GEOG 111 Planet Earth: Human Geography

Course
Information

Semester: Spring 2026
Instructor: Matthew Haffner, PhD
Classroom: Centennial Hall 2614
Class hours: MW 2:00 - 3:15
Credits: 3
Format: Face-to-face lecture

Instructor Information

Email: haffnerm@uwec.edu
Web: https://geohaff.com
What to call me: Dr. Haffner
Office: 254 Phillips Hall
Office hours:
- Tuesday 11:00 - 1:00
- Wednesday 12:00 - 1:00

Course Description

This integrative course examines interactions and relationships between people, places, and environments. It emphasizes how human practices engage with local and global change. The course takes a place-based approach to the analysis of population and health, migration, socioeconomics, identity, language, religion, foodways, economic development, politics, and urbanization.

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

Course Learning Outcomes

After completing the course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge about the world’s diverse cultures, environments, practices, and values.
Evaluate global systems, institutions, or relationships of power in a historical and geographical context.
Understand that individual and collective decisions have global implications.
Demonstrate knowledge of social science theories and perspectives to explain human behavior and social institutions.
Demonstrate knowledge of methods and principles underlying research in human geography.

Liberal Education Learning Goals

This class addresses every University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire academic goal of providing you with knowledge and abilities needed for lifelong learning:

Knowledge of human culture and the natural world
Creative and critical thinking
Effective communication
Individual and social responsibility
Respect for diversity among people

This course fulfills the K2-Social Sciences and R2-Global Perspectives liberal education requirements and will assess outcomes based on reflections, data-driven evaluations, quizzes, and exams:

Knowledge Outcome 2: Student successfully uses knowledge, theories, methods, and historical perspectives appropriate to the social sciences to explain and evaluate human behavior and social institutions.
Responsibility Outcome 2: Student successfully evaluates the impact of systems, institutions, and issues in local and global contexts and across cultures.

Course Website

This site serves as the syllabus for the course, and it is here that you will find all course content material. Canvas is used for submitting items that will be graded. Using the course website allows me to store course information as plain text which allows me to update course content faster, use version control, and ultimately provide a better experience for students. It also allows me to embed iframes in modules, utilize syntax highlighting, and connect to external content easier. Note that the website is not ideal for viewing on mobile, and assignments should be completed on a computer rather than a phone anyway.

Course Materials

Required texts

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

Grading

If it is not clear why points were taken off any assessment, first refer to the rubric. After that, if it is still unclear, email me to set up a short meeting! I don’t want students to remain in the dark about why they are receiving less than full credit. Usually a quick meeting right after class or during office hours is enough time for an explanation.

You may dispute your grade on any individual item for up to two weeks after it has been graded. After this, the grade is final. There is no extra credit in the class, so if you are not earning the grade that you ultimately desire, you must come talk to me as soon as possible to discuss strategies for improving future grades.

The standard grading scale of the university will be used for assigning grades. Requesting a grade that was not earned is considered an academic integrity violation. No grade grubbing!

Grading scale

Grade	Upper	Lower
A	100	93
A-	93	90
B+	90	87
B	87	83
B-	83	80
C+	80	77
C	77	73
C-	73	70
D+	70	67
D	67	63
D-	63	60

Weighting

Item	Weight
Assignments	25%
Reflections	10%
Participation	5%
Quizzes (?)	15%
Exams (3)	45%

Assignments

The assignments are short data-driven exercises to be completed outside of class. They must be submitted as a .pdf. Note: do not use the ‘print’ function in Word or Google Docs to create a .pdf. That will convert the text to an image rather than leave it as plain text.

Reflections

Reflections will be completed in class at the end of each class period. The instructor expects 1-2 well thought out sentences about the lecture (or reading/viewing materials assigned for that week). You must be in attendance to complete the reflection. The three lowest reflection grades will be dropped for each student.

Participation

The Classroom Etiquette section below outlines expected behavior, and your grade will be impacted if you do not follow these guidelines. Each student will start out with 5 points in their participation grade. Being disruptive will result in a reduced grade at the instructor’s discretion.

Quizzes

Periodically, pop quizzes will be taken at the beginning of class. Quizzes will cover reading/viewing material and/or material from the previous lecture. They will consist of 2-4 questions. These are designed to get you looking at your notes and textbook outside of class. If you spend ~10 minutes looking over your notes before each class period, you should be prepared for most quizzes.

The preferred method for taking quizzes will be on your cell phone using the Canvas app, and you must be present physiscally in class to take the quiz. You will not be able to consult any outside sources while taking the quiz, but you will be able to collaborate with others in class. Since quizzes will be taken at the beginning of class, it is important to be in class on time. By the second class period, be sure to have the Canvas app installed and functioning. The three lowest quiz grades will be dropped at the end of the semester.

Exams

Exams will be taken in class and comprised of 45 multiple choice questions. Some of the in-class questions (or very similar variants) are used on the exam, so attending class enables you to see some exam questions ahead of time!

Final exam

Exam 3 will be taken in person during finals week in our normal classroom. According to the Faculty and Academic Staff Rules and Procedures, we are required to meet in-person during our regularly scheduled finals time, so there is not an option to take the final exam early. This exam will mostly cover the last third of course material, but a small number of questions (8-10) will cover content from the first two thirds as well.

Course Policies

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 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 voluntarily skipping – are not excused for reflections and quizzes. While I recognize that some of these may be legitimate reasons for missing class, there are simply too many students and quizzes/reflections for to me to manage individual excused absences for these items.

To compensate for this, each student is able to drop the lowest three quizzes and reflections instead – no questions asked. If you have to miss consecutive classes for extended periods of time due to illness (that is not a hospitalization), please keep me in the loop and we discuss potential alternative arrangements.

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. Exam absences and alternative arrangements must be approved ahead of time.

To summarize, you should email me about an absence if:

You are missing any class due to an official university activity
You are missing any class due to a hospitalization (yourself)
You are missing an exam due to one of the two above reasons or you are contagiously sick

It’s not necessary to email me if:

You are missing a class period in which there is not an exam and you are sick (not hospitalized), overslept, vacationing, attending a funeral, or voluntarily skipping (this will count as a dropped reflection and/or quiz, up to 3)

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.
For emails that are sent during the week (Monday - Friday), I will do my best to respond within 24 hours. I generally don’t check my work email after 5:00 PM Monday through Friday, so emails sent after 5:00 PM will be seen the following morning.
I generally don’t check my work email over the weekend. For emails that are sent between Friday evening and Sunday, I will do my best to respond within 24 hours from 8 AM on Monday.

Late work

All items are due on the date specified on the schedule (usually Fridays) at 5:00 PM. It is expected that assignments will be completed by the deadline. However, there is a 48 hour extension period in which material may be turned in without penalty. Assignments are usually graded on Monday, and there is no need to contact me if your assignment was submitted late (after 5:00 PM) but before the dropbox closed. 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, but if you run into those issues before 5:00 PM on Friday, you still have some time to complete the assignment.

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

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.
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.
Disruptive behavior will result in a reduction to your participation grade, being reassigned to a different seat, and/or 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!

Services for 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 February 6. The last day to file withdrawal from full semester fall courses with a “W” on your record is April 10. For a full list of relevant dates, see here.

Generative AI usage

Use of generative AI is allowed in specific circumstances in this course; use of AI outside of the stated boundaries of the assignment is not authorized and will be treated as academic misconduct.

Mandatory reporting

As a Wisconsin State employee, I am obligated to report any claims of sexual harassment or sexual assault. Please know that any such information revealed to me will be forwarded to the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students’ office may reach out to you to offer resources and support. If you wish to disclose this information to a confidential resource, you may speak to someone in the Center for Awareness of Sexual Assault, Counseling Services, or Student Health Services.

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