WORLD REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY

Dennis Nullet
http://www2.hawaii.edu/~dennis/

Required Text:   Globalization And Diversity: Geography of a Changing World by Rowntree et al., 2011 (3nd Edition), paperback. This book is also available from www.coursesmart.com as a 6-month subscription to a digital version that can be viewed from their web site. Only people comfortable with technology and reading from computer screens should subscribe to the online version. Also, if you prefer the online book, do not sign up until the beginning of the semester or your subscription may expire before the class ends.

Course Description: GEOG 102 is a survey of the world’s major cultural regions.  Environmental, cultural, political, and economic characteristics of each region and regional interactions are explored from a geographic perspective.

Objectives: Upon successful completion of GEOG 102, the student should be able to:

• Identify the earth’s major cultural regions and their distinguishing characteristics.
• Explain how historical, social and environmental processes shape the world’s major cultural regions.
• Describe globalization and regional interactions and explain how they effect cultural, economic, political, and environmental change within regions.
• Critically analyze concepts and issues within the framework of the course.

Online Format: The course is taught via the Internet using a course management system that provides discussion boards, messaging, student record keeping, a way to organize the class information, testing, and other tools.

Communication: In the course, you will discuss topics with other students using a discussion board and communicate with the professor using private messaging. On the discussion board, students talk to each other asynchronously (like email), asking and answering questions about the course, exchanging ideas and information, and commenting on current events. As the instructor, I'll follow the discussion and contribute comments, but the discussion board is primarily a communication tool for students to help each other and to foster dialog between students concerning subjects in the course. Of course, you can use always use private messaging or email to ask the instructor questions about time conflicts, grading, or other problems specific to the individual student that might not be appropriate for the discussion board. I would prefer that you use private messaging available in the online class to contact the instructor, although you can also email me through your hawaii.edu account outside of the course. Generally, a private message in the class will be answered much more quickly than a telephone message. Note that I will not send email to other providers, such as Google, Yahoo, or RoadRunner, in accordance with UH policy.

Examinations and Grading: Grades will be based on chapter quizzes (I will substitute your initial Class Format quiz score for your lowest chapter quiz score), map quizzes, exams, and participation in class forums. IMPORTANT NOTE: No Makeup Quizzes, Exams, or other Assignments allowed. Do not wait until the last day to take tests because all kinds of problems can and will happen. The server could go down, or your computer could fail, or your ISP could interrupt service, or your car could break down, or an earthquake could occur, or a personal issue could arise, or any number of other things. This is online course reality. If you experience problems at the last minute and miss a quiz or exam, your grade will be recorded as a zero. No exceptions. Give yourself time to recover from last-minute crises by taking quizzes and exams several days in advance of the deadlines.

• Quizzes: The quizzes are "open book," meaning you can use reference materials, such as your book and notes, when taking them. You can take quizzes anytime before their respective deadlines. Each quiz addresses all of the material in its chapter and consists entirely of multiple-choice questions.  If you are not satisfied with your score, you may retake each quiz once, and I will keep the higher of the two scores. The quizzes have generous time limits; no answers will be accepted after the time limit has expired. After (but not before) the quiz deadline has passed, you will be able to review your quiz and can openly discuss the quiz questions on the discussion board with other students. Unfortunately, Laulima only allows you to review the quiz you had the highest score on, not both attempts. Also note, you are NOT ALLOWED to collaborate with other students while taking quizzes or exams (see Honor and Discipline below).
• Proctored Exams: The proctored exams are "closed book" - no notes, books, or secondary windows allowed - and can be taken anytime before their respective deadlines. The exams also consist of multiple choice questions (mostly different from the quiz questions), but will be of a more general nature; you should not have to memorize many numbers or dates, for example. I will rely heavily on the study guides when developing the exam questions. NOTE: YOU MUST PASS THE PROCTORED EXAMS TO PASS THE COURSE. I consider a 50% average to be a passing score on the exams. This requirement ensures fairness in testing by confirming that each student has mastered course material on their own and is increasingly requested to verify the validity of online coursework. You must go to a proctored testing center on campus to take the exams. You are welcome to test at any campus in the UH System. Go to the UHCC e-learn site for a list of testing sites and contact information. Most centers have regular hours and some require appointments. It is your responsibility to verify hours or make necessary testing appointments. Also note: no electronic devices of any kind (including calculators and electronic dictionaries) will be allowed during exams. A paper dictionary with no written notes or marks will be allowed if examined by the proctor.
• Participation: Participation is an extremely important component of an online course, more so than a traditional classroom perhaps. A huge part of learning involves exchanging ideas with other people. Often in a traditional class, students may be reluctant or shy about speaking in front of others. That is not an issue with online courses and many students find the most enjoyable part of the course is the less intimidating environment and more open dialog. You will be required to post on an open forum in a Discussion Board addressing topics that I will provide. I will summarize you participation scores three times during the semester, not every week (see Schedule below). If you would like an evaluation before those dates, you can send me a Private Message and ask for early feedback.
• Extra Credit: There is no extra credit. To earn a high grade, you need to stay focused on the assignments and deadlines throughout the semester. However, for very close final scores, say within a one-point average of a higher grade, the quality your discussion board posts and proctored exam scores will be considered.

