Geography
of Global Change
GEO 3001, U01. Fall
2014
Class
Location: Green
Library 165 Time: 2:00-3:15 p.m. T, Th
Instructor: Benjamin Smith Email: bsmith@fiu.edu
Office: SIPA 305 Office Phone:
348-2074
Office Hours: T, Th 12:45-1:45, or by appointment
Teaching Homepage Which You Must Check Frequently: http://www.fiu.edu/~bsmith/teaching.htm
Mega-Cities, Melting Artic Ice, and Transnational
Consumer Cultures. Oh my!
We live in
extraordinary times. In the last few
years the planet has become more urban than rural, has begun to face a
multitude of problems associated with climate change, and has seen more of the
world’s information potentially available to more people than ever before
through the Internet. Not to mention the
profoundly interconnected planetary economy.
In the 1990s, a term called globalization emerged to describe this
seeming leveling of the world – so much so that a well-traveled person like New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman
actually wrote a book called The World is
Flat. Some
have even declared geography not to matter anymore – that every issue is only global
now.
However all these
recent changes lumped under globalization have histories – or to be precise
historical geographies. Furthermore, in
the words of Richard Florida, “the world is spiky”– meaning
that global issues have an uneven geography, with areas of intensity and
absence. Causes and effects are often
not found in the same location, nor is every location equally impacted. The history and present of this uneven
geography is the focus of this course.
You will have to read and understand geography stuff
The point of this course is to learn not just “facts” about global
change – though you certainly will be presented with a lot of those (which you
will hopefully find interesting). More importantly,
the point is to acquire a “geographic” perspective on how to contextualize,
analyze, think about and act upon those facts.
This will require reading work written by geographers so you to can
begin to think like a geographer. It is
also an upper division Global Learning Course, which requires critical thinking
and engagement.
So if you don’t want to read, perhaps you should consider a course in
interpretive dance.
1.
Gain an understanding of contemporary global changes,. Most of the
foundations of today’s seemingly new “global” phenomena date back at least to
the period of colonialism, sometimes earlier.
Furthermore, many “global” problems are exceedingly complex and display
great spatial variability, thus meaning there are no easy solutions. Understanding and accepting this complexity
will be part of this course. (Global Awareness)
2.
Critically assess multiple perspectives concerning
global issues. Given the complexity
of many global issues, there are often multiple perspectives on what drives
these processes and how best to address them.
Part of the goal of this course is to understand and learn to critically
assess these multiple perspectives, what their particular historical
geographies are, and how these perspectives shed light on ways students can get
involved in changing their world. (Global Perspective and Global Engagement)
3.
Gain the ability to analyze global issues from a
geographic perspective. Though geographers analyze many of the same
issues people from other disciplines do, there is a difference in how
geographers approach things. Terms
like space, scale, systemic analysis and materiality are extremely important to
geographers – this course will help you understand why. Similarly, it will focus on the research and
publication processes through which geographic knowledge is produced and
disseminated.
A World of Difference: Encountering and
Contesting Development (2nd Edition). By Porter, et. Al. The Guilford Press. ISBN: 1606232620
Tuesday, September 23 – Exam One
Tuesday, October 7 – Research Proposal Due
Thursday, October 23 –
Exam Two
Thursday,
November 20 – Research Assignment Due
Thursday,
November 27 – Thanksgiving, No Class
Thursday,
December 11 – Final Exam, 12:00 – 2:00
Grading
There will be 500 total points available
in this class, broken down as follows:
90
points: Global Change Research Assignment & Proposal
50
points: Attendance and Participation
120 points: Exam 1
120 points: Exam 2
120
points: Final Exam
500 points Total
The grading scale is A = 100-93%, A- = 92.9-90%, B+ = 89.9-87%,
B = 86.9-83%, B- =82.9%-80%, C+ = 79.9-77%, C = 76.9-73%, C- = 72.9-70%, D+ = 69.9-67%, D = 66.9-63%,
D- = 62-60% F = 59-0%, which translates to, in points:
A : 500 thru 465
points
A-: 464 thru 450
points
B+: 449 thru 435 points
B: 434 thru
415 points
B-: 414 thru 400
points
C+: 399 thru 385 points
C: 384 thru
365 points
C-:
364 thru 350 points
D+: 349 thru 335 points
D: 334 thru
315 points
D-: 314 thru 300
points
F: 299 thru 0
points
The each exam will consist
of a combination of multiple choice, matching, short answer, and essay
questions drawn from lectures, readings, videos, etc. – basically anything
covered in class or assigned.
