GPHY 141GA: Geography of World Regions
Spring 2015
COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor:
Office:
Contact:
Anita Ho
SAT 177
756-3873, aho@fvcc.edu
Meeting Times:
Location:
Office Hours:
TTh 11:00 am-12:15 pm
SAT 130
MWF 10:00-11:00 am; TTh 1:00-2:00 pm
I. Catalog Description
“A survey of world geographical regions, including the unique physical environment, population and settlement
patterns, cultural diversity, political systems and economic and social status. Focus is on globalization, its effect
on the region’s environment, politics and economics, and how the regions effect globalization trends.” 3 credits
II. Course Learning Objectives
“Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to demonstrate a basic, conceptual
understanding of the:
- Unique physical characteristics of the regions, including environmental issues;
- Geopolitical framework of the regions;
- Economic and social status of the regions.”
Additionally, the student will demonstrate awareness of self as a member of a multicultural global community.
III. Required Texts and Materials
Rowntree, Lewis, Price and Wyckoff, Diversity Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development
with MasteringGeography, 6th ed., Prentice Hall, 2015.
IV. Electronic Course Resources and Email
- For this course, you are required to purchase access to MasteringGeography (http://www.mastering
geography.com); daily reading quizzes, homework and review materials will be found here. The course ID to
register with is GPHY141S15HO.
- A variety of useful resources are available to students in this course via Eagle Online (formerly D2L), at
https://fvcc.desire2learn.com/d2l/login. A copy of this syllabus, web links and study guides related to class
topics, exam review materials, copies of class presentations as well as important announcements and your
current grades may be found here, and it should be your first stop for any questions related to this class. I
encourage you to refer to the home page for GPHY 141 often, as it will be updated on a daily basis
throughout the semester.
- The FVCC Geology/Geography home page, which may be accessed via the Faculty Directory on the
FVCC home page, at http://home2.fvcc.edu/~aho/, includes a link to this course. Here you will find links to
many handy and relevant web resources and earth and environmental science-related news items.
- You are expected use your Eagle Mail account (@fvcc.edu) for all FVCC-related communications. This is
the email address to which I will send class-related messages. Please be sure to check it regularly, and/or
forward the mail from this account to any other email address you use more frequently.
V. Grades
All graded assignments are assigned point values from which a final grade is calculated. You will earn your final
course grade as follows:
Homework exercises (MasteringGeography, ~10-50 pts. each)
35%
Map quizzes (weekly, 20 pts. each; you may make up one quiz)
15%
Exams* (80-100 pts. each)
45%*
Film assignments (2 papers, including peer reviews)
5%
Service learning*
5%*
100%
*NOTE: Completion of 15 hours of service learning through FVCC’s Service
Learning office during this semester is OPTIONAL and will count as 5% of your
final grade, lowering the exam portion of your grade to 45%. Please notify me
before spring break begins if you choose this option.
Grades, as percentages, are rounded to the nearest tenth, and letter grades
are assigned as shown at right. (The boundaries may be lowered if the class
average is lower than 75.0%.)
I do my best to return graded assignments in this course within a week after
submission. You may access your score at any time on D2L. Please note that
scores reported on the Student Portal are unofficial grades.
Grading Scale (%)
93.0-100
A
90.0-92.9
A87.0-89.9
B+
83.0-86.9
B
80.0-82.9
B77.0-79.9
C+
73.0-76.9
C
70.0-72.9
C67.0-69.9
D+
60.0-66.9
D
0 – 59.9
F
VI. Course Policies and Expectations
- This is a 3-credit course, and I expect you to spend a minimum of 3 hours per week outside of class
studying and reviewing material and completing homework.
- We have a lot of material to cover, so please arrive to class on time, attend regularly and participate in class
activities. Your study habits will be reflected in the grade you earn.
- I do not give grades of “I” or “WI” except under extreme circumstances. The last day to drop or request an
audit for a full semester class is Tuesday, April 14 and it is your responsibility to do so.
- FVCC instructors are expected to issue Early Alerts to students who struggle academically and/or fail to
attend classes regularly. Early Alerts are issued via e-mail and will appear on your Student Portal.
- Please be courteous and civil on campus, and non-disruptive in class! All College regulations, as stated in
the “Student Rights and Responsibilities” section (p. 23-25) of FVCC’s 2014-2015 Academic Catalog, apply.
Please note especially the College policies on the student code of conduct, academic integrity and cell
phones (“…are required to be turned off in classrooms”). Anyone found guilty of academic dishonesty in
this course will receive a zero on the assignment and may fail this course.
