University of Arizona
School of Geography and Development
TRAD 104 – The Geographies of US Diversity
Instructor: Dereka Rushbrook
Office: 453A Harvill
Office Hours: 9-11 M, W, F
E-mail: dereka@email.arizona.edu
Course Website: d2l.arizona.edu
Class Information (Day, Time, Location):
Course Description
Understanding the mosaic of diversity in the US is foundational to citizenship – to being an educated
member of our society able to contribute to key local, regional, and national debates regarding everything
from immigration to affirmative action. Moreover, without an understanding of the role that space and
place have in shaping the contexts of diversity, we will be unable to answer some key questions that
confront us as a society, including:
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Does the election of President Barack Obama mean we are entering a race-less or post-racial society?
Why hasn’t cultural and economic globalization signaled the end of cultural, racial, and ethnic
divides?
How do differences in class, race, and gender get put into place locally, and how do these aspects of
diversity intersect with patterns of aging, disability/health, and sexuality?
What will be the role of nationalism in defining your sense of place in the world, and your patterns of
travel and migration?
How do the spaces of our everyday lives – in homes, workplaces, and recreational sites – affect our
‘performance’ as socially marked individuals?
These questions are profoundly important to human geographers. Their answers are complex, sometimes
subjective, and especially critical for the implications they have for the way that we, as members of a
society, interact with one another and the rest of the world.
This course seeks to provide students with theoretical and practical tools for understanding questions of
identity and difference in this intensely interconnected world. Students are asked to think critically about
their own perspective and to understand how various factors, historically and geographically, have shaped
and continue to shape their understanding and experience of diversity in the United States. Throughout
the semester we explore the ways in which specific regions and places influence and are shaped by
various forms of diversity.
Required Materials
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Susser, Ida and Thomas C. Patterson, eds. 2001. Cultural Diversity in the United States: A
Critical Reader. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN: 0631222138. *Required. Referred to as CDUSA.
Shinagawa, Hajime and Jang, Michael, 1998. Atlas of American Diversity. Rowman Altamira.
ISBN: 9780761991281. *Required. Referred to as Atlas.
One composition book to be used as a field journal.
One package of 5” x 7” notecards.
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You will need to bring the required readings and your package of notecards to every class.
Course Objectives
Students taking this course should leave with:
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An solid understanding of the historical-geographic forces (voluntary and forced migration,
genocide, regional economic transformations) that led to the varied patchwork of US diversity
that we have today.
A strong knowledge of the map of that diversity, and an ability to understand how its variation
influences contemporary debates in the social, economic, political, and environmental spheres.
An solid understanding of how social diversity and space intersect to provide the template
through which all people experience others on a daily basis, from the home to the workplace and
beyond.
A strong knowledge of theoretical lenses used by geographers and other social scientists in
accounting for and analyzing social diversity across places.
D2L
Class materials, course announcements and grades will be posted to the course D2L website. Students are
responsible for checking D2L regularly.
Course Schedule
Week 1
8/24 Introduction & Plagiarism Assignment
8/26 Movie
Reading: “Introduction” (Atlas) pgs. 17-22
Week 2
Topic: What do we mean when we say landscape? Identity? Social construction? Discourse? Hybridity?
Dualisms?
Reading: “Cultural Diversity in the United States” (CDUSA); Del Casino Jr., “Social Geography?
What’s That?” pg. 11-21; “Asian Pacific Americans” (Atlas), pgs. 45-56
Week 3
Labor Day – No Class
Topic: What is diversity? How are nationalism and diversity mutually constitutive?
Reading: “Diversity in Anthropological Theory” (CDUSA); Del Casino Jr., “Social Geography? What’s
That?” pgs. 21-28; Mitchell, “Geographies of Belonging: Nations, Nationalism, and Identity in an Era of
Deterritorialization,” pgs. 259-282
Week 4
Topic: How has gender been constructed in American society? What makes gender different from
sexuality?
Reading: Sharp, “Feminisms”; Swedland and Urla, “The Anthropometry of Barbie: Unsettling Ideals of
the Feminine Body in Popular Culture,” pgs.277-313
Week 5
Topic: Are spaces in our society gendered? How?
Reading: Mitchell, “Feminism and Cultural Change: Geographies of Gender,” pgs. 199-228
Exercise: Gender representations in television & film
Week 6 – Exam 1
Topic: How has race been historically constructed in American society?
