COURSE SYLLABUS – 1/12/2010. Updated 1/14/2010; and 3/30/2010.
NOTE!!! "SCHEDULE" has the definitive assignment links ...
Geography of Utah
Geography 3600-001— Spring 2010
Fulfills General Education Social/Behavioral Science Intellectual Explorations
OSH 111
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:25 – 1:45 PM
Instructor: Genevieve Atwood, Ph.D., Adjunct Assistant Professor
Office hours: OSH 172, Tuesdays 2PM – 4PM and by appointment. I encourage you to take advantage of office hours. Don’t hesitate to email or telephone me to set up a meeting as my primary office is off campus.
Contacts: genevieve.atwood@geog.utah.edu and 801-534-1896 between 8AM and 8PM. No office phone.
Credit Hours: 3. Last day to drop: January 20, 2010. Last day to withdraw: March 5, 2010.
Class Website: Go to http://www.earthscienceeducation.org for schedule, class notes, assignments, and announcements. Go to WebCT / Blackboard for course management such as to to track grades. Some homework assignments may be submitted electronically. See details of assignments.
Two texts: This course cries out for a textbook, Geography of Utah, but that text does not exist. The class website introduces concepts of physical geography using Hamblin (2004). This optional text does just what its title suggests, it gives the reader as sense of “Beyond the Visual Landscape” of Utah. The required text, Zick and Smith, eds, (2006) examines the 2000 US Census data to portray Utah peoples at the beginning of the 21st Century. We will explore concepts of social and behavioral sciences using this text.
- Zick, C.D. and K.R. Smith, editors (2006). Utah at the beginning of the new millennium: a demographic perspective. Salt Lake City, UT, The University of Utah Press, 265 p.
- Hamblin, W. K. (2004). Beyond the Visible Landscape: Aerial Panoramas of Utah’s Geology. Provo, UT: BYU Geology, 300 p.
Pre-requisites, none. The course thrives on diversity of students: Utahns and non-Utahns; majors and non-majors; undergraduates and practicing teachers; those who love the state, and many who will live most of their lives elsewhere. GEOG3600 is a stand-alone class for undergraduates, not a building block within a series of courses. Students with bright eyes and open minds from any academic background are encouraged to learn more about themselves and where they live.
Course description from UofU course catalogue:
GEOG3600 Geography of Utah (3)
Fulfills Social/Behavioral Science Intellectual Explorations.
This course explores the human and physical phenomena that make Utah distinctive. Lectures and labs examine webs of relationships among Utah's people, places, and environments. Students use histories of Utah communities to examine influences of contrasting physical and social environments.
Course objectives:
Geography of Utah examines and explains the physical and human phenomena that make Utah, and places within Utah, distinctive. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with an array of concepts of social and behavioral sciences (anthropology, economics, family and consumer studies, geography, political science, psychology, and sociology) as well as the five subsystems of Earth systems (geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, and anthrosphere). Exploration of the discipline of geography includes (a) examining Utah’s geography in the context of the five themes of geography (location, place, regions, movements, and interactions), and (b) examining how aspects of Utah’s physical geography have influenced and continue to influence Utah’s peoples and social institutions. Students will understand how specific aspects of Utah’s physical geography impact Utah’s human geography, such as: how characteristics of the geosphere impact transportation corridors; how characteristics of the hydrosphere impact the development of cities; how characteristics of the atmosphere and impacts of climate change have political consequences; and how characteristics of the biosphere affected the life styles of Utah’s early peoples. Students will appreciate spatial patterns of Utah’s demographics. Students will apply state-wide concepts to a specific place as a way to understand how spatial scale affects geographic understanding. After completing their atlas / case study, students will be able to research, interpret, and analyze census data, urban plans, and population pyramids. They will have a heart-beat understanding of relationships among Utah’s peoples, places and environments, past and present, and at different spatial scales. In short, they will understand what is meant by a sense of place. After this course, students should recognize and anticipate how webs of relationships among physical, behavioral, and social conditions will influence their own choices and their futures.
