Geography 1520:

WORLD GEOGRAPHY Orchard Ridge Campus Wednesday 6:30 pm 9:25 pm Room B204

Fall 2013

Instructor: E-mail:

Catherine Zajaczkowski cmzajacz@oaklandcc.edu

Geography 1520 will explain the modern geographic realms and their physical and human contents through a spatial approach. Contents of the course will include study of human societies and natural environments from environmental determinism to expansion and diffusion from decolonization to devolution.

Texts:

The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography, 6th edition, H.J. de Blij, et. al College Atlas of the World, 2nd edition

MATERIALS NEEDED: Colored Pencils and Black Ink/Gel Pen Course Requirements: This course will be an exciting, challenging, and rewarding experience if you make the effort to participate. Attendance and full participation in every class session is mandatory, as is purchasing and reading textbooks. There are no pre-requisites for this course. Four Exams will cover lectures, discussions, classroom activities, videos, and the assigned textbook readings. Thirteen Mapping Assignments will be conducted as out of class assignments. One Region Report will be a comprehensive evaluation of a region of your choice and One Presentation of your Region Report. All College regulations and policies will be enforced on all matters, including academic dishonesty (cheating). Academic dishonesty: Cheating and plagiarism in any form is strictly forbidden under Oakland Community College Policy and may result in failure of the assignment, failure of the course, and/or expulsion from OCC. A person removed from this class may appeal to the Academic Deans office. Drop Policy, Withdrawal, Incomplete Marks: A student may drop this course by the College designated date (11/22/13). A student may withdraw with a W mark received. It is the students responsibility to inform the records office in writing or in person if a W mark is necessary. A withdraw passing grade (WP) may be given by this instructor, if appropriate. An incomplete grade (I) is only given with prior agreement, a signed contract, and at least 60% of the course material is completed. Grading Scale: Grades will be calculated using a point system. Exams are worth 100 points each. Mapping Assignments are worth 25 points each. Region Report and corresponding presentation are worth 100 points each. Total possible points: exams: 4x100=400; map assignments: 13x25=325; Region Report: 1x100=100; presentation: 1x100=100 TOTAL: 400 + 320 + 200 = 925. Your total points/total course points = ________ multiplied by 100 B+ 89-87% B 86-83% B- 82-80% C+ 79-77% C 76-73% C- 72-70% D+ 69-67% D 66-63% F 62-0%

A 100-93% A- 92-90%

No makeup exams or quizzes will be given. Missing an exam or quiz will result in a score of zero. In extreme situations and under special circumstances (with official documentation provided), a written essay exam may be granted at the discretion of the instructor if arrangements are made 24 hours prior to the scheduled exam or quiz which must be completed before the next class period.

No late assignments will be accepted. Assignments are due at the prior to class on the due date. In order to be accepted, mapping assignments must be completed prior to the scheduled class time; written assignments must be typed, double spaced and stapled or submitted in D2L, when appropriate. A late assignment will result in a score of zero. In extreme situations and with advance notification, a 24-hour extension may be granted at the discretion of the instructor, with or without penalty imposed. Extra Credit: may be an option, only when assigned by me, not an alternative to completing required assignments. Do Not Ask if you can complete extra credit to improve an undesirable grade. Additional Service: Tutors are available for this course through the ACCESS office. Student Success Seminars are also offered every semester free of charge. ADA Notifications: Students requiring special assistance (including those affected by the Americans with Disabilities Act) should contact the ACCESS office, which will inform the instructor of any special conditions pertaining to their learning. It is the policy of Oakland Community College not to discriminate against any person on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. IMPORTANT FERPA REMINDER: Per the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), college personnel are not allowed to release students personal information to anyone, including other students. If you have any questions regarding FERPA, please refer to the current College Catalog. Teaching and Learning Strategies: This class will be conducted using assigned reading, lecture, discussion, demonstrations, cooperative lab grouping, and video presentations. You will be assigned to a cooperative lab group. Together your group will be responsible for in-class and out-of-class exercises. Videos should not be thought of as filler, a break, or a free day. Video presentations provide a first hand look at physical and human processes that you will read about in the textbook and that we will discuss in class. Actually seeing footage of these processes and resulting impacts is a valuable part of the learning process.

Attendance Policy: Students are expected to attend all class meetings. If a students absences are excessive the instructor may initiate a written referral to the dean.