GRADING SUMMARY

*NOTE: I will substitute your Class Format quiz score (taken the first week of class) for your lowest chapter quiz score.

Suggestions to help you earn the highest grade:

1. Read through the chapters before taking the quizzes. Because they are timed, you cannot rely on looking up every detail during the quiz. In traditional-class closed-book quizzes, students would complete a short multiple-choice quiz in a few minutes.
2. Do not miss any of the post points. I will give full credit for sincere effort and thoughtful posts.
3. Do not miss any of the map quiz points. You can retake the map quizzes as many times as you like.
4. Work well in advance of deadlines; do not wait until Sunday night to complete assignments.  This is probably the most important suggestion.

Netiquette and Student Conduct: All students are expected to follow the Kapi'olani Code of Student Conduct. In particular, when using the discussion board, note the following: "KapCC regards disruptive behavior as speech or action which intentionally: 1. is disrespectful, offensive, and/or threatening, 2. interferes with the learning activities of other students, 3. impedes the delivery of College services, (or) 4. has a negative impact in any learning environment ..." In other words, please show respect for your fellow students and the instructor during the class and refrain from offensive language or offending statements. I will act as a moderator for the discussion board discussion and remove any comments I feel may not be appropriate and caution the student. If the behavior continues after being cautioned, the student may be blocked from further discussion board use or even removed from the class environment altogether. This action is extremely rare, but the issue must be addressed due to occasional disruptive problems in the past. In general, most students do not feel inhibited by the requirement of mutual respect and find it greatly enhances their ability to freely participate in class discussion. Remember, this is an academic setting, just like a traditional classroom, not a social networking site.

Honor and Discipline: I hold each student to the highest standard of personal integrity. By enrolling in this course, and by reading this message, you tacitly give your word of honor that you, and you alone, will do the work required for the class. You are welcome, and encouraged, to discuss the material with other students and to seek help in answering and understanding the study questions. You, however, are solely responsible for taking quizzes and exams, writing papers, and posting to the discussion boards. If a student cheats by having another person help them with quiz questions, or by plagiarizing, or by using notes or Internet searches during proctored exams, or other unethical behavior, they will be expelled. Opening a second window while testing is considered cheating and will lead to expulsion. Each semester, one or two students are dishonorably discharged from the class. Please read the Academic Honesty section, including an open message by a former student who was expelled for cheating.

Rules, Rules, Rules! While the tone of this syllabus has been a bit strident, it is important that the class rules be clearly defined as a syllabus is, basically, a contract between students and instructor. Previous students have found clearly defined rules and deadlines to be helpful in avoiding ambiguity and uncertainty, and most have genuinely enjoyed the class. I hope you will too.

Disability Statement: If you are a student with a documented disability and have not voluntarily disclosed the nature of your disability and the support you need,  you are invited to contact the Disability Support Services Office, Ilima 103, 734-9552 (V/T), or email kapdss@hawaii.edu for assistance.

UH Policy on email communication: The electronic communications  policy adopted in December 2005 establishes the University of Hawai'i Internet service as an official medium for communication among students, faculty, and  staff. Every member of the system has a hawaii.edu address, and the associated  username and password provide access to essential Web announcements and email.  You are hereby informed of the need to regularly log in to UH email and Web services for announcements and personal mail. Failing to do so will mean missing critical information from academic and program advisors, instructors, registration and business office staff, classmates, student organizations, and others.

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SCHEDULE
(all deadlines are Sunday midnight, except for Exams)
(NOTE: You can take all Exams and Quizzes earlier than the final deadlines below)

Week	Content	Chapter	Deadline (see note below)
1	Class Format Orientation	Syllabus	January 15
2	Themes	1,2	January 22
3	Latin America	4	January 29
4	The Caribbean	5	February 5
5	Sub-Saharan Africa	6	February 12
6	(Participation grade posted -1)
6	EXAM 1 (Chapters 1,2,4,5,6)		February 21
7	N Africa & SW Asia	7	February 26
8	Europe	8	March 4
9	The Russian Domain	9	March 11
10	Central Asia	10	March 18
11	(Participation grade posted - 2)
11	EXAM 2 (Chapters 7-10)		April 2
12	East Asia	11	April 8
13	South Asia	12	April 15
14	Southeast Asia	13	April 22
15	Australia & Oceania	14	April 29
16	(Participation grade posted - 3)
16	FINAL EXAM (Chapters 11-14)		May 7

Note: Weekly assignments include a chapter quiz, a map quiz, an original post, and a reply post. Your reply may be posted up to one week after the deadline given above. Exceptions are exam weeks and orientation week. Details provided in the class.