GEOG 111 Planet Earth: Human Geography

Course topics

This course will cover the following topics:

• Globalization, development, and (de)industrialization
• Population, demography, and migration
• Linguistic geography
• Geography of race and ethnicity
• Geography of religion
• Agricultural geography
• Political geography
• Urban and transportation geography
• Energy and environmental challenges

Required texts

• Fouberg, E. H. and Murphy, A. B. 2020. Human Geography: People, Place, and Culture. (12th Edition). Hoboken, NJ: Riley. (RENTAL)

Grading scale

Weighting

Final exam

Exam 3 will be taken in person during finals week in our normal classroom. There is not an option to take the final exam early as this is a violation of the Faculty and Academic Staff Rules and Procedures. This exam will mostly cover the last third of course material, but a small number (around 8) questions will cover content from the first two thirds as well.

Attendance

Each day you will complete a short survey on Canvas at the end of class which will function as your attendance record. Keeping an appropriate attendance record is required by the university, and it can play an important role in the administration of financial aid, especially in the case of unexpected withdrawal from classes. Though no points will be deducted if you miss class, attendance and participation are vital to succeeding in the course.

Zoom recordings

Lectures are recorded using Zoom and made available for those who cannot attend class. These can be found under the Zoom tab on Canvas. You are responsible for the material discussed in class if you are not in attendance, even if you are participating in an official university activity. While recordings are not restricted to certain students, these are designed only for authorized absences and review. Lecture recordings are not designed to be a replacement for attending class in person.

There is currently not a way to post Zoom recordings automatically, and while I usually post them within a few days, I occasionally forget to do so. If you do not see a lecture available, kindly let me know.

Even though lectures are recorded, there is no remote synchronous viewing option. I.e., students cannot watch synchronously, even if they have an excused absence. From past experience, remote synchronous viewing drastically decreases attendance.

Absences

In order to receive points for in-class items (reflections, quizzes, and exams) you must be in attendance to receive points. No absence is excused unless an excuse is granted ahead of time. Generally speaking, there are no excused absences for reflections and quizzes except for personal hospitalizations, religious observances, or official university activities. If one of these occurs, you may email me and that grade item will be excused. Other absences – sickness, oversleeping, vacationing, attending a funeral, or participating in an optional activity – are not excused. While I recognize that some of these are legitimate activities, there are simply too many students and quizzes/reflections for to me to manage individual excused absences. To compensate for this, each student is able to drop the lowest three quizzes and reflections instead – no questions asked.

That said, if we are taking an exam and you are too sick to come class (or are participating in an excused official activity), email me ahead of time to discuss an alternative arrangement.

Communication

• In email communication, always use GEOG-111 as the subject heading.
• If you have a question about course policies, please check the syllabus before emailing me. Ctrl-f is your friend.
• Check your email multiple times a day, everyday.

Late work

All items are due on the date specified on the schedule (usually Fridays) at 5:00 PM. Late work is not accepted in this course. However, there is a 48 hour extension period in which material may be turned in without penalty. After this extension period, the Canvas drop box will close and will not be reopened. Don’t get into the habit of abusing the extension time! There will not be consideration of any additional extension time over the weekend for technical issues, travel, having to take a roommate to urgent care, or other reasons.

That said, each student is eligible for one “amnesty” assignment throughout the semester. This means that you can turn in one item after its dropbox is closed and still receive full credit. The amnesty dropbox closes at 5:00 PM on the last class period of the university calendar before finals week. This will usually be the Friday before finals week. If you use the amnesty option, be sure the title of the assignment is clearly visible.

Classroom etiquette

• Come to class prepared having read the assigned readings and watched the assigned videos.

• I ask that you do not pack up your materials until class is dismissed for the day. If we reach the end of class and I have not stopped lecturing, kindly let me know by raising your hand.

• I encourage you to challenge my ideas as long as you do so respectfully.

• I do not make presentation files available digitally, so during lectures it is expected that you will rigorously take notes on the presentation content, demonstrations, and anything written on the drawing pad. Rationale:

  • My experience has shown that attendance rates are higher when notes are not made available online.

  • I frequently make adjustments to my slides up until just before the lecture starts, which results in students in not having the same lecture material as what I have in my slides if I provide them for students to print off.

  • I attempt to structure my slides in a way such that they are not sufficient on their own; they complement my lectures. In my view, making slides available encourages students to merely “fill-in-the-blanks.” Students should be taking notes throughout the lecture on information that is spoken, written on the drawing pad, and embedded on the slides.

• Do not talk with fellow classmates during lectures outside of formal discussions. If you have a thought or idea worth sharing, raise your hand and let me know! The university classroom is not the place to catch up with your friends.

• Disruptive behavior will result in being reassigned to a different seat or in being dismissed from class for the day.