Course approach:
The course is divided into three parts: (a) Geography of Utah and the five themes of human and physical geography; (b) Geography of Utah and ways its physical geography have influenced its human geography; (c) Geography of Utah and present and historic patterns of demographics, social institutions, social conditions, and economics.
The first part of the course explores Utah using the five themes of geography: location, place, interaction, movement, and region. Class lectures present concepts. In-class and homework assignments apply skills and challenge students to recognize geographic boundaries on maps and out of doors. At the end of the first part of the course, students have explored the discipline of geography and have been exposed to Utah’s geography at state-wide and local scales.
The second part of the course explores how Utah’s physical geography (topography, geology, hydrology, biology, and climate) affects Utah’s human geography including past and present settlements, economies associated with natural resources, spatial patterns of urbanization, land ownership, and issues of climate change.
The third part of the course explores issues of social and behavioral science. Topics include spatial patterns and diversity among Utah households, crime, religious affiliation, immigration patterns, economic forces, models for growth, and recent changes in Utah’s population pyramids. As part of their atlas project, students think critically about concepts and examine them in the context of a specific place.
The three part approach of the course is designed to demonstrate how the discipline of geography provides insights into relationships among physical and human phenomena. GEOG3330 takes an Earth systems approach to understanding the spectacular physical geography of the state. The course meets the general education requirement for intellectual exploration of social and behavioral sciences: (a) the first part of the course explores the five themes of geography and applies them to Utah, (b) the second part of the course relates Utah’s physical geography to social and behavioral patterns of the state, and (c) the third part of the course explores a broad array of concepts of behavioral and social science in the spatial contexts of Utah’s urban Wasatch Front and Utah’s rural counties.
GEOGRAPHY OF UTAH – Schedule– Spring 2010-GEOG3600 -
Day |
|
Topic -- (bring text to class as indicated) |
HW due |
|
|
PART ONE – Explore concepts of geography |
|
1/12
Tu |
01 |
COURSE OVERVIEW, LOGISTICS, EXPECTATIONS; TERMS and THEMES: Geography; Geography of Utah; five themes of geography; social and behavioral sciences; subsystems of Earth systems. |
a b c |
1/14
Th |
02 |
EXPECTATIONS: Atlas – school; school district; county; state.
LECTURE: Theme 1 of Geography - LOCATION: Latitude, longitude; effects of mid-latitude continental location on Utah’s physical and human geographies. Google Earth. |
|
1/19
Tu |
03 |
Theme 2 of Geography – PLACE: Utah’s political boundaries. History and discussion evolution of the state’s boundaries; Utah’s 29 counties. Political Science. |
IC-01;
|
1/21
Th |
04 |
Theme 3 of Geography – INTERACTION of people, places, and environments. Rural, urban, and suburban Utah; Sociology. |
A01 |
1/26
Tu |
05 |
Theme 4 of Geography - MOVEMENT. Geography and Utah history. Population movements; Cultural diffusion; Native American travois to Interstates. Anthropology. |
|
1/28
Th |
06 |
Theme 5 of Geography – REGIONS. 1 Great State with 2 (major) hydrologic regions; 3 physiographic regions; 4 climate regions; and 5 bioregions. Geography. |
A02 |
|
|
PART TWO – Connect the dots. Associate Utah’s human geography with Utah’s physical geography. An Earth systems approach. |
|
2/2 Tu |
07 |
Physical – Geosphere. Utah regions based on landforms. (HAMBLIN)
Contrasts among Utah’s 3 physiographic provinces. |
|
2/4
Th |
08 |
Human – Geosphere. (HAMBLIN)
Topography and patterns of land ownership. |
A03 |
2/9 ?
Tu |
09 |
Physical – Geosphere – Anthrosphere
Geologic resources and hazards. |
A04 |
2/11 ?
Th |
10 |
Urban land use and WASATCH FAULT – field excursion. NOTE!!!! Weather dependent. That’s why the uncertainty (??) for 2/9 and 2/13. Wear sensible shoes, jacket, etc. |
|
2/16 ?
