University of Maryland
Department of Geographical Sciences
GEOG 332: Economic Geography
Summer 2017
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COURSE SYLLABUS
Instructor Information
Joshua Wayland, PhD Candidate
Email: [email protected]
Office hours: By appointment only
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Office: LEF 2134
Course Description
This course provides an introduction to the field of economic geography. The course explores processes
driving spatial patterns of economic activity at the global, national, regional, and local scales. Topic areas
include economic globalization, spatial distribution of industrial sectors, transnational corporations,
international trade, regional economic development, and illegal economic activities. The course looks at
the development of the global marketplace in both the development of the global marketplace in both the
developed and the developing world.
Course Structure
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This course will take place completely online. There are no scheduled in person or virtual meetings.
Students will work on their own to complete the course, although they are encouraged to interact through
a discussion board or other means. The course is divided into 10 modules, each on a different topic or set
of related topics. Although students can move through the modules at their own pace, they must complete
each module by a certain due date. Each module includes five components:
A prerecorded lecture in a movie format that the student will watch;
The presentation slides from the lecture for the student to review;
A reading assignment for the student to complete;
An online quiz; and
An assigned discussion post topic.
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All of the course materials will be available online through the CANVAS/ELMS system before the
official start of class on July 10, 2017.
Required Books
This is a reading intensive course. There are four books that students will read by the end of the course.
The first book (Global Shift by Peter Dicken) is the textbook for the course. The other three books each
discuss an issue of interest to scholars of Economic Geography. The required books are:
Dicken, Peter. 2015. Global Shift 7th Edition. Oxford, UK: Blackwell
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Fishman, Charles. 2006. The Walmart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company Really
Works—and How It’s Transforming the American Economy. New York, NY: Penguin
Books.
Minter, Adam. 2013. Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade. New York,
NY: Bloomsbury Press.
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Bales, Kevin. 2012. Disposable People: New Slavery in the Global Economy. Updated Edition.
Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Assessments and grades
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All assignments will be completed or submitted online through the CANVAS/ELMS system. Grades will
also be distributed online through the CANVAS/ELMS system. The student’s final grade will be based
on three components: quizzes, discussion posts, and a final paper.
Quizzes: Students will take 10 quizzes online through the CANVAS/ELMS system. There is one quiz
for each module. The first quiz is not graded. Each quiz will have 10 multiple choice questions based on
the material presented in the lecture and/or from the assigned readings for the module. Because the
quizzes will be submitted online, students are permitted to use their notes to complete the quizzes. The
quizzes will be timed. Once the student starts the quiz, he or she will have 10 minutes to complete the
quiz. The student can take any quiz at any time and in any order, provided that she or he completes the
quiz by 11:59 pm on the due date for that quiz. All of the quizzes together are worth 45% of the student’s
final grade.
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Discussion Posts: Students will post 10 brief written assignments to a group discussion board in the
CANVAS/ELMS course website. There will be one discussion post for each module. The discussion
posts should be no more than approximately one paragraph each. The topics for the discussion posts are
posted on CANVAS/ELMS. Students can post their responses at any time before 11:59pm on the due
date. Students are encouraged to interact by replying to each other’s posts. All of the discussion posts
together are worth 25% of the student’s final grade.
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Paper: Each student will submit a final paper on the topic below. The paper must be between 1,500 and
2,500 words in length (between approximately 6 and 10 pages, double spaced). The paper must be
submitted through CANVAS/ELMS as a Microsoft Word document. The paper is due before 11:59pm
on August 18, although it can be submitted at any time before then. Students are strongly encouraged to
submit their paper well in advance of the due date to avoid any technical issues with submission. No late
papers will be accepted. The paper must follow the format described in the attached grading rubric. The
paper is worth 30% of the student’s final grade. The paper is the final graded assignment. There is no
final exam.
Paper topic: The paper should answer the question, “Does geography still matter in the global
economy?” There is no ‘correct’ answer to this question. Students will be graded on their ability
to make a convincing argument based on the material covered in the lectures and readings. The
paper should cite specific examples from the four books that students will read during the course
to make their argument.
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Summary of graded assignments: The table below summarizes the graded assignments in the course
and their relative contribution to the student’s final numerical grade.
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Component
Points
Percent of final grade
Quizzes
90 points (9 graded quizzes x 10 points each)
45% of final grade
Discussion Posts
50 points (10 discussion posts x 5 points each) 25% of final grade
Final Paper
60 points (see attached grading rubric)
30% of final grade
Total
200 points
100% of final grade
Note: Because students can complete the assignments at any time prior to the due date, there will be no
makeup assignments for any reason. No late assignments will be accepted.
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Grading scale: All assignments will be given a numerical grade. At the end of the semester, the
student’s overall numerical grade will be calculated, based on the grades for and the relative weights of
the assignments. The final numerical grade will be converted into a letter grade using the scale below.
Final Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
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Numerical Grade (n)
93 < n < 100
90 < n < 93
86 < n < 90
83 < n < 86
80 < n < 83
76 < n < 80
73 < n < 76
70 < n < 73
66 < n < 70
63 < n < 66
60 < n < 63
0 < n < 60
Class Schedule
Although students can move at their own pace, each module must be completed by the assigned date. The
module topics, reading assignments, and assignment due dates can be found in the table below.
