Geography 202: Human Geography
Course Syllabus Spring 2016
Instructor: Dr. Heike C. Alberts
Office: Sage 4471; 424 7109
Email: alberts@uwosh.edu
Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00, TTh 1:00-2:00
Credit Hours: 3
Classroom: Sage 1232
Meeting Times: MWF 10:20-11:20
Course Description
Have you ever wondered…
- How many languages are spoken in the world?
- How religion and culture interact?
- Why new infectious diseases are emerging?
- Why people migrate to other countries?
- How culture spreads from place to place?
- Why industries locate where they do?
- Why some states are poorer than others?
- How cities change over time?
- Why nationalism is reemerging in many states?
- How humans transform the natural environment?
Many people think that geography is to know where places are located on a map, but geography
is much more than that. Geographers are interested in knowing why things are where they are,
and how places and people interact with one another. Human geographers, in particular, look at
how people transform the natural environment, and how they shape specific places. Therefore,
all the questions above are fundamental to human geography. In this class you will learn about
the basic ideas, principles, and concepts of human geography, develop an appreciation for
cultural, linguistic, and religious diversity, understand the fundamentals of population dynamics,
agricultural and industrial production, and use of natural resources, acquire the skills to analyze
cities and political systems, and evaluate the impact of humans on the natural environment.
My role in this class is to make you aware that geography matters in almost everything we do. I
want to encourage you to look at the world through the eyes of a geographer. I can help you learn
by providing you with structured lectures and visual materials to enhance your understanding,
and teaching you the skills to analyze the phenomena we study, but it is up to you to make your
own discoveries about the world!
Textbook
Fouberg, Erin, Alexander Murphy and Harm de Blij. 2015. Human Geography. People, Place,
and Culture, John Wiley and Sons
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How to contact me
You are welcome to come to my office hours. I am happy to talk about any concerns you might
have with the class, clarify class material, or just chat about issues that are important to you. You
can also ask me a quick question before or after class. I check my email regularly and respond to
polite emails as soon as I can.
Class Policies
- Since lectures complement, rather than duplicate, reading materials, attendance and
participation in class are crucial to your learning. If you have to miss a class it is your
responsibility to find out from other students what we covered. Regular class attendance is
the single most important factor determining your success in this class!
- Pay attention in class and do not engage in any behaviors that make it difficult for other
students to pay attention (such as chatting, playing on a cell phone, working on assignments
for other classes, etc.). We all benefit from a respectful and quiet class environment.
- Submit your work on time. I will deduct points for each day that your assignment is late. I
will only accept assignments up to one week after the original due date.
- If you are ill or have a family emergency on the day of the exam, you have to notify me of
your absence before the exam and provide proper documentation. You should make up a
missed exam within one week of the original exam date. Family vacations or broken alarm
clocks are not acceptable excuses for missing exams.
- All exams and assignments have to be attempted to earn a passing grade for this class.
- I expect you to be honest and respect university and academic guidelines. I will not
tolerate any form of plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of academic misconduct and apply
university guidelines if they do occur, such as giving students an “F” grade for the class.
Talking during an exam is a form of cheating.
- Please treat me and others in the class with respect.
Assignments and Grading
- There will be three multiple choice exams in this class (approximately 60 questions each).
Each question counts one point towards your grade.
- You will complete an exercise involving mapping of population data. It is worth 60 points
(20% of your grade).
- You will write a short paper and illustrate it with a map. You will receive more detailed
instructions in class. Your paper is worth 60 points (20% of your grade).
- The total number of points you can reach in this class is 300.
- There is no curving or extra credit in this class.
Course grades will be based on the following table:
A
≥ 95
B≥ 81
A≥ 91.5
C+
≥ 77.5
B+
≥ 88
C
≥ 74
B
≥ 84.5
C≥ 70.5
D+
D
DF
≥ 67
≥ 63.5
≥ 60
Below 60
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Course Calendar and Assigned Readings
Introduction (Chapter 1)
M 2/1
W 2/3
F 2/5
Introduction to the Course
Basic Geographic Concepts
Tools of the Trade: Maps
Population (Chapter 2)
M 2/8
W 2/10
F 2/12
M 2/15
W 2/17
Introduction to Population Geography
Fertility and Family Planning
Population Composition
Health and Disease
Food and Nutrition
Map Assignment Due
Migration (Chapter 3)
F 2/19
M 2/22
W 2/24
F 2/26
International Migration
Migration to the United States
Labor and Professional Migrations
Refugees and Illegal Migrations
Culture (Chapter 4)
M 2/29
W 3/2
Culture
Exam 1
Language (Chapter 6)
F 3/4
M 3/7
Language Patterns
Multilingualism and Linguistic Conflicts
Religion (Chapter 7)
W 3/9
F 3/11
M 3/14
W 3/16
F 3/18
3/19-3/27
Religious Patterns; Judaism
No Class—Instructor at Conference
Christianity
Hinduism and Buddhism
Islam
Spring Break
Projects
M 3/28
Doing Research
3
W 3/30
F 4/1
Making a Map
Writing Academic Papers
Ethnic Geography (Chapter 5)
M 4/4
W 4/6
F 4/8
Ethnic Geography
Rural Ethnic Landscapes
Papers Due
Ethnic Conflict and Genocide
Industry and Services (Chapter 12)
M 4/11
W 4/13
F 4/15
Introduction to Economic Geography
Economic Geography and Transportation
Exam 2
Agriculture and Resources (Chapters 11 and 13)
M 4/18
W 4//20
F 4/22
Agriculture
Natural Resources and Energy
Environment
Development (Chapter 10)
M 4/25
W 4/27
Measures of Development
Development Theories
Political Geography (Chapter 8)
F 4/29
M 5/2
W 5/4
Introduction to Political Geography
Borders
European Union and United Nations
Urban Geography (Chapter 9)
F 5/6
M 5/9
W 5/11
F 5/13
Introduction to Urban Geography
Cities around the World
Urban Problems
Exam 3
Students with Special Needs
It is university policy to provide reasonable accommodations to students who have documented
disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course
requirements. Please come to my office hours as soon as possible to discuss any
accommodations you might need and provide appropriate documentation.
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For USP (University Studies Program) Students:
Building Your E-Portfolio
Students who entered UW Oshkosh in fall 2013 or later are part of the University Studies
Program (USP). The USP is aimed at helping you make a successful transition between high
school and the university, support you in acquiring important knowledge and skills you will need
to succeed at the university and in life (“acquiring a Liberal Education”), and awaken or
stimulate your thirst for learning. This course is classified as an Explore course within the USP
curriculum.
All students who are part of the USP are expected to develop an e-Portfolio. You will add items
to your e-Portfolio throughout your university career; it is basically an electronic archive of your
accomplishments. The e-Portfolio will be used to assess your progress throughout your
university career and can be a useful resource when applying for jobs.
From this Explore course you have to upload your assignment and an accompanying reflection
to your e-Portfolio. I will grade the assignment and return it to you, but I will not check whether
you uploaded it to your e-Portfolio. Please remember that it is entirely your responsibility to
make sure that you upload all the required items to your e-Portfolio.
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