Tu |
11 |
Physical – Hydrosphere. (HAMBLIN).
Surface water. Utah’s two major hydrologic basins. Watersheds. Management. |
|
2/18
Th |
12 |
Human – Hydrosphere. Wet water versus paper water; e.g., Salt Lake City’s water supply. Water and the West. Politics. |
|
2/23
Tu |
13 |
Physical – Atmosphere. Climate and weather. (HAMBLIN)
Utah’s four climate regions. Where our weather comes from. |
A06 |
2/25
Th |
14 |
Human – Atmosphere. Climate and climate change. Lake Bonneville, Great Salt Lake: Science, society, and politics. Sociology. |
A05 |
3/2
Tu |
15 |
Physical – Biosphere. Utah’s regions based on characteristics of the biosphere – 5 ecoregions. HAMBLIN. |
|
3/4
Th |
16 |
Human – Biosphere. Utah’s ecoregions and Utah’s early peoples. Utah geography and native peoples from 13,000 years ago to 1800s. Anthropology. |
A07 |
3/9
Tu |
17 |
REVIEW |
|
3/11
Th |
16 |
MIDTERM |
Midterm |
|
|
PART THREE – Explorations of social and behavioral sciences –
Geography is a social and behavioral science. |
|
3/16
Tu |
19 |
Utah geography and Utah history.
Evolution of geographic knowledge. Trappers, explorers |
|
3/18
Th |
20 |
Utah geography and Utah history.
Settlers. Examination of “failed” communities. |
A08 and A09 |
|
|
SPRING BREAK – March 21 – 26. |
|
3/30
Tu |
21 |
How to find data for examination of social and behavioral patterns. Utah - Basic Demographics. SARA LARSEN - how to explore census data |
IC-02 |
4/1
Th |
22 |
Utah in the 21st Century. Demographic trends. Economics. PAM PERLICH will discuss state-wide Utah’s demographics; challenges of changed spatial scale. |
|
4/6 Tu |
23 |
Utah - Basic Demographics: (Z&S) Census Data -- Chapters 1: age pyramids |
Z-IC-01 |
4/8
Th |
24 |
Utah - Quality of Life Issues: (Z&S) Chapters 4-6. |
Z-IC-02 |
4/13
Tu |
25 |
Utah - Quality of Life and Emerging Issues: (Z&S) Chapters 7-11. |
Z-IC-03 |
4/15
Th |
26 |
Utah - Emerging Issues: (Z&S) Chapters 12-16. |
Z-IC-04 |
4/20
Tu |
27 |
Utah- Emerging Issues: (Z&S) Chapters 17-22. Z-IC-06 = peer review of classmate's outline of community profile and explorations of social and behavioral science issues. |
Z-IC-05 ... Z-IC-06 |
4/22
Th |
28 |
Utah – Human and Physical Geography. Recreation and Economics. Tourism. Skiing. Outdoor recreation. National and State parks. Culture. (HAMBLIN) |
IC-03 |
4/27
Tu |
29 |
REVIEW and WRAP-UP – Special places. Sense of place. |
IC-04
IC-05 |
4/30
at exam |
|
ATLAS due on memory stick. Turn in at the latest when you take your exam. I'll forward it to your school's principal and post it via the UofU onto the course web site. |
A11
A12
A13 |
4/30 |
|
10:30AM – 12:30PM -- FINAL EXAM – |
Final |
Expected Time Commitment:
In accordance with university, school, and department policies, as this is a 3-credit class and homework should take 1-2 hours per class session, about 3 hours per week. Homework assignments for the first two-thirds of the course generally ask you to apply concepts presented in lectures to a specific Utah place, a school of your choice and the school district and county where it is located. These assignments become the core of your atlas. Some assignments use the optional Hamblin (2004) text as visual evidence of Utah’s diverse physical geography. The third part of the course includes reading assignments, writing assignments, and application of concepts of Zick and Smith, eds, (2006). As with the first two-thirds of the course, atlas assignments of the third part of the course challenge you to apply concepts of social and behavioral sciences to a specific Utah place.
