World Regional Geography (GEOG 5)
El Camino College
Instructor: Michael Reed
Office: NS 209
Email: mreed@elcamino.edu
Phone: 310-660-6016
Website: http://www.elcamino.edu/faculty/mreed
Fall 2006 Office Hours:
M
T
W
TH
F
11:30-12:30
1-2 PM
11:30-12:30
1-2 PM
11:30-12:30
I. Rationale
I. Rationale
This course is a systematic study of the cultural variables of mankind: population, religion, language, economic activities, and
settlements.
II. Recommended Prerequisites/Proficiencies
Prerequisites: Eligibility for English 2R.
III. Course Materials
A. Rowntree, Lester. 2005. Globalization and Diversity. Pearson Publishing. Required.
B. Goode’s World Atlas. 21st Edition. 2004. Recommended.
IV. Course Objectives
Students will gain an understanding of the major countries and regions of the world, studying the environments, people,
cities, resources, history, economies, and special problems.
V. Attendance/Absence/Tardiness/ Withdrawal Policies
Each student begins the semester with 25 points for attendance. If you are absent no more than twice, you get all 25 points.
With each additional absence you lose 6 points unless it is college-authorized (field trip for another class, for example) or a
documented medical emergency. You are expected to be punctual as tardiness disrupts the class. Three tardies will count
as an absence.
Students are expected to attend all class meetings. Students are expected to arrive on time, prepared to learn. If a student
wishes to drop the class, the student alone is responsible for notifying the Office of Admissions and Records.
Failure to do so may lead to a permanent F on your academic record.
Peer contact numbers:
1. ____________________________________
2. ____________________________________
3. ____________________________________
VI. Grades and Exams
3 Tests @ 50 points each
=
150
Final Exam
=
100
3 Assignments @ 50 points each
=
150
Attendance
=
25
Total
=
375
VII. Tests
Heavily based on lecture material, but also on the readings indicated on the study guides. You must buy a Scantron 882 for
each test (available at the campus bookstore). Some test questions will be multiple-choice and matching, but there will also
be short answer questions and map questions. The final is not comprehensive; it covers material after Test #4 and the
introductory material from Chapters 1 and 2.
VIII. Exam Make-up Policy
There are no make-ups given for the tests. If you miss a test, you will receive a score equal to your lowest score on the
other 3 tests. If you take all 4 tests, your lowest score will be raised to match your second lowest score. The score on your
final exam will not be replaced. You must attend the final exam to pass this class.
IX. Late Work Policy
Course work submitted late receives 25% reduction per day.
X. Class Assignments/Instructor Expectations
Please bring your textbook to class every day. Students will come to each class session prepared to learn and to take
good notes. Specific reading and problem assignments will be given in class and are listed in the syllabus.
El Camino College offers many excellent services such as counseling, tutoring, financial aid, etc. Please make use of
these services by applying at the appropriate office. If you are having difficulty with this course, you should visit the instructor
during office hours. If you have any serious health problems, especially if they may require emergency treatment, please
notify the instructor.
XI. Academic Dishonesty Policy
College study is the process of becoming an independent scholar. All students are expected to do their own work. All forms
of cheating and plagiarism are absolutely forbidden. Incidents of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Vice President
of Instruction and become part of the student’s permanent academic record.
Your Progress: You should keep track of all the points that you earn during the course.
Assignment:
/50
Movie
Tests:
/50
Newspaper
/50
/50
#1
/50
#2
#3
Attendance (keep track of your absences here)
Final Exam
=
/50
Oral Presentation
_______
/100
XI. Schedule of Assignments
Dates
Subject and Reading Assignments
Textbook
Chapter
2/14 - 2/16
Introduction to Course / Geography
2/21 - 2/23
Latin America
4
2/28 - 3/2
The Caribbean
5
3/7
3/9 - 3/14
*** FIRST TEST ***
(50 POINTS)
1,2, 4, 5
March 10 - Last Day to Drop with No Notation on Record
3/16 - 3/21
1/2
Sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa (continued)
& Southwest Asia
3/23 – 3/28
6
7
Classes Cancelled
3/30
Southwest Asia and N. Africa (continued)
7
4/4 – 4/6
4/4 Southwest Asia (continued)
6,7
4/6 *** SECOND TEST ***
(50 POINTS)
4/11 – 4/13
***SPRING BREAK *** (Take a Trip Somewhere)
4/18
***Movie Assignment Due (50 Points)***
In Class Film: Guns, Germs, and Steel – Part 1
8
4/18 – 4/20
Europe
4/25 – 4/27
Europe (cont.) and Russia
5/2 – 5/4
5/9
Russia (cont.) and Film: Goodbye Lenin
***THIRD TEST ***
8
8 and 9
9
(50 POINTS)
8 and 9
5/11 & 5/16
E. Asia
11
5/18 & 5/23
South Asia
12
Southeast Asia
13
5/25
5/30
6/1
***Newspaper Assignment Due (50 Points)***
*** FINAL EXAM ***
(100 POINTS) – You must take this to pass!
6/6
*** Group Oral Presentations *** (50 Points)
6/8
*** Group Oral Presentations *** (continued)
1, 2, 11, 12, & 13
Newspaper Assignment – 50 points
Geography 5
Instructor Michael Reed
During this course, read Section A of the Los Angeles Times on a regular basis in search of good news feature articles
related to World Regional Geography. You must find one article in five of the ten regions listed below. News feature
articles focus on general regional stories, not on the news of the previous day. If the article is about something that
happened the day before or in the last week, do not use it! There is generally a news feature article in Column 1 of the front
page, and if it is about a topic in a foreign country, it’s probably a good one to use for this assignment. If you go to the store
and buy the Sunday Preview Edition on Saturday, you will often find several good news feature articles. You can print your
articles from www.latimes.com. You can access articles through the ECC library database without paying for any of the
articles, but you must have an El Camino library card. Once you log on, scroll down and click on PROQUEST. From there
you can find L.A. Times articles.
A news feature article is one that could be published on any day. It’s not a headline. It’s not dependent on today’s or even
this month’s news. Make sure that the article is related to something we covered in class or which is in the book.
Only use articles from Section A (World Section) of the Los Angeles Times. No articles from the Travel Section,
Opinion Section… Articles must be from August 29, 2005 or later.
You may also use articles (Aug 29, 2005) or later from the World (International) section of the New York Times
(www.nytimes.com) or Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com). These are the only papers allowed.
Do not use an article that focuses on WAR, VIOLENCE, WEAPONS, TERRORISM, ELECTIONS, NATURAL DISASTERS,
IRAQ, ISRAEL, OR PALESTINIANS. Minimum length of the article is half of a letter sheet of paper (if clipped from the
paper) or at least 2 full pages if from the Internet (900 words or longer). Try to find articles about the people, culture,
population, cities, environment, wildlife, migration, economy, industry, history, religion, language, or the country
overall, but remember that it must be related to a topic covered in class or the textbook.
Good examples of Los Angeles Times articles are listed below:

