GEG 121 Human Geography
Dr. Bryan Higgins
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GEG 121 Human Geography Dr. Bryan Higgins |
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Syllabus Fall 2009
Human Geography is a branch of geography that focuses on the study of patterns and processes that shape human interaction with the environment.
Course description: Explores the concepts and potential of human geography in the world today. Topics include globalization, agriculture and rural societies, urbanization and place-making, geographies of economic development, politics of territory and place and environmentalism in the world today.
Instructor: Bryan Higgins, Ph.D. University of Minnesota
Professor of Geography and Planning
Director of International Education at SUNY Plattsburgh
Office: Hawkins Hall 134 B on Tu. & Th. mornings & 102 Broad Street, 2nd floor on M W & F
Telephone: 564-2406 on Tue. & Th. mornings and 564-2320 on M W & F
E-Mail Address: higginbr@plattsburgh.edu
Office Hours: Tue. and Th. 10:00 - 11:00 AM in Hawkins 134 B
Other times easily arranged by appointment.
Required Course Material
1. Places and Regions in Gobal Context Human Geography, Third or Fourth Edition, Paul L. Knox and Sallie A. Marston, Prentice Hall. (Please note you can purchase an online version of the text at half price from Prentice Hall as well as used textbooks online.)
Since this course will be using the Internet and various global learning connections online, students should be proficient with a personal computer and have Internet access. Periodically during the semester you will receive email alerts and be required to perform course activities on the Internet.
Course Web Site: http://faculty.plattsburgh.edu/bryan.higgins
Textbook Web Site http://www.prenhall.com/knox
This course is based on the understanding that everyone has a geography or framework of how they understand the world, whether or not they are aware of it. Unfortunately, most Americans are not aware of the global forces that shape their lives or the way that our lifestyle shapes the world today. This course will identify the major global forces and critical geographical tools to help you navigate in the world-system.
How do you envision the world? Even if you have never left New York State, you have a geographical framework for understanding people, places, and landscapes all over the world. How has your geographical understanding been shaped by the global media? geographical experience? This course will focus on how the world-system shapes our understanding of the world and how you can build responsible citizenship in the global community where you live.
Outline of Human Geography Topics for the Course
Tentative topics for each week during the semester
I. Geographcial knowledge regimes
1. Course overview – navigating in the world system.
Read: Chapter 2 The Changing Global Context
2. Indigenous vs. European geographical knowledge regimes.
Read: Chapter 4 Nature and Society
3. Colonialism, imperialism, neoliberalism and global movements today.
Global Connections Report Due 200 pts.
4. Environmentalism in the world system and the challenge of environmental justice.
Read: Chapter 5 Cultural Geographies
5. Geographies of culture, cultural change and politics of culture
First Geography Examination 200 pts.
6. Everything has an economic geography & every place has an economy.
Read: Chapter 7 The Geography of Economic Development
III. Politics of place-making
7. Agribusiness, food regimes and global food systems.
Read: Chapter 8 Agriculture and Food Production
8. Columbus Day observed October 13 & 14 – Get lost!
Read: Chapter 9 The Politics of Territory and Space
9. Geopolitics, disaster capitalism and new regimes of global governance.
10. Urbanization, world cities and globalization
Second Geography Examination 200 points.
11. Central place theory and urban land use patterns
Read: Chapter 10 Urbanization
12. Community participation, compost theory, and urban planning
Read: Chapter 11 City Spaces: Urban Structure
13. Tourism geographies and the commodification of landscapes.
15. Geopolitical theories, terrorism and the future
Global Convention Exercise Due 200 pts.
16. Finals Week Meeting – week of December 8, 2008 - attendance required.
Global Vision- Due 50 pts. – 2 page sketch and in-class presentation of your global vision.
Please note this schedule of topics, due dates and point distribution is tentative and may change during the semester. It is your responsibility to keep in touch with the class as it progresses and be sure your assignments are handed in on time.
For more information on geography as a profession see the excellent web site produced by the Association for American Geographers <http://www.aag.org/Careers/Intro.html>.