Technology usage

• Please refrain from using cell phones during lecture. Rationale:

  • Taking a break from your cell phone is a healthy practice that most people could use much more of. Our brains were not designed for the continual dopamine rush that cellar notifications and social media provide. Take a break from your phone for an hour while in this class!

  • Cell phone use is distracting to you, your classmates, and the instructor.

• No photographs may be taken in class. Rationale:

  • You can refer to lecture recordings to retrieve images or certain slides from the text.

• Laptops cannot be used for taking notes in class. Rationale:

  • Research indicates that writing notes by hand results in improved processing of information, greater classroom performance,¹ and fewer distractions.² Conversely, students who use laptops in class are less satisfied with their education³ and perform worse.^{4 5}

  • Taking notes on a keyboard may be efficient for recording text, but in this course we will regularly draw charts, diagrams, and maps which lend themselves much better to freehand note taking.

  • And I know how it goes. You start the semester with good intentions: “I will only use this device for taking notes! I will not get distracted!” But inevitably, the university classroom simply cannot supply the dopamine rush provided by TikTok, NBA trade rumors, the pending assignment due in your next class, and the like. So you login in to your World of Warcraft account. Not to play, of course – that would be absurd. You just want to check the patch notes. But the patch is intriguing, and you want to see how it will affect your copper mining. So you mine a little copper. It’s not really playing after all. You don’t need to make any serious decisions when mining, so you can play AND listen to the lecture at the same time. So you mine a little more. And then a little more. And you might as well slay that boar that’s in your way because…why not? And before you know it, you are in the middle of a full 40 player raid in the middle of class. The other half of class can’t focus due to the flashing lights, the cursing, and the person in the back who keeps scrambling to plug in their laptop to the half broken outlet. The students involved in the raid receive a D on the exam because they didn’t pay much attention in class. The students not involved in the raid all receive a C due to the distractions. The instructor is disappointed – not only because students under-performed, but also because you could have waited an hour and invited him to join the raid too.

Stress management and well-being

College can be challenging. Everyone can benefit from placing their personal well-being as a top priority throughout the semester. Should you want some emotional support for any reason, you can access FREE counseling services (even one short session to problem-solve solutions) from the UWEC Counseling Services on campus. They are providing a variety of online and in-person services, including some virtual wellness workshops. Call them at 836-5521, stop by Vicki Lord Larson Hall room 2122, or check out the website to make an appointment: https://www.uwec.edu/counseling-services/.

Students also have FREE access to UW System Mental Health Support through Mantra health – a telehealth service available 24/7 days a week (call or text: 888-531-2142 or go online at: app.mantrahealth.com; sign up using your UWEC email address). You can also reach out to the WI-branch of the national crisis/emotional support text line by texting ‘HOPELINE’ to 741 741 or use the national suicide prevention lifeline: 988 Please use these resources to support your mental well-being and success as a Blugold!

Students with disabilities

Any student who has a disability and is in need of classroom accommodations should contact the instructor and the Services for Students with Disabilities Office in Centennial Hall 2106 at the beginning of the semester. I will work you to find appropriate accommodations.

Non-native speakers of English

Students who are non-native speakers of English may request extended test-taking time (time and a half). To determine eligibility, English proficiency is evaluated by the Academic Skills Center (for U. S. permanent residents/citizens) or by the Department of Languages (for international students). Students approved for the accommodation are given a verification form to present to their course instructors. Students must provide verification during each semester at least one week before the test for which accommodation is needed. Verification is valid for one semester.

FERPA

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) indicates that students have a right to see their records and that you cannot release any information about them to a third party without written permission from the student that clearly spells out what type of information may be released. In other words, if your parents email me and ask me about your grades, I’m not going to tell them anything! For more information, see here.

Dropping or withdrawing from class

The last day to drop full semester fall courses with no record is September 17. The last day to file withdrawal from full semester fall courses with a “W” on your record is November 12. For a full list of relevant dates, see here.

Generative AI usage

Students are not permitted to utilize generative AI tools when completing assessments in this course. The course has been designed to meet specific learning outcomes where the use of these tools does not align with the goals and skills of the course.

Academic integrity

As described in the Blugold Student Conduct Code under student academic misconduct, ‘Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for the respect of others’ academic endeavors. These student responsibilities are important, and deviations from these responsibilities have consequences. The disciplinary procedures and penalties for academic misconduct are described on the UW-Eau Claire Dean of Students web site: https://www.uwec.edu/offices-services/dean-students-office/how-dos-supports-students. Additionally, requesting to a receive a grade that was not earned is considered an academic integrity violation.

Distribution of class notes

I do not consent to having notes from my class uploaded to the internet, including commercial note-selling websites such as StudySoup. Some companies target students and solicit course material acting as if they are working in coordination with colleges and universities, but that is not true for this class. This means that you do not have the right to provide your notes to anyone else or to make any commercial use of them without express prior permission from me. Inappropriate use of notes may be in violation of the Blugold Conduct Code and sanctions will be pursued accordingly.

GG WP