| Geography 314 (C212): Urban Geography |
| Owen Dwyer, PhD Department of Geography Indiana University - Purdue University, Indianapolis Monday, 2:30-5:25 Cavanaugh Hall 203 |
| Contact Information |
| Office: Cavanaugh 213C Office hours: 9:30 - 11:00 am on Tuesday and Thursday as well as by appointment Phone: 274-8808 You can contact me using the course mail function of Oncourse or email me at odwyer@iupui.edu. |
| Geography Department home page - clik here |
| Textbooks |
| 1. Michael Kuby et al., “Human Geography in Action” (HGiA), Second edition 2. Grady Clay, “Close-Up: How to Read the American City” 3. Photocopied readings (purchase from instructor) |
| Course description |
| Geography 314, “Urban Geography,” is a three credit course. As a social science course, G314 investigates the spatial patterns and processes that characterize cities. The course is concerned with three fundamental questions: How are the economic, social, and cultural aspects of cities spatially arranged? Why are they organized in this manner? How do cities interact with the world around them? This course emphasizes the acquisition of basic geographic concepts (e.g., how to make thematic maps from data sets, analyze urban landscapes). You will be graded on a series of quizzes and a final project. Importantly, this course incorporates several of IUPUI`s principles of undergraduate learning. Communication skills related to quantitative analysis are stressed in several map interpretation exercises and a final presentation. Critical thinking skills associated with the analysis and synthesis of information are called upon, for instance, when comparing and contrasting residential segregation in different places. Finally, a better understanding of American society and culture is promoted via assignments which explore the links between local and global issues affecting cities around the world. |
| Before and during class |
| G314 requires a considerable amount of work outside of class. Each week there are assigned readings and activities. Before you come to class I expect that you will: ~ check Oncourse for announcements and course mail; ~ complete the weekly reading assignment; and ~ begin the weekly activity from HGiA. I cannot overemphasize the importance of out-of-class preparation for success in this course. The readings are time consuming. The HGiA activities are complex. It will be necessary to begin the weekly activity out of class. The first portion of class will be spent working on the weekly activity. This will generally take place in the Mac Lab in Cavanaugh Hall, Room 319a and will occupy the first hour of class. Our time in lab will provide you with the opportunity to ask me questions and consult with your fellow students. You’ll be expected to finish the assigned activity during this hour. Please note that an hour is not enough time to finish the typical activity so you’ll have to begin it outside of class. After a short break, the second portion of class will be spent in our classroom, discussing the weekly readings and the just-completed activity. Importantly, you won’t be asked to turn in the activities. I’ll test your comprehension of the activity with a quiz at the end of each class. You can use your notebook on these quizzes so take effective notes. |
| Evaluation |
| Weekly
quizzes The weekly quizzes account for 70 points (58% of your grade). While eight quizzes are scheduled I will drop your lowest quiz score, i.e. you will be assessed based on your seven best scores. The quiz material will come from the weekly readings and activities. You will be asked to write brief definitions and explain various concepts. Consult the schedule below for exact dates. You may consult your notes during the quizzes, but you may not use your textbooks or photocopied materials during the quiz. |
| Final
project The final project is worth 50 points (42% of your grade). It will ask you to apply the concepts learned in the readings and assignments to Indianapolis. Details will be forthcoming. |
| Extra
credit Explained below is an opportunity to earn extra credit in this course. Please note that extra credit is not automatically awarded. Rather, the tasks must be completed in a thorough and thoughtful manner. |
| Oncourse assignment - The on-line environment for this course is
Oncourse. You can earn six points by completing the following tasks. Check
the schedule at the end of the syllabus for the due date. 1. Create your own user profile in Oncourse. If you already have one, revise it and/or make it current. 2. Post a note to the In Touch discussion forum (accessible via the In Touch menu) “Class Introductions”. In the note, tell us where you are from and describe what interests you about geography. 3. Send me a note using the Oncourse course mail (again, use the In Touch menu). In the note, list the geography courses you have taken and which was your favorite. The goal of these tasks is to introduce you to Oncourse. You can learn how to do these tasks by reading the student guide to Oncourse, taking an online tour of Oncourse, or by attending a free introductory class about Oncourse. Clik on the link below to learn more about these options and other sources of getting assistance with Oncourse. |
| Learning how to use Oncourse - clik here |
| Regarding make-up quizzes and late assignments |
| No make-up quizzes will be given. Make-up quizzes may be given in extreme circumstances, at my discretion, if you have contacted me in advance of the quiz and the absence can be documented by a physician or university office. Late assignments will be penalized two points for every business day they are tardy. |
| Grades |
| There are a total of 120 possible points. Grades will be distributed as follows: A+ = 118 to 120 A = 113 to 117 A- = 108 to 112 B+ = 105 to 107 B = 100 to 104 B- = 96 to 99 C+ = 93 to 95 C = 88 to 92 C- = 84 to 87 D = 72 to 83 F = 0 to 71 |
| Rights and responsibilities |
| I will begin and end class on time. I will do my utmost to return all graded material to you within a week, at which time we will review the material. I will be available for consultation during my scheduled office hours. If the scheduled times are inconvenient for you, make arrangements with me to meet at another time. Your grade in this course will be based upon the work you do. Information concerning your grade will be kept confidential. Your responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following. If you celebrate a religious holiday and as a result will miss class, notify me in writing at the beginning of the semester. It is inappropriate to interrupt or in any way disturb your fellow students as they attempt to take notes and participate in class. Not only is it inexcusably rude to do so, it is also expensive inasmuch as your colleagues are paying money to attend lecture. If you cannot attend class, it is your responsibility to get copies of the notes from one of your colleagues. My notes will not be available. I also expect that you will check Oncourse before class for any course announcements or mail I may have posted. In addition, the university requires that I keep track of your attendance. Obviously, it will be extremely difficult to complete this course without regular attendance. A special note concerning plagiarism and other forms of cheating. The vast majority of students do not cheat. So that there honesty is not compromised, I will not tolerate cheating on the part of the small number of students who, for whatever reasons, choose to do so. The work you submit for grading must be your own. Plagiarism or other forms of cheating will result in a failing grade for the course and a report being filed with the Dean of Students. You are referred to the IU Student Code of Ethics for further information. |
| Schedule |
| Week 1: January 7 Course introduction Week 2: January 14 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 1 Oncourse extra credit assignment due Quiz 1 Week 3: January 21 No class meeting due to King Holiday Week 4: January 28 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 3 and photocopied readings Quiz 2 Week 5: February 4 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 4 and photocopied readings Quiz 3 Week 6: February 11 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 6 and photocopied readings Quiz 4 Week 7: February 18 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 9 and photocopied readings Quiz 5 Week 8: February 25 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 11 and photocopied readings Quiz 6 Week 9: March 4 Before class reading: HGiA, Chapter 12 and photocopied readings Introduction to Final Project Quiz 7 Week 10: March 11 No meeting due to Spring Break Week 11: March 18 Note: No meeting due to conference Final Project Step 1: HGiA, Chapter 10 Due: Friday, March 22, 5pm, CA 213 Week 12: March 25 Before class reading: Close-Up, pp 11-65 Quiz 8 Week 13: April 1 Before class reading: Close-Up, pp 66-126 Final Project Step 2, due in class Week 14: April 8 Before class reading: Close-Up, pp 127-181 Final Project Step 3, due in class Week 15: April 15 In-class work session Week 16: April 22, 2001 In-class work session Week 17: April 29 In-class work session Exam Week: Wednesday, May 1, 1-3pm In-class presentations of the final project |