Lecturer:    Dr. David S. Hardin
Office:       205D Chichester; 395-2581; hardinds@longwood.edu
Hours:       Monday-Friday 12:30-2:00 or by appointment

Course Description
The scope and nature of geographic inquiry are addressed. Special emphasis is placed on the significance of human/environment interaction and cultural processes in the organization of space on the earth's surface.

Course Objectives

• To foster an understanding of the role of geography in everyday life
• To help students understand the workings of major earth, environmental, cultural, and economic systems from a geographic point of view

In addition, this course will accomplish the following Goal 8 General Education Objectives:
(To see the General Education matrix for this course, click here)
• Help students understand the major methods of social science inquiry (in this case, geography)
• Help students recognize and explain major contributions of social science (geography) to our cultural heritage
• Help students understand how social science (geography) has been used to address significant contemporary issues

Your Responsibilities
This is a course with many different facets.  In part, this is a Blackboard course, so you are responsible for completing all surveys, discussions, and textbook exercises found there by the time they are due.  You are responsible for finding and using a computer and internet connection capable of successfully completing said Blackboard assignments in a timely manner.  If you have a glitch, you are responsible for contacting me in a timely manner so that I can reset the system for you.  Because I am not online twenty-four hours a day, you take the risk upon yourself if you wait until the last minute to complete assignments.  You are responsible for coming to the lectures, listening and participating during lectures, taking comprehensive notes (you cannot rely on the online outlines and PowerPoint lectures alone!), reviewing those notes each day and as the semester progresses, being prepared to answer questions on that material at any time during quizzes, and obtaining and utilizing any supplemental materials on the course webpage.  It is your responsibility to make sure that each assignment's score has successfully been added to the Blackboard grade book.  You are responsible for entering Blackboard often enough to keep up with important course announcements.  Soon after the semester begins, you must (1) enter Blackboard and make sure you are in the grade book; (2) change your email address if the address in Blackboard is not the one you use regularly so that you will receive course emails; and (3) let me know if you drop out of the course so I can remove your name from the grade book so you won't get emails from the course.

Required/Suggested Materials

Text: Getis, Getis, and Fellmann.  Introduction to Geography, Twelfth Edition (New York: McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 2008)
 
• a three-ring binder is suggested for holding notes and material you will download from the course web page
• http://www.longwood.edu/staff/hardinds/Courses/Elements/index.htm for course resources
• this is a Blackboard course.  Textbook exercises, surveys, announcements, discussions, and posted grades will all be found there

• Final grades will be based on the total points you accrue and by the following percentage distribution: 90% and above = A; 80-89% = B; 70-79% = C; 69-60% = D; below 60% = F
• At the end of the term, any average that comes to _9.5-_9.9 may be raised up to the next letter grade (for example:  89.6 might be raised from a B+ to an A-), provided the student has good attendance, completes all assignments, and attempts to take part in at least one extra credit event.
• Because all of the Blackboard assignments will be available for several days if not weeks, there are no make-up textbook exercises unless prior permission or some compelling excuse is given (i.e. illness, family emergency) and certified through notification of the Dean of Students. YOU MUST NOTIFY ME BEFORE HAND TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A MAKE-UP EXAM. Arrangements to make up missed assignments are the responsibility of the student and must be made no later than one week after the scheduled assignment termination date.
• If you have or even suspect you have any special needs in regard to test-taking, make arrangements with me and the Learning Center before the first exam.

Exams
Exams are made up of a mix of multiple choice, true/false, matching, map, definition and/or problem solving questions. The total number of questions will depend on what was covered in class and will total 100 points if all subjects are covered.  The exams are closed notes and text.  You will be allowed to bring with you into the exam handwritten notes on both sides of one 3x5 card.  There will be study guides posted sometime before each exam.  Each exam will have a fifty minute time limit.

Textbook Exercises
There will be ten Blackboard textbook exercises based on readings from the text.  These will comprise twenty or so questions about topics, maps, and images from the text.  They will be open book and have no time limit, but they will require you to read the material, interpret maps, figure out simple formulas/equations, and to use your critical thinking skills.  Each set of exercises will be due on the morning that the exam for that section is administered.  The syllabus will list when exercises must be finished and I will give you warnings, but it is your responsibility to make sure you have completed all of the exercises.  Make me aware of any problems related to computer glitches as soon as you can in person or via e-mail (which also means you should complete the exercises well before the exam dates!).

Weekly Quizzes

Ten weekly quizzes will be given out at the end of class to test your ongoing grasp of the lecture materials.  These will comprise short written answers to questions.  Correct answers will be worth one point and accrue a total of three points; partial credit of half points may also be awarded.  A score of -3 will be entered for anyone with an unexcused absence on a quiz day.  Quizzes will occur on a random weekly basis throughout the semester and usually will be given on Fridays.

Extra Credit
There are some things I talk about that I either have not gotten around to or cannot figure out how to represent in a PowerPoint slide.  Sometimes even I have to admit that some slides could be done better.  If you choose to do them (they are not compulsory), in each extra credit project, you are to create one (1) PowerPoint slide on a topic of your choosing.  The only stipulation on subjects is that it must either be a pre-existing slide that you think could use changing or something I have talked about but did not make a slide for.  The first project will be on internal/external earth processes or weather and climate and due on March 4; the second project will be on population/migration/culture or economic/urban topics and due by the last day of class (April 23).  Each slide that you create must have images that I have not already used and the style must somehow fit in (style-wise) with the other slides in the lectures.  These are chances to get creative with what you are learning.  For those of you going on to teach, it will be good practice for the future.  Each extra credit project is worth 5 points.  There will be bonus points for any slide so good that I use it in a future lecture!

Participation
I expect you to actively participate in this course.  Not only does that mean speaking up in class and being able to answer my questions (this is dependent on your reviewing your notes and reading the text; see weekly quizzes above), but also taking all Blackboard surveys.  There usually are at least four Blackboard surveys each semester.  Because this is a normal and reasonable expectation, you will not receive any special credit for doing them; failure to do those things means being docked 2.5 points for each and/or not having #.6-#.9. grade averages rounded up.  Take advantage of Blackboard discussions, because they are your opportunity to share your ideas and opinions with the rest of the class.  I also base present and future alterations to this course on your feedback.

Attendance
Because of federal regulations, we must have a means of determining if and when students stop attending classes.  Therefore, attendance will be taken via a sign up sheet beginning after the add period.  I reserve the right to (1) administer pop quizzes/exercises if attendance drops below fifty percent on any given day, (2) dock points for absences, (3) lower your final grade by half a letter grade for missing 1½ weeks worth of classes or more (≥5 classes; roughly 10%), or (4) lower your grade a whole letter grade or fail you outright if you miss three weeks worth of classes or more (≥9 classes; roughly 25%).  It is your responsibility to keep me informed of any events that warrant an excused absence (sports teams, academic teams, field trips, job interviews, court appearances, GRE/MCAT, etc.).  Social events do not qualify.  If you have a family emergency or an extended illness (covering more than two classes), your first move should be to contact the Dean of Students, who then will notify all of your professors and ask that we accommodate your needs.  Appeals at the end of the semester about absences will fall on deaf ears unless you have compelling and documentable evidence and even then you may not obtain a reversal.

Honor Code
All students are expected to abide by the Honor Code at all times.  Collaborating on Blackboard textbook exercises and exams is strictly prohibited.  Unauthorized back-filling of the roll is a violation of the Honor Code.  USE OF COMPUTER-PRINTED 3X5 CARDS DURING EXAMS IS A VIOLATION OF THE HONOR CODE.  All submitted work must be pledged.