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Florida International University Fall 2016

Global and Sociocultural Studies Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-10:45 AM

GEA 2000 U02 (#: 82055) Classroom: PG5 – 155

World Regional Geography

Instructor: Young Rae (‘Rae’) Choi TA: Melissa Bernardo

Email: raechoi@fiu.edu Email: mbern093@fiu.edu

Office: SIPA 308 Office: SIPA 213

Office hours: Tuesdays 1:00-3:00 PM Office hours: Wednesdays 1:00-3:00 PM

Course description This course will provide an introductory overview of world regions from a geographic perspective. Geography has a rich heritage of investigating the relationships between people and places. We will learn key concepts and critical perspectives in geography such as place, space, globalization and development that we will use to understand the history and current issues of each region and between regions. Connection is another word that you may want to remember throughout this course. We will explore many different levels of connections between people and places and examine how these connections are constructed, maintained, and changed. By the end of the semester, you will be able to contextualize global issues (whether environmental, economic, political, social, or a combination of these) and use this knowledge to better understand different places and understand the complexity of world regions in global context.

The course fulfills the Global Learning Foundations requirement and the University Core Curriculum requirement for Foundations of Social Inquiry. GEA 2000 is designed to “investigate social, political, and economic configurations; cultural and psychological features of human life; gender, race/ethnicity, and social class; consciousness and identity; social interactions with the natural environment; and local, national, and global aspects of the human world.”

Learning objectives and outcomes

1) Building foundational knowledge:

know where important world features are located and be able to describe them

understand key geographic concepts and vocabulary

know important structures, happenings, and flows that impact your world2) Applying your knowledge:

spatial thinking◦ applying geographic thinking to our everyday lives and our world◦ recognizing connections and relationships between places, people, and social and

environmental processes◦ understanding maps

critical thinking◦ questioning your assumptions and those of others◦ considering multiple viewpoints

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◦ tolerating ambiguity (sometimes there is no right answer) communication skills

◦ understanding and analyzing past and current events ◦ being able to thoughtfully articulate complex ideas

human dimensions of geographic knowledge: ◦ improving understanding of yourself and others as part of your community and the world

Resources Required reading (a.k.a. textbook): Marston, S.A., P.L. Knox, D.M. Liverman, V.L. Casino, and P. Robbins. 2016. World Regions in Global Context: Peoples, Places, and Environments, 6th edition (ISBN-13: 978-0134183640), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall Additional readings are mandatory and will be posted on Blackboard. Software: - Google Earth: http://www.google.com/earth/index.html - Google Maps: https://maps.google.com/maps/myplaces Film/documentary: - Culture unplugged: http://www.cultureunplugged.com/festival/films.php#view=thumb

Course structure Lectures: There are two lectures per week. Students are required to attend all scheduled class periods and will be responsible for all material presented in lecture during exams. There will be material presented in class that is not found in the readings, so students must make arrangements to get any information they may have missed. Readings: In lieu of a textbook, the required readings for the course are book chapters, articles, websites, etc., all of which are available on Blackboard. Readings will complement, not repeat, the lectures, and students are accountable for all assigned readings on the exams. The required readings for each day will be announced during class and posted in advance on Blackboard. Please read each week’s listed reading before class that week. Blackboard: This course uses the Blackboard system as a course webpage (Go to https://fiu.blackboard.com and find “1168-GEA2000-World Regional Geography-Section U02-Fall 2016). Along with additional readings, weekly practice quizzes and other announcements including the latest version of the syllabus and assignment instructions will be posted here. Under the Discussions tab, you will also find a Q&A board through which you can ask and get answers regarding logistics issues (e.g., deadlines). Please wait up to 72 hours if you posted a new question. If you experience problems with accessing Blackboard, contact ETS in the Green Library for support (GL 152a).

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Course evaluation Graded Item % of Grade Comments 1. Weekly quizzes (12) 36% Tuesdays; See below for description 2. Midterm Exam 15% October 6; cover material from weeks 1-6 3. Final Exam 15% December 6; comprehensive 4. Global learning & 10% November 1 & 3; See below for description group presentation 5. Infographic project 15% December 8; See below for description 6. Participation & 9% See below for description Attendance Weekly quizzes: There will be twelve weekly quizzes in class every Tuesday to test your readings of the textbook for the week and your understandings of the past week’s contents (including lectures, readings, and films). You can take practice quizzes on Blackboard to prepare for weekly quizzes. Global learning experience & group presentation: You will visit a place (either in person or virtually) and will present what you learned as a group on November 3. More instructions will follow in the coming weeks. Infographic project: You will choose a region, investigate a specific political/economic/social/cultural issue, and create an infographic of your own. The instructions will be handed out during the week after the mid-term. The paper is due on December 8 (by 5 pm). You may submit it earlier if you wish. Participation and Attendance: Your grade for participation will be determined based on your presence in class and your contributions to discussion. Attendance will be measured by your submission of weekly and pop quizzes at the beginning of class. If you are late and unable to take a quiz, you will get half point for attendance that day. Grade scale (FIU scale effective Fall 2016)