- No makeup exams or quizzes are given except under extreme circumstances. If a genuine emergency
arises, please do your best to let me know, as soon as possible, what is going on.
- You will have a minimum of one week to complete homework exercises; therefore, late work is not
accepted. Homework is often discussed on the day it is due, so it is not fair to your classmates for me to
accept it late. I will always accept it early! Since emergencies do periodically arise, you have one “No
Questions Asked” coupon to use during the semester. Be sure to read the fine print on it!
- Please settle questions about grading within one week of the assignment being returned.
- Spelling and grammar always count! (See the “General guidelines for grading of written work.")
- Work hard, have fun and learn a lot—the semester will be over before we know it! 
VII. Disability Access
If you have a documented learning disability and need academic accommodations, please let me know within
the first week of class. FVCC is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with
disabilities. Any student who feels she or he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability
should contact the Disabilities Specialist, Anna San Diego, at 406-756-3881, in LRC 129.
VIII. Schedule (This is tentative and subject to change, so please pay attention in class!)
Week
Date
Lecture topics (Textbook chapter)
1
1. T Jan 20
2. Th Jan 22
Introduction
Diversity Amid Globalization (1)
2
3. T Jan 27
4. Th Jan 29
“
The Changing Global Environment (2)
3
5. T Feb 3
6. Th Feb 5
“
Video: “Thirst”
4
7. T Feb 10
8. Th Feb 12
Exam 1
North America (3)
5
9. T Feb 17
10. Th Feb 19
Video: “King Corn”
Latin America (4)
6
11. T Feb 24
12. Th Feb 26
“
The Caribbean (5)
7
T Mar 3
13. Th Mar 5
College For a Day (NO CLASSES!) 
8
14. T Mar 10
15. Th Mar 12
Sub-Saharan Africa (6)
“
9
16. T Mar 17
17. Th Mar 19
Exam 2
Southwest Asia and North Africa (7)
10
18. T Mar 24
19. Th Mar 26
“
Europe (8)
Mar 30--Apr 3
Spring break (NO CLASSES!) 
11
20. T Apr 7
21. Th Apr 9
“
The Russian Domain (9)
12
22. T Apr 14
23. Th Apr 16
“
Central Asia (10)
13
24. T Apr 21
25. Th Apr 23
“
Exam 3
14
26. T Apr 28
27. Th Apr 30
East Asia (11)
“
15
28. T May 5
29. Th May 7
South Asia (12)
Southeast Asia (13)
Final exam period: Tuesday, May 12, 10:00-11:50 am
Exam 4
General guidelines for grading of written work in this course:
5
3
1
Content
Organization
Style/Expression
Conventions
The essay explains the
topic with extensive
elaboration and the use
of specific details,
examples and
vocabulary.
The essay contains
points made in a logical
order and uses effective
transitions between
points.
The language is fluent,
with clear and effective
expression of ideas,
with precise word
choice and accurate use
of appropriate
vocabulary.
The essay has a
minimal number of
errors and
demonstrates an
outstanding command
of writing conventions:
mechanics and
grammar, usage,
sentence structure,
spelling and format.
The essay explains the
topic with some
elaboration and specific
details.
The essay is clear
enough to follow without
difficulty and sticks to
the topic.
The language is at
times awkward or
unclear, and some word
choices may be
inaccurate or
inappropriate.
A basic control of
conventions is apparent,
including the use of
complete sentences,
pronoun and verb
agreement, punctuation,
spelling and format.
The essay shows an
attempt to engage the
topic defined by very
little elaboration,
specific detail or
explanation.
The essay is poorly
organized and lacks
clear movement or
connectedness, and the
ideas are difficult to
follow.
Sentences are often
unclear or awkward,
and word choices are
often inaccurate or
inappropriate.
There are severe
problems with
conventions which
significantly impede
understanding.
Spring semester 2014 dates to keep in mind
Jan 24 (F)
Last day to register or add full semester classes without instructor's signature
Jan 31 (F)
Last day to return textbooks for a full refund in college bookstore
Feb 3 (M)
Last day to add full semester classes (instructor's permission required)
Feb 3 (M)
Last day to drop full semester classes and receive a partial refund
Feb 7 (F)
Last day to drop full semester classes without a "W" grade recorded
Feb 17 (M)
Presidents' Day holiday (No classes)
Feb 26 (W)
Graduation applications due
Mar 4 (T)
College for a day (No classes)
Mar 31-Apr 4
Spring break (No classes)
Apr 15 (T)
Last day to drop or request an audit for full semester classes
May 12-14 (M-W)
Finals
May 16 (F)
Commencement