Download first reading - Cal Poly Pomona

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
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
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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
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 lecturediscussions. 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
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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,
3rd 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
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
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VIII.
o Scale concepts and map utilization
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
GE-004-078, GEO 100, World Regional Geography
General Education Course – Area D3
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regions as they relate to economic, social, political and historical
institutions; 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