.
Each exam covers only
material covered since the previous exam.
This includes the final. That does not mean major concepts should be
completely forgotten after first tested – indeed some concepts will be covered
again and again. I will also
say this: essays will be worth a significant amount of points on the test,
because this is a largely conceptual class.
Research
Assignment & Proposal
This assignment will involve demonstrating an ability
to conduct and summarize research concerning global change, which takes into
account a geographic perspective. The
purpose of this assignment is not to write a semester paper, but to learn how
geographers undertake research on a topic to understand the full range of
perspectives that surround it. The
techniques and sources which will be part of this project would be used
regardless of whether you were working as a GIS professional, urban planner,
locational analyst or academic researcher.
What you submit at the end of the semester will be
what is known as an annotated bibliography.
What this means is that the project will consist of you finding a variety sources (including geography reference,
newspapers, journal articles, books, etc.) that relate to a global change topic
of your choosing and instead of writing a coherent paper, write one or two paragraphs
on each source summarizing it’s topic, arguments, literature it is speaking to,
methods, how it relates to the other sources, and its use to you. Again, the goal is to have you do research
using geographical sources, so you get used to working as a geographer does.
Also, at the end of the project, you will provide a
one page reflection on the literature reviewed as a whole, and what it seems to
indicate might be a path for you to become involved in addressing the issues.
Additionally, a
proposal, which will be used to gauge progress, will be submitted the week
after the first exam. Also, two
weekends before the project is due, there will be a peer editing session, where
you will bring 3 completed sources from the final bibliography so that you can
see what other students are doing and get suggestions. Assignments turned in
late (or not ready for peer editing) will have points deducted.
Attendance and Participation Points & Classroom Etiquette
This being an upper division course, you
should not have to be reminded how important regular attendance is. This is especially true because lectures,
while drawing on the readings, will expand upon them as well. Missing class means missing a lot of the
material that will be on the test. The
same goes for the readings – if you fail to do them before the test, your
efforts to answer essay questions will be hamstrung (ummm…
hamstrung…ahhhhh)
To reward you for reading
and attendance, I will have various easy point opportunities throughout the
semester. Sometimes they will be
announced tasks – like bringing three questions to class about the reading for
discussion. Other times, they will be
unannounced – like having a quick individual quiz about the reading that asks a
few, really simple questions. If the
reading is particularly theoretical, I will put you into groups during class so
you and your classmates can hash it out together. These are meant to be low stress, and
providing everyone makes a good faith effort (and attends), these points should
be easy to get. Even easier to get are
the points where I simply mark down everyone who is there.
However, these points can
also be taken away, at the instructor’s discretion, in extreme circumstances,
due to regularly bad behavior. Points
can also be taken away if a student shows lack of engagement by talking to
other students while the instructor, guest or another student is speaking,
repeatedly reading the newspaper, using
their cell phone or mp3 player, doing homework for other classes, or using
their notebook computer for IM’s (not note-taking). However, I doubt it will come to this. If points are taken, the student will be
notified as to why. Also, any of the
above behaviors are grounds for me to remove you from the classroom for the
remainder of the class period in which the infraction occurred. But again, I’ve not had to do that –
probably because I look so threatening.
Attendance
quizzes and activities will contribute a maximum of 50 points to your final
grade. There will likely be more than
50 points made available during the semester, meaning if you miss a class or
have an off day, you will still be able to receive full attendance credit.
