VII Social Science Dept/Program Geography Course # GEOG U 101 S

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1 I. ASCRC General Education Form Group VII Social Science Dept/Program Geography Course # GEOG U 101 S Course Title Introduction to Human Geography None Credits 3 II. Endorsement/Approvals Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office Please type / print name Signature Date Instructor Dr. David Shively Phone / X6478; david.shively@umontana.e du Program Chair Dr. Jeffrey Gritzner Dean Dr. Gerald Fetz III. Description and purpose of the course: General Education courses must be introductory and foundational. They must emphasize breadth, context, and connectedness; and relate course content to students future lives: See Preamble: GEOG 101 (Intro. Human Geog.) surveys the scope, content, and methods of a major division of the discipline of Geography. Human Geography is especially concerned with the ways in which groups and individuals organize and interact spatially, in terms of their economies, cultures, and politics. As such this course is of critical importance to students because they need to learn how the world works in terms of the groups, organizations, and individuals that occupy and interact within it. In this regard, the course incorporates a number of learning objectives articulated in the six themes delineated in the National Geography Standards, as well as those that pertain to this General Education Group VII. The relevant themes coming from the National Geography Standards include understanding: the world in spatial terms, places and regions, human systems, environment and society, and the uses of Geography. IV. Criteria: Briefly explain how this course meets the criteria for the group. See: 1. systematically study individuals, groups, or Students employ Geographic concepts and social institutions; theories (i.e., regions, spatial perception and cognition, spatial interaction, cultural and political ordering of space) to investigate the spatial behavior and interactions of groups 2. analyze individuals, groups, or social problems and structures; and/or and institutions. Students apply Geographic concepts and theories to the analysis of specific case studies involving groups defined on the basis of ethnicity, culture, age, gender, etc. These categories are not mutually exclusive.

2 3. give considerable attention to ways in which Students examine the circumstances that led conclusions and generalizations are developed to the development and establishment of and justified as well as the methods of data specific Geographic theories, including collection and analysis. spatial diffusion, spatial interaction, geopolitical theories, and others. They examine the data, analytical methods, and findings that pertain to these studies, and apply these methods to other selected examples or case studies. V. Student Learning Goals: Briefly explain how this course will meet the applicable learning goals. See: 1. Students taking courses in the Social Sciences Perspective will be able to: Describe the nature, structure, and historical development of human behavior, organizations, social phenomena, and/or relationships; 2. use theory in explaining these individual, group, or social phenomena; and/or 3. understand, assess, and evaluate how conclusions and generalizations are justified based on data. Students will engage in discussions and writings that consider and describe how the following develop and evolve: groups defined on the basis of culture and/or ethnicity, culture regions, global culture, political states and their subdivisions, economic regions, supranational organizations, and the spatial perceptions and behaviors of individuals. Through discussion and/or written work, students will be able to distinguish among, and apply to specific case studies, the different theories that are concerned with the evolution and spatial expression of culture, economic activity, and political units. Through discussion and/or written work, students will be able to critically examine Geographic studies, concepts, and theories with respect to the data upon which they are based. VII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. The syllabus should clearly describe how the above criteria are satisfied. For assistance on syllabus preparation see: *Please note: As an instructor of a general education course, you will be expected to provide sample assessment items and corresponding responses to the Assessment Advisory Committee. Department of Geography Dr. Shively University of Montana Office: JOUR (GEOG) 212 (208A) Spring Semester, 2009 Voice: david.shively@umontana.edu

3 Office Hrs: TBA, and by Appt. GEOG 101 Course Syllabus Introduction to Human Geography Course Description Geography is the World; the World is Geography! This course is intended to provide you with exposure to the human dimension or aspect of geography how cultures are born and change, how populations behave, how people and groups organize themselves and their activities spatially and politically, how these activities and patterns change across time and space, and how technology affects these things. You are going to learn how to think like a geographer, to expand your geographic imagination, and to appreciate this discipline which is a critical component of the well rounded liberal arts education. Furthermore, you will gain skill in using maps, data, argument and persuasion that will certainly prove to be important skills in your future career whether it be as a geographer (yes, there are professional geographers!) or something else. Course Objectives Upon completion of this course you should be able to accomplish the following: use maps and other geographical representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective; use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments; analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth s surface; Describe: the human characteristics of places; how people create regions to interpret Earth s complexity; how culture and experience influence people s perception of places and regions; the characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth s surface; the characteristics, distributions, and complexity of Earth s cultural mosaics; the patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth s surface; the process, patterns, and functions of human settlement; how forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control of Earth s surface; how human actions modify the physical environment; how physical systems affect human systems; the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources; how to apply geography to interpret the past;