Student support services
Since 1978 the Student Affairs division at SUNY Plattsburgh has administered a federally funded academic support program that is available for all students. Their key components include support services in mathematics, science, reading and study skills, writing, advising, counseling, and services to students with disabilities. If you have any special educational needs or medical conditions you should call them at 564-2810 or visit their office in Room 110 of the Angell College Center. Since I am dedicated to making this class the best possible learning environment, I encourage you to contact this excellent office to confidentially discuss special medical, family and/or academic conditions as well as their current services.
Global ethics and university policy
Your development of global ethics is a crucial dimension of this course. We will consider and discuss ethical issues throughout the world. Improving our respect for the thoughts, beliefs, and opinions of others will thus be an integral goal of this class. Ethical understanding and commitment is crucial in the world today. An important example of ethics in action is the American Planning Association's code of ethics for planners. To see a copy of this excellent code visit http://www.planning.org/ethics/conduct.html, for a global perspective on ethics see http://www.globalethics.org/features.html and for the Earth Charter initiative see http://www.earthcharter.org.
Furthermore, according to SUNY Plattsburgh policy, cheating is the willful misrepresentation of your work. Making or using a crib sheet, copying another's answers, or giving or receiving unpermitted aid during examinations or on assignments is cheating. Plagiarism in all of its forms is cheating. See http://www.plagiarism.org/index.html for more on plagiarism. Especially note the "articles" section available at this site; which includes thoughtful guidelines for writing academic manuscripts as well as avoiding plagiarism.
Students have an obligation to themselves and to their fellow students to uphold the integrity of SUNY-Plattsburgh by (1) not participating either directly or indirectly in acts of cheating, and (2) discouraging cheating by others. A student who aids another in cheating shares the guilt of the offense. Action against students who are guilty of cheating in this class may include failure of this course and/or dismissal from the college.
In-class assignments and email
Since we all want this to be an excellent classroom environment, your class participation will be important. Short assignments will be given in class or due at the start of class periodically throughout the semester. If you need to email an in-class assignment be sure to insert the assignment into your message. Please do not send any assignments or messages to me as an attachment since, as a matter of policy, I do not read email attachments.
Help create a friendly global community
In order to assure that all students enrolled in this class may hear the lectures and student participation without distractions, please arrive for class on time, do not leave class in midstream, turn off your cell phone, and refrain from eating or disrupting the class. Thanks in advance for helping to make this a friendly global community.
Please note that extra credit assignments can make-up for points lost when you do not complete an in-class assignment. If you miss multiple sessions and/or more serious circumstances arise, you are responsible for notifying the instructor. If crisis situations are documented in writing, I will evaluate each case on its own merits and may adjust due dates etc.. It is highly recommended that you exchange contact information with one or more classmates, in order to stay up to date and help each other if you unexpectedly miss a class. Also, be aware that the final content and due dates for assignments and tests may be changed in class. It is the student’s responsibility to attend class and keep informed of all such changes.
Use of cell phones and electronic devices is prohibited in this class.
In order to maintain a clear and undistracted learning environment for everyone, the use of cell phones and other electronic listening devices is prohibited in this class. Please turn off your cell phone when you enter class. If you have a medically prescribed hearing device please let me know.
Assignment due dates and late penalties
I assume that you are a responsible adult who wants an excellent educational experience in this class. Thus, all reports and major assignments are due at the start of class on the designated day. Please note that all major assignments are due in hard copy only. Email documents and/or attachments will not be accepted for these assignments. Late assignments will be accepted for the following one week only and will be penalized by the reduction of one full letter grade (10% of assigned points). As a reliable citizen and aspiring professional your timely participation will be important. One week after the due date, the assignment will be considered missing and zero points will be the official grade. Please note that "zero points" is substantially lower than a failing grade of 50% of the total points, so do your best to complete every assignment on time.
Students who wish to take this course Pass/Fail must notify the Instructor in writing no later than the start of the second week of class. A Pass in this class will require a minimum of 700 total points, or the equivalent points of the lowest “C-” given in a particular semester.
