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Syllabus for GEOG 360 A: Principles Of GIS Mapping

11/17/16, 3(13 PM

Course Syllabus
Jump to Today
Welcome to Geography 360/560! We are glad you are here. This page contains much text and many links that you will need to have read in order to
reach the objectives for the course. Please refer to this document often! Please also do feel free to ask for clarifications whenever needed. We want
to help you to learn and succeed!

Link to Class Resource Page


Introduction to Geography 360/560
This course explores two distinct but overlapping sets of geographic knowledge: Basic Cartographic theory and basic GIS skills. These two
components of this course work closely together and form the basis for the extensive in-class and lab assignments you will complete.
Cartography is the art and science of map-making. It includes methods and principles for conveying information accurately and clearly on maps.
Historically, maps themselves had two functions: 1) the storage and 2) the presentation of spatial data. The paper map was the final product.
GIS is a technology that brings together the power of computer databases and computerized map-making. With the advent of GIS, the two
cartographic functions (the storage and presentation of data) have been separated out, allowing for far more sophisticated forms of geographic
analysis and visualization. The map is only one of several possible products.
In this course, you will learn and apply concepts, techniques, and software tools that are part of geographic information systems (GIS). This course
will help you develop a conceptual and applied understanding of fundamental GIS principles, including:
how spatial objects and their attributes are represented in a GIS;
spatial data types, sources, and structures;
common spatial analysis and modeling techniques used in GIS; and
how to use maps and other cartographic representations as part of this analysis.
No previous experience in GIS is required, though knowledge of Microsoft Windows and of basic approaches to geographical inquiry are both
desirable. Geog 360/560 offers you an introduction to a leading GIS software package, but does so while arguing that intelligent and effective use of
GIS requires both broad and deep knowledge of the theoretical and analytical dimensions also constitutive of GIS. Thus, while this course has a
significant lab component, the material from lecture and the readings are also critical to student success.

Course Objectives
During the quarter, you will:
understand and apply principles of cartographic design and thematic mapping to create geographic visualizations that are not only technically
sound but also appropriate to the data and to project goals;
understand how information, including spatial and attribute data, is represented and processed in a desktop GIS, as well as what is thereby
technically and societally made possible;
learn how to perform basic analyses within a GIS, including data queries, overlays, reclassifications, and cartographic modeling; and
build skills in the critical analysis of GIS and maps, especially how their development and use are connected to society.

Required Readings
Bolstad, Paul V. (2012) GIS Fundamentals: A First Text on Geographic Information Systems. 4rd ed. Eider Press, White Bear Lake, MN.
Note: You can also buy the digital version at http://www.cafescribe.com/
(http://www.cafescribe.com/) search for Bolstadt.
Price, Marybeth (2013) Mastering ArcGIS. 6th edition, McGraw Hill, New York.
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/syllabus

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Syllabus for GEOG 360 A: Principles Of GIS Mapping

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Additional required readings will be on the course website.

Requirements
Students must:
attend all class sessions (both lecture and lab);
complete all reading assignments by the date due, before class;
turn in assignments on time; and
participate actively in classroom discussion and group activities.
All written work (except assignments completed in class) is to be submitted typewritten, double-spaced, using a 12-point font and 1-inch margins,
unless otherwise specified.
Deadlines are not flexible. No late assignments will be accepted except in documented cases of emergencies. Papers and assignments
written in fulfillment of requirements for other classes will not be accepted.

Link to more information on getting help, discussing ideas, asking questions, and
communicating in general.
Role of this Canvas Site
This site is a key resource and point of communityyou should visit it often! The current schedule and readings, announcements, requirements,
discussion boards, labs, and links to other important course webpages are all here. The canvas is a living document, evolving with the needs of the
class. It is also a place where members of the class can come together and work, learn, and get to know each other better outside of class and lab.
Open it up every time you are working on 360/560!

