World Regional Geography GEOG 101

Central Washington University
Fall Quarter 2006
1
World Regional Geography
GEOG 101 – Class #:90703 or 90706
Professor Jennifer K. Lipton
liptonj@cwu.edu
Teaching Assistant: Todd Snider
sniderto@cwu.edu
Meeting Time Office Hours

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
World Regional Geography is a 5-credit course that will introduce students to fundamental geographic
concepts by introducing different world regions and the various physical, social, cultural and political
processes that create, shape, and affect them. This course fulfills the Social and Behavioral Sciences –
Perspectives on the World requirement.
The word “Geography” is derived from the Greek term “writing the earth.” As Geographers, our academic
discipline and intellectual tradition is concerned with: 1) describing and examining the surface of Earth, 2)
explaining the natural and cultural processes which have created the features in the landscape, and 3)
exploring the manner in which humans imagine, experience, transform, and are transformed by their world
through space and time. This course is a survey of the earth’s places, people, cultures, climates, and resources
and their interconnections from the perspective of human geography. Geographers examine the ways in
which the physical world has been shaped, altered, imagined, and experienced by humans and human cultural
processes.
The course emphasizes:
Globalization and the links between global and local:
Stressing the increasing interconnectedness of different parts of the world through common
processes of economic, environmental, political, and cultural change
The unevenness of political and economic development:
Recognizing the diversity of the world, exploring important variations between and within places and
regions at every scale
Linking society and nature:
Exploring the basic geographic concepts of landscape, place, and region, and how human adaptation
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to and modification of Earth’s environment has produced distinctive landscapes but also widespread
environmental degradation and pollution
We will approach these themes through a survey of several different WORLD REGIONS, such as SubSaharan Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, examining the environmental,
cultural, historical, and economic processes that make each region unique, as well as its connections and
commonalities with other world regions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
This course will be conducted as a combination of lectures, reading, written exercises, and class discussion
and presentations. Students will work individually and in groups to achieve the following:
Basic geographic literacy – a working knowledge of the map of the world, including the location of
countries and regions together with their major cities, water bodies, and distinctive physical features.
A sense of WHERE borders, boundaries, environmental/resource conditions and political
divisions of the contemporary world come from, and WHY conflict arises when and where it
does – This involves a basic working knowledge of the history of such historical-geographicalpolitical phenomena as European colonialism, independence, the cold war, and globalization.
An appreciation of and respect for the world’s diverse cultural landscapes in terms of ethnicity,
race, language, religion, gender, national identity, and human relations with the physical environment.
In addition to the material that is presented in lectures and from the textbook, a significant amount of class
time will be devoted to in-class discussions of key issues, current events, and concepts gathered from
students. Every effort will be made to encourage and help all students to develop their own “voice” in
order to express their ideas freely within a non-threatening, mutually respectful, active-learning
classroom.
LEARNING GOALS:
Students should complete the semester with significantly enhanced skills in the following areas:
Utilizing maps, charts, graphs, and raw data to analyze the world in geographic terms
Reading comprehension, writing, and analysis
Speaking in front of a group
Teamwork
Research: locating and critically assessing sources of geographic information
Synthesis: applying knowledge of the different world regions to an overall understanding of their
interconnections
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK:
Pulsipher, Lydia M. and Pulsipher, A. (2006) World Regional Geography: Global Patterns, Local Lives 3rd Edition,
Without subregions. W.H. Freeman and Company, New York.
Recommended Textbook/Materials:
Goode’s World Atlas or Rand McNally Atlas of World Geography – an updated version would be helpful.
The textbook has an accompanying FREE website www.whfreeman.com/pulsipher3e that you will be
required on occasion to visit for maps, animations, tutorials, self-quizzes, and other interesting supporting
materials. Please become familiar with how to navigate this website.
Assorted website links and/or articles that will be placed on the course Blackboard website.