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Reading: Kobayashi, “Critical ‘Race’ Approaches to Cultural Geography,” pgs. 238-247; Mitchell, “A
Place for Everyone: Cultural Geographies of Race,” pgs. 230-241
Week 7 – Group Project Meetings
Topic: What does it mean to say that there are racial spaces? How have spaces been racialized?
Reading: “The Color-Blind Bind” (CDUSA); Mitchell “A Place for Everyone,” pgs. 241-258; “African
Americans” (Atlas), pgs. 23-34
Week 8 – Group Project Meetings
Topic: How is ethnicity tied to nationalism? How are ethnicity and nationalism represented in the spaces
around us?
Reading: Agnew, “Nationalism,” pgs. 223-237; “Ethnic Enclaves and Cultural Diversity” (CDUSA);
“Native Americans” (Atlas), pgs. 97-103
Week 9
Topic: Why should we study health in a class about diversity?
Reading: “Diversity in the Context of Health and Illness” (CDUSA); “Non-Hispanic Whites: European
Americans” (Atlas), pgs. 111-116
Week 10
Topic: What are the geographies of health and healthcare? How are health facilities and health care access
spatially distributed?
Reading: Del Casino Jr., “Social Geography and the Geographies of Health,” pgs. 99-124; “A
Comparison of American Race and Ethnic Social and Economic Status” (Atlas), pgs. 135-155
Week 11 – Exam 2
Topic: How are young peoples’ relationships with space different from adults?
Reading: Gagen, “Landscapes of Childhood and Youth,” pgs. 404-415; Del Casino Jr., “On the
Geographies of Children and Young People,” pgs. 185-210
Week 12 – Field Journal Due
Topic: Is there a geography to aging? How is age represented in the landscape?
Reading: Del Casino Jr., “Social Geography and the Geographies of Health,” pgs. 249-263; Nazareth,
“The Leisure Economy,” pgs. 61-73
Week 13
Topic: What is sexuality and how does it differ from gender?
Reading: Phillips, “Sexuality,” pgs. 265-276; Mitchell, “Sex and Sexuality: The Cultural Politics and
Political Geography of Liberation,” pgs. 171-184
Week 14
Topic: How is sexual identity lived in and through the landscape?
Reading: Maskovsky, “Sexual Minorities and the New Urban Poverty” (CDUSA); Mitchell, “Sex and
Sexuality: The Cultural Politics and Political Geography of Liberation,” pgs. 184-198
Week 15 – Exam 3
Topic: Case study: reading the legal system through diversity.
Reading: Merry, “Racialized Identities and the Law” (CDUSA)
Week 16 – Projects due; Presentations
Topic: Course Wrap-Up.
Final Exam: the final exam will be held according to the university final exam calendar
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Evaluation
 In-Class Exams (Two highest exam grades @ 15%) – 30%
 In Class Writing Assignments & Quizzes – 20%
 Group Project (10% group grade + 15% individual grade, based on journal and paper) – 25%
 Final Exam – 25%
Total 100%
The normal University of Arizona grading scheme applies:
90-100(A), 80-89(B), 70-79(C), 60-69(D), and below 60(E).
Attendance
Attendance will not be formally taken for each class meeting, but will be measured with in-class writing
assignments and/or quizzes. Students who miss class will be unable to make up these exercises.
Note: students are allowed to drop two assignments or quizzes without penalty.
The effectiveness of this course is largely dependent on the full participation of all class members.
Therefore, attending class is not enough—active participation with the instructor and your colleagues is
essential for ensuring an optimal learning environment.
Assignments
Reading assignments for this course are listed on the tentative outline of the lecture topics. Any additional
readings will be communicated to you and will be available on the D2L class website. Although the
lecture material is important relative to the topics we cover, class discussion of assigned readings is an
equally important factor in this course. Therefore, it is imperative that you keep up with class readings.
Reading quizzes may be implemented to ensure the class is keeping up with reading assignments.
It is the student’s responsibility to turn the assignments in on time. Assignments are not accepted
via e-mail.
Exams
Three in-class exams and a final exam will be given. The lowest score of the in-class exams will be
dropped. The final exam is cumulative. All exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and
essay questions. The exams will cover all materials from lecture, class readings and videos. There will
be no make-up exams unless a Dean’s excuse is provided.