Europe:
“The Swiss: United by Diversity”

Former Soviet Union
“Ex-Soviet State (Estonia) Dares to Dream”

Middle East:
“Egypt Plans a New Valley to Rival the Nile”

South Asia:
“In India, a Leader Rises From the Depths” (caste system)

Southeast Asia:
“Perfect Paradise (Thailand) Falls Prey to Runaway Tourism”

China:
“China’s Uprooted Peasants Find Life in City is Difficult”
(People displaced by Three Gorges Dam)

Japan/Korea
“North Korea: A Grim Landscape with a Resilient Populace”

Australia/New Zealand
“Aussies say G’Day to Asians”

Africa:
“Zimbabwe is Losing Rhino War”

Latin America:
“Bolivia Held Hostage by Cocaine”
You will turn in:

a total of 5 articles; make sure each article is from a different region (no more than one article from Mid East, or
China…)

a 2-3 paragraph, typed summary of each article with the article neatly attached. Your summary must relate the
information to what we covered in class or what the text says. If you refer to the text, make sure you give the page
number. Paste the article to paper or carefully fold it. You can print your articles off of the Internet. Put all your writing,
articles, and map in a folder or staple it all together. Do not use paper clips.

A world map labeled with each important place or area mentioned in the articles. Download one from Eduplace.com:
http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/

Compile everything in this order: Write-up #1, Article #1, Write-up #2, Article #2…..Write-Up #5, Article #5, World
Map.

Below you will see the proper format for each write-up, how to identify the article by title, etc. and how the write-up
should begin. Remember that there will be one or two additional paragraphs to summarize each article.
Article #1 – China
“The Sound of English Fades in Hong Kong”, Los Angeles Times, March 9, 1998.
In class we learned that the British colonized Hong Kong, but in 1997 it was returned to China. This article discusses some of
the effects of that political transition, particularly how the English language is now deemphasized by the new Chinese
government…
Grading Rationale (10 points possible for each article):

Quality of article
(5 = excellent; 4 = good; 3 = fairly good; 2 = fair; 1 = poor; 0 = inappropriate)

Summary
(4 = excellent; 3=good; 2 = fairly good; 1 = fair; 0 = poor or missing)

