Geography 101S: Cultural Geography

Spring 2012, 115 Carnegie, MWF 10:20-11:20 a.m. Instructor: Andrew Scholl Office: 110B Carnegie Office Hours: MWF 10:30-11:30 pm TTH 1 2pm Or by appointment Contact Information: Email: ascholl@wittenberg.edu (Do not expect a response to email after 6pm on weekdays or on weekends) Mailbox: 110 Carnegie Telephone: 327-7304 Course Description: Geography 101 will have a dual purpose. First, it is an introductory geography course that will familiarize you with the field of human geography and its subject matter: the various topics that geographers study. Some geographers, for example, study the ways in which people interact with the physical environment, while other geographers may examine the ways in which regions develop economically. Still others may study the spread of disease through a population or across a region, or where the best location is to build a new hospital, school, etc. Geographers seem to be studying a whole myriad of subjects that can seem to have little in common with each other. There is one underlying idea that can be found throughout all geographic research, and that is a consideration of the spatial aspect. This can be either through identifying the location of where certain events occur, or the patterns produced on the landscape through the actions of people. By studying the spatial aspect geographers try to understand the underlying forces that influence the way people organize and arrange their actions on the earths surface. Unfortunately, the field of human geography is too broad to be covered in one semester, so we will only be focusing on a few aspects of the discipline. The second purpose of this course is to introduce you to some geographic methods and skills. All academic disciplines employ various tools to assist in the understanding of the topics being studied. Geography is no different, and its primary tool is the map. You will get experience both in map reading, to be able to understand the message they convey, map analysis, to try and understand why things are where they are, and also in making maps, in order to convey an idea to other people. Another fundamental skill is writing. Geographers, like other academics, rely upon writing to be able to communicate their ideas and findings. Course Objectives: 1) To understand the fundamental concepts in the field of cultural geography 2) To learn some of the methods employed by geographers in the study of human activities 3) To be able to apply some of the concepts learned in class to real world situations COURSE TOPICS: The following topics will be covered over the course of the semester, in the order listed below. We will proceed through the topics as time permits. Specific dates can be found on the course schedule located on the course site on Moodle.

Population & Migration Cultural Landscape Language Religion Ethnicity & Identity Politics Economics (Agriculture, Industry & Services) Development and Globalization Urban Patterns Human Environment Interactions TEXTS: Visualizing Human Geography, by Greiner, which is available in the Bookstore, and also online. Assigned readings for corresponding lecture topics are listed on the schedule. Additional readings will be placed on electronic reserve, available through Moodle. See the schedule for each days assigned readings. Additional readings may be assigned during the semester. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Examinations (3). Exams will be based on material from the lectures, readings, and any other sources used during the semester. You will be responsible for material assigned that is not directly covered in lectures. They may include multiple choice, identification, short-answer, essay questions, etc. Since this is a geography course you should expect to see maps and/or diagrams and questions related to them on the tests. There will be three examinations during the semester, of equal weight. Quizzes (16). There will be a random pop quiz every week during the regularly scheduled class periods. The quizzes will consist of a few questions drawn from the material covered in the prior class lecture. Fifteen of the sixteen quizzes will be counted towards the course grade. There is no make up for the quizzes. Reading Responses (15). For each week of the course there will be a reading/ writing response that is due. These will entail a question related to the reading for the upcoming week asking you to reflect about the reading in regards to a particular concept/ situation. The point of the responses are to get you to think about the material that you are covering and try to apply it to the world around you. Fourteen of the reading responses will be counted towards the course grade. Assignments/ exercises. There will be several assignments/ exercises that you will be required to complete over the semester. The purpose of these activities is to help you in understanding the material that is being presented in class, and also the analysis of some of the issues that we will be discussing. Since this class does not have a lab section we do not have the time in class to spend on completing the assignments. Consequently, you will be required to complete several assignments outside of class to facilitate the in-class discussions. These assignments may range from making maps to assist in the interpretation of data, to collecting some basic data for our own analysis. Some of the assignments will be completed individually, while others will be group efforts. More detailed information concerning the assignments will be handed out later in the semester. Attendance and Participation. You are expected to attend all class sessions. However, if you miss a class it is your responsibility to get the material you missed. I will supply any handouts, but I will not supply notes from the missed classes. Lectures and films will parallel and expand upon the readings,

