SECTIONS 01 AND 72
FALL 2008
Instructor
Dr. Guy King, Professor of Geography
E-mail: Use WebCT
Vista class email
Phone: 530-898-4858
Office location: Butte Hall, Room 517
Course Description
Welcome to Geography 352, The
The regional landscapes of the
Course Format
Geography 352 is entirely
web-based. There are no meetings in a classroom. There are no set
times when students log on to WebCT Vista.
Students learn the geography of the
Students are responsible for
their own work. This online class requires a lot of self-discipline, good
writing skills, and a desire to learn. Online courses require students to
allocate adequate time to complete the class assignments. Students in
this class need to spend six or more hours a week working on class assignments.
Students are required to complete
class assignments on time.
Effective communication is
essential in this online class. Students are encouraged to participate in
online class discussions and to talk to the instructor through class e-mail,
phone, or office visits.
Student Learning Outcomes
1. To study the
geographical regions of the
2. To examine the
landforms, climates, and vegetation in the various regions of the
3. To understand how the
cultures of different regions of the
4. To examine the
integration of social, political, economic, and environmental components in
5. To emphasize the
diversity of cultural and physical environments in the
6. To increase student
learning in the areas of communication, critical thinking, reasoning,
mathematical concepts, and map reading.
Course Contents
- Introduction to the geography
of the United States
- The physical environment of the
-
- Atlantic Northeast Region
- Megalopolis Region
- The Appalachians and the Ozarks Region
- The Inland South Region
- Southeastern Coast Region
- The Heartland Region
- The Great Plains and Prairies Region
- The Rocky Mountains and Intermountain West Region
- The California Region
- The North Pacific Coast Region
- Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands Regions
Class Requirements and
Student Responsibilities
Students enrolled in Geography
352 are required to learn and use WebCT
Vista (see the “Getting Started” exercise). All quizzes, exams,
exercises, and writing assignments are accessed and completed through the use
of WebCT Vista software. All required
class work must be submitted using WebCT
Vista. Work submitted by other means than WebCT
Vista will not be graded (email attachments, snail mail, and fax).
All Geography 352 students 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 website for
specific technical requirements. For help with computer problems, see Student Computing: How
to get help.
Geography 352 students are
advised to start and complete their required work early. All material in this
class is accessed via the Internet. Occasional problems with Internet access
are to be expected (especially on weekends and evenings). Computer problems are
normal. Make sure you have alternate access to the Internet (a second computer,
public library, etc.). Waiting until the last minute to access required course
material may result in problems turning in required work. Students are
responsible for turning in all course assignments on time.
Academic Honesty
Students are required to do
their own work. Using work done by another student is cheating. If
you include material from a source not cited in your class paper, that is
plagiarism. Both cheating and plagiarism are violations of 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.
General Education Policy
This is an approved General
Education Upper-Division Thematic course. Geography 352 is part of Theme
A: American Identities and Cultures. See the University
Catalog for more
information on how this course fulfills General Education Upper-Division
Thematic requirements.
Class Assignments
Exercises: Each week students complete an
exercise containing questions from the assigned textbook readings and website
material. Exercises are not submitted for grading. Student learning of
the exercise material is assessed through weekly quizzes.
Quizzes: Each week Geography 352 students
complete a quiz containing questions from the textbook reading and web material
for that week. Each quiz is worth twenty-five points. These quizzes are
due each Tuesday by
Writing Assignments: All Geography 352 students are required
to complete a research paper. The research paper covers a specific topic
on the geography of the
Final Exam: The final exam is worth 100 points. The
questions come from all thirteen class exercises.
Class Assignment Make-up
Policy: GEOG 352 students are
required to complete all required course work by their due dates. Quizzes, exams, and research projects
submitted after
Grading
Thirteen quizzes (25 points
each) 325 Points
Research paper
75 Points
Final exam
100 Points
Total
475 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 Text
McKnight, Tom L. 2004. “Regional Geography of the
Do not try to use an earlier
edition. All course
material is keyed to the fourth edition. Students have the responsibility of
obtaining the textbook before the first quiz is due (September 11).
CLASS
SCHEDULE
NOTE:
All Exercises are posted by
Week One
(August 25-29) Introduction to course.
Obtain the class textbook.
Complete the “Getting Started” assignment.
Week Two
(September 2-5)
Introduction to United States Geography.
Labor Day Holiday is September 1 - No class.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 1 and 5.
Complete Exercise One.
Quiz One due September 9 by 5
PM.
Week Three (September
8-12) The physical environment of the United States.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 2
Complete Exercise Two.
Quiz Two due by September 16 by
5 PM.
Week
Four (September 15-19) Geodemography of the United States.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 3 and 4
Complete Exercise Three.
Research Paper Guidelines posted Monday, September
15.
Quiz Three due by September 23
by 5 PM.
Week
Five (September 22-26) Atlantic Northeast Region.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 6
Complete Exercise Four.
Quiz Four due by September 30 by
5 PM.
Week Six
(Setember 29-October 3) Megalopolis Region.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 8
Complete Exercise Five.
Quiz Five due by October 7 by 5
PM.
Week Seven (October 6-10) The
Appalachians and the Ozarks Region.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 9
Complete Exercise Six.
Quiz Six due by October 14 by 5
PM.
Week Eight (October 13-17) The Inland
South and Southeastern Coast Regions.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 10 and 11
Complete Exercise Seven.
Quiz Seven due by October 21 by
5 PM.
Week Nine (October 20-24) The Heartland
Region.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 12
Complete Exercise Eight.
Quiz Eight due by October 28 by
5 PM.
Week Ten (October 27-31) The Great
Plains and Prairies Region.
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 13
Complete Exercise Nine
Quiz Nine due by November 4.
Week Eleven (November 3-7) The Rocky
Mountains and Intermountain West Region.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 14 and 15
Complete Exercise Ten.
Research Paper due Friday, November 7, by 5 PM
Quiz Ten due by November 12 by 5
PM (November 11 is Veterans’ Day).
Week Twelve (November
10-14) The California Region.
November 11 is Veterans’ Day – No class.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 16
Complete Exercise Eleven.
Quiz Eleven due by November 18
by 5 PM.
Week Thirteen (November
17-21) The North Pacific Coast Region.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 18
Complete Exercise Twelve.
Quiz Twelve due by December 2 by
5 PM.
Campus Fall Break
(November 24-28)
No class this week.
Week
Fourteen (December 1-5) Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands Regions.
Reading
Assignment: Chapter 17, 19 and 20
Complete Exercise Thirteen.
Quiz Thirteen
due by December 9 by 5 PM (grades posted December 10)
Week Fifteen (December
8-12)
Final Exam posted on December 12.
Week
Sixteen (December 15-19) Finals Week.
Final Exam due Wednesday, December 17 by 5 PM.
Grades posted on December 18.
Fall Semester ends on Friday,
December 19, at 5 PM. Class website
closes at that time.