HISTORICAL GEOGRAPHY OF
NORTH AMERICA
Instructor
Dr. Guy King , Professor of Geography
E-mail: Use the email on the
Blackboard/Vista class webpage
Phone: 530-898-4858
Office location: Butte Hall, Room 517, California State University, Chico.
Course
Description
Welcome to GEOG/AMST
435. This class examines the human occupation of North America from
pre-historic times to the present day.
Topics include the natural environment in human context, exploration and
mapping, cultural groups, population change/migration, agricultural and
industrial development, and rural/urban settlement patterns.
Course
Format
GEOG/AMST 435 is
entirely web-based. There are no
meetings in a classroom. Students learn about the historical
geography of North America through textbook and website readings, and
completion of a student research paper. Student learning assessment is
accomplished through graded evaluation of quizzes, the student paper, and a
final exam.
Students are
responsible for their own work. This web-based class requires a lot of
self-discipline, good writing skills, and a desire to learn. Students in
online courses need to allocate adequate time to complete the required
assignments. Six or more hours a week working on class assignments is
typical for students in this class. Students are required to complete
all class assignments on time.
Effective
communication is essential in an online class. Students are required to
read class announcements, discussion-board postings and emails. In addition, students are encouraged to
post discussion board questions, and to talk to the instructor via the class
email.
Course
Goals and Objectives
1. Examine how the forces of cooperation and
conflict among different cultures influenced the division and control of the
North American continent.
2.
Study the characteristics, distribution, and complexity of North American
cultural mosaics through time.
3. Understand
the use and importance of natural resources in the cultural/economic
development of North America.
4. Understand
how the different geographical regions of North America developed through time.
5.
Use geographical representations, such as maps and images, to examine the human
and natural environments of North America.
Course
Contents
- Introduction to class
- Exploration and discovery of North America
- The Spanish and French in North America
- Anglo-America origins and early development
- The new United States and early westward expansion
- Northeast United States and Canada late 1700s to mid 1800s
- Settling the American Great Plains
- The development of the American West
- Population and economic growth of the United States late 1800s to early 1900s
- The industrial development of American cities
- The idea of Canada
- America in the 1930s and 20th century rural America
- 20th century American and Canadian cities
- Conclusion of historical geography of North America
Class
Requirements and Student Responsibilities
Students enrolled
in GEOG/AMST 435 are required to learn and use Blackboard Vista
software. All quizzes, exams, exercises, and the student paper requirements
are accessed and completed through the use of Blackboard Vista
software. For those students not
familiar with this system, click on the Help
link in the upper right corner of the class homepage.
Students enrolled
in GEOG/AMST 435 are required to have an adequate computer and software that
can access the Internet and allow completion of the class assignments.
See the Chico Distance and Online
Education
web site for specific technical requirements. For help with computer problems, see ITSS: How to get
help.
GEOG/AMST 435
students are advised to start and complete their required class work
early. All material in this class is accessed via the Internet.
Occasional technical problems with Internet access will occur (especially on
weekends and evenings). Computer problems are normal. Make sure you have alternate access to
the Internet (a second computer, public library, etc.) Students are responsible for turning
in all course assignments on time.
Students in this
online course are responsible to respect the opinions of others. Opinions on ethnic matters are commonly
deeply felt. Ridicule and
provocation have no place in university education. Student online behavior in classroom
discussion board postings and email communications is governed by the CSU-Chico
ITSS:
Acceptable Use Policy.
Academic
Honesty
Students are
required to do their own work. Using work done by other students is
cheating. If you include material in your class paper that is from a
source not cited, that is plagiarism. Both cheating and plagiarism are
violations of CSU-Chico University Policy. Student violations of
University Policy will result in disciplinary action. For more
information on academic honesty, see the Student
Judicial Affairs section
of the University Catalog.
Class
Assignments
Textbook
Exercises: Each week students will
complete an exercise involving California ethnic history website material and
questions from the assigned textbook reading. These
exercises are not submitted for grading. Student learning of material in the
exercises is assessed through weekly quizzes. Exercise One is
posted on January 27.
Quizzes: Each week GEOG/AMST
435 students complete a quiz containing questions taken from the current
exercise. Each quiz consists of twenty-five questions worth one-point
each. Students have twenty minutes
to complete each quiz. Quiz
question answers submitted after the twenty-minute time limit are not
accepted. These quizzes are due
each Wednesday. Missed quizzes
cannot be made-up. Quiz One is due
February 8.
Student Paper
Assignment: All GEOG/AMST 435 students are required to complete a writing
assignment during the semester. This research paper is worth 25
points. The paper covers a specific topic on the historical geography of
North America. The research paper
requirements are posted on Monday, February 6, and are due on Friday, April
13. Student papers are submitted for grading via the class website
assignment submission tool. Papers
turned in by other means (email attachment, snail mail, fax) will not be graded.
Final
Exam: This exam is an evaluation of student learning of material
presented in this class. The final
exam contains one-hundred questions taken from all thirteen exercises. The Final Exam is posted on
Friday, May 11 and is due Wednesday, May 16.
