Geography 102
Intro to Human Geography

Contact Information and Class Information:

Instructor:	Stephen L. Arnold	Days:	Mon. night
Phone:	937-5725	Time:	6:30-9:30 p.m.
Phone (messages):	922-6966, ext. 2174	Room:	C32, Santa Maria Campus
Internet E-Mail:	esteve@arnolds.dhs.org	Ticket:	4662

Since I don't have any office hours, you may call me at the above numbers if you need assistance. When calling me at work, please be brief. When calling me at home, please call between the hours of 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. during the week, and 10:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. on weekends. Email usually works best at any time; I try and answer all mail within a day or two (barring unforeseen emergencies), however, I get a large volume of email, so you may need to send a reminder.

Description:

Welcome to Human Geography 102, an exploration of our human role in shaping the earth's physical and cultural landscapes. This course provides a thematic introduction to the geographic variability of the human environment, including the geography of population, environmental change, cultural identity, place and landscape, economic development, agriculture and food production, political framework, and urbanization. An important theme running through the course will be the increasing impact of globalization on the world’s places.

Course Goals:

Our goals in this course are to encourage and enable you to:

1. Understand geography as an academic discipline, its relation to other subjects, and career possibilities.

2. Understand the basic body of knowledge and concepts pertaining to human geography, and how they relate to the world around us

3. Develop an awareness, understanding, appreciation, and respect for the earth's many cultures, and to link your personal experiences with broader cultural perspectives.

4. Understand the major aspects of our human relationship with, and use of, the earth environment from a historical perspective.

5. Develop your skills of critical listening, thinking, analysis, and discussion.

Course Objectives:

At the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate the ability to do the following:

1. Define and describe the role of geography as an academic discipline, and identify potential career opportunities in geography.

2. Understand the basic terms and concepts that will allow you to write and talk about historical and current events (including events in your own life) from a geographic perspective.

3. Describe the major concepts and principles concerning our human relationship to, and use of, and the human impact on, the earth's environment from both historical and topical perspectives.

4. Be able to find, read and interpret maps, tables and other figures containing geographic data. Understand the basic tools used by geographers to analyze and display geographic data.

Lecture:

You are responsible for obtaining any material, lecture notes, and announcements you miss. This includes announcements you miss if you come late to class. For copies of handouts, you should ask me. For lecture notes don't ask me - ask one of your fellow classmates for a copy of their notes. It's always best to get copies from two different classmates. The Student Study Guide above is a good supplement to the textbook. Since my standard lecture and exam materials come right from the text, the Study Guide is a good investment. Class activities, assignments, and additional lecture topics will also be included as possible exam material (see below).

Homework Assignments:

Some of the homework may include on-line assignments using the companion website for the above text:

http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_rubenstein_humangeo_8

This is also an excellent way to prepare for exams or research other assignments. You can do these assignments in the Lompoc LRC, the library or computer lab in Santa Maria, or anywhere you have access to an Internet-connected PC. Please do your own work; this will be important for the exams. Each assignment must be emailed to me by the midnight before the class (i.e., midnight Monday night) in which it is due, or alternatively, a hardcopy may be turned in at class. Late homework only makes it harder on you.

There will also be several projects, such as a additional readings, mapping assignments, and discussion groups. Some will be relatively easy, and will be graded on participation, while others will require a bit more time and effort. All projects are intended to be both fun and educational, and it is your responsibility as the student to participate to the best of your ability. There will be a handout on this later, as well as in-class discussion.

Exams:

There will be at least two midterm exams and one final exam. Exams are based mostly on the material from the textbook, with some extra material from assignments and projects. Exams are usually open-book, with a corresponding adjustment in the degree of difficulty. The exam dates will be published well in advance; it is your responsibility to meet your class obligations.

Grades:

It is vital to do your own work on the assignments in order to do well on the exams. Anyone suspected of not doing his or her own work risks receiving a zero on that assignment or exam. If you find you must get outside help, be sure you do the work and that you understand the assignment.

Grading for exams, homework assignments, and the final grade will be as follows:

Since there are only 3 exams, they will each total approximately 200 points. There will be several homework assignments, which will be worth 50 points each, with other projects getting adjusted up or down based on the overall amount of work. Final grades will be an approximately equal weighting of assignments, projects, and exams.

Attendance:

Class attendance contributes significantly to your success in this course. It is your responsibility as the student to attend class regularly and do the assigned work. If you can't meet this commitment, then it is your responsibility to either drop or withdraw from the class, prior to the appropriate deadlines. Any students remaining on the official roster after the withdrawal deadline will receive an appropriate grade for the semester.

The lack of office hours further underscores the importance of attending lectures. One absence for illness or an emergency is understandable, but any more than that makes it difficult to keep up. Please see me or the school counselor if you are experiencing problems that cause you to miss more than two classes in a row. Attendance is taken in order to comply with Allan Hancock's requirements. However, attendance is also part of the overall participation grade (and may have an effect on those with borderline grades).

Companion web site to Cultural Landscape:

http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_rubenstein_humangeo_8

Course info for both of my Geography courses (Geog 101 and Geog 102):

http://arnolds.dhs.org/geography.html

GeoForum – Georaphy discussion board from previous semester:

http://arnolds.dhs.org/geography/geo_forum