HIST 303.01E (#20664)
Historical Geography
Course Syllabus: Spring 2016
Location and Time: SS 124, T/R 2:00-3:15 PM
Instructor: Dr. Andrew C. Baker
Office Location: Ferguson 106
Office Hours: Mon-Thur 3:30-5:30
Office Phone: 903-468-8742
University Email Address: [email protected]
Required Materials
Alexander C. Diener and Joshua Hagen, Borders: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford,
2012, ISBN 978-0-19-973150-3
Tom Standage, A History of the World in Six Glasses, Bloomsbury, 2005, ISBN:
978-0-8027-1552-4
Brian Fagan, The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850, Basic
Books, 2000, ISBN: 978-0-465-02272-4
David R. Montgomery, Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations, 2nd Ed., University of
California Press, 2012, ISBN: 978-0-520-27290-3
Course Description
A study of the various ways in which history has affected and has been affected by
geography, including but not limited to physical, political, cultural, and
environmental elements. Topics may include the emergence of ancient civilizations,
the spread of Islam, and global commercial relations. An overall goal of this course
is to prepare students for an interconnected world. As such, this course is
designated as one which fulfills a global course requirement for the University’s
Global Scholars and Global Fellow Programs.
Course Pre-Requisites, Co-Requisites: HIST 253.
If you are taking HIST 253 at the same time during this course or any upper-level
history course, you must not drop HIST 253 or you will have to drop all of your
upper-level history courses including this one.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to apply knowledge of the interconnectedness of global
dynamics.
Grading
Final grades in this course will be based on the following scale:
A = 90%-100%
B = 80%-89%
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C = 70%-79%
D = 60%-69%
F = 59% or Below
Assessment Rubric
Map Quizzes (5 at 30 points each)
Book Review
Test I
Test II
Test III
Border Project
World Tour Project
Commerce Project
Participation
Total
150
100
75
100
100
125
125
125
100
1000
Student Responsibilities
Classroom Participation
Students are expected to contribute to classroom discussions. Thoughtful
participation means more than talking frequently, although this is encouraged. It
means demonstrating both a knowledge of and a willingness to think critically about
the assigned readings. Students are encouraged to engage not only with the
professor and the material, but also with each other where appropriate. Students
must remain a respect for their colleagues at all times.
Technology
All students enrolled at the University shall follow the tenets of common decency
and acceptable behavior conducive to a positive learning environment. (See current
Student Guidebook). Students should also consult the Rules of Netiquette for more
information regarding how to interact with students in an online forum: Netiquette
Some course materials will be posted to the course website, managed through
Pearson LearningStudio. To get started with the course, go to myLeo.
http://www.tamuc.edu/myleo.aspx
Academic Dishonesty and Plagiarism
Do not engage in any of the following:
•
Plagiarism: The adoption or reproduction of ideas, words, statements,
images, or works of another person as one’s own without proper
attribution. This includes self-plagiarism, which occurs when an author
submits material or research from a previous academic exercise to satisfy
the requirements of another exercise and uses it without proper citation
of its reuse.
•
Cheating: Using or attempting to use unauthorized materials,
information, or study aids in any academic exercise. This includes
unapproved collaboration, which occurs when a student works with others
on an academic exercise without the express permission of the professor.
The term academic exercise includes all forms of work submitted for
credit or hours.
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Fabrication: Unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or
citation in an academic exercise.
Going online and taking information without proper citations, copying parts of other
student’s work, creating information for the purposes of making your paper seem
more official, or anything involving taking someone else’s thoughts or ideas without
proper attribution is academic misconduct. If you have a question about an
assignment, please come see me to clarify. Any cases of academic misconduct may
be reported to university administration for violating the academic honesty
requirements in the student handbook. They will also result in failure of the
assignment in question and possibly for the course.
