World Regional Geography

GEG 101!

SYLLABUS

Spring -- 2010

~/~ HOME~/~ SYLLABUS ~/~ SCHEDULE ~/~ ASSIGNMENTS ~/~ BLACKBOARD ~/~ TEXTBOOK WEB ~/~
 

Orientation:

GENERAL INFORMATION

BLACKBOARD

 E-MAIL

Option to forward mail from your Harper email account
  • If you are not planning on using your Harper email account, please view the instructions on how to forward that account to one you check frequently. Visit http://harper.blackboard.com and check out "How do I forward my Harper email?" in the "Getting Started with Blackboard" area.

OTHER

TEXTBOOK / REQUIRED MATERIALS

Textbook:

Textbooks can be bought at the Harper College bookstore (L building) or online at: http://www.harperstore.com

The World Today: Concepts and Regions in Geography, by deBlij, Muller, and Winklerprins, 4th edition, 2009, John Wiley and Sons.

Textbook Website: http://www.wiley.com/college/deblij

  • Go to the internet address above
  • find our textbook
  • IMPORTANT: then click on "Student Companion Site" on the right hand side of screen
 

GRADING

NOTE: There may be changes made to the following. All changes will be noted on our Blackboard announcements and announced via e-mail.

The final grade for the class will be awarded according to the following point system:

Map Quizzes:

best 11 of 12 @ 10 points each
=

110 points

Unit Exams:

best 2 of 3 @ 100 points each
=

200 points

Comprehensive Final Exam

100 points
=

100 points

Assignments:

3 @ 50 points
=

150 points

 

 

TOTAL:

560 points

 

 

 

 
NOTE: Changes may be made to this grading scheme. All changes will be announced on our Blackboard Announcements webpage and via e-mail.

Letter grades: 90%=A, 80%=B, 70%=C, 60%=D, below 60%=F

MAP QUIZZES

All map quizzes will be taken on the Harper campus in the Assessment Center, Student and Administration Center, room A-148, phone 847-925-6541 [see: Assessment Center hours]. Map quizzes should be taken by the date listed on the class schedule below. 

For each chapter students will be required to name and locate various countries and physical and cultural features on a blank outline map of the region. All of these map quiz locations are listed on the CHAPTER/REALM Blackboard page for each chapter. A link to a blank outline map of each region can also be found on the CHAPTER/REALM Blackboard page of each chapter.

On all map quizzes will also be taken online on our Blackboard site at the Harper Testing Center. On all map quizzes except the first one there will be ten locations labeled on a map with the numbers 1 through 10. You will be required to select the name of labeled physical or political (country) feature from a list. All required locations are listed on the map quiz locations webpage.

The first map quiz is different. Map quiz 1 will require you to know the borders of the 12 world realms discussed in our textbook. See the BLUE LINES on the map in Figure G-3 on page 5 of your textbook. You will be shown a world map with the boundaries of the realms draw, BUT there will be TEN ERRORS. Twenty areas will be marked on the map near the realm boundaries, ten of these marked areas are drawn correctly and ten of these marked areas are near ERRORS in the realm boundaries. You are to find the ten errors.

If you are able to precisely draw the borders of the 12 world realms as shown in figure G-3 of the textbook, then you will be able to find the ten errors in map quiz 1.

 

>

Map quizzes can be taken individually OR at the time you take the unit exam. All map quizzes for each unit should be completed when you take the unit exam. I strongly recommend that you take the first few map quizzes individually so that you can judge their difficulty and time commitment. There will be 12 map quizzes (one for each chapter, including the introduction, and chapters 11 and 12 will be combined on one map quiz) and only 11 will be counted (for 110 points).

There are two practice map quizzes that you can take at home on our Blackboard site. Click on the "MAP QUIZZES" link.

 

EXAMS

All exams will be taken at the Testing Center on the Harper campus in the Student and Administration Center, room A-148, phone 847-925-6541 [see: Assessment Center hours]. Exams must be taken by the date listed on the class schedule below. 

Exams should be taken at the Harper Testing Center on, or before, the date that it is scheduled (see the SCHEDULE below). If you plan on taking the exams much earlier, I ask that you contact me first (mhealy@harpercollege.edu).

The three unit exams will consist of about fifty multiple choice questions and 50 points of short answer questions. The final exam is 100 multiple choice questions. The exams will be taken online, at the Testing Center, through our class Blackboard site.

Optional "retake" Exams will be available for exams 1, 2, and 3. If you choose to do the "retakes" only the higher exam score OF EACH SECTION will be included in your total score.

Students will be allowed to take an exam at a later time other the scheduled week ONLY IF:

1. the instructor is notified BEFORE the week the exam is scheduled AND
2. the student has a very good reason.

BEFORE taking the exams, be sure to see the "EXAM REVIEW" Blackboard page. THESE EXAM STUDY GUIDES ARE VERY IMPORTANT. If you cannot do them you will do poorly on the exam. Be sure to use the Discussion Board to ask questions from the review activities.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

There are three required assignments.

For more information on the assignments see the Blackboard ASSIGNMENTS link or go to: http://www.harpercollege.edu/mhealy/geg101i/assignments.html

BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE

UNIT 1
  • Introduction (NOTE: this is a very important chapter)
  • Chapter 6: Subsaharan Africa
  • Chapter 4: Middle America
  • Chapter 5: South America

UNIT 2

  • Chapter 7: North Africa and Southwest Asia
  • Chapter 8: South Asia
  • Chapter 9: East Asia
  • Chapter 10: Southeast Asia

UNIT 3

  • Chapter 1: Europe
  • Chapter 2: Russia
  • Chapter 3: North America
  • Chapters 11 and 12: The Austral and Pacific Realms

SCHEDULE - Exams, Map Quizzes and Assignment DATES: