GGR 240
WORLD GEOGRAPHY West
Prof. Tom Paradis
Spring 2003

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS

        This is an exciting time to be studying global and regional geography!  In this course students will take a penetrating look into the geographical – or spatial -- relationships between human societies and cultures, the natural environment, and historical changes that have shaped the contemporary world.  More than answering the question “What is where,” this course adopts a largely conceptual approach to understanding and explaining the dynamic human and natural features of the earth’s surface.  Particular geographical themes will be emphasized and applied largely to the regions of North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, and Russia.  Important themes include the necessary link between history and geography, historical and cultural settlement processes, urbanization, ethnic conflict and nation-building, globalization of economy and culture, political and international conflict, cultural diversity, and global environmental concerns.  To that end, a deeper understanding of current events from a historical and geographical perspective is imperative.  Thus, timely issues and events in the news will be tied into the overall framework of the course.
     Because of the emphasis on relationships between the social, cultural, political, and environmental components of human societies and regions, World Geography I serves as a liberal studies course in the Social and Political Worlds distribution block.  Further, it addresses four essential skills: critical and creative thinking, critical reading, spatial reasoning, and effective writing.  Such skills will be derived from a combination of question sets for reading assignments, videos, discussions in class, and an extensive outdoor lab project (A Walk Across America in Flagstaff) that will require students to complete a self-guided walking tour of downtown Flagstaff and NAU.
 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Following the successful completion of GGR 240, you will be able to:

REQUIRED MATERIALS (All available at the NAU Bookstore on campus)

EVALUATION METHODS AND DEADLINES
     To evaluate your achievement of the objectives listed above, you will complete three short-answer exams, one comprehensive final exam, eight reading assignments, three quizzes, and your Walk Across America – a self-guided tour of Flagstaff and NAU.  Exams will test your knowledge of material discussed in class, videos and reading assignments.
     READING ASSIGNMENTS:  Instead of using a traditional textbook for this class, you will utilize two smaller books that focus on differing aspects of geography.  The first book is Annual Editions: Geography 2002/2003, a compilation of short readings by different authors that pertain to a wide range of geographical topics and issues.  These readings will also complement your understanding of current events taking place recently in various parts of the world.  The second is a book I have written, Railroad Town, with its inclusive walking tour of Flagstaff and NAU.  In all, you will be required to complete 8 reading/lab assignments from the reader and lab book.  For each of the eight assignments, I will give you a set of short-answer questions.   You will complete each assignment on your own time and use them to study for the next exam.  Some exam questions will come directly from your reading assignments  -- yet another incentive for you to take the assignments seriously.
     IMPORTANT: These integrated reading assignments comprise a vital part of this course, as I will not re-teach the material from your readings.  These exercises will allow you to develop critical reading skills derived from the variety of articles and chapters assigned. The readings have been carefully chosen to supplement and to reinforce the material presented in class.

A WALK ACROSS AMERICA in Flagstaff
     This may end up being one of the most rewarding projects you undertake during your college career.  While it is logistically difficult to take the entire class on field trips, it is imperative that geography students gain some experience outside, seeing and interpreting the types of human and physical landscapes that you learn about in the classroom.  Thus, you will complete a self-guided journey through part of Flagstaff and NAU with the aid of a book I have written about Flagstaff’s local geography and history, entitled Railroad Town.  Each stop along the self-guided Walk will be the focus of specific geographical concepts and issues that are vital for understanding the geography of North America.  You will also complete a small set of questions at each stop to interpret or analyze the landscapes you encounter.  Within the book, I have titled the self-guided tour A Walk Across America in Flagstaff, because every stop along the tour will demonstrate how the local geography of Flagstaff relates to important geographical trends and processes that are affecting the United States.  Our town and campus, therefore, will serve as a sort of “outdoor laboratory,” not only for learning more about the local scene (which few students are very aware of), but the national and global scenes as well.  I promise you that once you have completed the tour and its associated assignments, you will never view the human landscape in the same way again – and that, I believe, is a very good thing!  Opening one’s eyes to the fascinating geography around us is something that few Americans are capable of doing, simply because they are not trained to do so.

LEARNING PORTFOLIO
     For those of you enrolled in the new liberal studies program, your project for the Walk Across America is designed for your Learning Portfolio.  Your outdoor lab will provide you with evidence of what you learned in GGR 240.  More specifically, it will allow you to revisit that information well after the course has ended.

GRADING SYSTEM
     A total of 700 points may be earned in this course.  Grades are based on a straight scale (i.e.. 90% is an A,  80% is a B, etc.  Importantly, there will be NO (planned) extra credit assignments and NO grading curves, so all of you will have an equal opportunity to earn the grade of your dreams.  My suggestion: Do it right the first time, as there will be no second chance this semester.  I encourage you to seek out my help and/or guidance regarding course material, study habits, etc.  As a rule, students who make the effort to talk to me about course materials or study habits end up with very high grades on exams and for the course itself.  Here's the breakdown for the course:

Exam 1      100 points (~13% of grade)
Exam 2      100 points (~13% of grade)
Exam 3      100 points (~13% of grade)
Final Exam (comprehensive)  120 points (~16% of grade)
A Walk Across America:   160 points (~20% of grade)
Reading Assignments (8 total)  120 points (~10% of grade)
 

LATE POLICY: · Exams MUST be taken on the date of the exam, unless there is a legitimate university-related conflict. If you know that a conflict will exist prior to the exam, talk to me about it, and we will make alternative arrangements. If you miss an exam without valid authorization, an automatic 20% will be deducted from the full exam value, regardless of when you make it up. Any reading assignment or term project that is not submitted before 5pm on the day of the deadline will receive 20% off of its full value, regardless of when you turn it in.

ATTENDANCE, CLASS POLICIES, STUDENT ETHICS
         This course is designed with the expectation that all students will participate in all class meetings.  As your instructor, I do not have the time or the motivation to enforce an attendance policy on a class of this size.  Thus, it is your responsibility to miss as few classes as possible.  I design the exams so that it penalizes those students who do not attend regularly. However, I will take attendance on Fridays for our in-class discussions and/or other Friday activities by passing around a sheet for you to sign.  For each Friday that you miss, 10 points will be deducted from your total point accumulation for the course at the end of the semester.  Thus, each attendance day (Friday) is worth 1.4% of your course grade.  If you HAVE to miss any class for ANY reason, you are responsible for obtaining the notes and handouts from a fellow student. NOTE:  You are not allowed to view my lecture notes outside of class.  Please do not ask for this favor. Here are some important DO's and DON'Ts to keep in mind:



RETURN TO GGR 240 HOME PAGE