Class
Assignment Make-up Policy: GEOG/AMST
435 students are required to complete all assignments by their due dates. Quizzes, the final
exam, and research paper normally cannot be submitted after their due
date. Twenty-five free points are given to all students to take care of a
problem such as a missed quiz.
See the University Catalog for information concerning
class incompletes, drops, and withdrawals from the university. Students should contact the instructor
as-soon-as-possible for major emergencies.
Grading
Thirteen
quizzes
325
Points
Student Paper 25
Points
Final
exam
100
Points
Total 425
Points (see note below)
Note: 25 points are not counted in the class
grade computation.
Grading
Rule
A 93-100%
A- 90-92.99%
B+ 87-89.99%
B 83-86.99%
B- 80-82.99%
C+ 77-79.99%,
C 73-76.99%
C- 70-72.99%
D+ 65-69.99%
D 60-64.99%
F <60%
Required
Textbook
North America: The historical geography of a
changing continent. Edited
by Thomas F McIlwraith and Edward K. Muller. Rowan and Littlefield Publishers. 2001, Second edition. ISBN: 9780742500198
(Paperback). Do not use an earlier edition.
All course material is keyed to the Second edition.
The textbook can
be ordered from the CSU
Chico Wildcat Bookstore or other online sources.
Students have the responsibility
of obtaining the required textbook before the first quiz is due (February 8). Note: Make sure the textbook vendor that
you choose (this includes the AS Bookstore) has the book in stock and use
priority shipping.
CLASS SCHEDULE
NOTE: All weekly Exercises are posted on Fridays. Weekly Quizzes are available on
Thursdays and are due on the following Wednesday. Quiz grades are
normally posted on the Monday following a quiz due date. The student paper assignment is posted on Monday, Feb 6,
and the completed paper is due on Friday, April 13. The Final Exam is posted on
Friday, May 11, and the completed final exam is due on Wednesday, May 16.
Week One (Jan 23-27) Introduction to historical geography of North America.
Obtain the
required class textbook.
Complete the Getting
Started assignment (posted on the class homepage).
Exercise One posted on Friday, January 27.
Week Two (Jan 30-Feb 3) Exploration and discovery of North America.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 1 & 2.
Complete Exercise One.
Quiz One due by Feb
8.
Week Three
(Feb 6-10) The Spanish and French in North America.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 3 & 4.
Complete Exercise Two.
Student Paper guidelines are posted on Monday, Feb 6 (Due Friday, April 13).
Quiz Two due by
Feb 15.
Week Four (Feb 13-17) Anglo-America origins and early development.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 5 & 6.
Complete Exercise Three.
Quiz Three due by
Feb 22.
Week Five
(Feb 20-24) The new United States and early
expansion.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 7 & 8.
Complete Exercise Four.
Quiz Four due by
Feb 29.
Week Six (Feb 27-Mar 2) Northeast United States and Canada late
1700s to mid 1800s.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 9 & 10.
Complete Exercise Five.
Quiz Five due by
Mar 7.
Week Seven (Mar 5-9) Settling the American Great Plains.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 11.
Complete Exercise Six.
Quiz Six due by
Mar 14.
Week Eight
(Mar 12-16). The development of the American West.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 12.
Complete Exercise Seven.
Quiz Seven due by
Mar 28.
Campus
Spring Break (Mar 19-23)
NO CLASS this
week
Week Nine (Mar 26-30) Population and economic
growth of the United States late 1800s to early 1900s.
Friday, Mar 30 is
Cesar Chavez Day (NO CLASS).
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 13 & 14.
Complete Exercise Eight.
Quiz Eight due by
Apr 4.
Week Ten
(Apr 2-6) The industrial development of American
cities.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 15.
Complete Exercise Nine.
Quiz Nine due by
Apr 11.
Week Eleven
(Apr 9-13) The idea of Canada.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 16.
Complete Exercise Ten.
Student Paper is due Friday, April 13.
Quiz Ten due by Apr
18.
Week Twelve (Apr 16-20) America in the 1930s and 20th
century rural America.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 17 & 18.
Complete Exercise Eleven.
Quiz Eleven due
by Apr 25.
Week Thirteen (Apr 23-27) 20th century American and Canadian
cities.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 19 & 20.
Complete Exercise Twelve.
Quiz Twelve due
by May 2.
Week
Fourteen (Apr 30-May 4) Conclusion of historical geography of North America.
Reading
Assignment: McIlwraith and Muller Chapter 21 & 22.
Complete Exercise Thirteen.
Quiz Thirteen due by May 9 (NOTE: quiz grades posted on May 10).
Week
Fifteen (May 7-11)
Study for Final
Exam.
Final Exam posted on May 11.
Week Sixteen (May 14-18) Finals Week.
Final Exam due Wednesday, May 16.
Course grade
points posted on May 17 (use grading rule on class syllabus to determine letter
grade).
Semester ends on
Friday, May 18. Note: The class website closes at that time.