Assignments

Your grade in this class is based on the following assignments. Assignment details will be posted to Moodle:

1. Field Notes & Write-ups: Each week you will be asked to do some kind of field observation related to course topics. You should keep notes on what you observe following the instructions for the week. In weeks four and seven and for Finals Week, you will submit a more formal write-up of your observations. These write-ups are opportunities for you to show critcal geographic thinking about culture, and are also, particularly, oriented towards demonstraing integrative learning by relating course material to the world outside the classroom. This assignment is worth forty (40) points towards your grade. The week 4 and week 7 submissions are each worth ten (10) points and the Finals Week submission is worth twenty (20) points. The Finals Week submission will ask for summative reflection on the term.
2. Reading Responses: For regular assigned reading, you will be asked to submit a response to a specific set of questions or tasks for that week's chapters. The Reading Responses are opportunities to practice key features of Inquiry & Analysis, as well as to practice critical thinking about, and the interpretation of, popular cultures and the interrelationships between people, space and place. This assignment is worth thirty (30) points towards your grade. Each week's Response is three (3) points.
3. In-class Writing. This takes the form of Learning Assessments and Freewriting. Freewriting entails writing about anything related to the course within a specified period of time, usually a few minutes. Learning Assessments are short tasks or questions intended to give me an idea of what students are getting out of each week's material. Learning Assessments will typically be administered at the end of the class period, while Freewriting can happen at any point during a meeting. Each week's In-Class Writing is worth two (2) points for a total of twenty (20). The In-Class Writing is an opportunity for you to practice and demonstrate reflection and self-assessment, which is a primary feature of Integrative Learning.

If you miss one of the Monday class meetings, you will be able to make up half (1 point) of that week's In-Class Writing credit by participating in an online forum designated for that purpose. The forum will open by noon on Mondays and will close by 11:55 pm on Thursdays.

4. Online Discussion: Each week will include an online discussion to complement our Monday classroom discussion. Online discussions may include supplemental reading and material such as videos and podcasts. Online discussions will open at 10:00 am on Mondays and close at 11:55 pm on Thursdays. You are required to make at least two (2) forum contributions each week. Meeting that requirement is worth one (1) one point per week and ten (10) total. Your participation in Online Dicussion may also raise your final grade following my policy on Attendance & Participation. Online Discussions will offer opportunities to show what you are learning across the primary goals and outcomes for the course.

Final grades will be assessed on a standard 100 point scale (93+ is an A; 90-92 is an A-; 87-89 is a B+; 83-86 is a B; 80-82 is a B-; 77-79 is a C+; 73-76 is a C; 70-72 is a C-; 67-69 is a D+; 63-66 is a D; 60-62 is a D-. Lower than 60 is an F).