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GRADING, ASSESSMENT, AND EXAMS
Your final grade for this course will be based upon the following:
Exams and Quizzes 75%
Two Midterms (200 points each; 400 points total)
Final Exam (non-cumulative) (200 points)
7 Map Quizzes (25 pts. each; allowed to drop the lowest score quiz) (150 total)
Projects, Papers, Presentations 20%
2 page personal essay and map (50 points)
Map your Closet (map 20 pts; indicator chart 10 pts; reflection essay 20 points: 50 total)
Campus or Community event attendance and write-up (25 points)
Current Events Group Projects (25 points)
Country presentations and information sheet (50 points)
Attendance and Participation in-class and on Blackboard Discussion Lists 5%
Attendance will be taken 36 (spontaneous) times throughout the quarter (25 points)
Participation in the form of posts on the Blackboard discussion board or in class (25 points)
Your success in this class is dependent upon your mental and physical attendance inside and outside this
classroom. Attendance will be taken and will factor into your grades not to mention your ability to succeed in
the course. Students who do not attend on a regular basis will not do well in this class. Materials and issues
discussed in lecture will not be available from the textbook nor will lectures be posted on Blackboard. If you
have a valid and necessary reason/excuse for not showing up to class, please contact me ASAP. Every effort
to respect one another and arrive on time to class should be made, as tardiness can be disruptive to lectures
and other students.
Everyone starts this course with zero points and has the opportunity to earn up to 1000 points for 100%.
There is no extra credit, so give each assignment, quiz, and exam your best effort. Quality of participation in
class as well as consistent and alert attendance will impact your overall grade. Your preparation affects the
experience of other students as well as your own. Please do not waste your time or money, or that of your
classmates!
There will be 7 map quizzes, three exams and several assignments. There will be no make-up quizzes or
exams: students must take these on announced dates. While you are required to take all 7 quizzes, you will be
allowed to drop your lowest grade. Country presentations are timed to coincide with class readings and will
not be accepted late; written assignments received after the due date will be accepted but with a 10 point/day
late penalty.
Participation in class discussion and group-work is required. You are expected to read the chapter
assignment for the day prior to coming to class and be prepared to discuss these. Plan to spend at least three
hours reading and reviewing your notes for each chapter. Take time to clarify and summarize your notes right
after class. If you have any questions or concerns, please raise these in class where others may also benefit
from their discussion, or, see the professor in office hours. Please ask for help or clarifications as often as
necessary.
This is a fast-paced class, so it is imperative that you work hard from the beginning. We will discuss study
strategies in class, but ultimately, you are responsible for your performance and your final grade is a
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direct result of the consistency and quality of your effort from the first day through the final exam.
No matter what your preparation or background, you can do well in this class; at the same time, if you do not
keep up with the readings and assignments, and do not seek help when you need it, you can easily fail.
We will cover a lot of information in this course—certainly more than you can remember and understand
with one reading of the textbook. An “A” or excellent student reads and outlines each chapter prior to
attending class, takes brief but key notes during class discussion and lectures, spends an hour or so after class
re-reading the chapter and filling in his or her notes, and then reviews notes and readings carefully before
exams. A “B” or very good student may behave in the above manner most of the time, but not consistently.
A “C” or average student skims the chapters before class but waits until the day before the exam to read them
thoroughly. Poor students earning a “D” or an “F” may believe they will do poorly no matter what, or that
they can pull anything off at the last moment.
Exams (Two Midterms, One Final, each worth 200 points)
Exams may include any combination of multiple-choice, maps, fill in the blank, short answers/ID, and essay
questions. Review terms will be provided for each chapter and posted on Blackboard one week prior to each
exam.
Map Quizzes
Students are expected to know the names and locations of countries, major cities, water bodies, and
significant geographical features. Learn the geographic features of each region we study: note the difference
between a “sea” and an “ocean” and between a port and an inland city; learn the shapes and bordering
countries of each country, and the correct spellings for place names. Make several copies of the blank maps
from the websites and use them to practice.
Projects, Papers and Assignments:
These will be thoroughly explained in lecture with grading rubrics provided prior to the assignment.