Map Labeling
(1 = accurately labeled; 0 = not labeled or inaccurate)

Late Penalty
25% each day
Video Assignment – 50 Points
Geography 5
Instructor Michael Reed
Go to a video store and rent one of the movies listed below. To help with your selection you can go to www.imdb.com
to check out details on any movie, such as plot, actors, and filming location.
Use the write-up sheet to take notes during the film about anything geographical: the landscape, weather, language,
religion, customs, transportation, buildings, food, music, clothing, or agriculture. This assignment is not simply a
summary of the plot or analysis of the characters.
Choose one of the films listed below. Following the title is the setting, year the movie was made, length of movie, and
rating on scale of 1-10 (from imdb.com). Some favorites are marked with ***. Late assignments lose 25% per day.
Title
Setting
Year
Length
Rating (1-10)
1.
“Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (Australia)
1994
1:44
7.2
2.
“Amelie”
(France)
2001
2:02
8.7
3.
“Anna and the King”
(Thailand)
1999
2:28
6.8
4.
“Bend It Like Beckham”
(England)
2002
1:52
7.5 ***
5.
“Braveheart”
(Scotland)
1995
2:57
8.3
6.
“Captain Corelli’s Mandolin”
(Greece)
2001
2:01
6.2
7.
“Central Station” (“Central do Brasil”)
(Brazil)
1998
1:53
7.9 ***
8.
“City of God” (“Cidade de Deus”)
(Brazil) very violent movie!
2002
2:10
8.7
9.
“Cinema Paradiso”
(Sicily, Italy)
1988
2:03
8.3 ***
10.
“The Cup” (“Phorpa”)
(Himalayas of India/Bhutan)
1998
1:33
6.9
11.
“Doctor Zhivago”
(Russia)
1965
3:17
7.8
12.
“English Patient”
(Libya/Italy)
1996
2:40
7.1
13.
“Gandhi”
(India mostly; South Africa also)
1982
3:08
7.9
14. “Gods Must Be Crazy”
(Kalahari Desert of Botswana)
1980
1:49
6.8 ***
15. “Gorillas in the Mist”
(East African Mountains)
1988
2:09
6.7
16. “Himalaya”
(Nepal)
1999
1:48
7.2
17. “Hotel Rwanda”
(Rwanda)
2004
2:01
8.5 ***
(Vietnam)
1992
2:32
6.9
19. “Jean de Florette”
(Provence, France)
1986
2:00
8.0
20. “Last Emperor”
(China)
1987
2:40
7.6 ***
21. “Last Samurai”
(Japan)
2003
2:34
7.9
22. “Lawrence of Arabia”
(Arabia, Jordan)
1962
3:36
8.6
23. “Like Water for Chocolate”
(Mexico)
1992
2:03
7.3
24. “Lost in Translation”
(Japan)
2003
1:42
8.1
(Australia)
1982
1:42
6.8
(Greece)
1991
1:36
7.3
(India)
2001
1:54
7.4
18.
25.
“Indochine”
“Man From Snowy River”
26. Mediterraneo
27.
“Monsoon Wedding”
28. “Motorcycle Diaries”
(Chile, Peru, Argentina)
2004
2:08
8.1
29. “Passage to India”
(India)
1984
2:43
7.3
(India, Tibet/China)
1997
2:19
6.5
(Austria)
1965
2:54
7.7 ***
(Argentina, around Iguassu Falls)
1986
2:06
7.2
33. “The Piano”
(New Zealand)
1993
2:01
7.3
34. “The Postman” (“Il Postino”)
(Italy)
1994
1:48
7.6
35. “Rabbit-Proof Fence”
(Australia)
2002
1:34
7.8
36. “Secret of Roan Inish”
(Ireland)
1994
1:43
7.4
37. “Waking Ned Devine”
(Ireland; Isle of Man)
1998
1:31
7.3
38. “Whale Rider”
(New Zealand)
2002
1:41
8.0
30.
“Seven Years in Tibet”
31. “Sound of Music”
32.
“The Mission”
Geography 5
Name _____________________________
Instructor Michael Reed
Video Assignment – 25 Points
Class Day/Time ____________________________
TAKE YOUR NOTES ON THIS SHEET WHILE WATCHING THE MOVIE, BUT TURN IN A TYPED REPORT
1. Title of Movie __________________________________________
2. Your rating of the movie on a scale of 1 (the worst) to 10 (the best) ______________
3. Setting (What city or region of what country?) _______________________
4. Approximate year or decade of when the movie takes place (not necessarily when the movie was
made
____________________________
5. One or two sentence summary of the plot :
6. Physical Geography
Terrain/Landscape, Natural Hazards
Climate, Natural Vegetation
Water Features, Wildlife
7. People (Migration, Population Density, Family Size)
8. Standard of Living/Economy (Examples of living standards – wealth, poverty)
9. Agriculture (type of farming – crops, livestock, hunting/gathering)
10. Language (What language? Dialect of English? Examples?)
11. Culture
