GEOG 100: Introduction to Human Geography
Mondays and Thursdays
2:00-3:55 (Section 14) in Room 320, 4:00-5:55 (Section 16) in Room 450
Instructor: Victoria Hodson
Email: vhodson@columbiacollege.bc.ca (see Emails, under Course Policies) th Office: Social Sciences Faculty Office, 5 Floor, Room 530
Office Hours: Monday 1-2pm, Tuesday 11am-12pm, Thursday 1-2pm, Friday 11am-12pm
Course Description
This course explores the basic concepts in human geography that are essential to understanding changes in the relationship between human societies, economic spaces and the environment. This course will look at issues located at the core of human geography: employment and spaces of production, cultural transformation, economic and ethnic disparities, migration, urban and rural landscapes, and environmental degradation among others.
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
•
•
•
Identify seminal theories and concepts within the field of human geography o Describe their relevance to understandings of space and society in a reflection paper Demonstrate the importance of geography and geographical concepts in everyday life o Discuss course material on a weekly basis with other students in class through facilitated discussion and group activities
Required Readings and Class Material
Text: Knox, P., Marston, S., and Imort, M. (2015). Human Geography: Places and Regions in
Global Context, Fifth Canadian Edition. Toronto: Pearson.
Additional Material: Supplementary material, including readings, videos and websites, may be assigned in class throughout the term. Students will be responsible for all supplemental material.
Course Prerequisites
None
Evaluation
Participation: 15%
Field Observation: 15%
Reflection Paper: 15%
Midterm #1: 10%
Midterm #2: 15%
Final Exam: 30%
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Participation (15%): This portion of your grade will be assessed through a series of five quizzes each worth 3%; these quizzes will help you practice for the exams, and reflect on what we are learning. The quiz questions will be based on the readings for that day and may include a group discussion/activity component. Therefore you will need to come to class having read all assigned readings and should be prepared to discuss the material, anrovide opinions.
There are no make up opportunities if you are not in class on a day of a quiz, unless you have a doctors note and contact me by email about your absence before the class that you will be missing.
Students who email me about their illness after the class will not qualify for a make up quiz.
Field Observation (15%): For your field observation project, you will be going to visit a local shopping mall – not to go shopping, but to practice collecting and organizing field observations of the built landscape, and analyzing your findings. In doing so, you will be asked to reflect on questions related to place-marketing, globalization, and landscape semiotics. You will then each submit your own individual response to these questions in a short report worth 15% of your total grade. You field observation must be submitted in class on the due date as outlined in the schedule.
Additional details for this assignment will be discussed in class.
Reflection Paper (15%): You must complete one response assignment worth a total of 15% of your final mark. The purpose of the response assignment is to give you a chance to reflect critically on course material by applying course concepts to specific examples from your life. For this assignment you will be asked to complete two components: (1) a diary, and (2) a reflection paper.
Your diary will be written for 5 days over the course of one week and answer a series of questions based on concepts from the textbook, lecture material, one or more supplementary readings, and your personal experiences. The length of your diary will be approximately 1 page per day (5 pages total). After you complete your diary, you will analyze your diary using Cresswell (1996), and any relevant course concepts, in a short reflection paper. Critical thought and analysis are expected; you are not simply summarizing lecture material. Your reflection paper should be 750-1000 words double-spaced (3-4 pages), have academic referencing in APA style, and follow specific formatting guidelines. The diary component is worth 5% and the reflection paper is worth 10%; each part of the assignment must be submitted in class on the due dates as outlined in the schedule. Additional details on each assignment will be discussed in class.
Midterm Exams (10% and 15%; 25% total): There are two midterm exams for this class, covering lecture material, textbook readings, films, supplementary readings, video clips, websites, field trips and guest lectures (if applicable). The exams will include a mix of short answer questions (fill-in-theblank, multiple-choice, etc.), definitions, short answer and essay questions. We will practice these skills in class and through course assignments throughout the term. Please refer to the course schedule for the midterm dates.
Final Exam (30%): The final exam will have a similar format to the midterms and will cover course material from the entire course, with a focus on material from the latter part of the semester. An exam guide will be provided closer to the end of the term. th The date for the final exam will be scheduled during the exam week: April 11 to 16th. Please do not book travel or vacation plans until after our exam date has been posted on the Columbia
College website.
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Grading Scale
Letter
Percentage
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
C-
90% and above
85% to 89%
80% to 84%
76% to 79%
72% to 75%
68% to 71%
64% to 67%
60% to 63%
55% to 59%
D
50% to 54%
F
N
49% and below
Points
4.3
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.0
Definition
0.0
0.0
Fail
Failure*(for
attendance)
Excellent
Very Good
Good
Satisfactory
Marginal Pass
non-completion
or
non-
* A grade of N may be assigned for the following reasons:
a. Where a student has failed to attend 50% or more of class meetings,
b. Where a student has failed to submit 50% or more of assigned course work,
c. Where a student has not completed the minimum lab requirement in a course with a lab component, d. Where a student has failed to write the final exam
Course Policies and Expectations
Attendance: Weekly attendance in class is compulsory. If you are sick, or cannot come to class for another reason, you must notify me by email in advance of the class you are missing. I will not provide lecture notes to students who miss class. If you miss class, you are responsible for arranging to get notes from a fellow student. Please note: students who attend less than 50% of classes or complete less than 50% of course-work will automatically fail the course.
