer questions on that reading.  Questions are collected five times during the semester for credit (see assignments below). Come to discussion prepared to ask a question or make a comment.  During discussion you should listen to your professor and classmates, respond to their questions and comments, and raise your own questions and comments for consideration by your peers (See Guidelines for Discussions below). When they work well, discussion is not only the most interesting part of the course, but can also be quite fun!

Assignments and Course Work

After completing the reading for each discussion session (see schedule below) you will need to complete the assigned discussion questions prior class.  The answer sheets are found on the course web site. Five times over the course of the semester, the professor will ask you to turn in your answers as a check to ensure that you are prepared for discussion. Each answer sheet is worth 1% of your grade so don’t forget to do them! (1% can be the difference between an A and an A-!) Answer sheets are graded on a pass/fail basis.

During the semester, you will be asked to write two short five-paragraph essays and a final paper on the relation between geography and vocation. The specifics of each assignment are found in the introductions to the appropriate discussions on the web site.  Note that while the short essays are generally due the week after the discussion in which they are assigned, the vocation reflection paper is due on the day that we discuss the geography of vocation.

Attendance

I expect on-time attendance for all class sessions unless you are ill, you are required to attend a university event, you have a family emergency, or you have made prior arrangements with me. If you must miss a discussion class for these reasons please provide me with a written note or an e-mail so that I can excuse your absence in my records. If you send me e-mail please place the words “GEO101 Absence” in the subject line to help me in my record keeping. Absences for any other reason or consistent lateness will lower your grade.  Please be on time to class. Coming in late distracts your professor and your fellow students and some of the most important ideas are often presented at the beginning of class. If you are late to discussion you may be counted absent for the day.

Participation in Lecture and Discussion

You will be graded on your participation in discussion and lecture. Discussion sections where the majority of students participate with enthusiasm consistently receive higher course ratings than those where students do not participate.  Discussion sections are a place for you to grapple with the material presented in lectures and readings. You will be expected to participate by raising questions, debating points, developing ideas, and so forth. Make it a goal to contribute at least once during each discussion session.  See “General Notes on Discussion,” below. Participation during lecture (asking questions, sharing observations, responding to questions) will help to make this a better class. Your professor responds positively to students who respond positively to him!

Exams

There are three exams in Geography 101:

• Midterm 1: Monday, February 7
• Midterm 2: Wednesday March 23
• Final Exam: Saturday May 7, 1:00-3:00 P.M.

Exam Format

Both the midterms and the final will include multiple choice and short essay questions. See, “Sample Exam Questions” online for an indication of the types of questions asked. Many students make the mistake of not studying sufficiently or efficiently for exams in this class. Do not make that mistake. 

Map Questions

Many people think that geographers simply study the location of places. In reality the location of places must already be known in order to study geography. Therefore you will be expected to know where the places are that we study as well as places from the news. A week or so before each exam, you will be given a list of places you will be expected to know for the exam. It is your job to figure out where they are, if you do not already know. This list of places will be drawn from lecture, discussion, readings, and current events. A set of maps identical to those on the exam that you can use for studying will be provided to you.

Course Grading

Your final grade will be based on the following:

There are a total of 500 points possible. Note, however, that you start with 10 extra points for FREE! to do whatever you want with. You can squander them by not turning in an assignment or you can save them up and apply them to your final grade. These extra points will help you easily recover from whatever minor disasters (academic or otherwise) you might experience throughout the semester (like forgetting to turn in a question sheet for example). The following point percentages will be used to determine your grade (unless an unusual grade distribution occurs). To figure out your grade at any point in the course, divide the total number of points you've accumulated (including your 10 free points) by the total number of points possible (not including the 10 free points).

Additional Course Policies

You must turn in all assigned work on time. Short essays are to be handed in during discussion on the date due. Question sheets are due during the corresponding discussion class. I will only accept late assignments in the case of an illness, family emergency, university event, or other events beyond your control. Late assignments will not be accepted via e-mail! If you must be absent the day an assignment is due please make arrangements to hand in your assignment early or to have a friend turn it in for you.  Use my mailbox (shelf) in the faculty suite (KCH room 201) to hand in assignments outside of class time.  Reasonable exceptions to this policy may be granted depending upon individual circumstances.

You must take the exams as scheduled. Plan travel around exams! I will not allow early exams or make-ups to fit your travel schedule. I will not give make up exams except in the case of an excused absence for a university event, illness, or family emergency or obligation. Please take a different class if your travel plans conflict with the final exam for this course.

