Syllabus

Human Geography
Geography 201, Section 502 (Spring 2008)

Texts

Knox and Marston. 2007. Fourth Edition. Human Geography: Places and Regions in a Global Context. Prentice Hall.
Atlas of World Geography. Skokie, IL: Rand McNally. (may be bundled with text; if not, any atlas)
Activities in Human Geography. Available as PDFs to download from the Activities page

Course Requirements

Two exams.60% of your grade. The exams will cover class lectures, readings from the textbook, Human Geography, and knowledge gleaned from the Activities. Some questions may concern current events as well so make a habit of keeping up with local, national, and world events this semester.

Activities in Human Geography. 40% of your grade. How much do you know and can do with your geography? These activities are designed to give you some hands-on experiences in applying what you read and hear in class. Take the time to do well on these activities. Quality is important. The activities will be reviewed in class as the topic is covered in lecture and the readings. Each activity is worth 10 points except for Activity 3 which is worth 30 points. They are evaluated using a scoring rubric.
Final grades are awarded by examining the distribution of grades at the end of the semester.
The usual grade distribution is approximately:

12-15% A's
30-35% B's & 30-35% C's
12-15% D's &/or F's

Attend class. Come to class on a daily basis in order to secure the knowledge necessary to succeed in this course. Despite the fact that this is a large class, I invite questions and comments about the topics we study and especially how it relates to current events. Should you miss class class, please get the notes from a fellow student or your study group.

Read regularly.The lectures will be more meaningful and, thus, valuable if youkeep up with the reading in your text, contemporary world events, and do the Activities in Human Geography on schedule. Use your optional study group to discuss issues.

Exam Policy

If you are absent for an exam, a make-up exam will be available only if

(1) you contact me either by phone or in person within 24 hours of the exam, and
(2) you provide me with a written doctor's note stating that you were incapacitated and unable to attend the exam.

It is not a sufficient excuse for you to have been at the Health Center and thus to have missed the exam. Check University Regulations regarding excused absences. If in doubt, call. If you have a University-excused absence, I must have it in writing before your absence.

Scholastic Dishonesty

“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.”

Upon accepting admission to Texas A&M University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor System. Students will be required to state their commitment on examinations, research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the TAMU community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor System.
For additional information please visit: www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/

I encourage you to work with a study group to complete activities and to learn the material. Note, however, that providing answers for any assigned work or copying someone else's work, either with or without their permission, is considered unethical and a violation of the University Code of Honor. It will cause you to lose all workbook activity credit for the semester. Work cooperatively in your group and contribute; do not copy blindly.

Web Resources

A web site has been created to help you in this course. The url is: http://geog.tamu.edu/sarah/humangeog/humangeog.html. I will add materials to the site as the semester continues. I will also send class updates via neo.tamu.edu. Be sure you have a neo account and check your email frequently. I encourage you to contact me via e-mail and to send me your suggestions for the humangeog page.

Human Geography Home Page

Texts	Knox and Marston. 2007. Fourth Edition. Human Geography: Places and Regions in a Global Context. Prentice Hall. Atlas of World Geography. Skokie, IL: Rand McNally. (may be bundled with text; if not, any atlas) Activities in Human Geography. Available as PDFs to download from the Activities page
Course Requirements	*Two exams.60% of your grade. The exams will cover class lectures, readings from the textbook, Human Geography, and knowledge gleaned from the Activities. Some questions may concern current events as well so make a habit of keeping up with local, national, and world events this semester. Activities in Human Geography. 40% of your grade. How much do you know and can do with your geography? These activities are designed to give you some hands-on experiences in applying what you read and hear in class. Take the time to do well on these activities. Quality is important. The activities will be reviewed in class as the topic is covered in lecture and the readings. Each activity is worth 10 points except for Activity 3 which is worth 30 points. They are evaluated using a scoring rubric. Final grades are awarded by examining the distribution of grades at the end of the semester.* The usual grade distribution is approximately: 12-15% A's 30-35% B's & 30-35% C's 12-15% D's &/or F's Attend class. Come to class on a daily basis in order to secure the knowledge necessary to succeed in this course. Despite the fact that this is a large class, I invite questions and comments about the topics we study and especially how it relates to current events. Should you miss class class, please get the notes from a fellow student or your study group. Read regularly.The lectures will be more meaningful and, thus, valuable if youkeep up with the reading in your text, contemporary world events, and do the *Activities in Human Geography* on schedule. Use your optional study group to discuss issues.
Exam Policy	If you are absent for an exam, a make-up exam will be available only if (1) you contact me either by phone or in person within 24 hours of the exam, and (2) you provide me with a written doctor's note stating that you were incapacitated and unable to attend the exam. It is not a sufficient excuse for you to have been at the Health Center and thus to have missed the exam. Check University Regulations regarding excused absences. If in doubt, call. If you have a University-excused absence, I must have it in writing before your absence.
Scholastic Dishonesty	“An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do.” Upon accepting admission to Texas A&M University, a student immediately assumes a commitment to uphold the Honor Code, to accept responsibility for learning, and to follow the philosophy and rules of the Honor System. Students will be required to state their commitment on examinations, research papers, and other academic work. Ignorance of the rules does not exclude any member of the TAMU community from the requirements or the processes of the Honor System. For additional information please visit: www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/ I encourage you to work with a study group to complete activities and to learn the material. Note, however, that providing answers for any assigned work or copying someone else's work, either with or without their permission, is considered unethical and a violation of the University Code of Honor. It will cause you to lose all workbook activity credit for the semester. Work cooperatively in your group and contribute; do not copy blindly.
Web Resources	A web site has been created to help you in this course. The url is: http://geog.tamu.edu/sarah/humangeog/humangeog.html. I will add materials to the site as the semester continues. I will also send class updates via neo.tamu.edu. Be sure you have a neo account and check your email frequently. I encourage you to contact me via e-mail and to send me your suggestions for the humangeog page.