Geography 106-Section 01 TTH 9:30 – 10:45 Physical Sciences 301 Instructor: Steve Stewart eMAIL: [email protected] The American West Office: Butte 508 Phone: 898-6089 Hours: TTH 3:30 – 6:00 SYLLABUS Course Description This course is a survey of the development of the American West from pre-Columbian times to the present. An understanding of this unique landscape necessitates consideration of the conflict between various groups of people for control and use of land and resources. It also requires discussions of resource allocation issues, conflicts of different political and economic systems, and the exploitation of certain cultural groups by others. It is an approved General Education course for area D-2 (Political and Economic Institutions) Texts 1. Class Packet available for sale at the AS Bookstore. 2. “The American West, A new Interpretive History” by Robert Hine & John Mack Faracher. Course Objectives The objectives of this course are to help students: 1. Develop a geographic understanding of the American West, including; a. The physical processes that shape the patterns on the earth’s surface, b. How these physical processes affect human cultures. c. How various cultures manage and modify the physical environment, d. The patterns of human migration and settlement throughout the region. 2. Develop the ability to think, speak, and write critically. Course Requirements Students are responsible for all class materials and should be prepared to discuss readings on the assigned dates. Specific requirements include: 1. One midterm exam and one final exam. Exam questions will be taken from the assigned readings, class exercises, and class lectures. 2. Numerous map quizzes and exercises throughout the semester. 3. One written ‘Field Trip’ assignment.Students’ Responsibilities Students are expected to attend all classes. If you miss class or leave early because of other important commitments, you are still responsible for materials presented in lecture. Eating, reading outside materials, or carrying on conversations not relevant to classroom discussions are prohibited. Phones, PDAs, and other personal digital devices are prohibited, even on vibrate. Turn it off and live in the moment. The use of digital devices during class time will result in removal from class. ANY phone use, noise, vibration during an exam or quiz will result in an ‘F’ being awarded. Students are expected to respect one another and the diversity of opinion, viewpoint, experience, and interpretation present in a university classroom. Students should take careful, complete notes; exams will be taken in large part from lecture materials and classroom discussions. Academic Honesty Cases of academic dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, and misrepresentation of work will be referred Lisa Root, the director of Student Judicial Affairs. Sanctions for academic dishonesty range from receiving a failing grade in the class to expulsion from the University. Please consider this before engaging in ethically questionable behaviors. Instructor’s Responsibilities It is the instructor’s responsibility to be organized, informative, and enthusiastic about the course material. The instructor will be available during office hours to answer questions about course materials, assignments, or exams. As a guide to the learning process, the instructor will make every effort to accommodate different learning styles by using various methods of instruction – including traditional lecture, class discussion, hands-on activities, field work, and film and video when available. It is the instructor’s responsibility to ensure that classroom decorum is maintained. Any behavior that disrupts the learning process will be dealt with in a prompt manner and may lead to the student(s) being dropped from the class. The procedure for removal from the classroom is as follows. 1. First interaction – a verbal admonishment will be given to the disruptive student. 2. Second interaction – temporary removal from class and/or an office visit. Seating assignment will be given at this point. 3. Third interaction – permanent removal from class. An ‘F’ will be awarded for the class. Grading Policy No makeup work will be permitted, except in the case of a bona-fide and documented illness or emergency. Assignments are due on the dates specified by the instructor. Note: No late work will be accepted In accordance with university literacy requirements, spelling, grammar, and composition will be taken into account when grading written assignments. Note: Work submited with moore that four gramatical or spelling errers are unaccepteble. No resubmited work will be axcepted. Please proof reed your werk.** Clearly, you can pick out errors in the work of others. Be certain that your papers do not contain errors like those illustrated in the sentence above. Papers that do not adhere to the university standards can not earn a grade better than a D. Extra Credit Extra credit opportunities will be offered at various times during the course of the semester depending upon the availability of guest speakers. Extra credit is offered to assist diligent students; therefore, all extra credit points will be forfeited for those students who have missed more than three regular assignments. No extra credit will be accepted or offered during the final two weeks of the semester. - You may attend two visiting lecturer seminars during the course of the semester for extra credit in the course. After attending, type a short 1 page summary of what was said and what you thought about it. - During the course of the semester you may read one book on the American West from the list provided. Those students who choose to read a book will have an additional test after the final on the chosen book. Grading Policy This is a general outline of points for the course. The instructor will modify these point totals slightly during the course of the semester. Activity Points Midterm Exam (1) 100 Final Exam (1) 100 Exercises (4 @ 10 points) 40 Map Quizzes (3 @ 15 points) 45 Reading Quizzes (4 @ 25 points) 100 Photo Flashcard 5 Field Trip Assignment 100 Approximate Total Points 490 Grade Scale: To compute the final letter grade, students need to determine what percentage of points they received