Urban Geography
GEO 3602,
U01. Fall 2009
Class Location: GC 278B Time: 9:00-9:50 A.M.
M,W,F
Instructor: Benjamin Smith Email: bsmith@fiu.edu
Office: DM 437B Office Phone: 348-2074
Office Hours: M,W,F 8:30-8:50,
10:00-10:50, or by appointment
Teaching Homepage Which You Must Check Frequently: http://www.fiu.edu/~bsmith/teaching.htm
And if I make it
there, I’m gonna make it anywhere…
Cities are really
important. No other way to put it. Much of our great progress as humans happens
in, and even because of, cities. Cities
have been, are, and will continue to be where people of different backgrounds
meet, where those with big dreams go, and concentrated numbers of like minded
people will do the next big thing.
Cities are places of
great hope, where tens of millions of people every year go to find a better
life. They also are places of fear,
where the problems of masses of people living on top of each other become all
too apparent.
To say this is to
make the geographical argument: that history and society unfold not on a
featureless plane, but in a real, material world of difference. And in that world of difference, cities are
exceedingly important.
Covering cities, fact
and theory
Urban geography is a
course that tends to vary greatly based on the interests and expertise of the
professor. Some treat it mostly like a
history course, explaining where cities came from, which one’s became large
when, and why. Others treat it like a
course in urban planning, spending a lot of time highlighting models and theories
about how to locate roads, attract businesses, minimize environmental impact,
and so on. Others focus on the cultural
implications of cities: what it means that different people are put in the
close proximity, and what are the societal impacts, good and bad, of this.
Luckily (or perhaps
unfortunately) for you, whatever my interests may be, I want to try to cast as
wide of a net as possible with this course.
It would be unfair for those going to grad school not to be exposed to planning
theory or critical social theory about cities; it would also be unfair to those
not going to grad school if they did not learn specific, interesting
information about real cities throughout history across the world.
The Goals of the Course
1.
Understanding
the evolution of the world urban system. The world has
a historical urban geography, and before students are able to theorize and
express opinions about contemporary urban conditions, it is important they have
a base-level knowledge of how cities emerged, where they emerged, how the
distribution of and connections between urban centers has changed over
time. Furthermore, they should have an
appreciation of the different types of issues faced by cities in the past vs.
present, as well as in different parts of our contemporary world.
2.
Articulating major urban planning
theories. For those who
plan careers in planning, design, urban environments, urban governance and/or
policy it is important they are familiar with major theories about why cities
grow relative to each other, how the internal spatial structure of cities
shifts due to changes over time, and what theories are driving policies which
attempt to alter urban dynamics.
3.
Considering how to make our cities
better. As students who attend an urban university,
who will likely to continue living in cities in the future, it is a goal of
this course to give them the tools to both critically analyze information they
encounter concerning the city in which they live and be active members
of their communities who can make their cities better.
Required
Texts
Urbanization:
An Introduction to Urban Geography (2nd Edition). By Knox and McCarthy. Prentice Hall.
ISBN: 013142450
Important
Dates
Monday, September 7 – No Class, Labor
Day
Monday, September 28 – Exam One
Friday, October 16 – Last Day to Drop Course with DR grade
Monday, November 2 – Exam
Two
Wednesday, October 21 Monday, November 9 – Local Project Due
Wednesday, November 25 – No Class, Study
Day
Friday, November 27 – No Class,
Thanksgiving Holiday
Monday, November 30 – Global
Project Due
Sometime
between December 7 & 11 – Final Exam
Grading
There will be 500 total points available in this class, broken
down as follows:
75 points: Miami
Assignment
75 points: Global City Assignment
50 points: Attendance and
Participation
100 points:
Exam 1
100 points:
Exam 2
100 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:
Exams
Each exam will be a combination of multiple choice,
matching, and short essay, 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 many concepts will be built upon throughout the course of the
semester.
Local & Global City Research
Assignments
Full instructions
will be released soon, but I want you to utilize tools you learn in this course
to better understand both the city you find yourself in now, as well as learn
something about a major city elsewhere in the world. Both assignments will be submitted in person
and electronically via turnitin.com. The
local project will be due Wednesday, October 21, and the Global City
project will be due Monday, November 30. Assignments turned in late 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 book,
will expand upon it as well. Missing
class means missing a lot of the material that will be on the test. The same goes for the book – it explains in
more detail the concepts covered in class.
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 or a
brief homework assigned. Other times,
they will be unannounced – like having a quick individual quiz about the
reading from the textbook that asks a few, really simple questions. If the day’s topic 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.
For example, your first set of points will come when
you print out a copy of the syllabus, and bring it to me signed next
class. Once I see it and check you off,
it is yours to keep.
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.
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.
Readings and Changes to Schedule
Since this is my first time teaching this course,
the schedule of readings and lectures will likely be in flux throughout the
semester. 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.
However, unless there is a hurricane,
you can count on exam days and project due dates as firmly set.
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
projects. 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 any announcements
(such as the unlikely event of a class cancelation), on this page as well. Thus,
if you have a question about the structure of the class (due dates, test
structure, etc.), check the website, because the answer will probably be
there.
Office Hours & Making
Contact
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, but realize that apart from
teaching this class, I am also teaching a second course, doing research, and administrative
work, thus the quickest, best way 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 3602” or “Urban Geography” 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 are related to the course, 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
projects, 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 1.5 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 (Indiana University)”
at http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/plagiarism.html
Absences
& Make-Up
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 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.