•
Writing Center:
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the resources of the Writing Center
for assistance with drafting papers. The Writing Center is an open resource
available to all. They will not write your paper; they will help you improve your
writing skills. If you use the Writing Center, please plan ahead. They can only help
you if you see them in advance and have time to incorporate their suggestions into
the final paper.
Course Assignments
Map Quizzes
There will be 5 map quizzes during the semester. These will cover major features of
the physical landscape (rivers, mountains, etc.) and political jurisdictions (cities,
states, nations, etc.). These will be based lists available on the course eCollege site
and will be matching.
Book Reviews
Each student will be responsible for writing and bringing to class a hard copy of a
400 word book review of one of the three assigned monographs (student’s choice)
(Montgomery, Fagan, and Standage). This review should summarize the book’s
argument and critically engage with its content. Late papers will forfeit a letter
grade per 24 hour period late.
Border Project
Each student will sign up for one of the “borders” on the list provided on eCollege.
Your task is to become an expert on the history of the political boundaries in
question, including their past form, the reasons for their current shape, and the
prospects for future changes. After researching your topic, you will write and
submit a 3 page brief that explains the way historical events and forces have
shaped the current map of this border. You should also include a current and past
map as an addendum. We will discuss your reports in class. Your report should
include a properly formatted bibliography that includes at least three scholarly
sources.
World Tour Project
Each student will select a UNESCO World Heritage Site from the official list
(http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/). You will research (at least three scholarly
sources), write, and submit a script for a presentation that introduces your chosen
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place to the class in seven minutes. Your presentation should touch on the places’
location, history, physical geography, distinctiveness, and significance. After
receiving feedback on your proposal/script, you will present it to the class. Time
limits will be strictly enforced.
Commerce Project
One of the goals of this course is to bring geographical analysis to bear on our
immediate surroundings. As such, students will, in assigned pairs, “tour”
Commerce, TX using Google Earth and their own eyes. Students will then compose
and submit a paper copy of a social/cultural/political map of the town using a
street-map as a template. You will also compose and submit a 4-5 page written
“tour guide” to Commerce to accompany the map.
Tests
There will be three tests consisting of essay questions. Test questions will come
from course lectures, discussions, and assigned documents.
Global Scholars
If any student is seeking the designation of “Global Scholar,” the World Tour project
and presentation is the assignment/assessment you must upload to get credit for
this course as a Global Connections class. Each student working toward becoming a
Global Scholar must upload their QEP assessment into their ePortfolio at
http://www.tamuc.edu/aboutus/administrativeOffices/studentAccessAndSuccess/Qu
alityEnhancementPlan/global-scholar.aspx Since this assignment is not a
traditionally-defined essay, I highly suggest that the student include the entire
assignment packet (cover letter, presentation materials, script, and bibliography) in
the upload to the ePortoflio file.
Procedures and Policies
Drop/Withdrawal
If you decide that you need to drop or withdrawal from this course, it is your
responsibility to complete the necessary paperwork. I will not drop you from the
course if you stop attending. See the registrar’s website for the last day to drop the
course without a grade and the last day to Q-Drop.
Electronic Devices
Students are permitted to bring laptop computers to class for the purpose of note
taking. Students are NOT permitted, however, to check e-mail, use the internet,
complete other assignments, update facebook profiles, or use their computer or cell
phone for any purpose other than taking notes unless expressly instructed to by the
professor. Please silence your phones when you arrive each day.
Email Communication
All course communications will come through your university email account. Be sure
to check it regularly. You should contact me through my TAMU-C email address
([email protected]). I check my email regularly between 8 am and 5 pm
Monday – Saturday. I do not check my campus email on Sunday. A failure of
planning on your part does not constitute a crisis on my part.
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Attendance
Regular attendance is vital so success in the course. Each unexcused absence after
the third will result in a loss of 30 points from a student’s final grade. Only medical
and family emergencies and university approved absences will be excused. Normal
sickness does no not qualify as an emergency. Students are expected to obtain
class notes from fellow students when absent. Students who show up more than
ten minutes late to class will be considered absent for that day.
