What is
this course about?
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Course requirements The official prerequisite for Geography 318 is Geography 110, Physical Geography. Because Geography 318 is over-subscribed, the prerequisite will be strictly enforced. Exceptions will be allowed only in cases where the student can convince me that his or her technical background in other relevant sciences is strong enough to overcome the deficiency. If there is a waiting list with more students than available seats, first preference will be given to geography majors. Secondary preference will go to Interdisciplinary Studies majors who have listed Geography 318 as a required course on their programs. Please note also that this course no longer carries MS GFR credit; if all you are looking for is a course that can help you complete distribution requirements, I will be happy to tell you about our other options. If you look at the course descriptions in the 1998-2000 UMBC catalogue, you will note that, regardless of the presence or absence of other prerequisites, we expect that students in ALL upper-level Geography courses will be familiar with mathematics at least up through college-level algebra. Although the class is not heavily mathematical, I will from time to time introduce equations that involve (for example) negative exponential functions or logarithmic transformations. I will expect you to understand these equations and to be able to use them in solving problems. Although there is no single textbook for the course, you should expect to do a substantial amount of outside reading to complete your assignments each week, probably around 6 hours and sometimes more. Reading assignments are discussed below. Three in-class exams, including a non-cumulative final, will each count for 1/4 of your grade. Exams will consist primarily of short essays (1 to 3 paragraphs) with some short-answer questions (mostly one-sentence definitions or explanations). In addition there will be a term paper or annotated bibliography, which also counts for 1/4 of your grade. A separate handout on the requirements for this assignment will be distributed in class. Please note that I take the requirements very seriously and I expect a serious effort on your part. Class attendance is mandatory. If you don't have time to attend lectures, you don't have time to be enrolled in this course. We will cover material in class that is not covered in the readings, and you will be responsible for this material on the exams. If you miss class, please don't come to me asking for the notes. It is your responsibility to get that information from other students. However you should feel free to speak with me about any questions you may have regarding topics covered in the course or your own performance. I expect you to take responsibility for your own work, but I believe that anyone who asks for help deserves my attention. Just speak to me before or after class or stop by my office to make an appointment. There is a class field trip scheduled for Sunday, April 18. We will probably charge $25 per student in order to pay for the cost of the trip, which involves renting the Research Vessel Aquarius, which belongs to the University of Maryland's Center for Environmental Science and is stationed at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory on Solomon's Island at the mouth of the Patuxent River. We will have more to say about this trip a little later in the semester. Finally, I have a tendency to give out a lot of handouts in order to supplement your assigned readings. These can be difficult to keep track of. I recommend that you purchase a looseleaf binder and keep these handouts in the binder in approximately the order in which you receive them. If you separate them according to syllabus topic, they should be helpful when you are studying. |