Food, Drink, Drugs
Clothing, Jewelry, Cosmetics, Hairstyles
Dancing, Music, Art
Superstitions, Customs, Rituals, Festivals, Celebrations (don’t discuss religion in this part)
Sports/Games/Entertainment
12. Religion (Which religion(s)? What signs/examples of religion are in the movie?)
13. Buildings/Settlement Patterns (Architecture, Building Material, Type of Roof, Building Size, Colors, Other
City Patterns – markets, plazas, monuments)
14. Transportation (Modes of Transportation, Roads)
15. Political Geography (Government Influence, Nationalism, Civil War, Cultural Influence on Politics, Refugees)
GOOD SAMPLE WRITE-UP FOR GEOGRAPHY 5 VIDEO ASSIGNMENT
Angela’s Ashes
1.
Title of Movie
2.
Your rating of the movie on a scale of 1 (the worst) to 10 (the best) 8/10 (very good, but depressing)
3.
Setting (What city or region of what country?)
4.
Approximate year or decade of when the movie takes place (not necessarily when the movie was made)
1930s
5.
One or two sentence summary of the plot
Limerick, Ireland
An autobiographical story about growing up in an impoverished Irish city during the Depression.
6.
Physical Geography
Terrain, Natural Hazards
Rocky Hills
Climate, Natural Vegetation
Rainy
Grey skies; always overcast
Cold (fire in fireplace for heat)
Green landscape; grassy
Water Features, Wildlife
Shannon River
7.
People (Migration, Population Density, Family Size)
Men going to London for work
“You must go to America”
Wanting to migrate to America
Large family size; lots of children
8.
Standard of Living/Economy (Examples of living standards – wealth, poverty)
Poverty
Washing baby in a bucket
Naked children
Hanging laundry in the street
Chamber pot, dumping outside on the street
Dying young (3 children)
Picking coal off the street
Outside, shared lavatory
Rubber added to soles of old shoes
Washing clothes by hand
Poor health standards; dying of “consumption”
9.
Agriculture (type of farming – crops, livestock, hunting/gathering)
Goats
Milking Cows
10. Language (What language? Dialect of English? Examples?)
Irish English
“That’s grand”
“That takes the bloody biscuit”
“Wee boy”
“Do what you’re bloody told”
Latin at funeral
11. Culture
Food, Drink, Drugs
Guinness beer
Whiskey
Steak & potatoes
Chips (fries)
Soup
Clothing, Jewelry, Cosmetics, Hairstyles
Conservatively dressed women – always in dresses
Very plain clothing, black and white, usually no colors
Dancing, Music, Art
Learning to do Irish dance
Superstitions, Customs, Rituals, Festivals, Celebrations (don’t discuss religion in this part)
Eclipse a “bad sign”, “moon practicing for the end of the world”
Hearse was a black stagecoach
Traditional attitudes towards woman’s role as child-bearer and housekeeper
Sports/Games/Entertainment
Soccer in the street
12. Religion (Which religion(s)? What signs/examples of religion are in the movie?)
Catholic
Shrine to Virgin Mary
Girl named Margaret Mary
References to Jesus (“sweet Jesus in heaven”)
Painting of Jesus
Baby Jesus statue
First Communion practice
Confession in church
Confirmation – “soldiers of God”
Penny to light a candle
Limerick, “holiest city in Ireland”
Reference to Pope Leo XIII
“Crawl to Lourdes on me bended knees”
St. Patrick drove the snakes from Ireland
Sign of the cross
Statue of Jesus in the bar
“Taken back by the same angels that had brought her here”
13. Buildings/Settlement Patterns (Architecture, Building Material, Type of Roof, Building Size, Colors, Other City Patterns –
markets, plazas, monuments)
Stone buildings
Big houses on the edge of town
Cobblestone streets
14. Transportation (Modes of Transportation, Roads)
Bus
Horse cart
Train
Bicycles
15. Political Geography (Government Influence, Nationalism, Civil War, Cultural Influence on Politics, Refugees)
Irish Nationalism - “Eamonn de Valera was the greatest man that ever lived”
“Glorious IRA”
Hatred of England and Protestants of Northern Ireland
“English deserved the bombing after what they did to the Irish for 800 year”