Personal Essay and Map: This paper is a 2 page self-reflection essay drawing upon how you see yourself as a
member of our global community. Draw upon your own and your family’s cultural identity, ethnicity, faith, or
the community that you know best. Ask yourself about how you see yourself now and in the future being a
member of our increasingly globalized society. Include a map identifying your home community and/or your
ancestors.
Map your Closet . This project includes three components: a hand drawn map showing where at least 10
items in your closet/bedroom/kitchen are manufactured; a chart comparing development indicators of 6
different countries “in your closet”; and a one-page reflection essay. This will form the basis of teamwork and
discussion the day it is due. See below for more detail.
Campus or Community Event and write-up: We are fortunate at Central Washington University to have a
number of speakers, University events, or Ellensburg city events that are cross-cultural. For example, on
October 6th-8th is the Ellensburg Film Festival featuring films and documentaries from around the USA and
world. Also, there are events such as the First Amendment Festival starting on October 11th featuring
Nationally renowned speakers. October 25th-27th is the Margaret Mead Festival with a number of crosscultural films showing in the Student Union Theater. Also, International Education Week November 13th-
17th. You will be required to attend one of these events and do a write up of the event and drawing upon
material from the course.
Country presentation (50 points).
Presentations will follow the calendar as we move from one world region to another throughout the semester.
Using several sources, you will put together a brief (10 minute presentation) to the class about a randomly
selected country, and hand in a one page sheet with key information and your list of sources. Select some
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images of the country to share with the class. Note that you should use at least three different sources for
your presentation, such as the CIA, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) or World Bank, the
NYT and the BBC. You will be graded on delivery of your presentation as well as the content, and on the
images shared with the class and the one page information sheet turned in to the professor.
COURSE POLICIES
1. Attendance Policy: Please see above. Also, if you do not plan to attend regularly or make it to class
on time, you are advised to drop the class. Student athletes are advised to speak with the professor
right away to clarify schedule conflicts. If you must miss a class, arrange to borrow notes from a
classmate. The professor will not assume the responsibility for providing lecture notes for missed
classes or for tutoring absent students. You are advised to exchange email addresses and phone
numbers with classmates early in the semester and to arrange a buddy system for notes and
announcements should you need to miss class.
If you do have a LEGITIMATE conflict with a class and cannot make it on the day of a due date or
exam, please contact me by phone, in-person or by email to let me know with at least 24 hours
before the class.
2. Americans with Disabilities Act: Please notify me as soon as possible (the first week of classes)
regarding disabilities so that we can make the necessary accommodations. I will make myself
available, by office appointment, to discuss appropriate measures. Before course accommodations
will be made, students are required to provide documentation from the DSS office –
http://www.cwu.edu/~dss/).
3. Academic Honesty and Integrity: You are expected to do your own work and do it to the best of
your ability. There should be no need to discuss rules of scholastic dishonesty, but I want you to
know that if you even begin to question if what you are doing is right or wrong, please consult the
University Rules and Student Conduct Information:
http://www.cwu.edu/~saffairs/StudentJudicial.pdf (WAC 106-120). For example, copying or
plagiarism will not be tolerated and is easily detectable. Do not succumb to the internet
plagiarism scandals – they are quickly discovered and could harm your academic status.
4. Classroom Policies: You are expected to show respect and consideration to others in the
classroom. This includes not talking during lectures or when classmates are presenting their ideas on
a topic, coming to class on time, no food or drinks, not doing homework for other classes in this
class, no cell phones, no CD players, I-Pods, etc. If you must leave the classroom during a test or a
quiz, you will turn it in at that time as you will not be permitted to continue to work on it. Use the
restroom before class!
5. Course communication: Grades and other course-related information will be posted on the
university’s online Blackboard system. Please visit the Blackboard site regularly. The professor will
periodically send information to the class as a whole or to individual students through BB, so be sure
your university email address is current and that you check your mail regularly. Students may use
Blackboard to communicate with team members.
6. Every student is accountable and responsible for his or her actions.
7. Questions or complaints? Please bring them to my attention either at my office hours or through an
email.
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Course Calendar and Schedule
*Tentative and Subject to change*

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