4 how to apply geography to the interpretation of the present and plan for the future. 1 Required Text Fellman, Jerome D, Arthur Getis, and Judith Getis Human Geography: Landscapes of Human Activities (10 th Ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill (w/ Student Atlas of World Geography (5th). Also You may use Fellman et al. s 8 th or 9 th, and the 4 th Ed. of the Atlas (Avail. through web vendors). A copy of the 9 th Edition of the Fellman text is on two hour reserve in Mansfield Library. Copies of Chapters 1 & 2 (from the 8 th Edition) are available through both regular and E-Reserve at Mansfield library, and on the course BlackBoard site (see below for instructions). o You can now purchase the new ebook format of Fellmann et al s Human Geography, 8e. With McGraw-Hill ebooks, you get the: SAME CONTENT AT ABOUT HALF OF THE PRINTED VERSION PRICE. Powered by Zinio, McGraw-Hill s ebook is the most effective electronic text on the market today, and it s available for purchase direct from the publisher. Does not come w/ atlas. Go to Recommended Texts Avnery, Uri. Truth Against Truth: A Completely Different Look at the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict. Gush Shalom (public. date unk.). Available via the web at: gush-shalom.org/docs/truth_eng.pdf and on the course BlackBoard site under Course Readings. Supplementary Materials A BlackBoard site has been established for this course. Access from the University s homepage ( You must use your NetID and password (i.e., last 6 digits of your GrizID as username and password, or password set by yourself through the UM Portal. Especially see the Study Materials section for supplemental study materials. A supplementary website offered by the publishers of our text that provides additional material and study materials is available at: Review the syllabus for required on-line readings to supplement the text. Selected supplementary readings (i.e., from Lemon Tree and Goode s World Atlas and other sources) have been placed on the BlackBoard site under Course Readings. TA Information 1 These learning objectives are consistent with The National Geography Standards. The standards were established by the Geographic Education National Implementation Project, a consortium of the Association of American Geographers, the American Geographical Society, the National Council for Geographic Education, and the National Geographic Society.

5 Course Organization We will employ a number of methods and practices throughout the semester: Lecture/Discussion/Active Learning Activities - Bring a notebook and take notes. Readings from Text - Outline the assigned readings, and prepare Reading Reviews as described below. Audio Visual (Videos) be there, you will have questions to answer! Course Requirements Exams Activities Reading Reviews 40 percent 40 percent 20 percent Exams A total of 3 exams will be offered through the semester 2 midterms and one final that will have a comprehensive element. Exam format is multiple choice/true-false, however, you may elect to complete short answer/essay style exams if you prefer. Let me know your preferences prior to exam days. Exam study guides are provided under the section with this name on the BlackBoard site (study guides from previous semesters will be updated/replaced with more current ones approximately one week prior to scheduled exams). Activities You will complete a number of activities (assignments) during the semester. These will contribute directly to your understanding of the course material and it is essential that you complete these on time. These are available under Activities (Assignments) on the BlackBoard site. All finished work related to these activities must be turned in at the beginning of the designated class period, must be type-written, and have your name and student ID in the upper right hand corner of the document. Work will not be accepted via or BlackBoard. Reading Reviews/Attendance Ninety percent of life is just showing up! Attendance will be documented using a number of methods be in class on time and don t leave early. The Reading Reviews are intended to provide you with an incentive to engage with the course material as it is presented in the textbook. For a given assigned reading, you should first scan the reading to see what is included and get a sense for the organization of material, then read the material, then compose a Reading Review. The Reading Review should follow the format shown in the Reading Review template provided on the BlackBoard site under Activities. Grading