Evaluation methods: The grade for the course is calculated based on the following assignments. Late assignments of the first and second parts of the course may be turned in for partial credit up to the midterm, and for the third part of the course, until midnight May 1, 2010.
Course Requirements and Grading Evaluation |
|
% |
Atlas for a Utah school (school, district, county, state).
A01-A08 Applications of lecture content to a place
A09 Interim status of Atlas and Introduction
A10 Community profile (a) 3; (b) 7.
A11 Exploration soc/behav science issues (a) 3; (b) 7.
A12 Appendix: data sets, other.
A13 Final atlas; electronic version with summary. |
8 @ 3
5
10
10
-
10 |
59 |
In-Class hand-ins – IC01-05 |
5@1 |
5 |
Midterm |
|
10 |
Final exam |
|
10 |
Green sheets – feedback and recapitulation (max of 15) |
(not graded) |
3 |
Zick and Smith – Utah demographics, 21st Century
Z-01 Co-lead discussion of one set of Z&S chapters
Z-02 Class participation (4/1-4/20 and other)
Z-IC01-06 In-Class critical thinking about Z&S |
5
Up to 3
6 @ 1 |
14 |
Total possible – with 2% possible for extra credit |
|
103% |
Grade scale: Grades will be calculated on a curve only for an upward curve.
SCHEDULE for specific assignments. If assignment is an in-class assignment, there may be no link.
Links |
Due |
Class content |
% |
Assignment. # Due on memory stick
! = in-class; *up to 3% for participation |
IC-01 |
1/19 |
1/12 |
1 |
! IC-01: pre-course anonymous self assessment; self awareness – place, and mental maps |
A01 |
#
1/21 |
1/14 |
3 |
A01: Theme of Geography = Location. Why it matters. |
A02 |
#
1/28 |
1/21-26 |
3 |
A02: Themes of Geography = Interaction and movement. |
A03 |
#
2/4 |
1/28 |
3 |
A03: Theme of Geography = Regions. |
A04 |
#
2/9 |
2/4 |
3 |
A04: Geosphere – Anthrosphere. Topography and land use. Economics |
A05 |
#
2/25 |
2/11
?? |
3 |
A05: Geosphere – Anthrosphere. Wasatch Fault, urban hazards and land use. FIELD TRIP worksheets. Psychology. |
A06 |
#
2/23 |
2/16 |
3 |
A06: Hydrosphere – Anthrosphere. Surface water. Watersheds. Political science. |
A07 |
#
3/4 |
2/25 |
3 |
A07: Hydrosphere – Atmosphere – Anthrosphere.
Climate change. Sociology. |
A08 |
#
3/18 |
3/4 |
3 |
A08: Biosphere – Anthrosphere. Biomes, ecoregions, Utah’s early peoples. Anthropology. |
A09 |
3/18 |
|
5 |
A09: Part 1 of Atlas – turn in memory stick, with INTRODUCTION due the Thursday after the MIDTERM |
|
3/11 |
|
10 |
MIDTERM |
| IC-02
|
!
4/1 |
4/1 |
1 |
Information and data sets for human geography of Utah. Sara Larsen presenter. |
green sheet |
!
3/30 |
3/30 |
1 |
Economic and demographic trends of 21st Century Utah
(Dr. Pam Perlich, UBER - Economics) |
A10a; A11a; A12a |
#
4/15 |
March, April |
2 2 |
Outlines for PART TWO, Atlas for a Utah School. A10a- Community profile; A11a- Explorations of Social and Behavioral science issues; A12a- Appendix for data sets and information, human geography. |
Z-IC-01 |
!
4/6 |
4/6 |
1 |
Z-IC-02: Zick and Smith Chapters 4-6
Analysis – |
Z-IC-02 |
!
