About the Course
Syllabus
Assignments
About Me
Where am I
WOU Links
Geography Department
LAS
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First, let us take care of something that most students
want to know at the earliest: the grading structure. What you earn
is what you earn--no grade curving. Click here
to know more about the assignments that you have to complete in order to
earn the grade.
| 92 percent or above: A |
88-91: A- |
84-87: B+ |
80-83: B |
| 77-79: B- |
74-76: C+ |
70-73: C |
67-69: C- |
| 63-66: D+ |
60-62: D |
55-59: D- |
Below 55: F |
Required text for the course:
NO TEXTBOOK TO PURCHASE
But, ahem, there are articles to read Attendance is not mandatory; however,
I find that students with sporadic attendance do not do well in my
classes. Skipping classes in college is very easy to do, but it is
a bad habit if you wish to graduate with a decent grade. Further, informed
class participation not only broadens and deepens our understanding of
issues and concepts, it also accounts for a part of the overall grade. Try your best to be on time for class meetings; chronic tardiness tends to interrupt class proceedings.
Unless the circumstances are exceptional, you WILL NOT be allowed to
make up for absences. Also, please behave in a civil and courteous manner during class, even when you disagree with the instructor or fellow students. Students who feel that they may need
additional help for any type of disability should make an appointment to see me and should also contact the Office of Disability Services (838-8250).
Tentative schedule:
| Week |
Theme |
Assigned Reading
(it will be best if you read them in the order
they are listed) |
| Week 1 |
Introductions--instructor, students, the course and requirements |
For Thursday:
1. Students have tuned out,
2.
Best. Decade. Ever. |
| Week 2 |
A little bit of Africa |
1. Explaining Africa,
2.
How to write about Africa
3.
Africa's worst dictator, |
4. Africa's World War,
5.
The Anti-Bono
6.
Africa's Pulse (pay attention to the success stories, in
particular) |
| Week 3 |
Women |
1.
Where have
all the women gone?
2. Thank Deng
Xiaoping for little girls,
3.
The
luckiest girl,
4.Fertility tourism, |
5. New girl order
6. Islamic women and feminists;
7.
Afghanistan's Secret |
| Week 4 |
Population, and the world's poor |
1.a The
population bomb: Has it been defused?,
1.b. Too
many people
1.c.
Global Aging
2. The
largest wave of suicides in history |
3.
An alternative Big
Mac Index,
4.
Lux Populi,
5.
Saving the world (Economist, 3/14/2009, special section
p19-19)
6.
Poverty is a threat to peace |
| Week 5 |
Issues/countries that have moved to the back pages? |
1.
Somalia ("The Most Dangerous Place in the World" Foreign Policy,
Mar/Apr2009, p60-69)
2.a.
Tibet and Xinjiang,
2.b.
Seven Days in Tibet (the entire series)
3.
Zimbabwe |
| Week 6 |
Tuesday
Thursday |
Stump the professor by raising your favorite global issue
not covered in this syllabus
We will discuss the midterm assignment |
| Week 7 |
God, religion, and global issues |
1. Why god is winning,
2. Religion in the
public sphere,
3. Eurabia and Islamophobia,
4.
Becoming an Ayatollah,
5.
Irrelevant Middle East |
| Week 8 |
Tuesday:
Special focus on water Thursday: |
Students prepare one-page reports related to "fresh
water"--this is the theme for
Geography
Awareness Week 2010 The instructor will have video/text
materials related to the Week 8 topic |
| Week 9 |
Environmental issues (No class on Thur; include
this in your Thanksgiving!!!) |
1.
The Norwegian environment,
2.
Arctic shipping,
3.
The last days of paradise
4.
Green and Africa
5.
Dirty coal, clean future |
| Week 10 |
Discussion of the final papers, and course
wrap-up |
|
| Final Exam |
Hey, want to read
this piece by Bill Gates? Might help you with your final
paper :) |
Click here
to email me. |