Your course grade will be based upon two exams, three major assignments and your class participation. Each assignment will have the number of points designated below and the total for the semester will be 1,000 points. Please note that makeup exams will not be given except under the most exceptional circumstances and only when arrangements have been made in advance of the scheduled examination. Your class attendance and participation are very important, since all of the instructions and preparation for the assignments will be presented in class. If you miss class it is your responsibility to get notes and assignments from a classmate and meet the specified due dates. The activity and grade point outline below offers a general guide to the overall point distribution. Please note this point distribution may change during the semester. Any changes will be announced in class before a particular assignment is due.
Your GEG 121 course grade will tentatively be based upon the components shown below. I recommend that you record your score for each of these distinct elements so that you will know your grade in this course at any moment during the semester.
Your Score
Global Connections Report 200 pts. -
First Examination 200 pts. -
Second Examination 200 pts. -
Global Convention 200 pts. -
Global Vision 50 pts. -
Class Participation 150 pts. -
Total Points 1,000 pts. -
Please note that roughly half of the material on the examinations will be from lectures and will not be duplicated in your readings, thus your class attendance will be crucial in many ways. Finally, the two examinations will include a diversity of question types including: essay, multiple choice, short answer, and identification questions.
Approximate Final Grading Scale
A 1000-934
A- 933-900
B+ 899-867
B 866-834
B- 833-800
C+ 799-767
C 766-734
C- 733-700
D+ 699-667
D 666-600
E 599-0
Enroll in a SUNY Study Abroad and receive a letter grade upgrade.
Please note that if you register for a full-semester SUNY study abroad experience for spring 2009 you will receive 100 extra credit points in this class. If you want extra credit points in GEG 121 it is your responsibility to inform me in a timely manner. To receive this upgrade you must have been accepted in a SUNY study abroad program for the Spring 2009 and paid your program deposit by no later than December 1, 2008. Upon verifying your completion you will receive 100 extra-credits points, the equivalent of one letter grade, for completing this study abroad process. See http://www.plattsburgh.edu/academics/studyabroad for details. Bon voyage!
Plattsburgh Global Report - optional for extra-credit
Each student may submit either one or two co-curricular reports in this class that will each be worth a maximum of 40 points for a total of 80 possible extra-credit points. These reports may be written about the human geography of campus speakers, events, or activities. Any speaker, performance or event listed in the Cardinal Points, Weekly or the Plattsburgh Events Calendar at http://www.plattsburgh.edu is appropriate for these Geography reports. It is your responsibility to select a co-curricular event. The final time and date for submitting such reports is noon o0n Thursday December 3, 2009. No late reports will be accepted. Please note all extra-credit reports must be hard copy - no email documents or attachments will be accepted.
The purpose of a Geography Report is to enhance your global connections regarding a SUNY-Plattsburgh campus lecture, activity, or event. Student reports will be evaluated in terms of a possible 40 pts. each, thus 80 total extra credit points are possible. An excellent review will receive 36-40, a good report 32-35, average 28-31, and poor 24-37. Your global reviews will be graded in terms of their creativity, clarity, spelling/grammar and geographic insights related to the themes of this class. They are required to be double spaced, in size 11 or 12 font, no less than two full pages or 500-600 words in length and no more than three pages. No more than 50 words (10%) should summarize the event you are reviewing. Most of the review (90%) should present your global observations and insights with the questions below. Reviews of less than two full pages or more than 10% summary will be returned ungraded. You should address two or more of questions listed below and must answer number 9.
1. What global ideas, issues or values were embedded in the event? Explain.
2. What did the speaker or event assume about how the world works?
3. Critique how the speaker did or did not address the impacts of globalization.
4. How would you evaluate the geodemographic character of the audience? Were they from different places in the world system?
5. How did the event relate to the world system? Explain.
6. Were global values and assumptions directly addressed? Explain.
7. How would you rate the global awareness of this speaker or event?
8. Did the speaker address intercultural issues? How so?
9. What or how did the event add to your global understanding? - Please note this last question must be answered.
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