Geography 1500: 

Introduction to Geography
Orientation Information

Syllabus - Summer 2007 Full 8 Week Session
(Sections 40040 & 40870)
Course Duration: Monday, June 11 - Friday, August 3, 2007

Instructor:                Mark Guizlo
E-mail:                  mguizlo@lakelandcc.edu (Mark Guizlo)
Please Note: When sending e-mails to your instructor, please always include your name, class and section number in the subject heading of the e-mail message.

Course Description

This course introduces geography, with a focus on the earth's environmental processes and their relationship with society. Topics include maps and location, climate, landforms, vegetation, human population, cultural geography, geopolitics, and natural resources. This course requires students to demonstrate critical thinking skills, communication skills, and cooperative skills in group discussion format.

Textbooks
Required: please contact your professor or see the syllabus for textbook information.

Optional: Hammond 2002. Scholastic New Headline World Atlas. Hammond World Atlas Corporation. ISBN: 0-8437-1376-3.You will need a world atlas, but if you own one already, you do not have to buy this atlas.

Instructor Schedule

Course Schedule

Your Grade

• Exams:2 Exams (approx. 44% of your grade; Exam 1 is worth 50 points, and Exam 2 is worth 60 points).
• Discussion: 8 Discussion Forums (32% of your grade, 10 pts. each)
• Quizzes: 6 Unit Quizzes (24% of your grade, 10 pts. each).
  

Grading Scale:

A=225-250 (90%); B = 200-224 (80%); C=175-199 (70%); D=150-174 (60%).

Exams

• Exams are to be taken in the Test Center, in Room A-1040b, at the Main Lakeland Campus.
  
• For students who live far from Lakeland, you may arrange to take the exam at a local college or library that provides this service. If you want to use this option, please contact me by e-mail as soon as possible to make the arrangements. It is up to the student to arrange a Test Center or exam proctor.
  
• This course has 2 exams: Exam 1 is given during Unit 4 and is available from Monday, 7/2/07 through Monday, 7/9/07. Exam 2 is given during Unit 7 and is available from Monday, 7/23/07 through Monday, 7/30/07.
  
• Exams include multiple choice, term identifications, map locations, and essay or problem questions.
  
• A study guide will be available one week in advance of the exam period under Unit 4 Assignments for Exam 1 and Unit 7 Assignments for Exam 2.
  
• Test Center hours of operation are as follows:
  • Monday and Tuesay, 8:00 am - 9:00 pm.
  • Wednesday and Thursday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
  • Friday 8:00 am - 12:00 noon
  • Saturday 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.
  • Sunday - Closed
  • The Test Center is closed on Wednesday, July 4.
    
• Know your instructor's name when you come to the Test Center.
  
• You must bring a photo ID, and a #2 pencil. You may use a pen for writing essays.
  
• Give yourself enough time to be done by closing.
  
• Exams normally take 1 hour and 10 minutes to complete - plan to arrive 2 hours before closing.
  
• Exams must be taken during the dates outlined above.

Unit Quizzes

There will be 6 quizzes, during Units 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8. Quizzes cover material from the Textbook. Quizzes are taken online, are multiple choice, open book, and are not timed. Each quiz consists of 10 multiple choice questions. Quizzes are generated randomly using a large pool of questions that apply to the reading assignments for that particular unit. Each student takes a quiz with different questions. Results are posted immediately to the gradebook.

Evaluation Criteria for Participation in Discussion Board Forums

1. Quantity of postings:
   
   » 4-6 postings per unit
   
2. Postings spread out over the duration of each Unit.
   
   » Avoid posting all of your comments in one-sitting (one day). In order to get the most from an asynchronous discussion you need to frequently take in and synthesize other perspectives and contribute as the discussion evolves over the course of several days.
   
   » A good rule of thumb is to first respond to the instructor's question, then to selected peer postings. "Listen" to what others have to say about your comments and respond.
   
3. Timeliness.
   
   » Forums are not open indefinitely. Do not wait until the last day of the unit to post your comments. Participating in a forum only on the last day or after it has ended is not adding to the dialogue and defeats the purpose using discussion as a learning tool.
   
4. Quality.
   
   » Ability to synthesize readings and main concepts.
   
   » Clear demonstration that you are reading the synthesizing peers comments.
   
   » Good grammer.
   
   » Good organization.
   
   » Ability to give more than an opinion. Make the effort to show that your opinion is supported with information from the class readings, or other materials. Be specific about the evidence you have to back up your perspective.
   
   » Creative thinking.
   
   » Ability to take the dialogue to a deeper level. For this class this means your ability to not just meet the minimum-posting requirement, but also engage in a dialogue with peers and instructor that transforms the discussion.
   
   » Ability to go above and beyond. For example providing useful related web sites or resources.

Attributes to AVOID in the Discussion Board Forums

• Excessive "I agree" type statements. These are nice and sometimes appropriate. However, please try to back up these statements as I do not count "I agree" statements that are not supported with some kind of evidence in my evaluation of your work.
  
• Lack of respect for divergent opinions. Please show the respect you would want bestowed on you.
  
• Off topic comments. Try to stick to the topic at hand. "Driving off the path" is OK occasionally and can often be a welcome change of pace. In general though try and stay focused on the original question.
  
• "Hogging" the forums. This is akin to the student who always raised his or her hand in class. The key here is balance. If you notice that you have 15+ postings in a single forum you may want to step back for a bit.
  
• Overly long threads. Try not to make responses longer than one to two screen lengths.
  

Grading Procedure for Discussion Board Forums

The threaded discussion will be based on the following point system out of 10 possible points:

Remember to post a combination of responses to both the instructor prompted questions and to student comments.

• 0 points for no participation
• 1-4 points for minimal participation or inadequate participation (for example, posting only a short entry that is very similar to other entries)
• 5-6 points for below average participation (posting one ot two messages that contribute a little to the discussion).
• 7-8 points for average participation (posting at least 4 entries that contribute to the discussion and are of average quality).
• 9-10 points for excellent participation (posting 5-6 or more well developed and original entries that contribute significantly to the discussion).

I strongly encourage you to participate in the forum throughtout the unit, and to not wait until just before the deadline. Students who contribute to the discussion forum only during the last day of the unit will have 2 points deducted from their score for that forum.

Late Assignments

All assignments and exams will be due on the date posted in the calendar. Any late assignments will be penalized by 20% for each 24 hours they are late.

You may contact me if you have unexpected circumstances to request an extension (possibly for no grade deduction). Send an e-mail in advance of the deadline with a brief explanation of your situation and the specifics of the request. I will then post a note about the extension in your Journal area to remind both of us about the extension.

Academic Honesty

Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. See the Student Handbook for further information: http://lakelandcc.edu/academic/handbook/

Help with Blackboard or other Computer Problems

Contact the help desk: (440) 525-7570 helpdesk@lakelandcc.edu.