World Regional Geography

General Objectives: "World Regional Geography" elaborates the interactions and interconnections between environment, culture, economy, demographics, and politics world-wide. Within this vast and highly demanding project, our aim is to grasp fundamental principles and interrelationships within and among these factors, as well as the ideological models by which these factors and their interrelationships may be understood. This course aims to develop an enhanced and critical understanding of basic geographic principles and to engender in students a strong sense of their place among peoples of the world.

Specific Aims: By the end of this course, students

will be at least nominally familiar with virtually all the countries of the world;
will have a firm grasp on the basic principles of demographics, climate, and economy;
will understand the dialectical relationships among culture, social organization, politics, and economy; and
will be able to interpret quantitative indicators regarding state of a country’s development.

Course Requirements:

Towards this end, the course will involve

map quizzes on each region: best 10 out of 11; to be given on Tuesdays;
one Atlas Exercise that includes a quiz on introductory content;
three exams on the course material, non-cumulative;
three “state profile” exercises that require data collection and analysis;
Two other assignments to be implemented at such times that I am called out of town.

Map Quizzes:	10	Content Quizzes (3 @ 10%)	30
Projects (3 parts @ 10%):	30	Class Participation	10
Atlas Exercise and Concept Quiz	10	Other Excercises (2 @ 5%)	10
		Total:	100

** Be aware that additional assignments can be added to this list if deemed necessary **

Evaluation:

This course uses plus-and-minus grading based on a 100-point scale. In the event that the total points possible is not 100, a percentage scale will be used to determine your grade out of 100%.

Excellence--in either performance or effort--is expected. Mediocrity is not rewarded.

A	92-100	C	72-75
A-	89-91	C-	69-71
B+	86-88	D+	66-68
B	82-85	D	62-65
B-	79-81	D-	59-61
C+	76-78	E	0-58

Required Textbooks:

• de Blij, H.J. & Peter O. Muller, Concepts and Regions in Geography John Wiley & Sons, 2002
NOTE: This course is adopting the eGrade Plus online version of the textbook.

• Goode’s World Atlas, latest edition (no other Atlas is sufficient)

COURSE POLICY

General Guidelines: General

a)     Students are expected to master the texts and to attend all classes

b)    Students are expected to participate in in-class group activities

c)     Assignments and quizzes should be attended to at the proper times.

d)    The classroom is not a cafeteria: please arrive at the beginning and do not leave until the end. There is no coming and going during the class itself.

Map Quizzes:

Map Quizzes will come at the beginning of the week for the week that region is assigned. Map quizzes cover primarily countries, but some include rivers, mountains, and other geographical features of importance. Study guides to the map quizzes are posted at the course website listed on the front of this syllabus. There are no surprises. You will be given a blank map similar to the one on the website, and asked to identify five items. It’s over fast, and your grade is based on your best 10.

Class Participation:

Class participation is based on number of unexcused absences. Excused absences involve doctor’s note or other documentation of your need to miss class. You are allowed two unexcused absences. After that, you will lose1 point for each unexcused absence up to a total of ten possible points. Perfect attendance will earn two bonus points. One unexcused absence will earn one bonus point. More than two absences will lose points as follows: 1:1, 2:2, 3:3, 4:4.

Late assignment policy:

Map quizzes: make-ups can be taken during office hours up to the end of the semester, with no loss of points for lateness.

State Profiles: these will be accepted no more than three days late, and will lose 1 point out of the total possible 10 points for each day late.

Exams: make-up exams will only be given in extreme circumstances and ordinarily will not be given. Those who need to take a make-up should expect a lengthy essay exam.

Other Assignments: any other late assignments (e.g. Atlas exercise) will lose 20%, and may not be accepted at all once the on-time papers been marked and redistributed.

Academic dishonesty:

Academic dishonesty is not accepted in this course. Cheating on a map quiz will result in a deduction of 10 points from your overall assessment. Cheating on an exam or handing in plagiarized materials will result in an automatic failing grade for the course.

Students with Disabilities:

This course is in compliance with Towson University policies for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities are encouraged to register with Disability Support. Students who suspect that they have a disability but do not have documentation are encouraged to contact DSS for advice on how to obtain appropriate evaluation. A memo from DSS authorizing your accommodation is needed before any accommodation can be made.

IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM:

Come see me. If you are having serious trouble either in the class, or coming to class, or getting the work done, don’t let it slide without letting me know. We’ll try to salvage what we can for you.

NOTE: All of the guidelines and grading schemes outlined on the syllabus may be subject to change in order to better suit the talents and needs of the class.

Towson University > Geography > RDK Herman > World Regional Geography