Attendance may be periodically taken. Consistent class attendance is critical to successful completion of this course. Be punctual! Class begins on time and late arrivals are disruptive. If the class cannot meet for some reason, students will be notified. If the College is closed because of bad weather, you need to listen to a local radio station and/or TV broadcast. Students are responsible for obtaining all missed work in the event of an absence. Exchange phone numbers with at least two other students for class information if you cannot attend a class. Name Phone Number Best Time to Call

Classroom Etiquette: I strive to make every class meeting an exciting, challenging and rewarding experience. I welcome and encourage your active participation in the learning process. All students are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate, respectful manner at all times, including but not limited to: Show active consideration to your fellow students and instructor Turn off and stow away all electronic devices, calculators are allowed Arrive on time, contribute to class discussions, stay until the end of class Have a positive attitude Do not be discouraged if you do not understand everything at once Study groups are beneficial Enjoy the class A student will lose points for behavior that is learning disruptive or inappropriate. Such behaviors including (but not limited to): being late or leaving early from class on a regular basis, ringing cell phones, text messaging, electronic device, or pager disruptions, carrying on side conversations, distracting fellow students or the instructor. These or any other inappropriate behaviors will result in one warning from the instructor before points are taken away. Any further disruption in the learning process could result in the instructor administratively withdrawing a student from class. NO ELECTRONIC DEVICE USE IN CLASS: This includes, but is not limited to, ringing phones, placing or accepting calls, text messaging or utilizing applications, programs, or web browsing.

Disclaimer: If at any time during the semester circumstances necessitate changes; you will be notified in class.

Mapping Assignment Guidelines If you are having difficulty with the mapping assignments, let me help you by clarifying the guidelines below. As mentioned above, colored pencils are highly recommended to create neat, accurate and standardized maps. Mapping assignments are due each week. In order to be accepted, the maps must be stapled, neatly and accurately completed, and turned in at the beginning of the class period on the due date. Due dates for each assignment are listed on the next page, please be reminded that no late assignments will be accepted. USE THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES TO CREATE NEAT, ACCURATE, AND STANDARDIZED MAPS: Label: Label text in black ink, countries/provinces in all capital letters and cities in upper/lower case letters. Colors: Use purposeful color that follow standard map colors, i.e. bodies of water/streams in blue, vegetation in green, deserts in yellow, etc. Streams: when labeling streams (rivers), outline the stream course in blue. Lines: Use lines sparingly. If using lines, they must never cross. Use political map for political features/physical map for physical features (hint: elevation is a physical feature). Legend: create a color coded legend for ease in readability. Symbols: Use of symbols can reduce clutter, be sure to include symbols on the legend.

Hints for the first two mapping assignments: World Geographic Realms and Regions: see page 8 in your textbook, Figure G-3 World Climates (Physical Map of the World): see page 15 in your textbook, Figure G-7 Be certain to bring your colored pencils to each class period. I hope that this is helpful. If you have any questions, please contact me by email at cmzajacz@oaklandcc.edu

Syllabus and Assignments: The readings for this class are taken from The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography, 6th edition. Mapping Assignments will be provided by your instructor. You will be expected to have read all the assigned readings by the due dates even if those subjects are not covered in class. READING, REPORTS, and TESTS Introduction p. 1-25 World Geographic RealmsTextbook p. 8, Figure G-3 9/11 Physical Processes Introduction p. 1-25 World Climates-Textbook p 15, Figure G-7 9/18 9/25 10/2 10/9 10/16 10/23 10/30 11/6 11/13 11/20 11/27 Human Processes North America Middle America South America Sub-Saharan Africa North Africa/Southwest Asia Europe Russia East Asia South Asia Southeast Asia & The Austral Realm Introduction p. 1-25 Chapter 3 Test 1 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Test 2 Chapter 7 Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 9 Test 3 Chapter 8 REGION REPORT Chapters 10 & 11 REGION REPORT PRESENTATION Chapter 12 North America Caribbean South America Sub-Saharan Africa North Africa/Southwest Asia Europe Russia East Asia South Asia Southeast Asia Australia and Oceania

DATE 9/4

CLASS TOPIC Introduction/Tools

MAPPING ASSIGNMENTS

12/4

The Pacific Realm

12/11

Region Report Presentations

Test 4

Disclaimer: If at any time during the semester circumstances necessitate changes; you will be notified in class.