Learning, Assignments, Grading and their Connections


This course offers a variety of ways for you to learn and a corresponding diversity of ways in which you will be able to demonstrate that learning, to
yourself and to others.
We meet three times a week in lecture, two times a week in lab, and in many other moments on this Canvas site! Lectures, discussions, and
readings provide the conceptual framework necessary to understand and apply GIS intelligently and effectively, as well as providing much of the
material for the quizzes. Please feel free to speak up in class. I endeavor to make the class room a place where everyone is comfortable making
comments, raising objections or asking questions. No question is stupid if you are wondering about something, inevitably so are 5-10 of your
peers. An interactive lecture is much more fun for all, me included. Contradictory positions and devils advocate questions are always welcome!
Labs also allow you to gain relevant practical understanding and skills. These assignments and the final project constitute a significant fraction of the
course grade and the time you will spend in the course. Lab section provides time to work on the assignments, a venue to work with TAs, and
ideally, even opportunities to interact meaningfully with each other. Assignments will take longer than you have available during your formal section in
lab, so you will need to take advantage of the many other times/venues we suggest for you to finish your work. When you bring related questions to
TAs outside of lab time, please remember that the TAs will expect that you have already been taking full advantage of your time during lab section to
work through such questions. The Lab Section Info And Guidelines provide additional critical information that you need to read.
Quizzes will likely be a combination of multiple choice and short-answer. They will be designed to be completed within the 50 minutes of a class
period. It is absolutely imperative that you not arrive late on the day of a quiz, as it will make it very difficult for us to start on time.
Grades are determined by your overall performance in several categories that form given percentages of the final grade. Categories and
corresponding percentages are visible in the table on the right side of this page. To find your grade, the Canvas Gradebook will first look at the
percentages of points you received in each category separately. Then, it will weight these percentages from each grading category according to the
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/syllabus

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Syllabus for GEOG 360 A: Principles Of GIS Mapping

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table to the right and add them up to get your overall grade. Note therefore that a point from a quiz is not necessarily worth the same amount to your
final grade as a point from a lab.
For Geography 560 Students: Geography 360 and Geography 560 are evaluated separately, with assignments and criteria that befit the difference
between an undergraduate and graduate course. Standards will be correspondingly higher. Further, 560 students will have the chance to explore and
critically reflect on literature relevant to their research interests in a final writing exercise to be turned in at the end of the quarter.

Productive Learning Environments and Academic Integrity


It may seem obvious, but your classmates must be able to expect that you will help maintain a productive environment for their learning. In this class,
we need to follow academic conventions for discussing our differences with each other without making them too personal. The need for reasoned
debate is at least as real on the online discussion board as it is in person during class.
Furthermore, please do consider how your actions in class affect the learning environment of others. Distractions that potentially detract from the
learning of others cannot be permitted. For example, if you absolutely need to use an electronic device for a purpose that is related to course
learning in lecture, you may, but do not have it make any sounds and do ensure that you are not sitting in a place where people sitting behind you will
be distracted. For the sake of your fellow students, at least, please consider rediscovering the virtues of pen and paper.
From the beginning, we require that you know and uphold the universitys high standards for student conduct and academic honesty. Here are some
of the standards that are very important for you to understand--take the time to read them, especially if you have not done so before:
What is Academic Misconduct?

(https://www.washington.edu/uaa/advising/help/academicintegrity.php)

Student Conduct Code for the University of Washington

(http://apps.leg.wa.gov/WAC/default.aspx?cite=478-120)

As described in these documents, the consequences of potential violations can be serious. Suspected violations will be referred to the appropriate
offices of the university.

Accommodations
We welcome the opportunity to work with any students with disabilities in this class to ensure equal access to the course. If you have a letter from
Disability Resources for Students (DRS) outlining your academic accommodations, please present the letter to the professor as soon as possible so
that we can discuss the accommodations you may need for this class. This quarter, some of these notifications from DRS have become electronic,
but any discussions between student and professor need to occur as early as possible in order for adequate arrangements to be made. If you do not
yet have a letter from DRS, but would like to request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact DRS, 448 Schmitz, 206-5438924 (voice) or 206-543-8925 (TTY), or uwdss@u.washington.edu (mailto:uwdss@u.washington.edu) (email).

Late work
It is important to maintain equal opportunity for all students to demonstrate their mastery of the material within an amount of time that is standardized
across the class. Further, it is an important academic skill to be able to demonstrate adequate mastery or produce high-quality analyses on an
assigned topic within a specified period of time. As a result, no late work will be accepted outside of extraordinary circumstances, such as a
documented personal illness, family emergency, or advance arrangement with the instructor.

Quiz Scheduling
All quizzes will be taken at the time and place scheduled, except if a make-up has been scheduled ahead of time due to a documented medical or
family emergency.