but will include material not covered in the textbook. You therefore will need to attend lectures and take careful notes in order to do well in the class. If you will miss class due to class trips, sports, or other campus related activities, you need to notify me in advance and include documentation. You will also be expected to actively participate in the discussions. Your participation grade will reflect primarily your participation in discussions, but may be adjusted to reflect attendance as well. Grading Your final grade will be based on the following calculation: 1st Exam: 2nd Exam: 3rd Exam: Assignments: Reading responses (15): In Class Quizzes: (15): Class Attendance & Participation: Total

15% 15% 15% 35% 10% 5% 5% 100%

Grades for this class will not be curved: you will be graded based on your individual performance on the course requirements. A: A-: B+: B: B-: C+: C: D: F: 93-100 90-92 87-89 83-86 80-82 77-79. 70-76 60-69 <60

Class schedule: The schedule for class meetings and exams is listed on the following pages. Depending on how long our discussions of certain topics go, we may have to modify this schedule during the semester. POLICIES: YOU ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY OFFICE HOURS. I am here to help you learn, but sometimes it may be difficult for me to know if you as an individual student are having difficulty with the material before a test unless you come and talk to me. Classroom Behavior: Students entering and leaving the classroom while the class is in session can be disruptive to the flow of the class, therefore it should be kept to a minimum. Since the class is only 1 hour long everyone should be able to wait until the class is over to use the facilities. Make sure you use them before class starts. If you will need to leave early please notify me at the beginning of class. Cell Phones: While virtually everyone has a cell phone, they can be disruptive in the classroom. Please turn off your phone before class starts. If you are found using your cell phone or it rings during class I reserve the right to answer it and or hold on to it until the end of class.

Exams. Anyone missing an exam without a medical (or other documented excuse) will receive a score of zero (0) for that exam. If an exam is missed due to a documented emergency or medical excuse, a grade equivalent to the student' average grade on other exams will be assigned. The instructor may s also administer a make-up exam covering the same material on the missed exam for students with a documented excuse. If you will miss an exam due to an excused absence (ie. sporting event), you MUST let me know 1 week in advance in order to schedule a make-up exam. No make-up exams are possible after the scheduled exam has been given. Deadlines: All writing assignments are due on the date listed. The dates of the writing assignments are listed in the schedule, so plan to turn them in on time. Late assignments will be penalized letter grade for every day (including weekends) after the due date until they are turned in. Special Consideration: Wittenberg University is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for eligible students with disabilities. In keeping with this policy, any student requiring special consideration because of any type of learning disability must inform me as soon as possible, preferably within the first couple weeks of the course. Documentation of the special need will be required. Accommodations cannot be made retroactively; to protect your legal rights, you need to act before any exams or other course requirements are due. Please register with the Academic Services Office in room 203 Recitation Hall to coordinate accommodations and receive self-identification letters for each professor. IF you have any questions concerning accommodation contact Vancenia Rutherford, assistant provost for academic services, 203 Recitation Hall, extension 7924. Academic integrity. Students in this course are expected to uphold the standards of Wittenbergs Code of Academic Integrity. Academic dishonesty in this course will result in academic sanctions at the discretion of the instructor, up to and including a failing grade for the course, as well as possible disciplinary action by the university. Academic dishonesty includes plagiarism (submitting someone elses work as your own), cheating, and fabrication of information or citations. If you have any questions or uncertainty regarding this policy, and particularly regarding the use and citation of sources, you should discuss them with me. It is very easy to take material directly from web pages without attribution; it is equally easy for your instructors to identify such appropriation, which constitutes a violation of the courses academic integrity policy. For further discussion of this policy, please refer to the website: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/academics/academicintegrity/honorcode.pdf I reserve the right to make changes to the schedule during the course of the semester (if we take longer on a given topic, for example).