Group Project
The goal of this project is to demonstrate your ability to apply concepts you learned in the class to your
own personal experiences and to engage critically with the city in which you live. Groups for this
assignment will be determined during class. As a group, you will select one element of Tucson’s built
environment (for example, parks, grocery stores, playgrounds, schools) from the provided list. You will
then engage in a case study of that element, noting context, diversity of uses and users, and, when
appropriate to the topic, spatial distributions and/or disparities in different areas. As a group, you will
explore your subject through personal visits, Internet research and library materials. When doing so, note
the presence or lack of that element along with its quality, quantity, size, and other relevant factors and
how those differ or are similar in different parts of the city. You will link that element to at least one of
the social characteristics (such as income, race, age, etc.) discussed in class and in the readings. Based on
this experience, the group will design a photo essay. The photo essay will be given a group grade.
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Each student will also complete a 2-page, double-spaced paper individually. This is not a research paper
but rather a reflection on your personal experience with this project. Students will receive an individual
grade on this paper. Additional details on this project will be distributed in class. These papers will be
uploaded to turnitin.com.
Group Meetings: Groups will be required to set up a meeting with the professor mid-way through the
semester to discuss their projects. Groups must explain how they have organized the project, including:
their accomplishments to date, their plan for presenting the information at the group project final, the
content of the material that will be included, and how tasks have been divided among group members.
Field Journal: Each student will compile a journal, which shall include at least bi-weekly entries (marked
by date, time, and location). The journal must include, but is not limited to, field and research notes,
student’s weekly contributions to the overall project, and reflections on the group project’s content.
These reflection notes are intended to engage the student in thinking reflexively about the project and
what he or she is observing and thinking about the socio-spatial environment of Tucson. This is not an
opportunity for students to comment on the nature of the course assignments themselves, rather it is to
keep a log of fieldwork. This is also a chance to think critically about assignments, issues raised in class,
and reactions to situations occurring in student’s everyday lives. The journal-in-progress will be due at the
group project meeting and again in Week 12. Each time it will be returned to students. The completed
journal will be turned in with the final project.
In-Class Writing and Quizzes
Students are required to purchase a package of 5x7 index cards. Students will use these in class to
speculate on future topics and to reflect on how their thinking has changed after they have studied each
topic, and for short quizzes and writing assignments. Attendance will not be taken. Instead these cards
will be collected regularly and used in lieu of attendance as part of the final participation grade. There
will be no make-ups of in-class quizzes or writing assignments. Instead, the two lowest scores will be
automatically dropped.
Late Work
Given the nature of the group project, no late photo essays will be accepted. Students who fail to turn in
their reflection paper on time will be subject to a 10% deduction per day from the assignment’s grade.
*Academic Success*
For most students, this course presents challenges in terms of reading requirements, exams, the group
assignment, and high expectations for critical thinking. In order to succeed academically, students need to
attend class regularly, take comprehensive notes, come to class prepared and prepare to think critically
about a wide array of issues. Students who do not follow this advice will most likely be disappointed with
their performance.
If you are experiencing personal issues that may be affecting your performance in the class or if you are
having difficulty understanding course material, please contact the instructors as soon as possible so we
can work with you to remedy the situation. *Key—If you are experiencing problems (personal or class
related) and it is affecting your class performance, make contact sooner rather than later.
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Academic Integrity
Plagiarism information and examples of citations can be found at the University of Arizona
Library homepage: http://www.library.arizona.edu/help/tutorials/plagiarism/index.html
One of the introductory assignments for this class is a plagiarism exercise that explains and reinforces the
importance of academic honesty and avoidance of plagiarism. Students who do not turn the Plagiarism
assignment within 1 (one) week of the introduction of the assignment will be administratively dropped
from the class.
All university rules regarding academic integrity and honesty apply in this course. Course materials that
are handed in are expected to be original and your own work. The University of Arizona’s Code of
Academic Integrity and the Student Code of Conduct can be found at:
http://dos.web.arizona.edu/uapolicies/
No threatening behavior will be tolerated in this class and the following University of Arizona policies
will be enforced to deal with such behavior: http://policy.web.arizona.edu/~policy/threatening.pdf
Writing Assistance
The Writing Center is a free resource for UA Undergraduate and Graduate students as well as faculty and
staff. At the Writing Center, a trained peer consultant will work individually with you on anything that
you are writing (in or out of class), at any point in the writing process from brainstorming to editing.
