GEO 2000: Introduction to Geography Syllabus Florida International University, Fall 2013

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1 GEO 2000: Introduction to Geography Syllabus Florida International University, Fall 2013 Professor: Dr. Jeff Onsted Phone: (305) Office: ECS 332 Office hours: T, TH, 8:00 9:15 AM Class: T & Th, 9:30 10:45 TA: Ms. Kimiko Tanita ktani002@fiu.edu OH: By appointment Purpose of Course: The purpose of this course is to introduce students to basic geographic concepts as well as topics on both human and physical geography. This course falls under the category of Foundations of Social Inquiry. Thus, after this class, students will be able to use research and analytic skills to evaluate and apply theories and methodologies. Inductive and deductive logic skills are taught to students to enable them to deconstruct cultural components and historical political evolution, recognize economic patterns and trends from the forefathers of economic thought and analysis, as well as gain an understanding of basic earth science concepts. In short, this course will introduce students to the mature study of geography. Including, but also transcending, the familiar elementary school exercise of memorizing what is where, this class will encourage students to ask the question, Why is that there? Course Objectives: After this course, students will understand basic spatial concepts including: why landscapes look the way they do, how people influence the landscape and are influenced by it, assessment of the ideas behind various cultures, spatial concepts in politics, and other geographic theories. In this course students investigate social, political, and economic configurations; cultural and psychological features of human life; gender, race/ethnicity, and social class; consciousness and identity; social interactions with the natural environment; and local, national, and global aspects of the human world. Textbook: Introduction to Geography, Getis, Getis, Bjelland, and Fellman, McGraw Hill, 13th Edition, 2011 ISBN: Class website: There is a Blackboard Shell for this class and that can be found here:

2 Your username is your FIU MyAccounts username. (Example: jdoe001) Your password is your FIU MyAccounts password. I will use the Blackboard website to publish lectures, study guides, class assignment instructions, and any other relevant materials or announcements. Turnitin.com will be used for the submission of Assignments 2 and 3. This course will be graded based on 2 exams, 4 quizzes, and 3 homeworks. The total amount of possible points you can earn in this class is 400 points. The 4 quizzes are worth 100 points total. The first midterm exam is worth 100 points, the second exam is worth 100 points, and the 3 homeworks are worth a total of 100 points. Exam 1 will be evaluating the first half of the course, while Exam 2 (The Final Exam) will test ONLY the material introduced during the second half of the course. Make-up exams will only be given to those who can produce a note from a doctor due to serious illness. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result, at the very least, in a 0 on the assignment and, at most, could result in your expulsion from the University, depending on the severity of the offense. If you wish to learn more about FIU policy regarding this look here: Though I do not take attendance in a class of this size, if you come to the lectures you are guaranteed to perform better on quizzes and tests. If you do come to class I expect you to have your cell phones, headphones off, and to not speak while I am speaking. If you refuse to honor this, I will ask you to leave the classroom. *Letter grades will be assigned as follows: A % A % B % B 83-86% B % C % C 73-76% C % D % D 63-66% D 60-62% F No effort made * If the tests and other assignments result in too few students performing well (in the A or B range) I will curve the points so that student grades will improve. NOTE: this curve can ONLY help your grade, it will never hurt it. Therefore, you will be assigned a grade either based on the curve or based on the scale above, whichever is higher.

