Introduction to Geography
GR 100, Spring 2014
Dr. Tim Vowles
COURSE ORGANIZATION
Dr Tim Vowles (Clark B225)
Timothy.Vowles@colostate.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 11-12, and by appointment
Teaching Assistants
Carlyn Perovich
perovich@rams.colostate.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays 11-1
Clark B215
David Scott
davidks@rams.colostate.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 1-2
Clark B215
Marielys Velez Clark B216
Mvelez@rams.colostate.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 1-2:30 and Thursdays 12-1:30
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course is designed to give students an introduction to the basic concepts and
methods of geographic inquiry, focusing on the four “traditions” of the discipline;
The Earth Science Tradition, The Culture-Environment Tradition, The Location
Tradition, and The Area Analysis Tradition. Various physical phenomena and
human activities including, but not limited to, landforms, climate, natural resources,
cultural, economics, urbanization, and politics are analysed from a spatial
perspective. Scales of inquiry range from the global to the local with maps, graphs,
diagrams, and tables being key tools employed in the analysis. Upon completion of
the course students will have a better understanding of the role of geographic
inquiry as it pertains to both physical phenomena and human activity and how these
vary across various scales of space.
ASSESSMENT
Exam #1 = 20% of final grade
Exam #2 = 20% of final grade
Exam#3 = 20% of final grade
Assignment #1 = 10% of final grade
Assignment #2 = 10% of final grade
Chapter Quizzes = 10% of final grade
Map Quizzes =10% of final grade
Exams:
There will be three exams in the class, worth 60% of your final grade. Consult the
course calendar for exam dates. Exams must be taken at the scheduled time. Only
under extraordinary circumstances will a make-up exam be considered. Prepurchased airline tickets, hangovers, broken alarm clocks, sick puppies, bad hair
days, psycho roommates, etc. are not valid excuses for a make-up exam to be
considered.
Geography Essays:
The assignment(s) for this class will be two short essays (no more than a thousand
words each). Combined the essays will be worth 20% of your final grade. More
information will be provided on a separate handout for each essay.
Map Quizzes:
A total of 5 map quizzes each one worth 2% of your final grade, given during
the semester. The object of the map quizzes will be to help you learn the various
locations of different spatial entities around the world. A study guide for each map
quiz will be provided. There are no make-up quizzes
Chapter Quizzes:
There will be 10 online chapter quizzes during the course (each worth one percent of
your grade). For each chapter assigned, I will post a ten question multiple choice
quiz on Blackboard. You will have exactly 10 minutes to complete the quiz and have
only one chance at doing the quiz. The quizzes for all of the chapters in a section (a
section is all of the material for a particular exam) will be posted at the start of the
section and removed at 9am the day the exam for that section is given and will not
be accessible after that time. You can take the quizzes whenever you are ready
during the time they are available and can take as many as you want at one time.
However once you start a quiz for a particular chapter you cannot stop and restart it.
There are no makeup quizzes given.
Workload
Each week students are required to:
a. Read the assigned chapters and readings – 2 hours
b. Work on assignments –2 hours
c. Study for exams and quizzes – 2 hours
d. TOTAL = 6 hours per week
Participation:
While there is no grade for participation, students are expected to participate in
classroom discussions by reading the assigned readings prior to class and offer up
their opinions and remarks to questions asked in class by both myself and other
students. Participation and attendance is important for achieving a good grade in the
class. The lectures in the class will be based roughly on the chapters in your text but
will also contain information not available in the text. Simply put you cannot expect
to pass the class by simply reading the text and vice versa, you cannot expect to pass
the class by simply showing up to lectures.
GRADING
A
over 90%
B
89%-80%
C
D
79%-70%
69%-60%
F
Below 60%
COURSE MATERIALS
Introduction to Geography, 13th Edition,
Arthur Getis, Judith Getis, Jerome D Fellmann ISBN 9780073522876
COMMUNICATION OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Any changes to assignments, topics, readings or other course content will be
communicated on the course Blackboard site.
Assignment & Exam Calendar
Date
2/4
2/13
2/20
2/25
3/13
4/1
4/17
4/22
5/1
5/8
Assignment/Exam
Map Quiz #1 (US & Canada)
EXAM #1
First Assignment Due
Map Quiz #2 (Middle & South America)
EXAM #2
Map Quiz #3 (Europe)
Map Quiz #4 (East, Southeast, and South Asia)
Second Assignment Due
Map Quiz #5 (Southwest Asia, Africa)
EXAM #3
Topic & Readings Calendar
Week
week 1 1/21
week 1 1/23
week 2 1/28
week 2 1/30
week 3 2/4
week 3 2/6
week 4 2/11
week 4 2/13
week 5 2/18
week 5 2/20
week 6 2/25
Day
Topic
Tuesday Introduction
Thursday What Is Geography?
Tuesday Spatial Interaction & Behaviour
Thursday Spatial Interaction & Behaviour
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Regional Geography
GIS
GIS
EXAM #1
Landforms
Landforms
Landforms
Chapter
Chapter 1 &2
Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Chapter 13
(no chapter
quiz)
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Chapter 3
week 6 2/27
week 7 3/4
week 7 3/6
week 8 3/11
week 8 3/13
week 9 3/18
week 9 3/20
week 10 3/25
week 10 3/27
week 11 4/1
week 11 4/3
week 12 4/8
week 12 4/10
week 13 4/15
week 13 4/17
week 14 4/22
week 14 4/24
week 15 4/29
week 15 5/1
week 16 5/6
week 16 5/8
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Tuesday
Thursday
Weather & Climate
Weather & Climate
Natural Resources
Natural Resources
EXAM#2
NO CLASS
NO CLASS
Cultural Geography & Diffusion
Cultural Geography & Diffusion
Urban Geography
Urban Geography
NO CLASS
NO CLASS
Urban Geography
Political Geography
Political Geography
Population Geography
Economic Geography
Economic Geography
Economic Geography
EXAM #3
Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Chapter 6
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
PENALTIES FOR PLAGIARISM & CHEATING
http://www.catalog.colostate.edu/FrontPDF/1.6POLICIES1112f.pdf
Procedures for Dealing with Academic Dishonesty
Course instructors are expected to use reasonably practical means of preventing and
detecting academic dishonesty. If a course instructor has evidence that a student has
engaged in an act of academic misconduct in his or her course, prior to assigning any
academic penalty, the course instructor shall notify the student of the concern and
make an appointment with the student to discuss the concern. The student shall be
given the opportunity to give his or her position on the matter. After being given the
opportunity, if the student admits to engaging in academic misconduct, or if the
course instructor judges that the preponderance of evidence supports the allegation
of academic misconduct, the course instructor may then assign an academic penalty.
Examples of academic penalties include assigning a reduced grade for the work, a
failing grade in the course, removing the Repeat/Delete option for that course, or
other lesser penalty as the course instructor deems appropriate. The course
instructor shall notify the student in writing of the infraction and the academic
penalty to be imposed. A copy of this notification shall be sent to the Office of
Conflict Resolution and Student Conduct Services.