Appointments are recommended, but are not required. For more information or to make an appointment,
visit their website at http://english.web.arizona.edu/index_site.php?id=287 or stop by the Bear Down
Gym 102. The Writing Center can also be reached at (520) 621-3182.
Students with Disabilities
If you anticipate the need for accommodations in taking this course, you need to register with the
Disability Resource Center (DRC) and request that the DRC send me a notification of your registration
and a summary of your specific need so we may accommodate you in whatever manner necessary. If you
have any questions regarding any aspects of this policy or concerns, please contact your instructor.
Classroom Policies
 Please respect other students’ opinions and critiques. The best way to understand and further
strengthen your position is to critically analyze and interpret divergent opinions.
 There is no tolerance for insensitive or discriminatory comments with respect to race, color,
religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Students who violate this policy will be asked to immediately leave the class.
 At times, information in class or what you witness in the field may seem offensive. No matter
how disturbing or offensive, the bottom line is critical thinkers should be able to think about and
discuss all sorts of events, actions, and behaviors. In addition, inherent to critical thinking is the
ability to evaluate facts and opinions effectively.
 Please be on time to class. Coming late is not only a disruption to the instructor, but it is
inconsiderate to your fellow classmates.
 Please turn off cell phones. Additionally, there is no tolerance of students sending text messages
or browsing the internet during class. All such activity should be taken outside the classroom.
Students who violate this policy are first given a verbal warning and subsequent violations will
result in the student leaving the classroom for that day.
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Treat e-mail with the instructor as a formal means of communication. This means that you should
compose your e-mail in a professional manner and avoid constant bombardment of e-mails to
the professor. Please be aware that it may be up to 48 hours before you receive a response.
Content Policy
 Information in the syllabus regarding scheduling and course assignments is subject to change
with reasonable advanced notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor(s).
Bibliography
Agnew, John. 2004. “Nationalism”. In A Companion to Cultural Geography. Eds. James S. Duncan,
Nuala C. Johnson, and Richard C. Schein. Blackwell Publishing. 223-237.
Del Casino Jr., Vincent. 2009. “Social Geography? What’s That?” In Social Geography: A Critical
Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell.
Del Casino Jr., Vincent. 2009. “Social Geography and the Geographies of Health”. In Social Geography:
A Critical Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell. 99-124
Del Casino Jr., Vincent. 2009. “On the Geographies of Children and Young People”. In Social
Geography: A Critical Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell. 185-210.
Gagen, Elizabeth A. 2004. “Landscapes of Childhood and Youth”. In A Companion to Cultural
Geography. Eds. James S. Duncan, Nuala C. Johnson, and Richard C. Schein. Blackwell
Publishing. 404-419.
Kobayshi, Audrey. 2004. “Critical ‘Race’ Approaches to Cultural Geography”. In A Companion to
Cultural Geography. Eds. James S. Duncan, Nuala C. Johnson, and Richard C. Schein. Blackwell
Publishing. 238-247.
Mitchell, Don. 2000. “A Place for Everyone: Cultural Geographies of Race”. In Cultural Geography: A
Critical Geography. Blackwell. 230-258.
Mitchell, Don. 2000. “Feminism and Cultural Change: Geographies of Gender”. In Cultural Geography:
A Critical Geography. Blackwell. 199-228.
Mitchell, Don. 2000. “Geographies of Belonging: Nations, Nationalism, and Identity in an Era of
Deterritorialization”. In Cultural Geography: A Critical Geography. Blackwell. 259-282.
Nazareth, Linda. 2007. “Time Off for Good Behavior”. In The Leisure Economy. Wiley & Sons. 61-73.
Phillips, Richard. 2004. “Sexuality”. In A Companion to Cultural Geography. Eds. James S. Duncan,
Nuala C. Johnson, and Richard C. Schein. Blackwell Publishing. 265-278.
Sharp, Joanne. 2004. “Feminisms”. In A Companion to Cultural Geography. Eds. James S. Duncan,
Nuala C. Johnson, and Richard C. Schein. Blackwell Publishing.
Susser, Ida and Thomas C. Patterson, eds. 2001. Cultural Diversity in the United States: A Critical
Reader. Wiley-Blackwell.
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Urla, Jacqueline and Alan C. Swedlund. 2000. “The Anthropometry of Barbie: Unsettling Ideals of
the Feminine Body in Popular Culture”. Popular Culture.