6 Though I will examine the distribution of course scores (totals) to ensure that it is an appropriate and fair one, I do not practice grading that contributes to grade-inflation. The best individual strategy to ensure that you receive a grade you can live with is to work to meet and/or exceed course requirements. Remember, A s are rewards for Superior Performance, B s for Above Average Performance, and C s for Average Performance. Course grades will be based upon the following percentages of the total points possible for the course as weighted by the criteria specified in course requirements. This class carries traditional grading and cannot be taken CR/NC (this is moot for GenEd and Geography Majors!). A 93.0% A = % B+ = % B = % B- = % C+ = % C = % C- = % D+ = % D = % D- = % F 59.9% Additional Policies Late work will lose one-half a letter grade (i.e., A to A-) for each day late including weekends. Work is due at the start of class on day specified. Please do not make excuses for late work I will need advance notification of any factors that will affect your ability to turn in work on time and/or to meet other course requirements. Save, back-up, and be prepared to submit digital (i.e., on disk) copies of any work produced during the semester in case of technology failures. I will not allow make-up exams unless notified beforehand of the problem at hand. Be prepared to provide documentation for events causing to absences if you wish extensions/makeups. All students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and/or a disciplinary sanction by the University. All students need to be familiar with the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available for review online at It is extremely disruptive to have students arrive late and/or leave early. I know that you have nothing else on your schedule during the class period, therefore your presence throughout the entire class period is expected. Not only will this keep me happy, it will help you to master the material. Provisional Course Schedule* Week Topic Reading(s) Activities 1 T: Intro, Course Req s R: What is Geography? What do Geographer s do? Key Concepts & GenEd Criteria R: (1) Ch. 1 (pp. 3-20); (2) (Review both pages and surf definitions, 4 traditions, etc.); (3) (4) (5) (6)

7 Week Topic Reading(s) Activities 2 T: Maps T: (1) Ch. 1 (pp ); (2) Appendix A; (3) GWA Reading (BlackBoard & E-Reserve); (4) Allen (Atlas) Introduction T: Activ. 1: RePresenting Earth! R: Culture R: Activ. 1 Due. 3 T: Language & Religion R: Review 4 T: Midterm Exam 1 R: Ethnic Regions 5 T: Political Space R: Activity 2 Israel & Palestine Dividing 6 T: Political Space and Israel/Palestine Cont d R: Folk & Global Culture 7 T: Folk & Global Culture Show & Tell R: Midterm Exam Review 8 T: Midterm Exam 2 R: Population 9 T: Migration R: Activity 4 Population Growth Scenarios SV SPRING VACATION 10 T: Livelihood & Economy I R: Livelihood & Econ. II 11 T: Spatial Interaction R: Geography of Development 12 T: Movie: Development R: Movie: Subdivide and Conquer 13 T: Urban Geography R: Planning for Growth R: Ch. 2 T: Ch. 5; Allen Maps R: N/A R: Review T: Exam 1 R: Ch. 6; Allen Maps 130b T: Ch. 12; Allen Part VI; Allen Maps 117c, 117d, 123c, 130a, 130b R: (1) Lemon Tree (Chs. 1&2); (2) Avnery.pdf document (Both avail. Via BlackBoard & E-Reserve). R: Ch. 7 R: N/A R: Ch. 4; Allen Maps 14, 15, 24, 25, R: Activ. 2: Mapping the Division of Israel & Palestine T: Activ. 2 Due. R: Activ. 3: Globalization of Folk Culture T: Activ. 3 Due; Show & Tell R: Review T: Exam 2 R: Activ. 4: Population Growth Scenarios & Migration Histories T: Ch. 3 (pp ); Allen Map 23 R: N/A R: Activ. 4 Due. T: Ch. 8; Allen Maps 52, 73, 74-83, 105a, 105d, 123d, R: Ch. 9; Allen Maps 17, Part IV T: Ch. 3 (pp , ) R: (1) Ch 10; (2) stm ; (3) (4) gram ; (5) Appendix B; (6) Allen Part IV T: TBA R: Ch. 11 R: N/A T: Activ. 5: Global Food System T: Activ. 5 Due.; Activ. 6: High Plains Ethanol R: Activ. 7: States of Development T: Activ. 8-Video Questions R: Activ. 6 Due; Activ. 8-Video Questions T: Activs. 7 & 8 Due; Activ. 9: Urban Growth Scenarios

8 Week Topic Reading(s) Activities R: Urban Growth Discussion 14 T: Sustainability R: Review T: Ch. 13 R: N/A FINAL TBA *Provisional nature of course schedule indicates that though every attempt will be made to adhere to this schedule, it is not written in stone. Any impact of deviations from the schedule on course activities will be considered and adjusted for. T: Activ. 9 Due. R: Review