Department of Geography & Geology The University of Southern Mississippi
Political Geography / GHY 341 May 2009 Mini-Session Syllabus Professor: Mark M. Miller
Learning outcomes Gain a basic foundation of political geography terms and concepts Understand how a social scientist—a political geographer, in particular—frames, addresses, and seeks answers to research problems Recognize a geographer's perspective on global, national, and local issues: the importance of unique places, as well as the commonalities and relationships among these places Admit (albeit grudgingly) that issues in political geography play an important part in all our careers, lives, and leisure pursuits Learn to use some of the basic tools of the political geographer's art—e.g., world-class periodicals, research journals, on-line media—and adopt these as life-long skills and habits Enhance communication skills such as logical argument, persuasive writing, and presentation with maps and other graphic devices Not embarrass the professor after graduation (or fail miserably on a televised game show) through complete geographic ignorance Class meetings Readings Required readings Articles, websites, and other sources will be assigned throughout the week. Recommended readings I recommend a good quality paperback international atlas. The Rand McNally Atlas of World Geography is one example of a good value atlas, and it is available in the USM Textbook Center. 8:00 a. m. – 5:00 p.m., Monday 18 May – Friday 22 May Walker Science Building 132
Useful research resources You should be familiar with a wide variety of research resources, including the following. These resources will be useful for your research presentation, as well as for general class preparation. Journals in the library National Geographic: G1 N27 Professional Geographer: G3 .P7 Southeastern Geographer: G1.S62 Wall Street Journal: Cook Library reading room and online through subscription Basic reference materials (not acceptable as research references, but good places to gain some basic background understanding of topics, terms, and concepts) Ask.com. Retrieved July 30, 2007: www.ask.com Answers.com. Retrieved January 10, 2006: www.answers.com Encarta. Retrieved August 21, 2007: http://encarta.msn.com/ Wikopedia. Retrieved August 21, 2006: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%25s And other, similar sites Online resources Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html Economist.com. Retrieved January 11, 2006: http://economist.com/ Google Scholar. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://scholar.google.com/ Migration Policy Institute. Retrieved July 30, 2007: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/ National Geographic Society. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ Population Reference Bureau. Retrieved July 30, 2007: http://www.prb.org/ United Nations. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.un.org/english/ United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Reports. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://hdr.undp.org/ United Nations Development Programme, Statistics: Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://hdr.undp.org/statistics/ United Nations Population Information Network. http://www.un.org/popin/ U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/ University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, Style Guides. Retrieved August 20, 2006: http://www.lib.usm.edu/help/style_guides.html University of Texas at Austin Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ Wall Street Journal online. Retrieved January 11, 2006: http://online.wsj.com [available by subscription only] Washington Post. Retrieved January 10, 2006: www.washingtonpost.com Washington Post, World. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/world/ World Bank. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.worldbank.org/ Page 2 of 8 5/30/2009
World Bank, Countries & Regions. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/0,,pagePK:180619~theSitePK:13 6917,00.html World Bank, Data & Research. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://econ.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/0,,menuPK:476823~pagePK:641652 36~piPK:64165141~theSitePK:469372,00.html
Grading 20% Class preparation and participation 30% Daily quizzes (3 x 10%) 35% Research presentation Proposal (5%) Group grade (10%) Individual grade (20%) 15% Final exam 100% Professor Mark M. Miller; Ph.D., M.I.M. (Master of International Management) Tel. 601 818 6608 Office: International Center 419 (suite IC 413) and WSB 225 E-mail: mmmgeographer@gmail.com Course policies Office hours are by appointment. Please feel free to schedule an appointment for any convenient time. Be sure to talk to me if you have any questions at all regarding the course, class discussions, the readings, your research topic or project, or any other part of the course. Please see me as soon as possible, before small issues turn into large problems. The best way to contact me is usually via email. We can deal with short questions via email, or make an appointment for a phone call or office visit at your convenience. All assignments must be received on schedule, except by prior permission of the professor. Otherwise, I will not accept or grade late assignments. Plan on completing all course requirements on time and by the end of the current semester. ―Incompletes‖ will be given only under exceptional, extreme, and demonstrable circumstances; only with prior permission of the professor; and only at the professor’s discretion in a particular case. I strongly encourage you to ask questions in class. The students in this class will vary widely in their academic and personal backgrounds. Please do not hesitate to ask for definitions of terms or clarifications of concepts. If you have any questions about class expectations, I prefer that you ask Page 3 of 8
these questions in class, so that everyone can benefit. If you are shy, however, also feel free to contact me individually. I expect you to have reviewed the assigned materials thoroughly for each class meeting. You should come prepared to ask questions, respond to my questions, and otherwise contribute to the class discussion. Regular attendance is expected and will be necessary to achieve satisfactory grades on exams and other assignments. Please note, with regard to both exam questions and your research project (below): I don’t simply want your opinions on these issues. You are attending a university for a reason. I want your well informed and well researched opinions. Back up your arguments always with solid scholarship, documentation, and citation.
