Download I. Catalog Description

CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA
ACADEMIC SENATE
GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
REPORT TO
THE ACADEMIC SENATE
GE-004-078
GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
General Education Committee
Date: 7/2/08
Executive Committee
Received and Forwarded
Date: 7/9/08
Academic Senate
Date: 7/16/08
First Reading
10/1/08
Second Reading
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
2
BACKGROUND:
“World Regional Geography” is offered at many Cal State Universities, as well as at
community colleges with a geography program. Additionally, the introduction of this course at
Cal Poly Pomona would allow transfer students to obtain course credit.
RESOURCES CONSULTED:
Dr. Terence Young, Dr. Dale Turner, Dr. Dorothy Wills, Dr. Claudia Pinter-Lucke
REVIEW:
This course has been considered by the GE Committee in two consecutive years. It had been
approved in the GE committee in 2006/2007. In this academic year, GE committee members
have asked for specific information that justifies approving this class as an area D3 offering.
Several revisions were supplied by the course author, particularly as relates to course
assessment, and those revisions are reflected in the accompanying Extended Course
Outline.
RECOMMENDATION:
The GE Committee voted 8-0-1 to approve this course, and now forwards it to the Academic
Senate for approval.
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
3
EXTENDED COURSE OUTLINE
I.
Catalog Description
GEO 100 World Regional Geography (4)
The world’s major regions and the ways people live in them. Includes the regions’
physical and cultural characteristics, their similarities and differences, levels of
development, geopolitics, and population dynamics. Emphasis on current major
issues and their geographic contexts and impacts. 4 lecture-discussions. Meets GE
requirement in Area D3 for non-majors.
II.
Required Background or Experience
None
III.
Expected Outcomes
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
a. Demonstrate an awareness of the major regions of the world, and significant
places and patterns within those regions
b. Identify absolute and relative locations of significant places
c. Identify major current trends in the region’s political economy, cultural change, and
environmental issues
d. Compare and contrast regions based on their physical, political, economic, and
social characteristics as evidenced in their cultural landscapes
e. Identify regions and major sub-regions on thematic maps and interpret information
from them about the spatial distribution of phenomena
f. Demonstrate knowledge of major geographic issues and trends in the
contemporary world
g. Identify on maps major physiographic divisions of the continents
h. Distinguish developed and developing regions and nations based on economic,
political, and social indicators
i. Identify types of globalization trends and processes operating on the global scale
using spatial indicators
j. Compare and contrast population distributions and growth/contraction trends
among regions and major representative countries
k. Recognize the forces of diversity and ethnic identity at work in regions that counter
globalization trends and cause devolution
l. Compare the status of indigenous peoples, women, and minority populations in a
regional cultural context
m. Articulate the attributes of culture that commonly distinguish cultural regions:
language, religion, ethnicity, traditions, and social relations
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
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n. Identify global environmental change concerns and trends in the inter-regional
context of the strongly interconnected Earth system, including global warming, land
degradation, air and water quality, and natural hazards
o. Evaluate different approaches to regional study and methods of geographic
observation.
IV.
Instructional Materials
Required Textbook (Typically one of the following):
Harm J. de Blij and Peter O. Muller. 2005. Geography: Realms, Regions, and
Concepts, 12th Edition. NY: Wiley
Joseph J. Hobbs and Christopher L. Salter. 2005. Essentials of World Regional
Geography, 5th Edition. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Brooks Cole
Sallie A. Marston, Paul L. Knox, and Diana M. Liverman. 2005. World Regions
in Global Context: Peoples, Places, and Environments, 2 nd Edition. NY: Prentice
Hall
Lydia Mihelic Pulsipher and Alex Pulsipher. 2005. World Regional Geography:
Global Patterns, Local Lives, 3rd Edition. NY: W.H. Freeman
Lester Rowntree, Martin Lewis, Marie Price, and William Wyckoff. 2006.
Diversity amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development, 3 rd
Edition. NY: Prentice Hall
V.
Minimum Student Material
No special materials required.
VI.
Minimum College Facilities
A smart classroom with an Internet connection, computer projector, and wall maps.
VII.
Course Outline
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Regional Concept and types of regions
o Regional approaches in geographic study
o Formal and functional regions
o Physical elements in regional definitions
o Cultural components in regional definitions
Themes in regional geography
o Basics of space, place and location
o Scale concepts and map utilization
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
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VIII.
o The natural environment: climate, landforms and biota
o The cultural landscape
Diversity and Globalization
o Shifting population and settlement patterns
o Cultural coherence and the challenge of diversity
o The geopolitical framework
o The spatial unevenness of economic and social development
Global Environmental Issues
o Human settlement on a restless Earth
o Global climate change
o Water scarcity and pollution
o Human impacts on plants and animals
o Food resources and security
Survey of world regions and their current issues
o North America
o Latin America and the Caribbean
o Sub-Saharan Africa
o Southwest Asia and North Africa
o Europe
o Central Asia
o East Asia
o South Asia
o Australia and Oceania
Instructional Methods
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IX.
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Lectures and discussions
Information presentation and analysis using maps, slides, and videos
Extensive use of the Internet to supplement readings
Student presentations
Outcomes Assessment
Assignments, direct evaluations and an assessment evaluation meeting will be utilized
to assess the extent to which students meet the educational outcomes specified for the
course. Assessment of Area D3 GE objectives is in italics. Expected Outcomes
addressed are underlined.
 Typical assignments
o Out-of-class mapping of sub-regions, physical features, cultural regions
and urban centers. Ability to connect sometimes fragmented information
from different portions of the world and to then draw meaningful
conclusions. III a, b, e, g
o Preparation of an in-class, oral presentation on a region, which may
include audio-visual components; maps, charts and diagrams; and,
computer-based learning resources. Hone understanding of regions as
they relate to economic, social, political and historical institutions;
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
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acquire tools for deeper understanding of current and past regions. III a,
c, e, l, m, n
o Essays on researched regional environmental or cultural issues. Gain in
depth knowledge of a world region other than one’s own – adds
multidimensional, global and cross-cultural perspective to understanding
of one region in relation to another. III c, h, I, j, k, l, m, n, o
o Supplemental reading assignments from newspapers or periodical
literature (either in print or on-line). Acquire habit of understanding the
dynamic, constantly shifting nature of a regionalized world. III d, f, h, I, k
Direct evaluation
o Performance based evaluations structured around regional units (e.g.,
Latin America) and principal geographic concepts. Designed to probe
holistic understanding of a region in relation to the larger world and to
the world’s other regions. III a, b, c, d, e, f, g, j, m, n
 Midterm and final exams
 Quizzes
 Map quizzes
o Instructor may choose to evaluate student in-class presentation(s) to
assess student understanding of regional approaches to geographic
knowledge as well as ability to clearly organize and express key
information on regional attributes III d, f, h, I, k, l, n, o
o Participation in class activities and discussions III b, d, e, g, I, j, l, n, o
Assessment evaluation meeting
o General meeting of course instructors to evaluate whether instruction,
assignments and direct evaluations are achieving expected outcomes
and to adjust each as necessary