Last updated 8 6 14 Geog1101 Introduction to Human Geography Course 86453 102 MLC 1 25 2 15 Mon Wed Fri Fall 2014 Instructor Dr Jerry Shannon Office 312 Geography Geology Building Office hours 2 30 4 Mon or by appt Email jshannon uga edu Phone 706 542 1656 Course schedule http goo gl BDP5hp Teaching assistant Cory Sanchez corsan uga edu Course overview What is geography For many the answer to this question may bring to mind scattered issues of National Geographic memorizing state capitals or using Google Maps to find directions However these are only small parts of a broad subject one that focuses on how space matters to human societies and to the planet that hosts us This course as the title suggests introduces you to the range of topics that geographers have studied providing a kind of tasting menu for the discipline Our topics include globalization environmental justice segregation mapping economic development the green revolution food security and the growth of world megacities By the end of the course you may find it hard to answer the question of what isn t geography Class times will primarily be lecture based but there will be other activities as well including inclass discussions films student presentations and activities The goals are to keep things varied to give you some sense of the way geographers look at the world and a better grasp of the methods they use to do so Our course text Our primary text for the course is Human Geography Places and Regions in Global Context 6th ed by Knox and Marston It should be available at the University Book store Online sites like Amazon and Half com also offer textbooks for rent at reasonable prices Previous editions of the book may work for reading quizzes and course exams but I give no guarantee they are an adequate replacement Our eLearningCommons ELC site The course ELC site does multiple things It is a repository for course materials and class lectures All assignments will be submitted through this system and you will use it to take our scheduled exams and quizzes You can also use the ELC site to keep track of your grades in the course In short it s an online home for the course and one you should take time to feel comfortable with It s available at http elc uga edu Class schedule and due dates The schedule of class topics is online see above or the link on the course site This schedule is flexible and may change as we move through the course It is your responsibility to regularly check this schedule to insure you are keeping up with assigned readings and are aware of course deadlines That said I will do my best to insure that the dates for exams and assignments do not change As of now those dates are as follows Fieldwork assignments you will sign up for ONE of the four dates Monday 9 15 Friday 10 17 Monday 11 17 Tuesday 12 9 1 Last updated 8 6 14 Reading quizzes available 24 hours before these Wednesday classes 8 27 9 10 9 24 10 1 10 15 11 5 11 12 11 19 Major exams timed and available online Monday Sept 22 Wednesday Oct 29 Wednesday Dec 17 Grades There are 380 points possible for the course distributed in this way Mapping activity bring to class due March 3 10 points Online reading quizzes eight two lowest scores dropped 10 points each total of 60 possible points o Reading quizzes are open book and will be available 24 hours before class on the Wednesdays listed above and must be completed by class time o Five questions are on each quiz You will have ten minutes to finish once you begin Class participation based on in class poll responses 50 points o There will be approximately 60 80 total polls during class times o 20 of all poll responses 0 points o 20 59 9 of all poll responses 25 points o 60 or more of all poll responses 50 points o 80 of all poll responses 5 points extra credit Fieldwork paper 50 points o These papers will be submitted through the ELC dropbox and are due by 11 59 pm on the due date o 5 points extra credit for participating in an in class peer review session o 2 points extra credit for volunteering for a two minute presentation on your paper in class Online exams three each is non cumulative 70 points each total of 210 points o Exams will be open book and available on ELC in a nine hour window from 9 am to 6 pm on the day of the exam o 35 questions are on each exam You will have 50 minutes to finish once you begin Final point totals will be assigned grades using a standard scale as follows A 348 points A 340 347 B 332 339 B 310 331 B 302 309 C 294 301 C 272 293 C 264 271 D 226 263 F 225 points Fieldwork project During the second week of class you will sign up on ELC for one of four fieldwork assignments where you will do a brief investigation of a topic related to our class discussion The four options in this study each use varying research approaches giving you a chance to try out the methods used by geographers More information on these assignments is available on ELC but they are each summarized below 1 Mapping concentrated disadvantage due Mon 9 15 Use the online mapping tool Social Explorer to map how differences in household income are related to other demographic factors in a city of your choice including race education employment and age 2 Last updated 8 6 14 2 Placemaking at UGA due Mon 10 20 Observe one significant site at UGA or near campus and describe what kind of place it is who has created it who uses it and how and what things people might be missing or excluded 3 Grocery audit due Fri 11 21 Pick a supermarket somewhere close to campus and analyze the kinds of foods it features who works there its location where that food comes from and how people use it 4 The state of the cities due Mon 12 8 Read a recent state of the city address from a major American city Describe the main themes of this address and analyze what kind of future development it envisions whose responsibility it is to carry out that development and who is meant to benefit from it Contacting me Email is the best way to contact me as I check email regularly throughout the work week You can also post a question in our Facebook group see below if it s of general interest e g questions on paper expectations If you message me at night or on a weekend don t expect a quick reply You can also try to reach me through my office phone or leave a message but I may not respond as quickly I have office hours Monday after class but you are more than …