Geography 101-004: Major World Regions
George Mason University
Fall 2009
Meeting times: Tuesdays and Thursdays noon - 1:15 am
Meeting location: Enterprise #80
Instructor: Sindi Sheers
Office: Research 1 228-11
Mailbox: Research 1 262A
Office Hours: Thursdays 9:15 - 10:15 and by appointment
Email: ssheers@gmu.edu
Class website: http://mason.gmu.edu/~ssheers/
Required textbook: Rowntree, Lewis, Price, and Wyckoff. 2008. Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World: Second Edition. Prentice Hall.
Student Requirements: To successfully complete this course, students must complete all assigned readings and tests as well as attend class regularly.
Grading Scheme and Policy: Letter grades will be assigned for completion of this course based on the cumulative score of all evaluated work.
The following grading scales will be used:
A+ >= 96
A >= 93
A- >= 90
B+ >= 86
B >= 83
B- >= 80
C+ >= 76
C >= 73
C- >= 70
D >= 60
F < 60
A grade of Incomplete must be requested in writing in advance, no later than December 1st and can only be approved with a passing grade average.
The final grade will be determined by the following:
Each regular test (3): 24% (the score of the lowest test will be dropped)
Final Exam: 28%
Pop Quizzes: 1% each
I no longer have a percentage of the grade tied to attendance. However, I have found that students who attend class regularly are more likely to get good grades and the students whose grades are the lowest are the ones who miss a lot of classes.
We will discuss things in class that are not on the class notes.
There will be several extra credit pop quizzes at the end of class (not every class) and after the movies where you will be asked to summarize, in one or two sentences, one of the news events covered at the beginning of class, some of the important features of the region covered in that day's lecture, and/or one of the main themes of the movie that just ended. No make-up extra credit pop quizzes will be given.
You might be tested on anything we discuss in class and anything in the textbook (whether or not we discuss it in class).
I will put my class notes on my website by 6pm the night before the class when I cover that chapter. I suggest you print out the class notes before class, bring them to class, write on them to remind you what I said about each topic, and then use these notes to help you study for the tests.
I will put a study guide for each test onto my website by 6pm the night before the "review for test" day.
Tests and Test Policies:
1. There will be four regular tests plus a cumulative final exam. The lowest score of the four regular tests will be dropped. The final exam grade will not be considered for elimination.
2. NO makeup tests or exams will be given. If you find yourself unable to attend a test, for any reason (personal, medical, bad traffic, etc.) that test will be dropped.
3. Tests begin and end as indicated in the class schedule – there is no additional time for late arrivals.
4. Once a test begins, you may not leave the room until you have turned in your test papers.
5. Anybody arriving after the first completed test has been turned in gets 5% deducted from his/her grade for that test (this includes the final).
6. Tests may be multiple choice, true/false, and matching using SCANTRON format. On test day, you must arrive with a #2 pencil and a teal-colored SCANTRON.
7. No help of any kind may be given or received by students during tests. There are several versions of each test in each class. Make sure your answers on your scantron are for your one version of the test.
8. The final exam will not be administered early or late – please plan ahead. You must take your final exam with your class.
9. Please double-check the date and time of your final exam.
10. If you have three finals scheduled for the same day, contact your dean beforehand to reschedule one.
11. If you miss your final, it is very important that you contact me before I submit your grade, within 48 hours after your final. If you do not contact me, you will get a zero on your final.
12. Test material will be based on what is in the course material and what we talk about in class. A study guide will be posted on the class website prior to each test.
13. Please turn your cell phone off at the beginning of class and during tests.
GMU email: You must activate and check your GMU email account. Important class information will be sent to this email account over the course of the semester. If you do not wish to use your GMU account as your primary email, you can set it to forward all emails to a preferred address. Go to http://mason.gmu.edu/ for more information.
Tentative Course Schedule: This schedule is subject to change. I will let you know in advance of any changes. Changes will be announced in class and/or on my website. It is your responsibility to know of such changes. If a class is cancelled, we will continue where we left off. The following chapters are in the Rowntree textbook. Except for the first class, please finish reading the chapters to be discussed before the class.
Sept. 1 Tues. Introduction; Ch. 1
3 Thurs. Ch. 1
8 Tues. Ch. 2
10 Thurs. Ch.3
15 Tues. review for test #1
17 Thurs. Test #1 on chapters 1-3
22 Tues. Ch. 4
24 Thurs. Ch. 5
29 Tues. Ch. 6
Oct. 1 Thurs. movie: The Gods Must be Crazy
6 Tues. movie: The Gods Must be Crazy
8 Thurs. review for test #2
13 Tues. no class
15 Thurs. Test #2 on chapters 4-6
20 Tues. Ch. 7
22 Thurs. Ch. 8
27 Tues. Ch. 9
29 Thurs. review for test #3
Nov. 3 Tues. Test #3 on chapters 7-9
5 Thurs. Ch. 10 & 11
10 Tues. Ch. 11 & 12
12 Thurs. Ch. 12 & movie: The Story of the Weeping Camel
17 Tues. movie: The Story of the Weeping Camel
19 Thurs. review for test #4
24 Tues. Test #4 on chapters 10-12
26 Thurs no class: Thanksgiving
Dec. 1 Tues. Ch. 13 & 14
3 Thurs. Ch. 14 & movie: Rabbit-Proof Fence
8 Tues. movie: Rabbit-Proof Fence
10 Thurs. last class: review for final
15 Tues. FINAL EXAM 10:30am - 1:15pm
The Honor Code (from catalog)
The Honor Code of George Mason University shall deal specifically with
A. Cheating and attempted cheating
B. Plagiarism
C. Lying
D. Stealing
A. Cheating encompasses the following:
1. The willful giving or receiving of an unauthorized, unfair, dishonest, or unscrupulous advantage in academic work over other students.
2. The above may be accomplished by any means whatsoever, including, but not limited to, the following: fraud, duress, deception, theft, trick, talking, signs, gestures, copying from another student, and the unauthorized use of study aids, memoranda, books, data or other information.
3. Attempted Cheating.
B. Plagiarism encompasses the following:
1. Presenting as one's own the works, the work, or the opinions of someone else without proper acknowledgement.
2. Borrowing the sequence of ideas, the arrangement of material, or the pattern of thought of someone else without proper acknowledgement.
C. Lying encompasses the following:
The willful and knowledgeable telling of an untruth, as well as any form of deceit, attempted deceit, or fraud in an oral or written statement relating to academic work. This includes but is not limited to:
1. Lying to administration and faculty members.
2. Falsifying any University documents by mutilation, addition, or deletion.
3. Lying to Honor Committee Members and counsels during investigation and hearing. This may constitute a second charge, with the Committee members who acted as judges during that specific hearing acting as accusers.
D. Stealing encompasses the following:
Taking or appropriating without the permission to do so, and with the intent to keep or to make use of wrongfully, property belonging to any member of the George Mason University community or any property located on the University campus. This section is relevant only to academic work and related materials.