Grading
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/syllabus

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Syllabus for GEOG 360 A: Principles Of GIS Mapping

Requirement

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Points

Active daily participation in lecture, section, and group activities


20
Discussion participation, in-class assignments, and completion of all assigned readings before class will make up this grade.
Exam I & II
The format for both exams will be the same for undergraduates: multiple choice and short answer. Graduate students will
have a take-home essay for exam II. Each exam will be worth 30 points. (There will be no final exam in this class.)

60

Lab Assignments 1-5


Hands-on GIS labs, building skills in map making and GIS analysis. Lab assignments 1 through 4 are worth 15 points each. 80
Lab 5 is worth 20 points.
Final Project
In small groups, students develop a GIS research problem, find the appropriate data, perform GIS analysis, produce maps,
and present your findings.
TOTAL:

40

200 pts

Grade Changes
Requests for grade changes on assignments will only be accepted in writing, and only within 3 days of the assignment being handed back to
students. Requests must be justified in terms of the content of the assignment, not by outside considerations. All such requests will be considered
first by the TA, then by the course instructor. If you are not satisfied with the decision on a grade change request, you may appeal to the Geography
Department chair.

Misconduct
Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student. This class a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism
and/or cheating in my classrooms.
The Student Conduct Code
(http://www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html) is a part of the Washington State legal code
that explains that admission to the University carries with it the presumption that students will practice high standards of professional honesty and
integrity (WAC 478-120-020 [2] -- www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html).
This idea is expanded and clarified in the short document Student
(http://depts.washington.edu/grading/issue1/honesty.htm) Academic
Responsibility, which was prepared by the Committee on Academic Conduct in the College of Arts and Sciences. The document provides a
definition of academic misconduct, explains what happens in cases of suspected misconduct, and provides some suggestions for avoiding such
misconduct. http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf
(http://depts.washington.edu/grading/pdf/AcademicResponsibility.pdf) )
Other information on this issue is available on the UW Faculty Resources for Grading website
(http://depts.washington.edu/grading/conduct/index.html
(http://depts.washington.edu/grading/conduct/index.html) ) it is worth your
https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/syllabus

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Syllabus for GEOG 360 A: Principles Of GIS Mapping

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time to look it over.

Assignments Summary:
Date
Wed Sep 24, 2014

Details

First day of 360! (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?


event_id=739233&include_contexts=course_916240)

10:30am to 11:20am

Sun Oct 5, 2014

Lab 1 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580121)

due by 11:59pm

Sun Oct 12, 2014

Lab 2 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580125)

due by 11:59pm

Sun Oct 19, 2014

Lab 3 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580126)

due by 11:59pm

Fri Oct 24, 2014

Quiz 1 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580129)

due by 10:30am

Sun Oct 26, 2014

Lab 4 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580127)

due by 11:59pm

Wed Oct 29, 2014

Sun Nov 2, 2014

Sun Nov 9, 2014

Tue Nov 11, 2014

Fri Nov 14, 2014

Fri Nov 21, 2014

Thu Nov 27, 2014

Fri Nov 28, 2014

Map Librarian Guest Lecture (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?


event_id=739236&include_contexts=course_916240)

Final Project: Proposal Worksheet

(https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580123)

Lab 5 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580128)

12am

due by 11:59pm

due by 11:59pm

Veterans Day (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?


event_id=739230&include_contexts=course_916240)

Final Project: Cartographic Model and Data Sources

(https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580124)

12am

due by 11:59pm

Final Projects Consultation with Professors and TAs (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?

event_id=739235&include_contexts=course_916240)

NO CLASS: Thanksgiving (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?


event_id=739231&include_contexts=course_916240)

NO CLASS: Thanksgiving (https://canvas.uw.edu/calendar?


event_id=739234&include_contexts=course_916240)

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/syllabus

12am

12am

12am

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Syllabus for GEOG 360 A: Principles Of GIS Mapping

Fri Dec 5, 2014

Sun Dec 7, 2014

Quiz 2 (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580120)

Final Project: Final Report

(https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2580122)

11/17/16, 3(13 PM

due by 11:30am

due by 11:59pm

Participation (https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/2684216)

https://canvas.uw.edu/courses/916240/assignments/syllabus

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