Late and Make-up Work
Make-up tests will only be offered in the case of a documented medical or family
emergency or an unexpected, university approved absence. Students who
anticipate university-approved absences must meet with me before the scheduled
exam period to make arrangements to take it at an alternate date. Late work will
be penalized a letter grade per day late (including weekends) and should be
emailed to me as soon as possible.
Syllabus Changes
Circumstances and events may make it necessary for the instructor to modify the
syllabus during the semester. Any changes made to the syllabus will be announced
as early as possible and will never result in additional work or earlier deadlines.
ADA Statement
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute
that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities.
Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be
guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of
their disabilities. If you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please
contact:
Office of Student Disability Resources and Services
Texas A&M University-Commerce
Gee Library- Room 132
Phone (903) 886-5150 or (903) 886-5835
Fax (903) 468-8148
Email: [email protected]
Website: Office of Student Disability Resources and Services
Nondiscrimination Notice
Texas A&M University-Commerce will comply in the classroom, and in online
courses, with all federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination and related
retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age,
genetic information or veteran status. Further, an environment free from
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender
expression will be maintained.
Course Schedule
Unit I – What is Geography?
January 19 Course Introduction
January 21 Thinking like a Geographer
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January 26 Seeing Like a Geographer
Homework: American Landscape Image Due
January 28 Borders and Migration
Border Project Explanation and Sign Up
Reading: Diner and Hagen, Intro, Chapters 1-3
February 2 Borders and Migration II
Reading: Diner and Hagen, Chapters 4-6
February 4 Africa and Middle East in a Day
Map Quiz #1
February 9 Border Project Discussion
Border Project Due
UNIT II – Dirt
February 11 Dirt and Agriculture
Reading: Montgomery, Dirt, Preface, Chapters 1-3
February 16 Erosion, Population, and Civilization
Reading: Montgomery, Dirt, Chapters 4-5
February 18 Easter Island and the Future of Civilization
Reading: Montgomery, Dirt, Chapters 8-10
February 23 Europe and Central Asia in a Day
Montgomery Book Review Due
Map Quiz #2
February 25 Test I
March 1
March 3
March 8
March 10
March 22
March 24
March 29
March 31
April 5
Unit III - Climate
Climate and History
Reading: Fagan, Little Ice Age, Preface-Chapter 3
No Class – Library Research Day
World Tour Bibliography Due
Climate and Agriculture
Reading: Fagan, The Little Ice Age, Chapters 4-7
Disaster and Vulnerability
Reading: Fagan, The Little Ice Age, Chapters 9-Epilogue
South, Southeast, and East Asia in a Day
Map Quiz #3
Fagan Book Review Due
UNIT IV – Global Trade
Rum, Slavery, and the Atlantic World
Reading: Sandage, Six Glasses, Chapters 5-6
Tea and the British Empire
Reading: Sandage, Six Glasses, Chapters 9-10
Latin America /Greater Caribbean in a Day
Map Quiz #4
World Tour Presentation Draft Due
Coca-Cola and Globalization
Reading: Sandage, Six Glasses, Chapters 11-12
Sandage Book Review Due
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April 7
April 12
April 14
April 19
April 21
April 26
April 28
May 3
May 5
Final Exam
Test II
Unit V – World Tour
World Tour Presentations
World Tour Presentations
UNIT VI – Geography in American History
North America in a Day/Finish World Tour Presentations
Map Quiz #5
Introduce Mapping Commerce Project
Race and Space in US History
Private and Public Space
Landscapes and American Identity
Reading: Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in
American History”, 1893
Mapping Commerce Project Discussion
Mapping Commerce Project Due
Living in a Place
Reading: Wendell Berry, “A Native Hill” in Recollected Essays 19651980 (New York: North Point Press, 1981, 73-113)
Date and Time TBA
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