Emails: The best means of contacting me outside of class time or office hours is by email. You must use your Columbia College email. I will be sending important information to this email and I will only respond to emails from your official college account. I will respond to emails within 48 hours on weekdays only. Email communications are best reserved for quick-response (“yes/no”) questions.
More involved questions and other concerns are better handled in person during office hours or by appointment. *When emailing me, please remember to include “GEOG 100” in the subject line.
Assignment submission and late work: Except when noted, all assignments should be submitted in hard copy in class and by the deadline as outlined in the course schedule. Assignments should not be submitted in another format unless permission has been obtained prior to the deadline. Late assignments will only be accepted without penalty in case of medical or family emergency and with valid documentation. All other late assignments will be penalized 5% if handed in during the 24 hours after the deadline, and another 10% for each 24-hour period thereafter. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor if they are submitting an assignment late. Furthermore, late assignments will only receive a score and no critical feedback will be provided. Thus, it is in your best interest to submit all assignments on time
Academic Integrity: Columbia College expects all students to uphold the principle of academic honesty. Cheating and plagiarism (presenting another person’s words or ideas as one’s own) are
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not acceptable behavior at any educational institution. Depending on the severity of the offense such acts can result in a grade of zero on the test or assignment, a failing grade (F) in the course or expulsion from the college. In all cases, the circumstances and the penalty are recorded in the student’s file. Students are asked to review the College’s “Cheating and Plagiarism Policy and Protocols” available from Student Services.
Students with Special Needs: I make every effort to accommodate students with disabilities.
Please contact me as soon as possible if you feel you will need accommodation.
Laptops, Cellphones and other Gadgets: As per the Classroom Code of Conduct (see below), the only electronic devices that may be used during a class are electronic calculators, electronic dictionaries, and laptops/tablets that are being used to source course material such as e-texts, and these devices may only be used in class if the instructor gives his/her explicit permission. If I see you using a laptop/tablet to surf the internet, check email/Facebook, watch YouTube, I will ask you to turn off your device and may ask you to leave the class. The use of cell phones, iPods, etc. during class is not permissible. Please turn these devices off before you come to class. In addition, no audio, video or picture recording of class is permitted without prior written consent.
Overall, to do well in this course, you will have to:
-Arrive on time, attend all classes and take thorough notes
-Be involved in discussion; collaborate with and listen to others
-Complete ALL course readings and make throughout notes
-Ask questions when you are unclear
-Complete written tasks with critical thought
-Take responsibility for ensuring an open and welcoming environment for everyone
CLASSROOM CODE OF CONDUCT
Students at Columbia College are expected to show respect for the rights of other students, in particular the right to study and learn. Any behaviour in a classroom that interferes with the instructor’s ability to conduct the class will be treated as disruptive; the penalties for disruptive behaviour are set out in the College Calendar, and include suspension and even expulsion from the
College. In general students are expected to be attentive and courteous during class and lab time, to complete assigned work and to accept responsibility for their own achievement. In particular:
1. students will aim to arrive at all classes early so as to be ready when the class begins – this means taking a seat and getting out paper, pens, necessary texts and so on before the class starts.
2. students will not expect to leave the class before the instructor has finished. On those rare occasions when a student must leave a class early he/she should seek the permission of the instructor before the class starts. If a student must excuse himself/herself during a class the student should request permission and leave as quietly as possible.
3. cellphones (and similar electronic devices) will be turned off during classes, not simply switched to “vibrate” mode. Students should never consult their phones, etc, during a class.
The only electronic devices that may be used during a class are electronic calculators, electronic dictionaries, and laptops/tablets that are being used to source course material such as e-texts, and these devices may only be used in class if the instructor gives his/her explicit permission.
4. students will not talk while the instructor is talking.
5. students will speak respectfully when asking a question or answering a question posed by the instructor.
6. students may not eat or drink during classes unless the instructor indicates that this is acceptable in his/her class
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Tentative Course Schedule
Week
Date
Topics
Readings and Assignments
Jan 11
Course Introduction
Please buy the course textbook.
Jan 14
Introductory Concepts
Chapter 1
Jan 18
Introductory Concepts
Jan 21
Global Processes
Chapter 2
Participation #1 (3%)
Jan 25
Global Processes
Chapter 2 cont’d
Jan 28
Population and Migration
Chapter 3
Participation #2 (3%)
Feb 1
Population and Migration
Feb 4
Midterm #1
Reflection #1 Workshop
Feb 8
Family Day
Feb 11
Culture and Identity
Feb 15
Culture and Identity
Feb 18
Nature and Society
Feb 22
Nature and Society
Feb 25
Place and Landscape
Feb 29
Place and Landscape
Mar 3
Midterm #2
In Class (15%)
Mar 7
Economy and Development
Chapter 7
Mar 10
Economy and Development
Chapter 7 cont’d
Mar 14
Political Geography
Chapter 9
Participation #4 (3%)
Mar 17
PD Day
No Class
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Chapter 1 cont’d
Chapter 3 cont’d
In Class (10%)
Second half of lecture
No Class
Chapter 5
Diaries (5%) due at beginning of class
(either 2pm or 4pm)
Cresswell (1996)
Chapter 4
Participation #3 (3%)
Chapter 4 cont’d
Chapter 6
Reflection Due (10%) at beginning of class
(either 2pm or 4pm)
Chapter 6 cont’d
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Chapter 9 cont’d
Field Observation (15%) due at beginning of class (either 2pm or 4pm)
Chapter 8
