Geography 200: World Regional Geography
Spring 2006
Time: TR 12:30 - 2:18 PM
Location: Page Hall 0010
Course website: http://carmen.osu.edu/
Instructor: Dr. Ningchuan Xiao
Office: 1132 Derby Hall
Phone: 292-4072
E-mail: xiao.37@osu.edu
Office Hours: TR 2:30 - 3:30 PM, or by appointment
Teaching Assistant: Nurcan Atalan-Helicke
Office: 1070 Derby Hall
Phone: 292-2705
E-mail: atalan-helicke.1@osu.edu
Office Hours: TR 11:00 AM - 12:18 PM, or by appointment
This course introduces basic geographical concepts and principles, and applies
them to study world regions. The purpose of this course is to help students gain
background knowledge about world regions, and, more importantly, to use the
knowledge and necessary tools to investigate how world regions are
created. Emphasis will be placed on social, economic, political, physical
processes, as well as historical perspectives, that are critical to the making
of regions.
Texts
- Required: de Blij and Muller, Geography: Realms, Regions, and
Concepts. 12th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2005.
- Recommended: Goode's World Atlas, 21st Ed., Rand McNally,
2005.
Requirements
- Attendance is important and critical to your success in this
class. Though it will not be explicitly evaluated, students are strongly
encouraged to attend class. Most exam questions will be from the topics
discussed in the lecture; it is critical to takes notes and study them. Lecture
notes (slides with some blanks) will be made available as PDF files a day before
class. Students should print these notes before they come to class and fill in
the blanks during class.
- Map quizzes. There will be five map quizzes. The purpose is to test
your knowledge of places that have physical, social, economic, and political
significance. We typically have map quizzes when we start a new region or after
we have finished some regions. The date of each map quiz is specified in the
course schedule. In general, a map quiz contains one or more blank maps on which
a number of places are marked; students are required to give correct names of
these places. A quiz normally takes place during the last 15 minutes of the
scheduled class. A study guide will be provided about a week before the date of
each quiz.
- Examinations. There will be a midterm examinations and a final
examination. Each examination will consist of multiple choice, true/false,
definition, and short answer questions. The final examination will be
comprehensive (with a focus placed on the materials after the midterm) and will
have questions regarding all world regions discussed.
- Homework assignment. There will be one take home assignment. The
assignment will be handed out on April 4 and must be turned in on April 13
before class.
- Essay and peer review. Each student is required to write a
(virtual) travel essay, which describes an imaginary, yet realistic, journey to
two places in two regions on two different continents. The guidelines for the
essay will be provided during the first week, and the essay is due on May
18. After the essay is turned in, each student will be assigned to peer review
two or three essays. The review process is double blind, meaning the reviewer
does not know the author of the essay and the author does not know who have
reviewed the essay. Detailed review criteria will be provided when review
assignments are determined. Peer reviews are due on the last day of class (June
1). The results of the peer review will be used to calculate an average review
score of each essay that contributes to a half of the final score of the
essay. The other half of the essay score is determined by the instructor and/or
the TA (based on exactly the same criteria used in peer review). However, if
the reviews are largely flawed for a particular essay, the grade will be solely
determined by the instructor and/or the TA. In some cases (e.g., when a
significant disparity exists among reviews for an essay), the instructor holds
the right to make an executive decision.
- Participation. Participating the peer review process will count for
four percent of the final grade.
Make-ups and Late Assignments
Students are required to take all
examinations/quizzes and return homework/essay/reviews at the assigned
times. Make-ups are only granted to those who can provide documented illness or
personal emergency. Students should contact the instructor prior to the
exam/quiz to arrange time for make-up exams or quizzes. Failure to do so will
result in zero point on missed exams or quizzes. No late assignment, essay, or
review will be accepted. In the case when you cannot meet the due date, you need
to finish the work before it is due.
Evaluation
Your final grade will be determined by the accumulated points earned during the
quarter.
| Component | Points | Percent |
| Assignment | 30 | 6% |
| Map quizzes | 100 | 20% |
| Essay | 50 | 10% |
| Peer review | 20 | 4% |
| Midterm | 150 | 30% |
| Final | 150 | 30% |
| Total | 500 | 100% |
Depending on the overall performance of the class, your final total point may be
adjusted (curved). In that case, the adjustment method can only be determined
after the final examination. The following table will be used to assign
the final grade.
| Range | Grade |
| 465 - 500 | A |
| 450 - 464 | A- |
| 435 - 449 | B+ |
| 415 - 434 | B |
| 400 - 414 | B- |
| 385 - 399 | C+ |
| 365 - 384 | C |
| 350 - 364 | C- |
| 335 - 349 | D+ |
| 300 - 334 | D |
| 0 - 299 | E |
Course Schedule
A tentative course schedule is attached at the end of the syllabus. The schedule on the Carmen site will be updated
frequently whenever new materials become available.
GEC Requirements Fulfilled by This Class
Geography 200 fulfills 2 GEC requirements:
- 4C: Social sciences: Human, Natural, and Economic Resources
- 6B: Diversity Experiences: International Issues
Social Science
Goals/Rationale: Courses in social science help students understand human
behavior and cognition, and the structures of human societies, cultures and
institutions.
Learning Objectives:
- Students understand the theories and methods of scientific inquiry as
they are applied to the studies of individuals, groups, organizations, and
societies.
- Students comprehend human differences and similarities in various
psychological, social, cultural, economic, geographic, and political contexts.
- Students develop abilities to comprehend and assess individual and social
values, and recognize their importance in social problem solving and policy
making.
Diversity: International Issues
Goals/ Rationale: Diversity: International Issues courses help students
become educated, productive, and principled citizens of their nation and the
world.
Learning Objectives:
- Students exhibit an understanding of political, economic, cultural,
physical, and social differences among the nations of the world, including a
specific examination of non-Western culture.
Students with Disabilities
I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability that may require some
modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that
appropriate arrangements may be made. Please talk with me after class or during
my office hours. If you need more information about disabilities and
accommodations, please contact the Office of Disability Services.
Policy on Plagiarism and Academic Misconduct
In the Code of Student Conduct, academic misconduct is defined as "any activity
that tends to compromise the academic integrity of the university, or subvert
the educational process"; plagiarism is defined as "the representation of
another's work or ideas as one's own; it includes the unacknowledged
word-for-word use and/or paraphrasing of another person's work, and/or the
inappropriate unacknowledged use of another person's ideas." Plagiarism is
wrong and will not be tolerated. The University has a policy on academic
misconduct and plagiarism, as provided in the Code of Student
Conduct. To further understand this, it is worthwhile to read the Eight
Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity at
http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/8cards.html and guidelines to avoid
plagiarism at
http://www.northwestern.edu/uacc/plagiar.html.