Geography 2000 World Regional Geography
Instructor: Ian MacLachlan
Office: B872
Phone: 329-2076
E-Mail: maclachlan@uleth.ca
Schedule: Spring 2006; Lectures: MWF 11:00-11:50, C-756
Office Hours: Wednesday 2:00-3:00/Tuesday 2:00-3:00 or by appointment
Description:
This course is a descriptive synthesis of the world's realms and major regions. The basic
geographic components of each region, both physical and human, are discussed each
week as the course spans the globe in a single semester to give a broad comparative
overview of world regional geography. For each of the world=s realms, a regional issue is
identified and current issues will be incorporated into classes as they arise.
Required Reading:
de Blij, H.J. and Peter O. Muller, 2004. Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts 11th
edition. New York: John Wiley
Course Web Page:
A link to the course web page will be e-mailed to each student in the class. The web page
will include the course outline, a brief guide for writing term papers in geography, a study
guide for map tests, and a link to Wiley=s Student Companion Site with a number of
useful resources including a set of virtual field trips that are required viewing along with
each of the book chapters. Lectures in PowerPoint format will be added as the course
progresses.
Grading Policy:
All work will be marked as a percentage. Percentages will be weighted and accumulated
with final grades determined as follows:
Grade Ranges
A+
90-100
B+
77-79
C+
67-69
D+
56-59
A
85-89
B
73-76
C
63-66
D
50-55
A-
80-84
B-
70-72
C-
60-62
F
0-49
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Course Requirements and Weights
Weight
Scope
Due Date
Test 1
20%
50 minutes
Feb 1
Test 2
20%
50 minutes
March 8
Geography Today
25%
1,500 words
April 12
Final Examination
35%
2 hours
April 25, 9:00-11:00
The grades of late assignments will be penalized by 10% for each week day they are
late. Student Discipline Policy will be applied as described in the Calendar and academic
offenses will be penalized accordingly.
Geography Today
For this assignment you will write a paper that provides an in-depth geographical analysis
of a current world event (occurring after January 1, 2006), taking place outside of North
America. Select an international event that captures your imagination and that shows how
contemporary developments are changing the geography of our world.
You must begin your research by browsing an authoritative newspaper (in hard copy) with
national or international stature e.g. The Globe and Mail or The National Post. When you
find a story that is relevant to concepts and themes of the course and that truly piques your
curiosity, develop a unique theme and research question that you will answer in your
paper. Using library research methods, collect the background information and data
necessary to answer your research question. You must include a photocopy of the
newspaper story with your paper.
Papers should be no longer than 1,500 words and must be word processed. You must
consult the ATerm Paper Style Guide@ on the course web page; however you may choose
to use and follow any accepted academic style of writing and citation. Use tables, graphs
and maps wherever necessary to illustrate the points you make in the paper. Make sure
that your paper addresses a contemporary issue that is clearly relevant to geographical
concepts addressed in the course.
Tests and Final Examination
Two in-class tests will include multiple choice questions, map questions based on the map
test study guide, and definitions. The final examination will incorporate all of the above plus
an essay question.
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Lecture Outline
Week
Readinga
Introduction: Realms and Regions
0
Introduction
South Asia
1
8
East Asia
2
9
Southeast Asia
3
10
Catch-up & test week
4
Introduction, 8,9,10
Subsaharan Africa
5
6
North Africa/Southwest Asia
6
7
Europe
7
1
Russia
8
2
Test and catch-up week
9
Introduction, 6,7,1,2
Middle America
10
4
South America
11
5
Australia and New Zealand
12
11
The Pacific (time permitting)
13
12
Topic
Note: a. Numbers refer to chapters in de Blij and Muller (2004) and corresponding virtual
field trips available from the course web site.
Learning Tip
This is a content-intensive course that requires the absorption and recall of a large volume
of material. Keeping up with reading is essential to success in the course. You should plan
on reading a chapter each week which will take about three hours.
Reading for mastery is an active learning process. For most students the use of
highlighters encourages poor reading habits and detracts from learning. Most successful
students will find that a much more effective reading technique is to make notes, writing out
the key ideas in the material they are reading to focus their attention on the way that
concepts and facts are structured.
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