4/8 |
4/8 |
1 |
Z-IC-03:Zick and Smith Chapters 7-11
Analysis - |
Z-IC-03 |
!
4/13 |
4/13 |
1 |
Z-IC-04:Zick and Smith Chapters 12-16
Analysis - |
Z-IC-04 |
!
4/15 |
4/15 |
1 |
Z-IC-05: Zick and Smith Chapters 17-22
Analysis |
Z-IC-05 |
!
4/20 |
4/20 |
1 |
Z-IC-06:: Zick and Smith Chapters 19-22
Analysis - |
Z-01 |
|
|
5 |
Z-01- Present a chapter of Zick and Smith; summary page. |
Z-02 |
|
|
3 |
Z-02 –Participate in class discussions. |
IC-03 |
!
4/22 |
4/22 |
1 |
IC-03: Physical and Human geographies of Utah – recreation; national and state parks. |
IC-04
IC-05 |
!
! |
4/27 |
1
1 |
IC-04: Special places
IC-05: Anonymous post-course self-assessment |
A10b |
4/30 |
|
10 |
A10b-final version - community profile |
A11b |
4/30 |
|
10 |
A11b-final version - explorations of social and behavioral science issues |
A12b |
4/30 |
|
- |
A12b: final version - Appendix, human geography - for data sets and information |
A13 |
4/30 |
|
6 |
A13: Atlas – Abstract, prologue, summary and final version of entire atlas (on memory stick). |
|
4/30 |
|
10 |
Final Exam |
University of Utah, Department of Geography, and class policies with respect to student and faculty responsibilities.
Academic Misconduct
Academic misconduct will not be tolerated. Penalties may include failure of an assignment, the entire course, and/or the filing of formal charges with appropriate university authorities. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, cheating, misrepresenting one’s work, and plagiarism:
- Cheating involves the unauthorized possession or use of information in an academic exercise, including unauthorized communication with another person during an exercise such as an examination.
- Misrepresenting one’s work includes, but is not limited to, representing material prepared by another as one’s own work or submitting the same work in more than one course without prior permission of all instructors.
- Plagiarism means the intentional unacknowledged use or incorporation of any other person’s work in one’s own work offered for academic consideration or public presentation.
- Plagiarism detection service software may be used to check some homework assignments, in which case you will be required to submit your homework to such a service as part of the assignment.
Generalized Faculty-Student responsibilities
The Student Code in the Student Handbook describes students’ rights and responsibilities
(www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-10_pdfs/8-10_section_1.pdf). The Faculty Rules and Regulations (www.admin.utah.edu/ppmanual/8/8-12-4.html) describe faculty responsibilities. Students are responsible for reading, understanding, and abiding by the Code. Students are expected to maintain professional behavior in the classroom. Students have specific rights in the classroom as detailed in Article III of the Code. Part of my faculty responsibilities includes enforcing classroom behavior and maintain a climate conducive to thinking and learning. Students have a right to support and assistance from the University in maintaining a climate conducive to thinking and learning. When behavior is disruptive, such as cell phones, whispering, arriving late & leaving early, bringing children to class, etc., you should expect verbal warnings, progressing to dismissal from class, and, possibly, a failing grade. Students have the right to appeal to the Student Behavior Committee.
Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, 581-5020 (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services.
Respect: Geography of Utah includes class discussions. Students should be considerate and respectful of others perspectives as they express opinions. Please be open with the instructor if you feel class sessions or management has been inappropriate. Some of the subject matter in this course includes topics that some students may find controversial or offensive. Please review the syllabus carefully to see if the course is one that you are committed to taking. If you have concerns, please discuss them with me at your earliest convenience.
Problems, absences, and other concerns:
Paperwork and assignments are generally the responsibility of the student. If you have problems keeping up with assignments, I encourage you to take advantage of office hours. Don’t hesitate to email me or even to telephone me at home, 8AM-8PM, 534-1896.
Not binding:
This syllabus is not a binding legal contract. It may be modified by the instructor with reasonable notice to participants.