3 Quizzes and Tests These will begin promptly at 9:30 AM. Quizzes will be collected at 9:50 AM while the Midterm Exam will be collected at 10:45 AM. DO NOT BE LATE. Being late will mean you will have less time to work on your quiz or exam. You can drop your lowest Quiz score, so you will only be graded on the top three of your quizzes (each worth points). You must keep both exam scores. There will be no makeups for quizzes. No exceptions. * Homework Assignments: Assignment 1: Mental Maps: Without using any help from paper maps, the internet, or a computer, draw your house on a map. Draw FIU on a map. Now fill in as much detail between your house and FIU on your daily commute to school. Now, look at an actual Google Map (Your TA can help you do this if you do not know how.) What landmarks did you forget on your commute? What did you remember? Why do you suppose that is? What is a mental map? ( words, double spaced, 12 point font, including map) Points: 15 Assignment 2: Hurricanes: Do research on any Hurricane that has affected the Miami Metropolitan Area and answer the following questions: Where did the storm originate? What time of year did it strike? What Category of Magnitude was it? What damage did it do? How many other Hurricanes struck that year? What were their magnitudes? Explain why and how Hurricanes form. Why do they hit Miami and not Los Angeles? ( words, double spaced, 12 point font, including a one page image of the hurricane or the destruction it caused) Points: 15 Note: You will turn this assignment in using Turnitin.com Assignment 3: Your TA is going to choose a country at random for each person in the class. When you receive your country you are going to give a report on this country as if you are from that country s board of tourism. You must make a map by hand of your country as well as find pictures on the Internet that help convey what life is like there. There should be pictures of people, landforms, cities, streams, and everything that you can think of to convince people to come and visit. Try to include aspects of what you ve learned in class including both physical geography (landforms and climate, etc.) as well as human geography (cultural and political, etc.) Remember, even if there are negative aspects to life in your country you are going to try to focus on the positives. Additional details for Assignment 3 can be found on the Blackboard Site for the class. Points: 100 Note: You will turn this assignment in using Turnitin.com * More details (as well as possible small changes) regarding these homework assignments will be given to you as they are assigned throughout the semester. Date Topic Reading Event

4 Housekeeping, Course Overview, and Tuesday, 8/27 Introduction Chapter 1 Thursday, 8/29 Core Geographic Concepts Chapter 1 Tuesday, 9/3 About Maps Chapter 2 Thursday, 9/5 About Maps Chapter 2 Tuesday, 9/10 Landforms and Processes Chapter 3 Thursday, 9/12 Landforms and Processes Chapter 3 Tuesday, 9/17 Weather and Climate Chapter 4 Thursday, 9/19 Weather and Climate Chapter 4 Formation and Distribution of Natural Tuesday, 9/24 Resources Chapter 5 Thursday, 9/26 Tuesday, 10/1 Thursday, 10/3 Formation and Distribution of Natural Resources Chapter 5 Population Distribution and Demographics Chapter 6 Population Distribution and Demographics Chapter 6 Tuesday, 10/8 Midterm Review Exam 1 (Chapters 1-6 and all lectures Thursday, 10/10 up to this point) Tuesday, 10/15 Cultural Geography Chapter 7 Thursday, 10/17 Cultural Geography Chapter 7 Tuesday, 10/22 Political Geography Chapter 9 Thursday, 10/24 Political Geography Chapter 9 Tuesday, 10/29 Economic Geography Chapter 10 Last day to add courses; last day to drop w/o penalties Quiz 1 (Chapters 1-2) Assignment 1 Due in class today Quiz 2 (Chapters 3-4) Assignment 2 Due today Quiz 3 (Chapters 7, 9) Thursday, 10/31 Economic Geography Chapter 10 Happy Halloween! Tuesday, 11/5 Urban Geography Chapter 11 11/4 is the last day to drop with a DR grade Thursday, 11/7 Urban Geography Chapter 11 Tuesday, 11/12 Human Environment Relations Chapter 12 Thursday. 11/14 Human Environment Relations Chapter 12 Quiz 4 (Chapters 9-11 Tuesday, 11/19 Human Environment Relations Chapter 12 Thursday, 11/21 Human Environment Relations Chapter 12

5 Tuesday, 11/26 Human Environment Relations Chapter 12 Assignment 3 due today Thursday, 11/28 NO CLASS Happy Thanksgiving! Tuesday, 12/3 Human Environment Relations Chapter 12 Thursday, 12/5 Final Exam Review Tuesday, 12/10 FINAL EXAM (9:45-11:45 AM) Happy Holidays!!!

Beginning and Intermediate Algebra, by Elayn Martin-Gay, Second Custom Edition for Los Angeles Mission College. ISBN 13:

Beginning and Intermediate Algebra, by Elayn Martin-Gay, Second Custom Edition for Los Angeles Mission College. ISBN 13: Course: Math 125,, Section: 25065 Time: T Th: 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Room: CMS 022 Textbook: Beginning and, by Elayn Martin-Gay, Second Custom Edition for Los Angeles Mission College. ISBN 13: 978-1-323-45049-9