Course Objectives & Responsibilities

We can't know in advance what we need to learn, else we would not need to learn it!
"War is God's way of teaching Americans geography." -- Ambrose Bierce

Course Objectives
1) Introduce basic geographic ideas, concepts, and themes.
2) Evaluate various contrasting explanations of how and why humans organize themselves over space.
3) Expand your intellectual understanding of crucial global issues in both time and place.
4) Contrast the Majority World (Poor World) with the Minority World (Rich World) and the human processes that create regional differentiation.
5) Deal with local, national, and international societal problems from a geographical perspective.

Plus and minus grading is used. For P/F students, a C equals a P.

All work must be completed, even if it is late, to avoid an F for the course! Late assignments are not graded and receive the negative value of the assignments! For example, if a project is worth 30 points and I receive it late, you receive -30 points.
You must complete all assignments alone. "Team work," "collaborative work," or any other group activities -- as separate final assignments or jointly submitting only one assignment -- are unacceptable, and will result in -100 percent of each assignment! I want you to learn all aspects, not just a few, of all the assignments in this course! When you hand in your assignments with your name (singular), you confirm that the data, graphs, maps, and text are based on your own work, neither of another person in this or another course nor of a team of students.

You must use your correct UWEC ID# when requested throughout the semester. If you don't use your authorized UWEC ID# or otherwise not complete your score sheet correctly, you will lose 5 points on each of your test scores.

Course Requirements
1) seven reading assignments; answers must be submitted via email (Click on these words to learn how to do this.)
2) six Web self-tests
3) two in-class tests
4) four computer-based maps
5) project(s): either Project 1 or Project 1 and 2
6) final examination

In the first half of the course reading the text is critical. Questions for each of the chapters we will discuss in class are to be completed and sent to me via email before each of the class periods. Your answers to all these questions represent a maximum of 25 points, minus 5 points for each late set of chapter answers. If all seven assignments are late, you receive -10 points!

Grading Options You must select one of two Options, after the first test and the first four web self-tests. Each Option is weighted differently; examine the table carefully to select the best option for you!	Responsibilities	Option 1	Option 2	Project Requirement
	1) 7 reading assignments	5%	5%	Option 1 requires Project 1
	2) 6 web self tests	7%	5%	Option 1 requires Project 1
	3) 2 in-class tests	40%	23%	Option 2 requires Project 1 and Project 2
	4) project(s)	20%	39%
	5) 3 computer-based map assignments	4%	4%
	6) St. Paul field trip	10%	10%
	7) final examination	14%	14%
	total	100%	100%

Grading Scale
Your grade will be determined by the percentage on all your tests and assignments weighted by the grading option you selected. The minimum percentage needed for each letter grade is shown in the table.

Grade	Percent	Grade	Percent
A	84.5	C	61.5
A-	80.5	C-	55.5
B+	76.5	D+	52.5
B	73.5	D	46.5
B-	69.0	D-	41.5
C+	65.5	F	0.0

If you are curious about what grades students actually received after each test and project (essay), look at the grade distribution graph. Absence from class will not be counted against you, but you must get notes from other students if you hope to do well in this course!

Books at the UWEC Bookstore:
Goode's World Atlas (rental)
Vogeler and de Souza, Dialectics of Third World Development with handouts (purchase)

Procedure for submitting email responses for the chapter readings.
Type your responses to the questions for each set of chapter questions by
either 1) typing directly into any email program:
for the subject of the email message, use your email user name,111,chapter and the numbers that are due.
-- For example, Subject:allenklx,111,chapters3-5 -- follow this example exactly: separate each item with a comma, but don't use a space, /, etc!!!!!!
or 2) using a word processing program, such as WORD:
* identify the question number and type your answers.
* select all the text and copy it.
* then, send a new email message: To: IVOGELER, and paste your responses into the message box,
which is the area below the line after Attachments. Don't send attachments.

Make back-up copies of all your email responses -- best in paper form which you can use for note taking in class as well. If you don't use the correct subject heading in your email, I will not receive it and/or will not be able to match it to your name. It will therefore be considered late and receive no points! Email responses must be received BEFORE class on the due date as indicated in the class schedule.