Readings
Course syllabus
Assignments
Quiz 1 due Jul. 11 (ungraded)
Discussion Post 1 due Jul. 11
2. Globalization
Chapters 1-4 in textbook
Quiz 2 due Jul. 14
Discussion Post 2 due Jul. 14
3. Global Economic Processes
Chapters 5-7 in textbook
Quiz 3 due Jul. 18
Discussion Post 3 due Jul. 18
4. Extractive Industries & Agriculture
Chapters 12-13 in textbook
Quiz 4 due Jul. 21
Discussion Post 4 due Jul. 21
5. Manufacturing Industries
Chapters 14-15 in textbook
Quiz 5 due Jul. 25
Discussion Post 5 due Jul. 25
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Module
1. Introduction to the course
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Chapters 16-17 in textbook
Quiz 6 due Jul. 28
Discussion Post 6 due Jul. 28
7. The Retail Industry
The Walmart Effect
Quiz 7 due Aug. 1
Discussion Post 7 due Aug. 1
8. The Recycling Industry
Junkyard Planet
Quiz 8 due Aug. 8
Discussion Post 8 due Aug. 8
9. The Modern-Day Slave Industry
Disposable People
Quiz 9 due Aug. 11
Discussion Post 9 due Aug. 11
10. Social and Environmental Impacts
Chapters 8-11 in textbook
Quiz 10 due Aug. 15
Discussion Post 10 due Aug. 15
Final paper due Aug. 18
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Final Paper
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6. Business Services Industries
Note: Because students can complete the assignments at any time prior to the due date, there will be no
makeup assignments for any reason. No late assignments will be accepted.
Additional Information
Academic integrity: Plagiarism is the use of another person’s work as if it were your own. For more
technical definitions of plagiarism, see http://www.ugst.umd.edu/courserelatedpolicies.html. If the
instructor determines that there has been plagiarism on an assignment, the student will be informed and
will receive a zero for the assignment. Cases will be referred to the Student Conduct office.
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Honor Code: The University has a nationally recognized Honor Code administered by the Student Honor
Council. The Student Honor Council proposed and the University Senate approved an Honor Pledge.
The Pledge reads, “I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on
this assignment/examination.” Unless you are specifically advised to the contrary, the Pledge statement
should be handwritten and signed on the front cover of all papers, projects, or other academic assignments
submitted for evaluation in this course. Students who fail to write and sign the Pledge will be asked to
confer with the instructor.
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Accommodations for students with disabilities: If you have disabilities, learning or otherwise, you
should visit the Disability Support Service (DSS) office to fill out the appropriate forms that will tell the
instructor what accommodations to make. The instructor will make every effort to accommodate students
who are registered with the DSS office and who provide an updated DSS Accommodation form. The
form must be provided to the instructor no later than two weeks after the official start of the course. The
instructor is not able to accommodate students who are not registered with DSS or who do not provide
documentation reviewed by DSS.
CourseEvalUM: Your participation in the evaluation of courses through CourseEvalUM is a
responsibility you hold as a student member of our academic community. Your feedback is confidential
and important to the improvement of teaching and learning at the University. The instructor will make an
announcement when the course evaluation becomes available. Please complete the evaluation at
www.courseevalum.umd.edu.
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University of Maryland
Department of Geographical Sciences
GEOG 332: Economic Geography
Summer 2017
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APPENDIX A
FINAL PAPER INSTRUCTIONS
Your final assignment is to write a paper to demonstrate what they have learned during the course.
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Topic: The topic question for the paper is, “does geography still matter in the global economy?” In other
words, are space and place still relevant to how goods and services are produced and consumed? Do
geographical features affect industries, and how? What about states and borders? The physical
environment? Or, are we so interconnected today that it doesn’t really matter anymore where corporations
locate and do business? All of these questions are debatable. There is no “right” answer for the purpose of
this course. Your paper will be graded on how well you make your argument, based on the material from
the course.
Requirements: The final paper must be at least 1,500 words in length and cannot be more than 2,500
words. The paper must have a clear thesis statement. A thesis statement is an argumentative statement
that take a position or answers a question. The paper must support the thesis statement with at least four
specific examples from the assigned readings. At a minimum, the paper must cite all four of the books
assigned in the course. Students may also cite other sources, if they choose. Appropriate in-text citations
must be used. Any citation style (such as APA, MLA, or Chicago style) is acceptable, but it must be used
consistently throughout the paper.
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Format: A good paper should have an introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion
paragraph. The introduction should include your thesis statement and a ‘road map’ for your paper, which
is just a few sentences outlining the arguments you will make and the examples you will discuss. You
should include at least two full body paragraphs for each example, one to summarize the example and one
to relate the example back to your thesis statement. You must relate each example back to your thesis
statement in order to have a convincing argument! Your conclusion should restate your thesis summarize
(again) the arguments that you made.
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University of Maryland
Department of Geographical Sciences
GEOG 332: Economic Geography
Summer 2017
Student name:
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APPENDIX B
FINAL PAPER GRADING RUBRIC
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Grading criteria:
1. Paper includes a clearly stated thesis (20%)
a. Clear presentation of paper’s central thesis in the introduction __________
b. Appropriate level of detail in the thesis (thesis doesn’t tackle too little or too much) _________
c. Introductory paragraph(s) prepares the reader for what to expect _________
2. The paper’s thesis is supported with high quality arguments (60%)
a. Clear presentation of the arguments supporting your thesis _________
b. Good and appropriate evidence for the claims made in your paper _________
c. Evidence provided in the paper draws from the book being appraised _________
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d. The paper demonstrates the students own original ideas _________
3. Appropriate structure (20%)
a. The paper focuses on the central thesis and does not jump from topic to topic _________
b. The paper abides by the word length of the assignment _________
c. The paper concludes with a brief summary of main points _________
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d. In-text citations are used consistently and correctly _________
Other comments: _____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Final grade: _________________
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