•  Please come to your professor with any questions about course material or for help with difficulties you are having in the course as early as possible.
• Please come to class on time and do not leave class or pack up your things until class is finished. I will not intentionally hold you late.  If I should lose track of time do not hesitate to politely interrupt and remind me.
• Please keep disruptions during lecture to a minimum.  Do not talk during lecture, except to ask questions or raise points for the entire class.  Please do not read newspapers of non-class related material during class. Please turn of mobile devices during class. Such disruptions distract your classmates and your professor.
• The quality of discussion is the collective responsibility of the students in the course.  Please participate to the degree you feel comfortable doing so. Please be respectful of your professor and classmates during discussion, making sure to listen to the contributions of others and contribute in a manner that is not rude, intimidating, or offensive. Students who significantly disrupt discussion may be asked to leave. See Guidelines for Discussion below. 

The Honor Code will be upheld in this course. Authorized aid in this class will be limited to your own personal knowledge during exams and your own work on all written exercises. When preparing the weekly question sheets you may discuss the readings and the answers to the questions with others but your written answers should be your own. You are encouraged to use the services of the writing center and you should have someone else proofread or offer suggestions on your essay assignments before handing them in.

You must use quotation marks for direct quotes, cite your sources, and include a list of works cited on your essay assignments. Failure to do so constitutes plagiarism and may be considered unauthorized aid because you are essentially representing someone else’s work as your own. Many first year students mistakenly believe that it is OK to cut and paste text from web sites into their papers without providing both quotation marks and a proper citation. Web sites are no different from any other source and need to be cited fully (including at least author, date, title, and date accessed in addition to the web address). If you do not know how to cite your sources or have any questions about this, please see the “Citing Sources in World Human Geography” on the course web site or talk to your professor. Finally sharing your papers written for this class with others on the Internet without notifying the professor first or downloading papers written by others to hand in (either in part or in their entirety) constitutes unauthorized aid.

If you have specific physical, psychiatric, or learning disabilities and require accommodations, please let me know during the first week of class so that your learning needs may be appropriately met. All discussions will remain confidential.

Guidelines for Discussions

The discussions are designed to provide an opportunity for you to think about and work through the material presented in class.  Through discussion you and your classmates help each other to understand and apply the ideas from your reading and lectures.

The quality of a discussion largely depends upon the willingness of a critical mass of participants to prepare for discussion, to ask questions or suggest topics, and to respond to the questions and comments of others.  Without this willingness to participate, nothing that the professor can do will boost the quality of discussion.  The following guidelines will help to ensure that our discussions will be lively and worthwhile:

1. Bring detailed notes on your readings or a printout of your readings so that you may refer to specific pages in the readings, look at notes you have written in the margins, etc.
2. Discuss ideas and the evidence that supports them, not opinions. 
3. Do not participate if you have not done the reading.  Discussions are not simply a time to share your opinions but are meant to help understand the implications of what you have read. 
4. If you have done the reading and are a full participant in the discussion, you may “pass” when asked to contribute.  
5. Refer to the text or your notes when needed during the discussion. A discussion is not a test of memory.  We are interested in understanding ideas, values, and issues.
6. When someone says something you do not understand ask for clarification.
7. Make notes as you read about points that you want to bring up in discussion.  Take notes during discussion of ideas that you may want to remember to share with the class.
8. You don’t have to raise your hand, but please be courteous of other speakers.
9. Listen carefully to what others have to say and talk to each other, not just to the professor.  If you are the only one talking, invite others to offer their perspective.
10. Take responsibility for keeping the discussion moving.  Ask your classmates questions.  Share something that interested you in the reading, even if you are not sure where it will lead.
11. Try not to dominate the discussion.  If you find that you are the only one talking, ask a question and invite someone else to answer it. ‘Well that’s what I think.  What do all of you think?”
12. The best discussions are also fun because you are learning quite a bit in community with your fellow students and your professor. 

Sometimes we will discuss topics as a large class, but much of the time you will be working in smaller groups.  No matter what the format, both myself and your classmates expect full participation from all students. Fifteen years of teaching this class have shown quite conclusively that those who opt out of participating in discussions typically do poorly.

Acknowledgements

Parts of this syllabus are derived from or inspired by Human Geographies taught at the University of Colorado by Don Mitchell and other instructors.  See the web site for a complete list of acknowledgements.