Class policies Attendance In general, no in-class activity or exam can be made up, and no late work will be accepted. However, if you ABSOLUTELY must miss class, you must notify myself before the date and get approval. Unexcused absence will only be made for serious reasons (i.e., emergency, death of the immediate family, acute

Letter Grade Points Per Credit Hour Range (%)

A 4.00 95 or above

A- 3.67 90-94.99

B+ 3.33 87-89.99

B 3.00 83-86.99

B- 2.67 80-82.99

C+ 2.33 77-79.99

C 2.00 70-76.99

D 1.00 60-69.99

F 0.00 Less than 60 Do not

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illness). In either case, official documentation is required. Exceptions to this policy will be given no make-up for exams, assignment, or class attendance. Electronic device Phones are to be turned off during class. You may use a laptop for taking notes only. If it is found more than three times that any of you do personal tasks with a laptop, you as a class will no longer be allowed to use a laptop. Do not take pictures of lecture slides. Plagiarism and academic misconduct Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident that each person’s work has been responsibly and honorably acquired, developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful. The academic community regards academic dishonesty as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences that range from probation to expulsion. If I suspect that a student has committed academic misconduct in this course, I am obligated by University Rules to report my suspicions to the Academic Integrity Committee. If you have any questions about the above policy or what constitutes academic misconduct in this course, please contact me or consult FIU academic misconduct webpage at http://academic.fiu.edu/academicbudget/misconductweb/1acmisconductproc.htm .

University resources

Students with Disabilities Any student who feels s/he may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. Please contact the Disability Resource center at 305-348-3532 in GC 190 (http://studentaffairs.fiu.edu/student-success/disability-resource-center/) to coordinate reasonable accommodations. Counseling and Psychological Services

If you suffer from stress, sleep problems, anxiety, depression, interpersonal concerns or alcohol use that damages your academic performance, you are not alone. Students who have these issues are encouraged to contact the Counseling and Psychological Services at 305-348-2277 in SHC 270 ( http://studentaffairs.fiu.edu/wellness/counseling-and-psychological-services/services/index.php).

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Schedule of readings and assignments *Additional readings for each week are posted separately on Blackboard.

Week Date Theme Reading Assignment

Week 1 August 23 Introduction • Course syllabus

• Ch. 1, pp. 1-7

August 25 Earth & environment • Ch. 1, pp. 8-20 Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 2 August 30 Key concepts and theories I • Ch. 1 “World regions in global

context” (pp. 1-47)

Weekly quiz #1 (in-class)

September 1 Key concepts and theories

II

Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 3 September 6 Europe I • Ch. 2 “Europe” Weekly quiz #2 (in-class)

September 8 Europe II Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 4 September 13 Middle East & North Africa

I

• Ch. 4 “Middle East & North Africa” Weekly quiz #3 (in-class)

September 15 Middle East & North Africa

II

Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 5 September 20 Sub-Saharan Africa I • Ch. 5 “Sub-Saharan Africa” Weekly quiz #4 (in-class)

September 22 Sub-Saharan Africa II

Week 6 September 27 Russian Federation and

Central Asia I

• Ch. 3 “The Russian Federation,

Central Asia, and the Transcaucasus

Weekly quiz #5 (in-class)

September 29 Russian Federation and

Central Asia II

Week 7 October 4 Review: Week 1-6

October 6 School closed

Week 8 October 11 Mid-term

October 13 Film 2007-8 global financial crisis Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 9 October 18 East Asia I • Ch. 8 “East Asia” Weekly quiz #6 (in-class) Do not

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October 20 East Asia II Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 10 October 25 South Asia I • Ch. 9 “South Asia” Weekly quiz #7 (in-class)

October 27 South Asia II

Week 11 November 1 Global learning group work

(no class)

Prep for group presentation

November 3 Group presentation Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 12 November 8 Southeast Asia I • Ch. 10 “Southeast Asia” Weekly quiz #8 (in-class)

November 10 Southeast Asia II Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 13 November 15 Latin America and the

Caribbean I

• Ch. 7 “Latin America and the

Caribbean”

Weekly quiz #10 (in-class)

November 17 Latin America and the

Caribbean II

Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 14 November 22 U.S. & Canada • Ch. 6 “The U.S. and Canada” Weekly quiz #11 (in-class)

November 24 No class Thanksgiving holiday Practice quiz on Blackboard

Week 15 November 29 Oceania • Ch. 11 “Oceania” Weekly quiz #12 (in-class)

December 1 Review

Week 16 December 6 Final exam

(comprehensive)

December 8 No class Infographic project due (5 pm)

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