Geography 1600: 

World Regional Geography
Orientation Information

Summer 2007 (Section 40522)
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, you must include your name and course in the subject heading of the e-mail message.

Course Description

This course examines would regions and their physical, economic, and social processes. Topics include population, development, natural resources, and location. The course is organized around regional themes and students will study all major regions of the world.

Required Course Material

The textbook, atlas, and DVD video set come as a package and are available through the Lakeland Community College Bookstore: Package ISBN: 013-615264-3.

• Textbook: Rowntree, Les, et. al. 2008. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World, 2nd Edition.
• Atlas: Rand McNally 2005. Goode's World Atlas, 21st Edition.
• DVD Video Set: Pearson Prentice Hall 2008. World Regional Geography Videos.

How to Succeed in this Course

Instructor Schedule

Your Grade

• Exercises:8 assignments from textbook, videos and the atlas (25 points each, 200 points total).
• Discussion Forums: 8 Forums (10 pts. each; 80 points total)
• Quizzes: 12 chapter Quizzes (10 pts. each; 120 points total).
  

Grading Scale:

A=360-400 (90-100%); B = 320-359 (80-89%); C=280-319 (70-79%); D=240-279 (60-69%).

Schedule of Assignments

Exercises

You are required to complete 8 Exercises, each worth 25 points. Each exercise consists of short answer, map questions, and term definitions. The Exercises are not timed and are open book. Treat these as "take home" assignments, meaning that you are expected to use the textbook, videos and the atlas to answer the questions. You may print the exercise questions and work on them over the period the unit is available. You will then type your answers into the exercise and submit it for manual grading.

Quizzes

There will be 12 chapter quizzes, one for each textbook chapter that is assigned. Quizzes are taken online, are multiple choice, open book, and are not timed. You are allowed to enter adn retake the quiz as many times as you wish, and the score you receive on your last attempt is recorded in the gradebook. Each quiz consists of 10 questions, randomly generated from a pool of approximately 80 questions. Each time you take the quiz you are given a new set of questions from the question pool.

Grading Procedure for Discussion Forums

There are 8 discussion forums, each worth a maximum of 10 points. The following system is used to grade discussion forums. 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 2 days of the unit will have 2 points deducted from their score for that forum.

Evaluation Criteria for Participation in Discussion Board Forums

1. Quantity of postings:
   
   » 4-7 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.
  
• Overly long threads. Try not to make responses longer than one to two screen lengths.
  

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/ We will have a special discussion forum at the beginning of the semester to address this issue.

Help with Blackboard or other Computer Problems

Contact the help desk: (440) 525-7500 EXT. 5112; helpdesk@lakelandcc.edu.