Since this course is
difficult to structure, the schedule of readings and lectures will likely be in
flux throughout the semester (although exam and due dates are firm). I will always announce the reading for next
class at the beginning of each class, and update the “Class Schedule” link as
needed. It is your responsibility to
know what the reading is – either by attending class or checking the class
schedule.
Teaching Website, On-Line Articles, and Updates
At the top of this
document, you will find the address for my teaching homepage,
which is http://www.fiu.edu/~bsmith/teaching.htm . There will be a copy of the syllabus there, as
well as the course schedule and instructions regarding the research assignment. Also,
there and only there you will be able to find study guides for the exams –
meaning I will not be handing these study guides out in class. In addition, I will post announcements (such
as the unlikely event of a class cancellation) on this page as well. Thus,
if you have a question about the structure of the class (due dates, test
structure, etc.), check the teaching website, because the answer will probably
be there.
My office hours are posted at the top of this document. If you are having trouble at all, I strongly
encourage you to stop by or call during office hours, or make an appointment to
do so. My job is
to make sure you learn the material, not just to assign grades.
I will also try my best to answer questions via e-mail within 48 hours
(usually much, much quicker), but realize that apart from teaching this class,
I am also teaching a second course, doing research, and administrative work. Another good option to get an answer is to
stop by or call me during office hours.
Please do not call outside of office hours – it is easier for me to
answer an email than to play phone tag. If you e-mail me, please put “GEO 3001”
or “Global Change” in the subject line – so I know what class you are in. Also, pretty please put your name in the
email, so I know who I am replying to.
Earning the Grade You Want & (Lack of Significant) Extra Credit
If you are doing poorly in the class, the time to ask how you can do
better is not right before, and especially not right after, the final. If you do badly on the first or second test
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE come
to office hours or make an appointment to see me as soon as possible after that
test, and I will help you devise strategies to study more effectively.
If there are events on campus (e.g. lectures) that I deem are related
to the course and announce to everyone, I may give 2 or 3 points extra-credit
if you attend. Other than that, I will not give extra credit – so there
is no point in asking. Nor will
I go back and change grades after the semester is over and grades have been
submitted – you earn what you earn. It
is the only thing that is fair to all students in the course – I cannot give
advancement opportunities to one I do not give to all.
Academic Integrity,
Cheating and Plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism are done by pathetic and
desperate people – don’t be one of them.
If you plagiarize on your research assignment, or cheat on an exam – you
will receive at minimum a zero on that assignment, which instantly
drops your score for the course by about two full letter grades. If you find yourself in a desperate
situation while taking a test or up against a deadline – turn in the best work
you can do at the time. Getting an F
usually means you will get some points – getting caught cheating means you get
zero. Furthermore, depending on the severity
of the case, I can choose to pursue harsher penalties, including assigning an
F0 for the course or pursuing your expulsion from the university.
It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with
the FIU student handbook’s sections on cheating and plagiarism. Also, if you need to know more about how to
not plagiarize, please check out the following websites.
1)
“Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It (
Excused absences include serious illness; illness of a
spouse or dependent; death of an immediate family member; University-sponsored
trips; and major religious holy days. It
is your responsibility to inform me of the absence in advance of class
by e-mail (and within 2 weeks of the start of class if it is a university trip
or holy day), but no later than two class sessions after the missed class. In order to have an absence excused, you must
provide original documentation which I can keep. If this is done, and I determine the absence
to be excused, I will do my best make sure you make up what you missed.
Make-up exams will only be given in extreme
circumstances. The make-up exam will not necessaraily be the
same one given to those who took the test on the established date, and will be
given during the final examination period, during which time you will take both
the make-up exam and the final. To
sit a make-up exam, you must 1) provide documentation to me in class within two
class periods of the missed exam addressing why your absence qualifies as
excused 2) have that documentation accepted by me 3) email me asking to be
given a make-up exam and 4) receive back an email from me confirming a make-up
exam will be given.
Your choices to attend or not attend have consequences
– just like they would at work. I take
my responsibilities and role as a teacher seriously; I hope you hold your role
and responsibility as a student in equal respect.