The research presentation On the first day of class, all students will sign up for or be assigned to a particular topic group for their research paper, from the following list. There should be no fewer than three students per topic, and no more than four. (I am possibly open to other political geography topics, but only with prior approval.) o o o o o o o o o o Can Mexico win its ―drug war?‖ What is the future of Iraq, after U.S. withdrawal? Can U.S. auto companies survive? (Should they?) Darfur: should the U.S. or U.N. do more? Should the U.S. open relations with Cuba? Should the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan? Should the U.S. escalate its military commitment to Pakistan? How can pirates be controlled? Can New Orleans recover and prosper? Will Russia re-emerge as a major world power?
The research project consists of a persuasive presentation, arguing one position on a particular current issue in political geography. Every individual’s presentations must include at least four supportive graphics, such as maps, tables, or graphs—and cite at least an additional eight relevant references from reputable sources. Each individual presentation should be between fifteen and twenty minutes in length. All information, graphics, and ideas from other sources must be fully and appropriately referenced. If you do not know how to cite and reference sources appropriately, please be sure to seek help in this regard. If you have not done so already, you should complete the plagiarism tutorial on the USM Library website, at the following web address: http://avatar.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php If you are familiar with a particular standard referencing system already (e.g., Turabian, APA, MLA) you may use that style if you do so consistently. Otherwise, I suggest that you utilize the Chicago Page 4 of 8 5/30/2009
Manual of Style system. A quick guide to this system may be found here: http://www.usm.edu/aredjournal/chicago.html Plagiarism and academic ethics Plagiarism is defined in the USM Undergraduate Bulletin as follows: Plagiarism is scholarly theft, and it is defined as the unacknowledged use of secondary sources. More specifically, any written or oral presentation in which the writer or speaker does not distinguish clearly between original and borrowed material constitutes plagiarism. Because students, as scholars, must make frequent use of the concepts and facts developed by other scholars, plagiarism is not the mere use of another’s facts and ideas. However, it is plagiarism when students present the work of other scholars as if it were their own work. Plagiarism is committed in a number of ways: 1. reproducing another author’s writing as if it were one’s own 2. paraphrasing another author’s work without citing the original 3. borrowing from another author’s ideas, even though those ideas are reworded, without giving credit 4. copying another author’s organization without giving credit (p. 92) The penalty for committing plagiarism on an assignment will result, at minimum, in a failing grade for the assignment and possibly for the course. Egregious cases of plagiarism may result in expulsion from the student’s degree program or a recommendation that the student be expelled from the University. It is the student’s responsibility to understand the meaning of plagiarism and the appropriate guidelines for citations. Accordingly, any student who does not understand what constitutes plagiarism, or does not understand how to appropriately cite sources, should seek assistance from the professor or from a number of available style guides. For example: University of Southern Mississippi Libraries, Style Guides. Retrieved August 20, 2006: http://www.lib.usm.edu/help/style_guides.html. The USM library website also offers a Plagiarism Tutorial: http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php.
Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies. Address: The University of Southern Mississippi Office for Disability Accommodations 118 College Drive # 8586 Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001 Voice Telephone: (601) 266-5024 or (228) 214-3232 Fax: (601) 266-6035 Page 5 of 8
Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi Relay Service at 1-800-582-2233 (TTY) or email Suzy Hebert at Suzanne.Hebert@usm.edu
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University of Texas at Austin PerryCastañeda Library Map Collection. Retrieved January 10, 2006: http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/pdf /world_country.pdf
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POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY – RESEARCH PROJECT
Your name: _____________________________________________________ Your student #: _____________________________________________________ Your major: _____________________________________________________ Your group topic (a current political geography issue): ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Your individual part in this presentation: ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________ Two sources for maps or other graphics (in a proper referencing style):
Two other sources (in a proper referencing style):
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